My Volunteering Journey: The Second Month in Turkey

I can't believe time has flown by so fast. Two months passed like just a few weeks. But what is more surprising is how this relatively short time has changed me and my way of thinking about life. I feel like a better version of myself now. 

The second month was even more amazing than the first. The month was very busy and full of travel. It was not easy, but in the end I managed to balance work and fun. Now, looking at the photos taken in February, I have a strange feeling. It is hard to believe that in one month I changed and saw different climates, terrains and even very different people.

February started with a trip to Hatay. The stunning views of Hatay made the long bus journey a little more pleasant. The days were fabulously sunny, we lived by the sea and I could see the sea from my house. Some of us decided to take a dip in the sea late in the evening. I didn't swim in the sea, I watched and enjoyed the loud laughter and happy emotions. As for volunteering in Hatay, the work was not easy, we had to grab the bad mandarins from the ground and prune the trees. It may not sound so difficult to you now, but in the mornings the trees were wet and it was cold, and by the middle of the day the weather warmed up and it became even more difficult. But the wonderful company and new acquaintances kept the fatigue at bay or the negative thoughts at bay. Evenings were spent getting to know the other volunteers and playing a variety of games. On the last day, we stayed up late talking about the different cultures, food and dances of our countries, and we danced, played and laughed out loud together.

Immediately after our trip to Hatay we travelled to Istanbul. The journey was not the best. Do not think that I was disappointed with Istanbul. It really didn't. Istanbul is a beautiful city, but we were all tired and there were disagreements among the volunteers, so we didn't get to see and visit much. But don't be discouraged, we survived the disagreements and now we are one big family. Nevertheless, we did a lot of boat trips, we managed to visit one church and we had Turkish food.Back in Ankara, we soon got the chance to visit another town, Ilgaz, and try downhill skating. The views were heart-rending from the first minutes of arriving in the village, but the skating itself didn't capture my heart so quickly. It was very difficult, I never thought that sliding down the mountain could be so challenging. On the first day we learnt the basics, listened to the rules and slowly tried to skate. It was not easy, I wanted to finish the training as soon as possible and go to rest, but on the second day things changed a lot. We started skating from a small rise and learned to make turns and suddenly I fell in love with skating. I hope to be able to do it again one day. 

After Istanbul, we stopped travelling for a while and continued volunteering in Ankara. We visited the Keçiören youth space. The youth worker showed us the sound of the beautiful traditional Turkish instrument 'Baglama' and one girl charmed us with her singing and a very beautiful Turkish song.  

We also celebrated Valentine's Day in Ankara. I was not alone on Valentine's Day. I believe happiness likes silence, so I will not go on about that. But I can say that I think I have not only found myself here, but I have also found a wonderful person with whom I am enjoying my time, laughing and crying together. 

Our IYACA team also visited the university. We introduced ourselves and our experience of volunteering in Turkey. It was a bit embarrassing to speak in front of an audience, but we did amazing and had a great time. I got compliments on how much I have improved my English and how well I spoke. I was extremely happy to hear that. 

I got the opportunity to edit a video for the first time. I never thought editing could be so difficult. It took a long time to edit a good video. Valeria, a member of my group, helped me and explained what I needed to improve and what I was doing well. I think I will be able to use my new knowledge and skills in filming and editing in the near future. 

I can't forget to mention our speaking club. Each time I got to know each person who came I got to know them better and the activities and games got better. I am proud of the improvements people have made in such a short time. Together we learnt, played, laughed and talked about our emotions. AND WHAT COULD BE BETTER.  We visited the Mamak Youth Centre and played with the children. It was a wonderful feeling and even more wonderful to see the children's smiles and hear their laughter. I was proud to have had the opportunity to get to know such lovely and intelligent children. They surprised me in a good way. It's nice to hear that they feel the same and want to spend time with us again and again. 

Cappadocia will always be in my heart, just like Izmir. Not everyone is lucky enough to see such a sight, but we saw endless balloons. The image is etched in my heart. I felt like I was not in another city or country, but on another planet. It is difficult to describe this feeling in words, but I can try and say it was çok güzel. 

On our return to Ankara we visited the aquarium. I felt like a little girl seeing something special for the first time. It is a perfect feeling, it is always good to go back and feel like a little child again. Just when I thought the trip was over. We planned another trip to Bursa. It so happened that we only went as girls. The trip was so amazing. I saw the sea again, we went to the chocolate museum, visited another mosque and the Bursa historical tree. The tree was spectacular. And what was most amazing. We unexpectedly took part in a matchmaking ceremony. It was a very beautiful and sensitive moment. 

So the second month of volunteering was full of different emotions, experiences, new lessons and knowledge. It is sad to think that this is the end of my volunteering and I will have to say goodbye to my new friends who have been with me for the whole two months, experiencing the same emotions, laughing together, having some bad moments. I hope one day I will have the opportunity to travel and visit each of their countries and visit each of my new friends. I always knew that volunteering was a great thing, but I would never have thought that it was SO AWESOME. This is the best thing that has happened to me.