Saturday 26 December 2015

A LEAP in TIME

It’s a beautiful December morning, the air is filled with possibility, one of those rare days in which you feel glad to be alive; it’s actually the 25th but, as Christmas is not celebrated here, I’m off to visit the Museum of Seljuk Civilization. The museum is located in the city center, in the Mimar Sinan Park, making it very easy to spot.
I find myself in front of an un-impressive, grey building, a complex dating from the 13th century, comprising of two attached buildings: a hospital and a medical school (medrese), named after the princess of the Sultanate of Rum, Gevher Nesibe. What stands out are probably the two portals that facilitate the entrance to the two adjoining buildings, constructed in granite stone, typical for Seljuk architecture.

Tuesday 22 December 2015

My first impressions of Kayseri...

I got here five days ago, but somehow it seems longer, and I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that so many things have happened these past few days that time seems to have expanded (contrary to the scientific allegations) - visits to authorities, awesome meals, a paper plane contest, sight seeing through the city... so much to learn, so much to discover!
OK, so maybe this is not the most "exotic" place to be, but for me, having met so many wonderful people has got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, 6 months (the period that I'm supposed to spend here) it's not such a long time after all. You don't need me to tell you about traditions, weather, geography, food, religion, touristic attractions, the fact that you won't be able to have a beer in town (except for some hotels, maybe) or get along with locals because of the language barrier, as only a handful of them speak, let's say, English, nor about the huge smog that has come to be an inherent part of the scenery, you can google it yourself.

Thursday 17 December 2015

Wroclaw Part 2, Polonya

Merhabalar, 
Daha önce Wroclaw’daki ilk günlerimi sizlerle paylaşmıştım. Şimdi kaldığım yerden devam etmek isterim. 
Buradaki 2.ayım, görev ve sorumluluklarımız daha da arttı. Ofis çalışanları sürekli olarak bir koşturmaca içerisinde. Bu sıralar ağırlıklı olarak İnsan Hakları üzerinde çalışıyoruz. Farklı yaş gruplarına yönelik workshoplar (atölye çalışmaları) düzenliyoruz ve aynı zamanda konferanslarımız oluyor.

Saturday 12 December 2015

Do you like Turkish foods?, EVS in KAYSERİ

Do you like Turkish foods?
Since I’m in Turkey, one of the most common questions that people ask me is: “do you like Turkish foods?”. Well, I have to say that it’s really a different foods from that one that I’m used to eat in Italy but I always accepted to try everything and then judge it. Now I’m going to tell about the food I tasted.
Let’s start from the best one! My favourite Turkish food is “Iskender”, a kind of doner kebab made of cut grilled lamb basted over pita bread with the adding tomato sauce, butter and yogurt. Still I don't understand why they put yogurt everywhere, but this is another question hahhahha. Anyway it's really delicious and full of calories!

Wednesday 2 December 2015

BİRAZ DA GEZELİM - RUSYA

AGH (Evs) projem tüm hızıyla devam ederken izin günlerimde havalar henüz çok soğumadan fırsat buldukça gezmeye çalışıyorum.
Bir hafta sonu hosting (ev sahipliği yapan) ailem ile birlikte bir Rus köyüne ve kolektif bahçe adında köye benzeyen bir yerleşim yerine ziyarette bulunduk. Daça adı verilen evlerde kaldık , orada yaşayan insanlarla tarlaları gezdik, birlikte çalıştık, seralardaki sebzeleri toplamalarına yardım ettim. Bir yabancının onları ziyaret etmesi onları çok mutlu etti ve bir anda ilgi odağı oldum köyde. Herkes benim tatmam için bazı yöresel yemekler hazırladı. Hepsi çok lezzetliydi. Bütün gün gezdik, çalıştık, sohbet ettik ama yorucu olmanın aksine dinlendiriciydi. Şehrin gürültüsünden, kalabalığından uzakta doğanın içinde bu samimi ve misafirperver insanlarla zaman geçirmek huzur doluydu.