Memories of Istanbul

 At the beginning of April, me and my grls gang have decided to go for a trip to Istanbul. 

Because, why not.

It was my very first time in this city which is not the capital of Turkey, guys! 

I remember us walking the streets and finding a nice cozy coffee place with a bench 

outside and the man next to us reading his book.

I remember the atmosphere of us sitting there and all these people passing by.

I remember the nice weather, the sun, the sea, the boats, the feeling of freedom and the joy.

That is probably what my memory of Istanbul will be. The feeling of freedom and joy.

Can we just talk about how I took a wrong ferry and my day plan totally changed?

Sometimes nice things happen when you do not expect them at all. 

Or sometimes we are just unable to see or recognize them because we think we are in a hurry. 

So. slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy the small moments that life gives you.

I also met my turkish friend Yunus, with whom I was a part of Darmasiswa program.

(check the program out, worth it!). 

Sometimes I do forget how nice and lovely it is to catch up on things with your friends. 

You never know how many new things you will discover and how 1 hour can turn into 4. :)

So, thank you Istanbul for treating me nicely. See you soon!

                     

Things I enjoy in Ankara

Hello, my dear friends! 

My name is Bianka, I am from Slovakia( not Slovenia) and at the moment I am a part of  IYACA as a ESC short-term volunteer.

I would like to tell you a little bit about my 1st month in Ankara, so please, have a seat, grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy. :)

Everything started maybe around the Christmas time when I have decided I would like to pursue a short-term ESC volunteering. I was bored at home and I wanted a change. I was somehow missing socializing, spending time outside, talking in english and learning new things. After browsing my FB page, I found a vacant spot in IYACA and the choice was obvious. :) That is how my journey begun.

As we all know, covid  does affect all the countries and Turkey is no exception, so when I decided to come here I knew that there will be a lot of restrictions and therefore a lot of activities that we would normally take part in would not be happening. But I have still decided to come. Do I regret it? No. 

Maybe the luck was on my side but when I first came to Ankara, the very next day all the coffee places and restaurants opened. You can imagine how happy I was. Exploring different types of coffee places, finding new vegan restaurants and seeing so many people at one place made my heart skip a beat!

Soo to not let you fall asleep, here is a short sum up of things I like and enjoy in Ankara! :)

Eating a turkish breakfast.

Drinking cheap Starbucks (do not judge, but finding soy milk can be quite challenging at coffee places)

I am an endless lover of baklava and simit. (yes, please)

Vegan ayran ( yes, it can be vegan and it can be good!)

And I am able to eat Çiğ Köfte for breakfast,lunch and dinner at the same day and I would have no regrets what so ever. (yes, please vol2)

Watching sunset at Atakule and eating onion rings. ( do not get me wrong, you need to watch sunset and eat onion rings at the same time, that is how you do it!)

Well, I guess life is about all the small things and moments that we truly enjoy, right? :)