camp n style by sandra aleksov

EXPERIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY!

ONLINE MAGAZINE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING IN TURKEY / 1ST ISSUE / PUBLISHING ANNUALY / www.gsm.org.tr

Turkey through the eyes of volunteer! Hear about voluntary workcamps directly from the participants Afiyet Olsun! Playing games is not only for kids Life in Ankara

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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Content

04 ABOUT US 06 GENERAL INFORMATION ON VOLUNTEERING 08 ABOUT OUR WORKPLACE 10 ABOUT TURKEY CAMPS!

12 SELCUK / IZMIR 28 ALIAGA / IZMIR 46 KIRKLARELI / KAVAKLI 66 MUT / /MERSIN 92 YENIPAZAR / AYDIN 110 KASTAMONU / TASKOPRU 128 PLAYING GAMES IS NOT ONLY FOR KIDS 132 IMPRESSIONS FROM ANTALYA 138 AFIYET OLSUN! 142 ANKARA page

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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Magazine about volunteering in Turkey We would like to thank everyone, who helped us in every possible way during the process of creating this magazine! Special thanks to GSM team, Tasarımhane guys (we simply love you!), Erhan Karadağ and Fazlı Öztürk. It was a pleasure to work with you! Rita Lavickyte and Zoltan Csima take responsibility for the texts in this magazine, Sandra Aleksov for photos, graphic design and any visual stuff.

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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About us

Dear Friends, We would like to welcome you as you are reading the first issue of Camp&Style. With this magazine, we would like to introduce you to the world of volunteering through the international work camps we experienced in Turkey in the summer of 2012. We spent six months in Turkey between May and October 2012 as EVS (European Voluntary Service) volunteers working on our project called Photo Safari at GSM - Youth Services Centre in Ankara. The aim of our project was to prepare this magazine to encourage international volunteering and participation in voluntary work camps. In the first two months of our project, we stayed in Ankara and took courses in journalism, photography and graphic design. In the summer, we visited various work camps all around the country (we picked just few camps, because it was impossible to visit all of them) and gathered material for Camp&Style. We also participated in work and free time activities at these camps which enabled us to present our experiences from a more personal, informal perspective. After we returned to Ankara from our last camp, we evaluated all the materials and worked on the final product of our project, which is this first issue of Camp&Style.

Rita Lavickyte 29, Lawyer

I am Rita from Lithuania. I came here in Turkey as an EVS volunteer with a project “Photo Safari”. I am 29 years old, a lawyer by profession and, to be honest, I had nothing to do with journalism before. At particular period of my life I really needed some changes, so that’s where life brought me. During this time in Turkey I have learnt and experienced so much that I don’t regret even one moment spent here! I would definitely recommend everyone to do the same. You will have a chance to read here some of my and my team mates impressions from life in Turkey. Also we tried to add as much useful information as possible that you could not only enjoy reading it with your morning coffee, but also could use it for deciding whether you want to choose volunteering as your holiday style, or while choosing the work camp you want to participate, or just for traveling purposes. So.. Enjoy! And, please, don’t be too judgy.

I came here in Turkey as an EVS volunteer with a project Photo Safari. page

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

Sandra Aleksov 25, Graphic designer

HELLO! My name is Sandra Aleksov and I’m 25 years old. I live in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital (for those who do not know). I graduated in graphic design, and photography is my hobby. Considering the fact that I am very adventurous and I’m a person who can not keep in one same place, I decided to go on an adventure in Turkey. So I came to this project that has really changed my worldview and perception of life. Being a volunteer is an indescribable feeling and anyone who has done it will tell you the same thing.

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Zoltan Csima

28, English teacher

My name is Zoltan Csima and I come from Hungary. Although I was familiar with volunteering, I had never participated in volunteer camps before. That’s why I decided to take part in this project: I wanted to experience this form of volunteering in a multicultural environment and also wanted to see how these camps change people’s perception of volunteering. I hope that this magazine will bring back nice memories for past volunteers and it will encourage others to take part in volunteering in some form or another.

But since that it is difficult to describe the feeling, I decided just to give you a friendly advice: try to volunteer, you will not regret it!

So i came to this project that has really changed my perception of life.

I had never participated in volunteer camps before.

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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General Information on Volunteering What is volunteering? Volunteering is an activity where we do not receive financial gain and yet at the same time it enables members of our community to benefit from our work. Volunteering is not primarily done to make personal gains, people volunteer to serve society through their own interests and personal skills. We can summarize the values which drive volunteering as the following: a desire to contribute to the common good, out of free will and in a spirit of solidarity, without expectation of material reward.

How does the volunteer benefit from volunteerining? Although the volunteer doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t benefit financially from voluntary work, volunteering offers many other benefits. We do an activity in our free time that we support and think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth doing. We can belong to a community where we are having fun, meet new people and make new connections. We can also learn new things and improve our skills and abilities.

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What can motivate someone to volunteer? There can be many reasons which can motivate someone to volunteer. Very often it is our belief and conviction that calls us to volunteer. It is good to belong to a community where you can do something useful and meaningful while you are enjoying what you are doing. We have to keep in mind that this is also responsible work and volunteering is also related to efficiency: it feels good to see the fruits of your work where you have devoted your time, knowledge and efforts.

Who can be a volunteer? Anyone who believes in the importance of work done for others and for a good cause without receiving financial benefits.

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

Volunteering: a part of life It is about peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s need to feel that they matter to others, that they have a role to play in their communities or somewhere else in our globe. It is about relationships and how they enhance a sense of wellbeing for both the volunteer and for the community they serve. It is one of the building blocks of society, anywhere and everywhere on the planet. Volunteers do not always work within a formal organization, though many do. Volunteers do not always travel far from home, though many do. And they do not always dedicate lifetimes to volunteering, though many do. To be a volunteer is a personal choice that passes beyond culture and national borders. It can mean briefly taking time out to help less fortunate neighbors enjoy a better life, or committing a lifetime to the causes of peace and development.

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The act of volunteering ranges from helping at critical situations at short notice, cleaning your neighborhood, working in call-centers or raising money for a good cause one weekend with your neighbours. A volunteer can be an activist, an idealist, a champion, or simply a friend. And anyone, from all walks of life, of all ages, genders, backgrounds or abilities, can make a difference. If you are interested in learning more information on volunteering, the websites of the following organizations offer ample information to orient you in the world of volunteering: United Nations Volunteers, EYV 2011 Alliance, European Volunteer Centre or Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations, just to name a few.

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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About our workplace GenĂ§lik Servisleri Merkezi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Youth Services Centre

GSM was established in 1985 in Ankara in order to organize international cultural youth exchange projects. GSM aims to help Turkish youth travel abroad and foreign youth travel to Turkey so they can meet other young people from different cultures. By doing this, they also intend to contribute to the development of a common understanding and tolerance in the international scene. Since it has been founded, GSM has carried out hundreds of successful projects in Turkey and abroad.

One of the main projects in Turkey is the organization of international volunteer work camps. Each summer, about twenty work camps are organized in different regions of Turkey in co-operation with municipalities, universities and public institutions. The main purpose of these camps is to assist in the social development of young people and help them to develop international ties of friendship.

General objectives of international volunteer work camps * Strengthening the spirit of voluntary work for the benefit of society and to raise public awareness * Encouraging young people to cooperate and be tolerant of social and cultural differences * Contributing in the cultural development of youth * Strengthening the bonds of friendship * Ensuring that young people care about the natural environment and society

Why a work camp is an excellent place to volunteer Participating in an international work camp is an exciting opportunity. It is an interesting and meaningful way to travel with purpose and spend about two weeks in a foreign environment. Working and living together with other young people from around the world provides an excellent opportunity to make many new friends, learn about unknown places and culture, gain new skills and experience. Your time, energy and enthusiasm can make a difference in areas where help is really needed. Try something new! Get involved in acting for a good cause in a work camp abroad!

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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Info about Turkey As we are writing about workcamps in Turkey, we should give you some basic information about this country. So.. here it is: First of all, Turkey is Eurasian country located in Western Asia. It is like a bridge uniting Europe and Asia. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria (to the northwest); Greece (to the west); Georgia (to the northeast); Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran (to the east); and Iraq and Syria (to the southeast). This country on three sides is surrounded by three different seas: the Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea. Then, Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic with rich cultural heritage. The population of it is about 75 million people. The majority of the population is Muslim (98-99 percent).

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY!

Also, you should remember that even though Istanbul is the biggest city in Turkey (population - 13,5 million), the capital of Turkey is Ankara (4 million), located in the centre of the country. (You will be able to read some impressions and useful tips for life in Ankara in the last section of the magazine). Turkey is a very big country and has so many things to offer:

Issue 01 / 2012 this friendliness, generosity and beautiful nature, unique ancientwww.gsm.org.tr warmth can exist. heritage, many opportunities for leisure time, nice climate almost all While being the first time in Turkey, year long, rich Turkish cuisine and you can be shocked seeing the many many things more. Turkish lifestyle can seem very exotic, as it photos and monuments of one specific Turkish man everywhere. is an interesting blend of East and I am not exaggerating. For me it West. But also in the big modern cities, you can even forget that you was a big surprise and I couldn‘t understand how it is possible. The are in a Muslim country, except man is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk for the call to prayer, which can be (1881-1938) – founder and the heard 5 times per day. You should first president of the Republic know, that in big cities usually of Turkey. He still has a huge there is no difference the way influence for turkish people as people dress from other big cities he transformed the country into in the world (although sometimes modern, westernized and secular you can see a big mixture of modern and old-fashioned clothing republic. I‘m not gonna go into details of all the good he did, but – i. e. in Istanbul you can see Turkish nation adore this great almost naked women and also man and is proud of him, so that‘s women in burka). It is only in why you can see his silhouette smaller villages, more remote everywhere. areas and the east of the country that dress codes are more local (there it is quite common for village Also, Turks love their national flag women to wear headscarves). Just and treat it as sacred. The flag of Turkey is a red flag with a white if you want to enter the mosque, crescent moon and a star in its you should consider what to wear, centre. The flag is called Ayyıldız because everyone should cover (moon-star) or Albayrak (red flag). his/her legs, also women should So, especially on some holidays cover their hair and shoulders. you can see all the places red of Also, you should remove your shoes before entering the mosque. flags. It‘s quite impressive.

I should mention that Turkish people are famous for their hospitality. It is very important in Turkish culture. It is said, that Turks treat the visitors as they are „Guests sent by God“. I wish everyone to experience what does that mean, because in other way, it‘s impossible to describe - you cannot believe that

So, that‘s just some general information about Turkey that can be useful and interesting to know. You will be able to read more about some specific areas or particular topics in the workcamps sections. So.. continue reading! 

“I should mention that Turkish people are famous for their hospitality. It is very important in Turkish culture.” page

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! Issue 01 / 2012

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY!

ABOUT SELCUK:

Selçuk is the town, located on the western edge of the Aegean Region of Turkey, lies 73 kilometers South of İzmir on the İzmirAydın ABOUThighway, SELCUKand 9 kilometers east of Pamucak, which is on the seashore and has clean natural sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. Selçuk has an area of 295 square kilometers. The region enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate.

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Se Ep lçu Th he k F Th e İ sus or tr B e h sab es oa s Lo t ou ey K ca trip se Mo uş l b s o f V squ ad ea irg e as ch in ı es M ar y

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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ART CAMP HOW TO GET TO YOUR MEETING POINT? 1. From Istanbul Ataturk International Airport BY PLANE: PS: You can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Ataturk Int’l to IZMIR Airport; www.thy.com www.flypgs.com www.onurair.com www.atlasjet.com

Nice hearts at origami workshop You can take the suggested bus company below which goes until Selcuk. The bus will have several stops

BY BUS: You can use subway till midnight to reach the central bus station named “Esenler Bus Terminal”(Esenler Otogari). One ride costs 2 Turkish Liras. (1€ = 2,30TL approx.) If you arrive after midnight you need to take a cab which will cost around 15-20TL. (Pls note that there are two airports in Istanbul. The other one:“Sabiha Gokcen International” is not conveniently located and does not have easilyaccessible transfers for Selcuk so we Percussion workshop highly recommend you to fly to Ataturk airport • From Esenler Bus Station (Esenler Otogari) page

in the city of Izmir: make sure you get off at the right stop (Selcuk Otogar) which is also your meeting point! Your camp site is also accessible by public transportation. If you arrive earlier/later than the pickup hours, you can take small buses (“Dolmuş” in Turkish) to “Pamucak” which will cost a few liras.

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PS: You can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Ataturk Int’l to

Theatre workshop

2. From Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport: It is much more complicated to travel by land to Selcuk from this airport (contact us for further details). However, you can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Sabiha Gokcen Int’l to IZMIR Airport. Here are some links: www.thy.com Origami workshop www.flypgs.com www. anadolujet.com (with a stopover in Ankara)

If you are flying to Izmir, From Izmir Adnan Menderes International Airport, When you are in the airport, ask for a supermarket called “Tansaş”. There is a bus stop in front of the supermarket from which you can take the small buses (“Dolmuş”) with the sign “Selçuk – Efes”. It costs 10TL and takes about 1 hour. The “dolmuş” starts at 07:00am and runs once every 40mins. Make sure you get off at the right stop (Selcuk Otogar) which is also your meeting point! Your camp site is also accessible by public transportation. If you arrive in Selcuk Otogar earlier/later than the pick-up hours, you can take small buses (“Dolmuş” in Turkish) to “Pamucak” which will cost a few liras.

Slacklining workshop

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TRIPS 01

Free Time Activities 01

Trip to Ephesus (Efes)

Boat trip

We visited Ephesus, a large archeological site in Aegean Turkey and one of the country’s major tourist attractions. It’s just 4 km far from Selçuk.

Relaxing time in the camp area During your free time in camp u can play pingpong or enjoy different activities in a beautiful camp area.

The boat excursion is a great day out. We stop at a few few bays, and sometimes in the middle of the sea so you can have a great time jumping and diving off the boat and

Lunch on a boat The boat excursion is very cheap. Lunch and soft drinks are usually included in the price. Lunch consists of fish, hamburgers, rice, pasta, salad and bread. 03

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“Volunteering is the best thing ever!” By Rita Lavickyte

While spending one beautiful day in a boat trip with Selçuk I workcamp volunteers, I decided to talk to Olga – russian volunteer, who is always so energetic and shining like a little sun - about her impressions here and her thoughts about volunteering. So, that’s how our conversation continued:

Olga Lobanova, 22 St.Petersburg, Russia Graduated Economics and Management in the Trade and Public Catering, also French Civilization

Do you have any previous experience with workcamps and volunteering in general? Yes, I should say I am quite experienced volunteer (smiling). I have been volunteering for 2 years and this is my 9th workcamp. I have participated in workcamps in many different countries: Serbia, France, Italy, Slovenia, Iceland. Also I have been as a camp leader in Russia twice. Except workcamps, I also have had other volunteering experience – in Russia I had a project for 2,5 months, which aim was to give computer lessons to old people, and I was a teacher. It was a great! Plus, I have been volunteering in russian monastery, helping with different things there and - what I am very glad about – there they were teaching me how to draw the icons! It’s unrepeatable experience. I am pretty sure I will continue with volunteering in the future.

02 I am being curious - why did you choose to come to this workcamp in Turkey?

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First of all, I should say that I love kids very much. And I like working with kids. During my free time back at home I work with kids in my school, I want them to feel more self confident, to teach them how to express themselves using their body, behaviour etc. Also, I have had such kind of experience in workcamp in Slovenia before and I really enjoyed it. So, I was excited by this project here in Selçuk and decided to come. In addition, I have already mentioned before that usually I travel for few months in a row from one place to another. Before choosing workcamp in Turkey I was accepted in a workcamp in Macedonia. Then I thought - why not to use the opportunity to come to Turkey before it and do something good (smiling). So, after Selçuk my volunteering way continues in Macedonia.

03 What is your task in this workcamp? Me and Cassie (volunteer from France) have silent theatre workshops for teenagers. We try to show young people that you can express yourself using your body language, not always words are necessary. Also we want them to try something new and interesting. We ask teenagers to express some of their emotions without words by using body language, by acting to show some nationalities, also to perform some situations. At the beginning they are very shy performing, but after some time they get more self confident, more open minded. It is really nice.

04 What did you expect before coming here in Turkey? Were these expectations right? I didn’t think too much before coming to this workcamp. I didn’t have expectations as my moto is “go and enjoy”! I like to be spontaneous. I don’t care too much about conditions. The most important is good company and with good company I can enjoy everything. As an advice, I can say that noone should expect that someone else will make fun for you – you have to do it on your own. (Thinking..). Additionally to this answer, maybe I can mention some fears of mine. Before coming here I was a bit worried how it will be if kids do not speak English. How will I be able to influence them? How will we interact?.. But my fears were not right. Kids are so helpful, so willing to learn! They try very hard to understand, also we have some help from camp leaders with translations, so everything is just great.

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY!

What do you like here?

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I have been in Turkey before this workcamp and I have many Turkish friends, so it was not a big surprise or shock for me. Hmmm.. what do I like here?.. I should say, that people here are very very nice – so polite and kind to each other. Kids are so enthusiastic, want to learn, so excited about meeting volunteers. I can learn so many things from other volunteers (i.e. italian workshops, origami), which I will be able to use later with kids in my school. What else?.. Well, I like turkish food, turkish culture in general – it’s so different! I also like the location of this workcamp - there are so many nice places around that you can visit. And living so close to the beach is very very cool.

Did you have some prejudices about Turkey before coming here? What can you tell me now - were they correct?

Can you tell me what did you learn in this workcamp?

My first experience in Turkey few years ago was not very nice.. While having holidays in Alanya my all things were stolen, I had problems with passport and I was really scared about all this situation. I didn’t think I will come back here (smiling). But then I have met so many nice turkish people, so my impressions about Turkey have changed totally. I am pretty sure that if you want to find good people, you will! And bad things can happen anywhere..

Well, even though it’s my 9th workcamp, every time you learn something new. I have already mentioned that it is very useful for me to learn some new things from other volunteers’ workshops, and I will definitely use it in the future while working with kids. Also it is so nice to observe how kids in the workcamp were so shy at the beginning and what big progress they made. In the end of their workcamp they became more open-minded and flexible. Seeing such result always brings big satisfaction.

During this time spent in workcamp what was your biggest disappointment?

Tell me, while being here do you miss some things?

Well, I cannot say that I have had some big disappointments. Probably my biggest disappointment (not sure if I can define it as dissapointment) is that I can’t participate in other volunteer’s workshops as at the same time I have to do my own workshops. But I hope I can still do it and still have some time to learn new things (smiling).

Hmmm… yes, maybe I miss some russian food as herring or potatoes, also fruits. But I can eat everything, so I am not complaining about food.

10 Olga, tell me, would you recommend to other people to do the same thing?

“ simple thank you is totally enough for me – that what makes me happy. ”

For sure! If you have at least some knowledge, you can help children. And if you will make a difference even for one kid, it’s worth doing it. In my opinion, if you work for the money, all what you can see in your brain is thoughts about money, money and how to make more money. When you volunteer, you just enjoy people and what they do. For me volunteering is a best thing ever! I like seeing people smiling and simple “thank you” is totally enough for me – that what makes me happy.

Olga, thank you very much for your time – it was a big pleasure talking to you. Wishing you the best luck in your future plans! page

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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Ephesus

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Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selรงuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era.

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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“I enjoy being in a workcamp” By Rita Lavickyte

From the moment our hard working journalistic team stepped into the area of Selçuk workcamp we have been totally taken care of. So, while relaxedly floating in a boat somewhere in Mediterranean Sea, I decided to talk with one of the Selçuk I workcamp leaders – Ahmet Ege, who has been so helpful to us and whose eyes shining with warmth and confidence make you sure that you are in reliable hands. So, here’s some part of our conversation: .

Is it the first time when you work as a workcamp leader?

Ahmet Ege, 25 Ankara, Turkey Graduated Social Work in Hacettepe university

“I Should mention that this camp is not the ordinary one.”

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No. I was a camp leader in 2007 or 2008 in a workcamp in Mersin. That was really challenging. Now this is the 2nd time. But even though I have no too big experience as a camp leader, I know lots of information about workcamps, because I was coordinating them while working in the office.

Why did you decide to work as a camp leader?

First of all, I like my profession and working with youth. That’s what I do. Also, I really like responsibilities. Being a camp leader gives me a lot of experience, I learn new things, meet new people. I enjoy being in a workcamp.

When did you start working with volunteering?

I was 19 or 20 years old when I started working with different volunteering projects. I was still studying. Everything started with GSM-Gençlik Servisleri Merkezi (Youth Services Centre) organization. Being 20 years old I was volunteering, working with youth and workcamps. Also I was a participant in some projects. During my internship I was working as a project coordinator in GSM.

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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What problems did you face in this workcamp?

I should mention that this workcamp is not the ordinary one, so here you have to be not ordinary camp leader. In the environmental camps work is more or less defined. This camp is with art shade – GSM workcamp volunteers with different artistic skills come here to teach local young people. So, it’s two different workcamps (international and local) that should be united at some points. It’s not easy to arrange everything and you have to work not only as a camp leader, but also as a training coordinator. Plus, I should mention that it’s the first workcamp of this kind in Selçuk, so not everything was really smooth. It was necessary to explain to local municipality, what is GSM workcamp in general, what kind of responsibilities they have etc. The Municipality has planned basic things, also some activities for free time (i.e. trip to Ephesus during the weekend), but some things were not arranged, so we had to arrange it by ourselves (i.e. boat trip for sunday).

“I like my proffesion and working with youth.”

Was it difficult to solve these problems?

These problems were not that serious. Also, I am not the only one leader in this workcamp, so we shared our responsibilities. Every evening me and Mithat (the second camp leader) had a meeting, talked about the problems, discussed possible solutions and shared our duties, so everything was ok.

Tell me, do you have any free time while being a camp leader?

In general, yes – every day after 11 p.m. I have some free time, also sometimes there is some free time during the day. But I should say that first week was quite intense (during whole week I went to the beach just twice even though our camp is few metres away). Also at the beginning I wanted to make all volunteers united, so I preferred to spend my free time with them chatting and sharing experiences.

I am being curious if you learned something in this workcamp?

Well, first of all, as I mentioned before, additionally to being a camp leader I practised to be also a training coordinator. Also I learned to be more patient, improved my skills of doing many things at one time (i.e. arranging things with municipality, volunteers and co-leader) and, for sure, I learned many things (like theatre, slacklining etc) from volunteers.

Thank you so much for the conversation and good luck continuing your great job!

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

By Zoltan Csima

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e m o h o t r

e t t e L

“It’s a pleasure to be here, and I’d like to say thanks to our team leaders.”

22 ev, n y i ija nd Afa zerba ess l i l A n a Kh aku, Busi tion B a d r t e is at n u i d m Ad Gra

Dear Mom, I’m having a great time at the camp have to worr in y about me at all. I liked Selçuk, you don’t as we arrived the camp sit , we stay in e as soon tents in the experience. nature whic h is a great I remember th at on our firs we got lunch t day after o ur long trip here after arr from home, iva my favourite meal is Turk l, which was so deliciou s. Still, simple, and ish kahvaltı to me it’s ju (breakfast). s t It amazing. B meals here, ’s fresh, I ha ut I actually like all the I am close to ven’t had any problem with the food the so speak Turkis children and the kitch en staff as w far. h, I translate ell. As I for the other they won’t h volunteers a ave to face d t if camp, so fi I believe you are also inte culties at their worksho ps. rested in my breakfast w d e have a mee ting, and th aily programme. After en I have som e free time. After lunch there is time to workshops a nd dinner, a go for a quick swim. T hen we have fter which w dining area e talk with fr or on the bea iends at the ch. Two days ag o we had a g reat time tra Mary’s hous velling to E e, an old mo fes, Virgin sque in tow nearby. It’s n and a tou a pleasure to ristic villag be our team lea e ders: Ahmet here, and I’d like to say thanks to and Mithat. I will be sad to leave the c amp next wee together aga k in at home. I hope everyth but at least we will be ing is fine w ith you. Love,

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

“Wat er for b glasses oat t rip”

!I ally I re e face t a h h t t for alty so s e tonic s i a m ent som Olg lf fro e onm bring . r s i r v you ive. ere d to e en tect you al •Th mmen much h o r p to eat reco d it so hing ey can t e e e n som e th itely ! Caus n fi •De quitos mos ou suit at y ome ing h t m y im ,s tr •Sw oun stcards c r you (po ays low rom others f alw •Pil s d l g u h n t wi thi sho ) e it me irls g •So ld shar ns etc s ra cou entatio wea o t s e pre nic hing l t e m •So eautifu e b b

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Cassie • Sleeping bag! •Water glasses for boat trip •No make-up •Some things for workshops •Sun cream •Hat •Body lotion •Water spray •Protection from mosquitos

Teres a

•Defin matte itely to tak e r As we that the c somethin amp i g nice go ou s t som t etime in the natu o wear, do s. re! esn’t

Tural •Towels •Sleeping bag •Something for washing clothes •Medicines, antiseptics

•Dictionary can be useful •Not too much time for books •Washing powder or soap for washing your clothes

rom f gs hat n i th try t e m oun o S c uld ers” “ r u yo u sho h oth yo re wit sha

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“The municipality would like to show children how camping is like” By Zoltan Csima

Filiz Ağbaba, Coordinator at the Department of Culture and Education, Selçuk Municipality

I asked Filiz about the organization of the camp. She told me why they decided to have a camp here and she also shared some technical details. Why did you decide to organize a camp here?

What difficulties did the municipality have while organizing the camp?

The mayor actively supports the youth. As the municipality can’t use the camp site actively, they wanted the youth to use the area in a useful way. The municipality would like to show children how camping is like, how to live with others, how life is in a camp environment. They want to provide awareness in certain issues to youth (about democracy, gender, health, hygiene) through non-formal education. If training is given to children, they have a chance to personally improve.

We initially had difficulties with the transportation of food and materials. For the music workshop, information has to be given in advance, so we can purchase the necessary equipment. Providing food on Saturdays and Sundays was another issue we had to work on as the kitchen staff do not work at weekends. This is the first time we are organizing such camps this summer. We can now see our weak points, and in cooperation with GSM, we can improve them the next time we are planning a camp together.

What expectations did you have? The municipality wants to help children explore their own skills. Normally it’s not cheap to send children to such summer camps, with the help of the municipality, children of all social status are given a chance to attend this camp. Selçuk municipality wanted to organize an international camp. Initially, we had no partner, but later we found GSM, and with their help, we managed to organize the camp that we had in mind.

Why would you recommend this camp to foreign volunteers? Selçuk has perfect natural and historic sites and is a very popular destination for Turkish and foreign tourists as well. Locals are openminded and welcoming, volunteers will feel comfortable here. The camp site is located on the beach, participants can swim as often as they wish in their free time. İzmir is only about an hour away, and it’s worth to visit there before or after camp.

“This is the first time we are organizing such camps this summer.” page

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“Our major expectation was to give children human love in a useful way” Tevfik Akçıl, Retired teacher, dormitory director, Responsible for technical support in the camp

By Zoltan Csima

I also asked Mr. Akçıl to share a few things regarding the organization of the camp. Why did you decide to organize a camp here? We organized a camp here to provide a chance for the local children to socialize with others, to help them look at the world from a different perspective, and to create a friendly and respectful environment between the locals and foreign people. What expectations did you have? Our major expectation was to give children human love in a useful way. We wanted to help them to leave their daily routine and show them how life is in nature without computer and television. Our aim was to improve their socioeconomic opportunities in a camp where they are having fun while learning more about each other and the world.

What difficulties did the municipality have while organizing the camp? Life in a camp setting can create difficulties. Culture conflict – children come from different cities and different social backgrounds. Some difficulties are related to eating habits and using the toilet. Making them understand rules can be difficult. Problems with the kitchen – faced problems while preparing for this camp, these will be addressed in the coming weeks. The problem is not financial, but it’s the lack of experience. I believe things will get better in the coming weeks and certainly by next summer.

“We wanted to help them to leave their daily routine and show them how life is in nature without computer and television.”

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ns d r s , b ma uni k in om c ea in th e ip ch ten ali e es an ty. , e ce tc .

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Iz ES Ep mir TO Th he s VI e Th İ us SI B e h sab T oa e o Lo t : us y M t Ay ca rip e o of sq Se va l be th ue yt lik ac e an he Vi rg s so in fr as M ar i y

D IE ria O IT te s M IL fe ed ot O C Ca h b h ts C FA in wit ith ile Fi C A od se s w r/to i V W T Fo ou wer ate n h he y st o w tc dr Ki un La

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ABOUT ALIAGA: ABOUT SELCUK Aliağa is a town and a district of Izmir

Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. The town is situated at about 50 km north of Izmir and the economic activity is centered around an oil refinery, as well as tourism.

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FOR CLEAN BEACHES HOW TO GET TO YOUR MEETING POINT? 1. From Istanbul Ataturk International Airport

• From Esenler Bus Station (Esenler Otogari)

BY PLANE: PS: You can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Ataturk Int’l to IZMIR Airport; www.thy.com www.flypgs.com

You can take the suggested bus company below. The bus direction is to Izmir! Don’t forget to tell that you will get off at Aliaga while you are buying your ticket.

www.onurair.com www.atlasjet.com BY BUS: You can use subway till midnight to reach the central bus station named “Esenler Bus Terminal”(Esenler Otogari). One ride costs 2 Turkish Liras. (1€ = 2,30TL approx.) If you arrive after midnight you need to take a cab which will cost around 15-20TL. (Pls note that there are two airports in Istanbul. The other one:“Sabiha Gokcen International” is not conveniently located and does not have easily-accessible transfers for Selcuk so we highly recommend you to fly to Ataturk airport. page

Please be careful, Aliaga does not have a bus terminal therefore tell the driver you will get off BP Pehlivanoglu Gas Station at the entrance (Aliaga girisinde BP Pehlivanoglu Benzinligi) which is also your meeting point! Name of the Company: Metro Turizm (Office No. 115-116 in Esenler Bus Terminal) Departure Hours: 07:30 / 14:30 / 18:00 / 21:30 / 02:30 Duration of Journey: 12 hours / Cost of One Way Ticket: 60 TL (approx. 25 Euro)

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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ready for cleaning

2. From Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport: It is much more complicated to travel by land to Selcuk from this airport (contact us for further details). However, you can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Sabiha Gokcen Int’l to IZMIR Airport. Here are some links: www.thy.com www.flypgs.com www. anadolujet.com (with a stopover in Ankara)

3.From Izmir Adnan Menderes International Airport, You can take the train named BICEROVA in “Cumaovasi to Aliaga” direction.Last stop is Aliaga. It takes about 2 hours. You need what is called a city card (“kentkart”) that you have to buy at the airport. If you arrive between 07:00 – 15:00, there will be a counter of the train company IZBAN inside the terminal. The card for 3 rides costs 6,5TL and for 5 rides 10,50TL. If you arrive after 15:00, you may consult the information desk or the restaurant called SIMPAK for “kentkart” or another option. Saati is Arrival Time. When you get off the train in Aliaga Train Station, take the minibus to the direction of Plaj. Tell the driver you will get off BP Pehlivanoglu Gas Station (Aliaga girisinde BP Pehlivanoglu Benzinli” which will cost a few liras.)

PS: You can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Ataturk Int’l to IZMIR Airport page

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

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TRIPS 01

Free Time Activities 01

Trip to Ephesus (Efes) We visited Ephesus, a large archeological site in Aegean Turkey and one of the country’s major tourist attractions. It’s just 4 km far from Selçuk. 03

Night out in Izmir Izmir have the most active, crazy nightlife in Turkey, being considered as the Turkey’s door opening to European free 04

Boat trip

Trip to Izmir

The boat excursion is a great day out. We stop at a few few bays, and sometimes in the middle of the sea so you can have a great time jumping and diving off the boat and

Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia and the third most populous city in Turkey.

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“Feeling close to the neighbours of Mediterranean Sea area!” By Rita Lavickyte

During one very hot afternoon in Aliağa, when all the volunteers of the camp were sleepy and lazy after great lunch, I decided to “catch” spanish volunteer Carlos and ask him some questions about his impressions here and his thoughts about volunteering. So, here it goes some part of our conversation:

Carlos Diéguez Duvá , 23 Cordoba, Spain Studying Business Administration

Carlos, do you have any previous experience with workcamps and volunteering in general?

Can you tell me the reason why you chose to come to this exact workcamp in Turkey?

Yes. Two years ago I was participating in a workcamp in Hannover, Germany, for 3 weeks. It was the same type of the camp – we had to do some renovation, reconstruction works in the public garden. Now is my second experience with volunteering.

Last year I was studying for a year in Germany with Erasmus program. While being there I found some turkish friends. I was so curious about their culture, about the country, so I wanted to explore it more closely. That’s why I chose Turkey. About exact workcamp.. hmm.. I don’t know – I guess the dates of this camp were the most suitable for me (smiling). And I should say that I do not regret this decision – it’s great here!

03 What are the living conditions (room, food, laundry)? Are you satisfied with them? The living conditions are really good. We live in a house of Municipality. Most of the rooms are shared between 2 or 3 people. I share a room with two other guys. We have common bathrooms and common showers. Also we have big kitchen and dinning room. Food is very nice. Usually it is provided by Municipality. Sometimes we cook by ourselves as we want to share some national meals. Laundry?.. well, there is a washing machine in the kitchen, so we can wash our clothes when we need to. I am very satisfied with all these conditions.

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So, what specific tasks do you have in the camp? is it difficult? Talking about work in a camp, as a volunteer I help to clean some public zones in Aliağa (i.e. beach, parks), also our group has some enviromental works (i.e. working in a Green House). Talking about tasks in our temporary home, we were divided in groups of 3 people – “cleaning teams”. Every day different team has to take care that kitchen and resting area at home was clean. I should say that all the tasks I have had on the camp weren`t difficult and everything was explained properly.

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“It is much much better than I could expect !”

Can you tell me, how do you spend your free time in the camp?

Did you have any expectations before coming here? If yes, were they right?

I try to spend my free time with other people in the camp as I want to know them better. It is so interesting for me to know more about other other cultures. Also it’s really nice to share jokes and funny stories with them. cultures. Also it’s really nice to share jokes and funny stories with them.

I can say that it is much much better than I could expect! But to be honest, I like uncertainty and I prefer not to expect anything. It is much better like this. I could suppose that it will be something like my previous experience in the workcamp, but I really tried not to have any prior opinion. When I was stepping into the airplane, I felt some strange feeling inside – excitement, also little concern – difficult even to explain. But I love this feeling when you know that something new and exciting is waiting for you.

I prepared an abstract question for you – what do you like here? Just say anything what comes to your mind.?

Carlos, let’s talk about prejudices. Did you have any prejudices about Turkey before coming here? What do you think now - were they correct?

Hmmmm…(thinking) Mostly I like turkish people. Somehow I feel close to them. Maybe cause we all live in Mediterranean Sea area (smiling). I have never thought about this before, but we have so many things in common. I really want to explore it more. Also I like turkish culture – it has a very strong connection with religion. I am very curious to understand what is in people’s mind, how religion influences them. What else.. I also like that it is a bit chaotical here. For example, I could never thought that it is possible to drive the motorbike without wearing a helmet (in Spain it’s forbidden) or sometimes traffic in the street is really surprising. It is an interesting experience.

Well.. probably the most prejudices about Turkey are related to religion. I was curious to see in what manner people behave. Before coming here I was thinking that men and women are not treated equally (not by laws, but in real life) and after spending some time here I think my prior opinion about that was right.

09 Can you tell me what have you learnt in this workcamp? First of all, I should say that here I definitely improved my english skills as I really wanted to communicate with people, to express myself, so I was forced to talk in english. Also, I learned some turkish and serbian words (smiling). I should emphasize that knowing languages (even if you know just some words) really helps to interact with people, it unites them. page

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Have you had any difficulties? I don’t know if I can define it as a difficulty.. On the first day of the camp, I was the last one who came here. So, at the beginning I felt distant a bit, I needed to break the ice, to get closer to the people. But even though my english skills were not that good, I was talking and interacting to other volunteers, so after a while it became a great atmosphere between us.

11 What was your biggest disappointment during the time spent in workcamp? I don’t have any disappointments. In my opinion, everything what happens, is a chance to learn.

Tell me, while being here do you miss some things?

I am curious, if you have any future plans related to volunteering?

Nooooooo. I think it’s too short time to miss something.

I would like to repeat this wonderful experience in the future, but for now I don`t have a particular plan to do it. I think it will depend on my academic and work future.

14 So, just last question left.. Carlito, would you recommend to other people to do the same thing – I mean going to international voluntary workcamp here? And what suggestions or recommendations would you have for future participants? Of course! I would suggest to everyone to participate in a workcamp here. And I think it’s really good to share your experiences with people and let them know about such a great opportunity to explore new countries, cultures and meet interesting people. I should say that after my previous experience in volunteering I told my impressions to my younger brother and now he is leaving to the workcamp in Italy. Some advice to future participants?..(thinking) First of all, you must be patient with other people. Also it’s important to be in a group, to interact with other people. And sure – to obey the rules of the camp.

Thank you very much for your time, Carlos! It was a pleasure to talk with you. Wishing you many other nice experiences in the future.

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“I wanted to explore Turkey and turkish culture more closely”

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“I would suggest to everyone to participate in a workcamp here ”

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Izmir

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Izmir is the 3rd largest City in Turkey and the 2nd largest sea port. Following the Turkish revolutionary war much of the city needed to be rebuilt; as a result the city today is an interesting mixture of modern High rise buildings with wide tree lined boulevards. There are still many traditional houses and chateaus hidden away to discover though...

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“Being in a workcamp is a great experience that you cannot find anywhere else” by Rita Lavickyte

It’s not very usual that workcamp is being lead by one camp leader. Here, in Aliağa, we had a chance to see that even one person can perfectly take care of everything. So, let’s talk to Hamit Demiray about his impressions and experiences while leading this camp:

Hamit, when did you start working with volunteering? My first “touch” to voluntarism was in 2005. Then I participated as a volunteer in workcamp in Gemany. In 2008 I started working as a camp leader in Afyon with GSM-Gençlik Servisleri Merkezi (Youth Services Centre) organization. Everything there was well-organized. It was a very nice experience. I learned many things. So, I decided to repeat it again. Hamit Demiray, 30 Ankara, Turkey Graduated Electric and Electronics engineering and now working in governmental job

“Leadership teaches how to empathize with other people.”

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Why did you decide to work as a camp leader? I think it’s a great experience. Being a camp leader I cannot define as a work. Workcamp is a special place for new experiences, which you cannot have in any other circumstances. You have a chance to meet new people from all the world, to make new friends, you can share your feelings, thoughts, perspectives, experiences. That’s what I like and that’s why I want to come back to workcamp again.

Why did you choose working in this exact workcamp? Well, first of all, I have never been in Aliağa before, so it was great opportunity to explore new places. Also, I am better in managing environmental camps than art camps, so according to these reasons I decided to come to this workcamp.

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

“My advice would be to be flexible, open-minded and just enjoy time here.”

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What problems did you face in this workcamp?

How many participants are in this workcamp?

Usually the main problem in workcamps is to arrange things (accommodation, food) with municipality. In this workcamp we got a big support from Aliağa Municipality – good living conditions, transportation, food. They helped to arrange trips during the free time. So, there were no problems. I don’t think that other things can be seen as a problems, because they can be solved easily.

There are 14 volunteers from different countries: Spain, France, Greece, Czech Republic, Serbia, Georgia, Germany, South Korea.

Do you have any free time while being a camp leader?

Did you learn something in this workcamp?

Yes, at some afternoons I have some free time and I can rest. If I find some nice new place, I invite everyone to spend their free time together.

While being a camp leader, in a camp you learn not to concentrate only on yourself, you focus on other people needs, you learn to understand other people and their fears. Every person is different. Leadership teaches how to empathize with other people.

Would you recommend this workcamp to the future participants? Sure! As I mentioned before – being in a workcamp is a great experience that you cannot find anywhere else. Just I can say that sometimes people who come to workcamps don’t understand where they are coming, they are not ready. My advice would be to be flexible, open-minded and just enjoy time here.

Thank you for the conversation, Hamit!

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e m o h o t r

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e t t e L by Zoltan Csima

3 n, 2 i h S rea ng Ko jeo h o t H Sou

Dear Jicheol, How are you ba I remember th ck in Korea? at a few wee ks ago you me coming didn here to Turk ey . I totally un ’t like the idea of that way. W derstand wh e can’t see ea y you felt ch other for strangers, a fi ve weeks, I a nd you can ’t m c here with ome here if s Therefore I a m so thank o m et h in g h ful appens to m believe that e. we have only that in the end you let me go. I can 8 days left We usually ’t here. have breakfa st at 8.30, d the evening inner is usu , and we oft a en go to bed the first few around 3 in lly at 9 or 10 in days I was s th e morning. o tired and it I was worrie In d about sha wasn’t easy ring rooms, to cultural dif w o rk . A ls taking a sh fere ower, having o, realized how nces and making meals some unnecessary b these fears w y ourselves. By now I’v We always e discuss thin ere. gs when we camp leader do somethin always liste g together. O ns to us and There are a fe ur respects our w things wh suggestions ich are stran the house in . ge for me: p bikinis, som eople walkin e romances I had to reali g and parties in ze every We talk a lo that these things are ju st a part of th evening. But t, and it wa s su is work cam others were s p. hocked when ch a wonderful experien c e they heard s culture. It’s omething str when the fun learnin g new thing ange about I hope that o my s about their ne day we c c u a lture, too. n join a work the best way camp togeth to er. I think it their culture meet so many differen ’s t people and . Plus, doing to something g learn about and satisfied ood here ma . kes you hap I miss you s py o much and can’t wait to see you soon . Take care an d lots of hug s, Hojeong

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Hojeong’s travel tips for Koreans coming to work camps in Turkey ! lish he firstrs. g n in E ion is t o othe k a Spe versat nnect t Conp to co ste

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“List e some n to lates of the t pop m usic”

Learn a few things about Turkish culture If you learn about their history or culture, listen to some of the latest pop music before coming to camp, it will help you a lot to enjoy your camp much better.

Alway some s smile wh en yo We n one! u me e v et e strang r smile w e best w rs, but s hen we m m ay to break iling is the eet the ic e.

Prepare a presentation about Korea Many people know so little about our country, so be prepared to talk about our culture, music, arts and food.

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“We never smile when we meet strangers, but smiling is the best way to break the ice.” page

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“A great way to bring people of different cultures together.” By Zoltan Csima

Doğanşah Aydın, Coordinator of the camp, Financial expert at the Municipality of Aliağa

Mr. Aydın, the coordinator of the camp, made every effort to provide a great time for the participants. He often accompanied the volunteers while they were working and also joined them during free time activities. He enjoys hosting international volunteers in Aliağa and he’s looking forward to future camps as well. In the following he shares some facts about this camp, his town, and also his perspective on international work camps How many camps have you had so far in Aliağa? We organized the first camp in 2009, the second camp last year, and this is our third camp. Why did you decide to organize a camp here?

How does the town benefit from these camps?

The municipality organizes such camps to see how different cultures behave while living together. Also, Turkey is a European Union candidate country. Many people in Europe have prejudices against Turkey regarding culture, religion, language and race. The municipality decided to have camps here to show and make people understand that these differences are not a reason for division, and they are also a great way to bring people of different cultures together.

The people of Aliağa are pleased to see foreigners in the town. Getting to know foreign people helps to break prejudices. We also communicated with the shopkeepers. Turkish people believe that shopkeepers can spread news like a newspaper. They can help break cultural stereotypes as they chat with their customers about the camp and the volunteers.

What expectations did you have?

What difficulties did the municipality have while organizing the camp?

According to the Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan, we are living in a global village. This is a small world, and we need to find a way to live together. By the end of the camp, I hope that the participants will be able to see this need. page

Fortunately we had no difficulties with the organization because this is our third camp and we have a system that’s already working well.

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Why would you recommend this camp to foreign volunteers? We have everything that’s needed for a professional camp. The geographical location is ideal, the land is fertile and the landscape is lush. We are part of the İzmir tourism center (the city of İzmir is only 55 km from Aliağa) with lots of places of interest nearby, including the ancient cities of Ephesus, Bergama and Kyme, beautiful beaches in Foça and Çeşme, and holiday resorts such as Dikili and Ayvalık. If we consider all these factors, Aliağa is one of the best places for a camp like this.

“The people of Aliağa are pleased to see foreigners in the town.”

“Our major expectation was to give children human love in a useful way”

Municipality arranged nice dinner in Izmir for volunteers

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ABOUT KIRKLARELI: ABOUT SELCUK

Kırklareli is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey (borderline with Bulgaria), 200 km from Istanbul. Kirklareli is a very historic province that had been home to many different civilizations such as Thracians, Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire… The province has a coastline on the Black Sea.

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FOR CLEAN enviroment HOW TO GET TO YOUR MEETING POINT? 1 BY BUS: You can use subway from the airport till midnight to reach the central bus station named “Esenler Bus Terminal” (Esenler Otogari). One ride costs 2 Turkish Liras.

Municipality provided working clothes

(1€ = 2,30TL approx.) If you arrive after midnight you need to take a cab which will cost around 15-20TL. (Pls note that there are two airports inIstanbul. The other one: “Sabiha Gokcen International” is not conveniently located and does not haveeasilyaccessible transfers for Kirklareli so we highly recommend you to fly to Ataturk airport but if youcan not find such an option, please contact us for details.)

painting

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ready for cleaning pick-up hours, you must definitely inform your camp leaders beforehand. Name of the Company: Metro Turizm (Office No. 115-116 in Esenler Bus Terminal) Departure Hours (“Kalkış” is Departure from Istanbul & “Varış” is Arrival in Kirklareli) From Esenler Bus Station

Duration: 3 or 3,5 Hours Cost of One Way Ticket: 3 or 3,5 Hours 22 TL (approx. 10 Euros)

(Esenler Otogari): You can take the suggested bus company below which goes until Kirklareli. The bus will have several stops: make sure you get off at the right stop (Kirklareli Otogari) which is also your meeting point! Your camp leaders will be waiting for you at the bus station. If you are going to arrive earlier/later than the

PS: Nearest international airports: Istanbul

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TRIPS 01

Free Time Activities 01 Experiencing traditional events. Volunteers were invited to participate in circumcision ceremony - Sunet

03 Games is the good way to get to know each other better.

02 Visiting amazing Dupnisa Cave

04 Visiting Black Sea!

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“Birthday in Turkey !” By Rita Lavickyte

During one very hot afternoon in Kırklareli, after having our lunch, I have conversation with a wonderful woman Roberta – volunteer from Italy. Here’s the part of our conversation:

Roberta Vanzini, 45 Ferrara, Italy Working in the office with distribution of fashion magazine

Roberta, I know very secret information – today is your birthday. Congratulations! I am being curious if it’s not difficult to have your birthday here – far away from your family and friends?

Is it your first experience as a volunteer?

Thank you! No, it’s not difficult at all. To be honest, I am happy to experience my birthday somewhere else. Today while going in the bus to Kavaklı for our working time I was thinking that 45 years ago my mom couldn’t even imagine that her daughter will have her solid birthday in the bus full of different age volunteers somewhere far far away. But I am happy to celebrate it here with all these wonderful people.

No, it’s not. I participated in 2 workcamps before – one was in Sicily (Italy), the other one was in Germany. Also I am always doing some volunteering works in my city (i.e. working in a public kitchen).

“I am so amazed by people here. They are so kind, so nice, so eager to communicate!”

03 Why did you choose to spend your holidays in a workcamp? and why did you choose a workcamp in Turkey? I think going to a workcamp is a good way of getting to know other places, other cultures, also to meet great people. People come to workcamps from all over the world. And the most amazing thing is that during short time you have an opportunity to “touch” many different cultures. Also going to a workcamp is a good way to open your mind and to run away from your daily life. About coming here.. Well, I have never been in Turkey before, so I wanted to explore new places. page

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04 What are the living conditions (room, food)? Are you satisfied with them? I think we have a “5 stars” treatment (smiling). Rooms are nice – some shared by 2 people, some by 3 or 4 people. Conditions are really good. In the beginning I was worried about number of bathrooms (there is one bathroom for girls and one for boys), but I have to say that things work very well and even for showers we can have it easily. Food (especially the evening one) is really great: fresh, prepared by “expert” hands and very typical of Turkey. So, I am really satisfied.

So, what specific tasks do you have in the camp? is it difficult?

Can you tell me, how do you spend your free time in the camp?

To be honest, before coming to the camp I expected to work for a park with trees. While being here I realized that our main task is to clean the streets and paint the sidewalks. But I don’t complain - I think this is what they need from us and it is enough for me. I mean I am in a work camp so I have to do something in exchange for good services we receive. The only problem is working under the hot sun, expecially in the afternoons. But we can rest whenever we want.

In the beginning all group was going out in the evenings together. After some time me and Fernando (other volunteer from Italy) started spending our free time mainly with few boys and girls, with which we felt more close. It’s really nice.

Did you have any expectations before coming here? If yes, were they correct?

Roberta, can you tell me what do you like here?

First of all, I didn’t think that other volunteers here will be so young, cause usually from my previous experience, in other workcamps there are more older people. But it’s really not a problem (smiling). The other thought I had before coming is that I was expecting that coming to small village will let me feel better the local life, to experience more the other culture. I think I was right about this.

I am so amazed by people here. They are so kind, so nice, so eager to communicate. For example, few days ago while working in Kavaklı some local women came to me and invited me to have a coffee with them. It was so nice! Also local people offer fruits, chairs for resting etc. They are so generous and hospitable. Just I feel frustrated that I don’t know turkish language and I cannot normally communicate with them.

09 Did you have any prejudices about Turkey before coming here? What do you think now - were they correct? Well, I was not sure how turkish men treat turkish women. Here I can say that in reality it’s better than I thought.. but it’s difficult to say, because I can see people attitude only in this area of Turkey. Not sure how is it in other places in Turkey.

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Have you learnt something in this workcamp?

During the time spent in workcamp what was your biggest disappointment?

I have the vantage to learn something about Turkish culture (that I didn’t know at all before) from the “inside”. In the small village it is easy (much more than if you go in a big city).

At this moment I don’t have any disappointments. To be honest, I can say the opposite – I am so surprised with these great living conditions. I am very satisfied.

While being in a camp, do you miss something? Yes! I miss my daughter very much. She is 22 years old and she stays in Italy.

Roberta, would you recommend to other people to do the same thing (I mean, going to a international voluntary workcamp here)? Sure! I can say that people shouldn’t be afraid of word “work”, cause a workcamp is just a way to keep people together, to get to know each other.

Thank you very much for this pleasant conversation! and happy birthday one more time!

“Going to a workcamp is a good way to open your mind and to run away from your daily life ”

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Surprise party for Roberta’s birthday

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Istanbul Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country’s economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population of 13.5 million, the city forms one of the largest urban agglomerations in Europe and is among the largest cities in the world by population within city limits. Istanbul is a transcontinental city, straddling the Bosphorus—one of the world’s busiest waterways—in northwestern Turkey, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies in Europe, while a third of its population lives in Asia.

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“By coordinating camps, we can also improve our organizational and communication skills.” by Zoltan Csima

Mithat and Nesrin are experienced camp leaders. They established a good working relationship with the municipality in Kavaklı and were able to organize a camp which left lots of great memories in the participants. I asked them about their volunteering experience and why they came to the Kavaklı camp as leaders. What is your previous experience with volunteering / working as a camp leader? Mithat: This is my fourth camp, I have been a leader in Mersin, İstanbul - Adalar and Selçuk before this one. Nesrin: I have been to France, Bulgaria and Germany

as a participant, and this is my second time in Turkey as a camp leader.

Why did you decide to work as a camp leader? Fatma Nesrin Ergin, 24 Master student in Industrial and Organisational Psychology at Middle East Technical University Mithat Kemal Iman, 22 Business Administration Student at Middle East Technical University

Why did you choose this camp? Mithat: This is a good chance for me to see Kırklareli as I have never been here before.

Nesrin: This was the only camp this summer that fit

my schedule.

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Mithat: Improving myself is an important goal for me. By being here I can improve my view to the world and get different points of view on several issues. Because of the multicultural environment at the camp, we can learn many perspectives, we increase our network by making lots of friends in Europe and all over the world. By coordinating camps, we can also improve our organizational and communication skills.

Nesrin: I am doing a Master program at university, so my reason is closer to my education. Here I can see how a multicultural team works in practice. And of course I can learn about other cultures and I hope to improve myself. What did you expect before coming and is it like you thought it would be? Mithat: I was expecting to see new cultures and to meet new friends. I can say that I have been satisfied so far. Nesrin: Based on my previous experiences, I expected a unique group with different multicultural perspectives and a group which will do a great job for the local community. I hope we can spend more time together in our free time as well so participants will be able to get to know each other more.

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What do you think about the participants? In what way does the international atmosphere make this camp unique?

What do you like about this camp / the location?

Mithat: The participants have known about how these

traditions apart from other parts of Turkey for historical reasons. This part of Turkey, Trakya, is a unique area, and a nice place to organize a work camp. Because Kavaklı is a small and friendly town, we can easily communicate with the locals as we work here.

camps work so they knew what they could expect. As this is the first camp here in Kavaklı, locals can see for the first time that foreigners are working for them which can make them happy. They see people they have never met before and I think they are glad to see foreigners from all around the world.

Mithat: Kavaklı is a nice little town. It has its own

Nesrin: The 21 participants from 13 countries make

Nesrin: People from this region call themselves European but they still don’t lose their traditional Turkish hospitality. They want us to be safe, relaxed and comfortable. We have a chance to work in different places and we can see the result of our work every single day.

What would you do differently next year?

What do you gain from this camp?

Mithat: This is the first camp in Kavaklı: it is a good

Mithat: New friends, new connections, new

our camp unique. In my previous camps we have always had people from less countries. So it is this national diversity that I like the most, and also the age diversity among the volunteers with the oldest participant being 47 years old.

thing but hard at the same time. Municipality officials want to do many things for us, I sometimes feel that they do not want us to work as we are supposed to. They are too kind and generous, they treat us like their own children. Work camps are not meant to be in luxury conditions, so we would rather want to organize our work schedule ourselves.

Nesrin: I agree with Mithat, that is the only thing I would do differently.

experiences which can be beneficial in the future.

Nesrin: Apart from new friends and new connections, I have a chance to observe people’s motivation, which is what I focus on at university. The participants are aware of their diversity, and establishing group cohesion fortunately went smoothly.

How would you promote this camp for volunteers who would like to participate next year? Mithat: We are provided with comfortable accommo-

“I can see how a multicultural team works in practice”

dation, good food and transportation. The work we do is nice, and it also helps local people. The characteristics of this region are unique, Kırklareli has a different pattern which you can’t see in other parts of Turkey. You will be able to see local traditions while you are at the work camp. You will also be able to enjoy the trips that the municipality organises for the volunteers.

Nesrin: I would also add that the local government is already excited about having a second camp here next summer. They will arrange everything we may need, and they will make sure we will be enjoying our time here. I believe that Kırklareli is the pearl of Trakya, so if all of this sounds interesting to you, then I can highly recommend this location for you!

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e m o h o t

Issue 01 / 2012

r e t t Le by Zoltan Csima

4 a, 2 r, M e Leongine ng o E cal ong K i n cha a,H Me Chin

Dear Mom a

nd Dad,

Hope everyth ing is going w since I arriv ed in Turkey ell in Hong Kong. It ha s been a wee and I would have seen so k like to share far. with you wh at I One of the fi rst things I realized is th people. Even e friendlines though we d s of the Turk on’t speak th always carr ish e y a big smil same langu age, they e o n their face culture with and welcom open arms. T e me into th he majority are outdoor eir of work we h work such a a s v c e le road. Howev d a o n n in e s g o and repainti far er it is not a ng curbs nex s exhaustin we are often t to g the a s you migh offered ice-c t think beca old water an people throu use d fresh fruit ghout the da s by the loca y. l Getting to k now the rich history and an eye-widen traditions o in f Turkey ha mosques wit g experience for me. We s been h beautifull have visited y written A s o and ceiling m e s tunn rabic words . We have als all over the w ing o engaged in involve peop all traditional le jo celebrations unique exper ining hands and danc that ing in large iences will c circles. Thes ertainly sta e y in my hea rt forever. This work c amp also off ers a great o wonderful in pportunity fo dividuals fr r me to meet om many d Serbia, Belg ifferent cou ium, Czech ntries such Rep to name a fe as w. It is an in ublic, Hungary, Spain , South Kore valuable cha other’s coun a, nce for us to tries in a firs learn about t person pers friends after ea pective. We h ch just a week ave and we have visiting eac already start become close h other’s cou ntries in the ed talking a bout future. Alright I wil l have to sto p here as it is need to prep internation are a dish fr al night an o m Hong Ko cooks anyth dI ng. As a per ing other th son who nev an instant me luck! Mo er n oodles you w re later! ill have to w ish From Kırkla reli with lov e,

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Brno,

Dear Mom

Issue 01 / 2012

Th Czech omas, 23 Repub lic

and Dad,

day here in i l o h e c i n y ing a prett key so we I am enjoy You know, it is Tur he sun it is Kirklareli. so long, but under t ng in small don’t work work. We are workiom our living really hardvakli 7 km away fr village Ka inting the a p n a h . t e c d a l p ning an ening. Except one a e l c s i b jo e ard Our o kind of g orked as you told m s l a , s t e e r t s erything w hat during problem, evut the problem was, tthe airport at home. B hey lost my bag at and already the flight t ere without my bag ney for most so I came h st all my pocket mo r gel etc... spent almongs like towel, showe needed thi e, unavailabldont s i e l i b o m .. but y my That is wh ave no recharger here ) because I h still alive and ok :worry, I am

Our job is cleaning and then painting the streets” “

Your Toma

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“We also wanted these young people to participate in cultural events.” By Zoltan Csima

İnci Tunç, Mayor of Kavaklı

The mayor was really glad to organize the first volunteer camp in Kavaklı. She greeted the group on the first day at a café and often met with them at cultural events or during work on the streets of the town. I asked her about the organization of the camp and the town of Kavaklı. Why did you decide to organize a camp here?

How does the town benefit from these camps?

The people of Kavaklı can learn about different cultures as they meet volunteers on our streets: this is a great opportunity to observe a multicultural environment. This is our first camp in Kavaklı, so this is the first time locals can have a chance to meet so many international people.

What expectations did you have?

What difficulties did the municipality have while organizing the camp?

One of our expectations was related to the work that volunteers have to do: we wanted them to do something on our streets where they can meet the locals so they can make friendships. We also wanted these young people to participate in cultural events and ceremonies, and to learn about our cuisine. I believe that this environment is a great opportunity to share our cultures with each other.

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We started organizing this camp about seven months ago. This period proved to be sufficient to get everything ready for the start of the camp, so fortunately we haven’t had any real difficulties.

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What interesting places are there nearby? We have a Turkish bath and a bazaar in Kırklareli, there is a famous cave called Dupnisa Mağarası about an hour away and the Black Sea is less than two hours away where we organized a trip at the weekend. İstanbul is two and a half hours, and Edirne is one hour away. Why would you recommend this camp to foreign volunteers? Those who decide to come here will be able to experience the European side of our culture. We are an integral part of Turkey, and yet you can see a mixture of European and Turkish culture and architecture in this area. We are proud of our Turkish hospitality, we welcome guests and will try our best so our visitors will have a great time while visiting our part of the country.

“I believe that this environment is a great opportunity to share our cultures with each other.”

“Our major expectation was to give children human love in a useful way”

Mayor invited us to her office.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boys are usually circumcised between the age of 7 and

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Sünnet By Zoltan Csima

The tradition of circumcision Like in all Muslim countries, it is also tradition in Turkey to circumcise boys. Circumcision (sünnet in Turkish) is among the rites of Islam and it is regarded as the first step to manhood. Boys are usually circumcised between the age of 7 and 10. It is considered a very important event in a boy’s life and circumcisions are usually made with big ceremonies in festive atmosphere. Considering school periods of children, circumcisions are held in the summer while the children are on vacation, from June through September at weekends.

Circumcision ceremony When a family determines a date for their feast, they invite relatives, friends and neighbors by sending invitation cards in advance. In wealthier families, feasts may take place in a ceremonial hall or a hotel instead of a house. They prepare a highly decorated room for the boy with a nice bed and many colorful decorative things. Boys also wear special costumes for this feast which resemble a sultan’s (king) dress and a special hat with “Masallah” (meaning “God preserve him”) written on it.

In the morning of the feast, the children of guests are all taken for a tour around in a big convoy with the boy either on horseback, horse carts or cars. This convoy is also followed by musicians playing the drums and the clarinet. After they come back, the boy wears a loose long white dress and he is circumcised by the surgeon while somebody holds him. After the circumcision, the boy is in pain and has to be kept busy with music, lots of jokes or some other form of entertainment. Presents also are given at this time to help him forget his pains. In the meantime words from the Koran are recited and guests are taken to tables for the feast meal which is a special one laid with different food changing from region to region. The ceremony lasts one day and the boy recovers within a few days. We had a chance to take part in a circumcision ceremony during this work camp in Kavaklı just a few days before Ramadan started. We were invited for dinner at the family’s home where we were served delicious food and later in the evening, we took part in the public party in the main square of the town where we danced traditional Turkish dances and enjoyed the festivities. page

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ABOUT MERSIN: ABOUT SELCUK

Mersin is a large city with Turkey’s second tallest skycraper.(the 52 story Mertim Tower) and a busy port on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. The city is famous for its sandwich with grilled meats wrapped in flat bread named “Tantuni”. Mut is a member of “Association of Historic Towns in Turkey” and there are many historical and touristic places like Dagpazari Church, Alahan Monastery, Karaeksi and Alaoda Cave in Mut.

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decorating local park

HOW TO GET TO YOUR MEETING POINT? 1 From Istanbul Ataturk International Airport: BY PLANE: PS: You can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Ataturk Int’l to ADANA Airport; www.thy.com www.onurair.com

BY BUS: You can use subway till midnight to reach the central bus station named “Esenler Bus Terminal” (Esenler Otogari). One ride costs 2 Turkish Liras. (1€ = 2,30TL approx.) If you arrive after midnight you need to take a cab which will cost around 15-20TL. (Pls note that there are two airports in Istanbul. The other one “Sabiha Gokcen International” is not conveniently located and does not have easily-accessible transfers by land for Mut so we highly recommend you to fly to Ataturk airport but if you can not find such an option, please contact us for details.) From Esenler Bus Station

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Graffiti removing

(Esenler Otogari) You can take one of the recommended bus companies below directly to Mut Bus Station

(Mut OtobusTerminali) Name of the Company: Kontur Seyahat Departure Hour: 21.00 Duration of Journey: 14 hours Costs of One Way Ticket: 80TL (approx. 35 Euro) Name of the Company: Ozkaymak Seyahat Departure Hour: 12:30 / 17:00 / 21:00 / 00:00 Duration of Journey: 14 hours Costs of One Way Ticket: 75 TL (approx. 32 Euro)

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2. From Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport:

BY PLANE: PS: You can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Ataturk Int’l to ADANA Airport;

Decorating of a park area

www.flypgs.com www.anadolujet.com BY BUS: This airport is not conveniently located and does not have easilyaccessible transfers by land for Mut so we highly recommend you to fly to Ataturk airport but if you can not find such an option, please contact us for details.

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If you are flying to Adana, 1. From Adana Airport: Many flight operators flying to Adana Airport also have shuttles that go until Mersin. Please check with the counter / ticket office of your operator for further information upon arrival or before departure. When you take the shuttle, you have to get off as close as possible to the bus station in Mersin (“Mersin Otogari”) and then take the minibus (dolmuş) from there to Mut Otogari. Please note that the journey from Adana Airport until Mut Otogar will take about 3–3.5 hrs including transfers. If no shuttle is available for you, you can take buses (otobüs) or minibuses (dolmuş) to the bus station in Adana (Adana Otogari), from where you can find frequent buses that go to the bus station in Mersin (Mersin Otogari). Once there, you can take the minibus (dolmuş) to Mut Otogari. Please note that the journey from Adana Airport until Mut Otogar will take about 3.5 - 4 hrs including transfers.

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TRIPS 01

Free Time Activities 01

In front of the cave, called Heaven

Alahan Monastry

Cennet (Heaven) and Cehennem (Hell) cavities

Having fun every day after work at the local swimming pool

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“Here I don’t even have the time to miss anything.” José Filipe Trincão Machado, 32 Portugal Sociologist

José was a very social participant who has a great character. He has been an active volunteer in the last few years and greatly enjoyed the multicultural environment in Mut. He shared his view on this camp on the Mediterranean coast as we were trying to cool off on a hot August day..

What is your previous experience with volunteering / work camps?

Could you describe the process before coming to work camp (how you decided to come here, selection process, how you got to the camp)?

I have been volunteering in Portugal in the last three years at a cultural association in a project related to cinema. I have also been to two work camps: the first one was in Slovakia two years ago where we had to do some archeological work at an old historic castle, and my second camp was in Croatia last year where we had to do some construction work in order to build a panoramic lookout.

03 What is your task at the camp? We do basic construction work in a park in the town center: our task is to arrange pebbles in concrete.

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I found out about this camp online. The dates and the camp description were just fine, so I contacted the coordinating agency in Portugal. I also created a facebook group two months ago to get to know each other before the camp, and to plan the trip from İstanbul to Mut.

“I really like the social activities that we do”

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Could you describe the living conditions (people/room, who do you share your room with, how do you do your laundry, any difficulties)? We have to know that this is a work camp and so we also have to know the spirit of the work camp. I am staying in a double room with a Korean guy. Our room has its own bathroom. Food is provided three times a day. Our guesthouse is not a hotel but it’s a really nice place. The only problem so far has been the hot weather but we just have to accept that and live with it. There is a washing machine in the building, so we can wash our laundry here. There is no internet, but I think internet doesn’t belong to the reality of a work camp. We solve that issue by going to an internet café in the town center every two or three days.

How is food at camp?

What is your favorite activity at the camp?

I can say that our food has been pretty good. We have a cook at the guesthouse who prepares our meal three times a day, we always have fresh food so we can’t complain. We’ve all gone to the main square in the town center one evening where we were invited for iftar, the dinner during Ramadan, which was a really nice experience. Sometimes we also eat out.

I can’t say that I have one favorite activity. I really like the social activities that we do together as a group when we are all together, for example when we play card games in the evenings. Knowing that you are part of a group is important, such games help build group cohesion, that’s why I like these activities.

What do you miss while being at camp? What would you like to have?

Would you recommend this work camp for future participants? Why should they choose this town?

I don’t really miss anything because I can stay out of reality for two weeks and then I can return to real life at home. And here I don’t even have the time to miss anything. I would actually want the camp to last longer and spend more time with the others as really good friendships have formed at the camp and I think we would all be happy to spend more time together. As I said, I don’t miss internet either. This also provides a good opportunity to escape real life and helps to build a new family outside of your family at home.

I would certainly recommend this camp! I have some friends who would like to go abroad and do some voluntary work, they will be among the first ones that I’ll share my experiences with. So why Mut? It’s the sympathy of the local people, good camp leaders, and we are always busy and having a good time. Our daily routine is well organized, the municipality obviously has experience with work camps and we are treated really well. These are the reasons why I would recommend this camp for future participants.

09 Why did you decide to spend your summer holiday at a work camp? A work camp gives you a good opportunity to get to know the local culture and you also meet so many interesting foreign people. If I came to a luxury hotel here, I couldn’t learn so much about Turkish culture. I also made new connections and new friends that I can keep for life. I keep in touch with others that I met in previous work camps and it’s nice to see how their life goes on in their own country. These are my reasons for spending my holiday here.

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Yerköprü waterfall Rivers, a waterfall, a cave and travertine walls.... What’s more, all this natural beauty is concentrated in one place. Not only that but the rivers at Yerköprü flow one on top of the other, just like a two-level highway.

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“I can truly say that work camps are one of my most beautiful travel experiences so far.” by Zoltan Csima

The camp in Mut was one of the few which had three leaders. Fun was guaranteed, the location was great and there were lots of interesting places visited during free time. Accommodation was provided in a spacious guesthouse where participants had a chance to listen to Giray playing guitar, enjoy parties in the evenings or simply share conversation with each other. The camp leaders, Berker, Giray and Gökçe shared their camp experiences on the last day of the camp. What is your previous experience with volunteering / working as a camp leader? Berker: I have been to work camps in Germany, France and Portugal as a participant, and this is my first time as a leader.

Gökçe Aydoğan, 21 Translation-Interpretation B. A. student Ankara, Turkey Giray Songül, 23 , Electric-Electronic Engineer B. Sc Ankara, Turkey Berker Yaşar, 23 , Electric-Electronic Engineer B.Sc. Ankara, Turkey

Why did you choose this camp? Berker: I didn’t have any preference, this is the period when I am free this summer. Giray: I chose this camp because of the dates. Gökçe: For me, the dates were right, and I have also heard from friends that the facilities are optimal here in Mut.

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Giray: Berker has been my friend for a while, we went to the same camps abroad, and this is also my first time as a leader. Gökçe: I have been to Great Britain and Spain as a participant, and this is my second time as a leader in Turkey.

Why did you decide to work as a camp leader? Berker: I knew it would be a great holiday with lots of fun. I think I can represent my country in a good way, I would like to show my country in my way, and being a leader can be a good thing on my CV, too. Giray: Besides the fun part, I will do a Management Master program at university so I hope to use my experiences during my studies as well. Gökçe: I had a great time in my previous camp where I was a leader. It’s really nice to meet so many foreigners at one place and spend our holiday together, and I also believe I can benefit from this experience in the future.

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How does your day look like? Gökçe: We are together almost all day long so I think I can speak for all of us. I get up around 7.30 and I wake Berker and Giray up, then we wake everybody up. We have breakfast around 8 and speak with the cook about our daily timetable. We also talk with our driver Ömer about the daily plan. We leave for work at 8.30, start around 9 and work until 1 p.m. We always have two tea breaks in the morning. We sometimes speak with municipality officials about work and free time activities. We leave for lunch at 1 o’clock and speak again with the cook and the driver. After lunch we prepare games for the evening and discuss issues about volunteers, for example how to integrate those who are less sociable and things like this. We take a rest for about one hour which is followed by our daily activity when we usually take a trip somewhere nearby. We have dinner back in the guesthouse, then we have some evening activities, which are either presentations on culture or some sort of games. That is followed by free time until we are ready to go to bed.

What is the most challenging at the camp? Gökçe: One thing is the weather – it’s just simply too hot. The other thing is the dialect of the locals – we often have to use body language because it’s difficult at times to understand them. Berker: Because it’s Ramadan, I don’t want the neighbors to be disturbed, so I’m trying to come up with a solution to be able to stay quiet in the evenings as well. Giray: A few days ago we planned a picnic to a mountain village, but we couldn’t get there because the road was closed. So I think it’s the organisation of local trips which have to be made in detail in advance making sure that we won’t face any major difficulties.

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What message would you give for future participants? Gökçe: Come to share cultures! Both here in Turkey, and then in your home after you return from camp. If you are willing to do some work which is beneficial to the environment and humanity, if you have a positive attitude towards other cultures, if you know how to have fun and would like to make lots of new friends, then you should be among us in the future! Berker: I think you should come because you can find anything that you expect from a journey like this. I can truly say that work camps are one of my most beautiful travel experiences so far. Giray: I have learned a lot from volunteer camps. This is one of my greatest experiences of my life. New friendships are made, you see things you wouldn’t have thought of. It’s just so much fun to be here. It’s also the perfect place to erase prejudices and enjoy differences. A camp can certainly break the ice between cultures. Welcome to this alternative world!

Is it possible to fulfill the wishes of volunteers? Did you have any weird requests? Giray: We managed to fulfill most requests, the thing that we’re missing the most right now is a fan since it’s so hot and there is no air-conditioning in the building. But we haven’t really had weird requests until now.

How do you divide your duties between yourselves?

Do you have free time? How do you spend it?

Giray: I am dirt resistant, Berker is powerful, and Gökçe wakes up early. But in fact we all come up with ideas and come to a conclusion in cooperation. Sometimes, however, we just assign roles to each other and that’s fine for everyone.

Berker: I don’t really have free time. If I do, I’m trying to have a rest.

Berker: If we think there is any problem, we always speak about it and try to resolve it together.

Giray: I play the guitar, I take a rest, or I read some news. Gökçe: I talk with my friends or family on the phone, I read a book, or I try to come up with some plans for group activities.

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Alahan Monastery

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The Christian monastery at Alahan is located in the mountains of Isauria in Southern Asia Minor near Mut on the road between Karaman and Silifke. he monastery stands as the finest achievement of native Isaurian stonemasons and sculptors. Alahan is a key site in the history of early Byzantine architecture, half a century before the great achievements of Anicia Juliana and Justinian in Constantinople. page

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“ So people here learn

a lot – friendship, working together, experiencing different things”

By Rita Lavickyte

Murat Orhan The Mayor of Mut

The Mayor of Mut – Murat Orhan – is so active and busy man, that it is really not easy to arrange a meeting with him. My impression is that he knows everyone in this place, he talks with everyone and listens to their needs, so we feel really grateful when he gives some of his precious time to us and agrees to answer some questions. Mr. Orhan, can you, please, tell us some basic information about this town (i. e. population, main activities etc.)? The population of Mut is 30 000 people. But if we also include inhabitants of Mut villages, it will be 60 000 people. The place is very beautiful. I think it’s a heaven for agriculture. People here are very peaceful. In my opinion, Mut reflects all most important Turkish features – happiness,humanism,hospitality.

What do you think volunteers gain from volunteering here? Word “Mutlu” in Turkish means “Happy”, but also it can mean “people from Mut”. So, I am joking that people here become happy. Also, there is a saying in Turkish “Mut’lu olmak ayrıcalıktır”. That can be translated as “Being from Mut is a privilege” (smiling). If seriously, I think that volunteers here live in a mixed cultural environment, they can learn many things. Also after coming back to their countries they can share these experiences.

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Can you tell, what does the town gain from this? First of all, it’s not about work - work that we give to volunteers can be done also by local people. But we want to give international people some important things to do that will stay for long and can be memorized – for example, decoration of park, painting school, reconstruction of castle etc. I think these international voluntary workcamps are great as they gather different people from different cultures to work together. So people here learn a lot – friendship, working together, experiencing different things. It should be as a role model for all municipalities in Turkey, also it should be practiced in the whole world.

How long has Mut been hosting international volunteers? 11 years.

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Are you going to continue having international voluntary workcamps here? Yes. We have a saying in Turkish that means something like “Waiting with 4 eyes”. It can be understood that we are looking forward to have more and more foreigners here.

What do you think, is the atmosphere in the town is different while having international volunteers here? Of course during the workcamp time the atmosphere is changing (smiling). You could notice that many people are staring and wondering what these foreigners are doing here. They go home and talk about this as it’s the “main news” for local people in this small place.

“First of all, it’s not about work work that we give to volunteers can be done also by local people.”

Thank you so much for the conversation! Have a nice and productive day!

“Our major expectation was to give children human love in a useful way”

During the interview. page

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K覺zkalesi

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Kızkalesi (English: Maiden’s castle) is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. The town, known in Antiquity as Corycus or Korykos (Greek: Κώρυκος), is named after the ancient castle built on a small island just facing the town.

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“I would suggest

my daughter to have this experience”

By Rita Lavickyte

Fatma Yastı, 45 The villager of Mut

It can be so unbelievably hot in the south part of Turkey, that any shadow seems like a paradise. Campers in Mut are really successful as the work during the hottest time of the day is in the old old park with big trees and, that means, lots of shadows. Most of the time central park is full of local people. Some of them spend their free time chatting with each other, some of them playing table games and drinking Turkish tea, some – just staring at us (international people) and wondering what is going on here. During one of such moments, just for curiosity reasons I decide to talk with random local people and to see what they think of these young people in the centre of their town. Middle age woman is sitting with her husband and little daughter in the corner of the park and she is a bit shy when I ask if she can answer few questions, especially when she finds out that this information is needed for a magazine. Can you tell me, what do you think these international people do here in Mut?

Do you know what is voluntary work? If yes, what do you think about it?

Well.. (thinking).. It seems that they are working and also having fun at the same time.

Yes, I know. It means that you work without a salary. In my opinion, voluntary work is very beneficial for public.

What do you think, if this town needs volunteers from abroad? If yes, should they come more often?

Do you think it is an opportunity for you to learn/discover something new?

Of course we have professional workers here, so it’s not about work. First of all, as Turkish people, we like having guests. Also, this kind of voluntary work is a cultural sharing. I think the more foreigners come, the better.

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Yes, I think so. Local people have no too many chances to go abroad or to see foreign people here and hear different languages. So, it’s very beneficial, especially for young people. For example, my daughter didn’t want to go to high school, but now she sees international people, hears different languages, knows that they are educated, so it’s a good example for her and good motivation to study. Young people can come, talk to these foreigners, maybe even join them and have fun.

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And the last question – would you support your family member or friend to go to a voluntary workcamp? Of course. I think that learning new languages and seeing different people is very important. Although I prefer not to stay away from my children too long, but I think I would suggest my daughter to have this experience, especially after graduating university. Thank you so much for your time. Have a great day!

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“ I think that

learning new languages and seeing different people is very important.”

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“That’s the most important for me: to see happy people who are enjoying their holiday.” by Zoltan Csima

Mr. Gülüş was not simply a bus driver: he also coordinated free time activities and visits to nearby sights. Although he could not speak English, we were still enjoying listening to his stories as we were travelling to work or through the mountain roads in our free time. He supports work camps in Mut and I wanted to hear his perspective on volunteering What’s your opinion about volunteering? Volunteering is a good contribution to society. It’s nice to say that you worked and contributed to a good cause without receiving any money. Another positive feature is that there is no competition between people so the atmosphere at work is much more friendly.

Ömer Gülüş 52, Municipality employee, Bus driver

How long have you been involved in working with international volunteers? I have been involved in working with international volunteers in Mut for three and a half years, this is my fourth camp.

What are your duties?

“No competition between people so the atmosphere at work is much more friendly”

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I drive volunteers to and from work, and I arrange various things in relation to free time activities, such as visits to the local olive factory, a historical monastery, and the public pool in town.

How does your usual day look like? I wake up at 7 o’clock in the morning, arrive at the guest house at 8 and have breakfast with the volunteers since my wife fasts at home as it is the month of Ramadan now. I drive the group to work at 9, and while they are at work, I chat and have tea with friends until I can take them back to the guest house for lunch. I spend the afternoons with the volunteers as we travel to places in and around Mut. In the evening I either have dinner at the guest house, or arrive home around 8 and have iftar with my wife.

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Is it tiring to be all day with the volunteers? I like being with the volunteers even though we don’t speak the same language and I often cannot join conversations. It’s an honor to serve the mayor and work as the driver for the volunteers. I do not find this job tiring.

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What do you like the most in this camp/experience? The volunteers are friendly and smiling, they are having a good time at the camp. That’s the most important for me: to see happy people who are enjoying their holiday.

“ I like being with the volunteers even though we don’t speak the same language.”

Picnic with volunteers

Would you recommend your relatives or friends to go to a voluntary work camp?

What have you learned from this camp?

Absolutely! This is a great place to learn about other cultures and languages. You also learn how to respect them and you get to travel to so many nice places. But the camps are not just about having fun. You work, you learn about discipline and you can develop as well while you are at camp. Who would not want to take part in such an experience?

Observing people of different origins and backgrounds being together and seeing the respect they have developed towards each other..

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This fasting is one of the five basic acts in Islam which is obligatory for all believers.

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By Zoltan Csima

Ramadan

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Muslim people fast during this month, which means that they are not allowed to eat or drink during the day (from sunrise to sunset). This fasting is one of the five basic acts in Islam which is obligatory for all believers.

he word “Ramadan” comes from the Arabic ramida, which means heat or dryness. Muslims believe that the prophet Mohammed received the Quran from God in this month, therefore, Ramadan is considered to be the most sacred month for them. s the Islamic calendar is shorter than the Gregorian calendar, it has less days in a year, and Ramadan usually starts 11 days before it started in the previous year. As an example, it lasted between 20 July and 18 August in 2012, and will fall between 9 July and 7 August in 2013. e have to note that not every person keeps the fast during this month, but rather mainly those who are actively practicing their religion as well. When Ramadan falls in the summer, it means a fasting of about 16 hours, while during the winter it is less than 10 hours long.

n case you are at a volunteer work camp in Turkey during the month of Ramadan, no one will ask you to do any fasting, food will be provided as any other times during the year. The most significant thing you may see at this time is the public dinner in town centers which is called iftar sofrası. Iftar is the name of the evening meal when Muslims gather together to break their fast. It was very special for us to experience an iftar in this camp in Mut. Tables were set in front of the town hall and the central mosque for hundreds of people. An imam (religious leader) started praying in the square a few minutes before the fourth ezan (the call to prayer which is coming from the mosques), then we all prayed together with the locals, and as the ezan started, we were allowed to start having our dinner. Having iftar among hundreds of people was a very memorable event and if you have a chance to participate in it, don’t miss it!

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“This is the first time I was able to meet and chat with tourists”

By Zoltan Csima

Mr. Keş was working with the volunteers in the central park of Mut in the first week of the camp. He was very interested to hear what participants shared about their culture. He even made a visit to the guesthouse to listen to some of the participants at one of the culture nights. In the shade of huge oak trees in the central park, I asked him about his view on volunteering.

01 What do you think these international people are doing in the town?

02 Do you know what is voluntary work? What do you think of volunteerism?

These young people are helping us and I think it is a good thing to have them here in our town. As I heard, they will be here for two weeks only, I wish they could stay more.

I quit school while I was in elementary school. I call these young people helpers, but I understand the concept of voluntarism. I believe their presence is beneficial for the local people as well, because locals don’t travel a lot, they only see other cultures on television, so this way they get a first hand experience while these helpers are here.

Do you think the town needs volunteers from abroad? If so, should they come more often?

Is this an opportunity for you to learn something new?

It’s a great thing to invite volunteers here and I think they are needed here. I also believe they could come more often. Some of the locals haven’t even been to the sea because they travel so little. This is a great chance for them to meet and talk with the volunteers.

Yes, absolutely! This is the first time I was able to meet and chat with tourists. If I can learn a few things about them and if they can teach me a few words in their language, then I will be glad.

05 Would you suggest to a family member or a friend to go to a voluntary work camp? Yes, I would. It’s a very good opportunity to travel to another country and meet new people. I would be happy and proud if my son had the opportunity to go abroad and participate in such an experience.

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“I would be happy and proud if my son had the opportunity to go abroad...”

Hüseyin Keş, 47 Worker page

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ID P M IN A YD C /A

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Vo lu n to tee En wn rs .V m vi la ario ain ro st l y nm do 5 us ho kin l en ur ds an d s ta Wo a of sca da en p lw r y, v in on iron g a or k: r ly m o k in en un we ta d t ek l w he da ork ys .

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D IE ria O IT te s M IL fe ed ot O C Ca h b h ts C A F in wit ith ile n C A od se s w r/to he ry Fo u er e itc d ho w at K aun st ho w L S

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY!

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LA K C u A sa E ph d Ep r as S T O St he odi ı VI Ep Jo sus sia s SI Pa he hn T ’ s s m : uk us Ba si ka lic le a

N : S

ABOUT SELCUK ABOUT YENIPAZAR:

Yenipazar is the most social province of Aydin. You wil be able to observe local people playing traditional games amongst strawberry greenhouses and it’s famous for its foods. Besides, the city is the second Turkish candidate town of “Cittaslow” network.

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renovation of city center HOW TO GET TO YOUR MEETING POINT? 1. From Istanbul Ataturk International Airport, You can use subway till midnight to reach the central bus station named “Esenler Bus Terminal” (Esenler Otogari). One ride costs 2 Turkish Liras. (1€ = 2,30TL approx.) If you arrive after midnight you need to take a cab which will cost around 15-20TL. (Pls note that there are two airports in Istanbul. The other one: “Sabiha Gokcen International” is not conveniently located and does not have easilyaccessible transfers for Yenipazar so we highly recommend you to fly to Ataturk airport but if you can not find such an option, please contact us for details.)

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2. From Esenler Bus Station (Esenler Otogari) You can take the below suggested bus companies directly to Aydın Bus Station (Aydın Otogari) Name of the Company: Kamil Koç or Metro Turizm Departure Hours: You can search on www.metroturizm.com.tr or www.kamilkoc.com.tr Duration of Journey: 11 hours Costs of One Way Ticket: 65 TL / approximately 32 Euro 3. When you arrive to Aydın Bus Station, you should take the Yenipazar minibus to reach Yenipazar Municipality Building. The Yenipazar minibuses are leaving every 30 mins from Aydın Bus Station. Tell the driver you will get off at Belediye (Municipality Building).

Painting the trees

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Painting the pavement

2. If you are flying to Izmir, 1. From Adnan Menderes International Airport, Take the public bus with, code 204, to the Bus Station “Izotas” (Otogar). The buses are leaving every hour and the ticket fee is 4 TL (2 Euro).

Name of the Company: Kamil Koç or METRO TOUR Departure Hours: You can search on www.metroturizm.com.trhtm or www.kamilkoc.com.tr Duration of Journey: 1.5 hours

2. From Izmir Bus Station (Izotas Otogari) You can take the below suggested bus company directly to Aydın Bus Station (Aydın Otobus Terminali)

Costs of One Way Ticket: 12 TL / approximately 5 Euro 3. When you arrive to Aydın Bus Station, you should take the Yenipazar minibus to reach Yenipazar Municipality Building. The Yenipazar minibuses are leaving every 30 mins from Aydın Bus Station. Tell the driver you will get off at Belediye (Municipality Building).

PS: You can find cheap domestic flights from ISTANBUL Cleaning the park

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TRIPS 01

Free Time Activities 01

Ephesus

Dinner at local pre-wedding ceremony (Henna night).

Beach in Silifke

Pamukkale

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“I was so impressed with idea of volunteering in an international youth camp.” By Rita Lavickyte

Aykut Aydın, 22 Studying City and Regional planning at Middle East Techological University, Ankara,Turkey

Heat in Yenipazar during the midday hours can be simply unbearable. We sit in the shadow in the central park of this little town and I’m talking with Aykut – one of the camp leaders, who is always so positive and energetic. Here’s some of our conversation:

Do you have some previous experience with workcamps and volunteering in general?

I am curious, why did you decide to be a camp leader?

Yes, last year I participated in the workcamp in Dresden (Germany). It was an art camp. I spent there 3 weeks. The idea to go to that camp arose very spontaneously. My older brother has experience of going to camps, so he advised me to go there as it’s a great opportunity to learn and practice foreign languages, to experience new different cultures. And I am very happy I took his advice (smiling).

03 Why did you choose to come to this exact workcamp? First of all, I know this area very well, so I thought I could be more helpful here. Also, the dates of the camp was suitable for me, so.. here I am (smiling). Sometimes I am joking that how could I go somewhere else when my last name is the same as this area.

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Well..(thinking) After participating in last year’s camp, I was so impressed with idea of volunteering in an international youth camp, and I realized that I want to do something much more than just being a participant. That was the main reason why I am here as a leader.

“ I realized that I want to do something much more than just being a participant.”

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04 Can you tell me, how does your usual day in the camp looks alike? Ok, let’s see.. Usually I wake up at 7.30 and get ready for the day, then at 8.00 we have breakfast in the apartment. Before starting the work, I talk with people from municipality, and then, if needed, give some information to volunteers. We start working at 9. Working hours is 9.00-12.30 and then 13.30-15.00. Our work is mainly painting trees to protect them from insects, cleaning park, painting bricks on the road. We have our lunch during a break. After work there is some free time for taking showers, changing clothes etc. After that every day we go to the swimming pool. We spend maximum 2 hours there. Usually at 19.00 we have dinner. Dinner can be in different places – sometimes in restaurant, sometimes at some people’s house (i.e. Mother in Law of the Mayor invited all of us to her house for having a dinner together). After dinner, if there is some traditional event, we participate. Otherwise we are free. During this time we are playing games, rent bikes or just chat. That’s about it, I guess.

I am wondering, what is the most difficult?

Do you have some free time? To be honest - no. Untill now I haven’t had any free time.

Hmm.. Probably the heat during working hours. (Thinking..) Also, there is just one bathroom for 15 people, so it’s difficult to get ready on time. Because of this reason we can be late.

Tell me, is it difficult to fulfill wishes of volunteers? What was the weirdest request?

Did you receive some complaints from participants of the camp?

I think it’s possible to fulfill the wishes of participants (smiling). Till now it hasn’t been so difficult. The weirdest?.. Well, one volunteer asked me where can he find dumbbells for training his muscles (can’t stop smiling).

Nothing so serious. First of all, the apartment where we live was not ready on the first day, so we had to wait. For some participants it was really tiring. Also, on the first day we didn’t have drinking water and outside it was really hot. What else?.. we had some problems with internet connection. And as I mentioned before – the biggest problem is the heat during working hours. We try to solve all these problems and everything goes good so far.

09 What would be your message (suggestions/recommendations) to future participants and leaders? For volunteers my suggestion would be before coming to the camp to search some information about the country they are going in order to feel comfortable about some traditional things. Also volunteers should be open-minded and flexible. For camp leaders, I would recommend to keep in touch with hosts and volunteers before coming to the camp as sometimes reaching the camp can be difficult. During the camp time leaders should not push participants too hard, should give some free time for their needs. Also leaders should be open for suggestions from participants. That’s my advices.

Aykut, thank you so much for your time and pleasant conversation. Wishing you good luck!

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“My team was painting bricks on the road with white and blue” By Rita Lavickyte

It is not that common to see local participants in international voluntary workcamp. To be honest, from my experience it’s really rare occasion. That’s why (or maybe I am being too curious sometimes) I decided to talk with one of turkish participants – Serkan – and to find out his reasons for coming here, also to hear his impressions. So, here’s our conversation: Tell me, do you have any previous experience . of participating in international voluntary workcamps or voluntarism in general?

Serkan Bekir Çukurova, 27 Student of Statistics in Middle East Techological University, Ankara, Turkey

Yes. I cannot remember exactly – 2 or 3 years ago – I participated in a workcamp in Nantes (France). It was an environmental kind of camp. I spent there 3 weeks. Also I should mention that I have other kind of volunteering experience. 1,5 years ago during my studying semester once in a week I used to go to poor families’ homes and helped their kids with their homeworks, mostly math. I felt so sad for these kids, ‘cause they couldn’t do even easiest math multiplications without help. This project was organized by Ankara Voluntary Team. Actually the aim of the project was to go to poor children and to share with them our point of view about life in general. But we realized they need a real help with their school stuff. So, we were helping them with what they needed most. It was so nice and surprising, that even though the families were poor, the mothers were preparing lots of different food for us, so we felt like kings (smiling).

Can you tell me a little bit about the process before coming to the camp (how did you decide to come here, why did you choose this camp etc.)? Well, I was going to graduate my studies this summer, but unfortunately I failed and I had one month free before my new classes begin. My mom asked me if I would like to go somewhere outside of Turkey. I thought that it could be a good idea. So, as I went to my previous camp with GSM organization, I checked what options can they offer me this time. Since I had not enough time for getting visa, I asked for countries that don’t need visa. But all of the workcamps in those countries were full, so that’s why I chose the camp in Turkey. I decided to go to Yenipazar for main 2 reasons: first of all, this camp was the closest one to Kuşadasi, where I live in summer time; second, it was an environmental kind of camp – that’s what I wanted. So, here I am (smiling).

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(i. e. broken telephone). It’s so much fun!”

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So, what is your task in the camp? The main work that we do now is working in the central park. There are 3 teams (people in the teams are changing). One team is working with painting trees in order to protect them from insects. The other team is cleaning the park (picking the trash, sweeping the area etc). My team was painting bricks on the road with white and blue.

Can you tell me some details about living conditions? Well, we all live in an apartment in the centre of the town. The room I stay in is for 6 people (three bunk beds), but we live 5 of us – me and 4 girls. Other rooms are for 4 and 8 people. It’s very hot! First night I couldn’t sleep, so then for the next few nights I went to sleep to the balcony. It was much better. What else.. We are 15 people and only one bathroom, so it’s always a queue for it. But somehow we manage to survive (smiling). We have washing machine in the kitchen, so it’s possible to do your laundry when you want. We also have internet in the apartment and we can freely use it.

What is your favourite activity in the camp? Hmmm.. what do I like most?.. (thinking..) I really like different games during the free time (i. e. broken telephone). It’s so much fun! Also I enjoy going to the pool and with other participants playing the ball there.

Would you recommend this camp to future participants? Why? I would strongly suggest future participants to come here! People here are very friendly, the Mayor is very helpful, takes care of everything. And.. Pide is very good (laughing). Seriously! You will have a great time here – you can be sure.

How is the food in the camp? Usually we make breakfast by ourselves and we eat in the apartment. We have cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, chocolate cream, bread, cornflakes, coffee, tea, milk. For me it’s so usual ‘cause Turkish breakfast is almost always like this. For lunch we usually go to different restaurants, but they have only Pide (national Turkish food) in their menu. I like Pide very much, but after eating it every day I think I can get bored. But anyway I can eat everything that I find, I am not very picky. For dinner sometimes we go to the restaurant, sometimes to some people’s houses (i. e. some local people invite us for dinner). As I love Turkish food and I am used to it, I really enjoy our meals.

What do you miss mostly at the moment? Is there anything that you would like to have? Hmmm.. what do I like most?.. (thinking..) I really like different games during the free time (i. e. broken telephone). It’s so much fun! Also I enjoy going to the pool and with other participants playing the ball there.

What do you miss mostly at the moment? Is there anything that you would like to have? Nope, I don’t need anything. I am perfectly fine (smiling). It’s been too little time to miss something.

What do you miss mostly at the moment? Is there anything that you would like to have?

Well, in summer time I usually live next to the beach, so the beach was not my priority. The reason why I want to go to the workcamps is to meet new people, make lifetime friendships with them. That’s the most important and most enjoyable. Also it’s a very good opportunity later to visit these people in their countries. Serkan, thank you so much for the conversation. Enjoy your time here and wishing you many nice experiences in the future!

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Letter

My deares

t Mother,

to hom

I’m sitting the beautif here on a little hill in for a fe ul view of Yenipaza, enjoying the aftern in love witw days, participatin r - the little, lovely oon sun, the cool w little shopsh this place the first g in a volunteeringvillage I’ve now beenind and smiling to , restaurants, old m time I walked throu programme. I defin staying in his offi wards me.. And wh en and women sitt gh it’s narrow stree itely fell special, unce and greeted every en I first met Yenip ing in the shade wa ts with th vin az ique. volunteer w ith a cordiar’s mayor who invi g and al smile I k ted us I’m sure y n e w t h o u i s a place is re wonderi told I woul n g w h d incompreh go to Turkey for t at I’m actually doi don’t even ension. “It’s your va wo weeks to work th ng here. The most p more than pay you?” – I heard cation Pia, why wo ere voluntarily reaceople I tolerance, that. It is about int . But I knew that thuld you want to wor ted with for at leas it is about sharing aercultural exchange is project would be a k if they equality at a few moments, a nd forgetting all k, about understandi bout much few mome nd unity. nts filled ind of borders and bng and with the k We are 16 nowledge oarriers V f human o all the way lunteers here from Ukraine a from England, Be different nations a shared f nd also Turkey to p lgium, Austria, Jap all around the world communitlat in the center of Yarticipate in this pr an, Korea, Lithuani . We came up rubbish y. Whatever there is enipazar. We do di ogramme. We live to a, Serbia, superior to in the park and m to do: painting tre fferent kinds of wor gether in high horse do this kind of worowing the lawn. I’mes, bricks, bridges, p k for the expierences” and did what had k. But for me seeingsure a lot of people wicking him and r . I worked together to be done, together, how everyone cam ould feel people and ealized for one momwith a garbageman was one of the moste off “his of the pers their jobs actually ent how meaningle, earned a lovely sm beautiful us all exce on in front of you bis.. and how foolish ss the social classifiile from eding all k u if c ind of bordt not his humanity you see just the socation of ia - the huma ers and na The villag nity that l status tions. e r s connects o f Yenipazar and in ret s o o u n r someone’s n they gave us th realized we are do thing to tr house every night f eir hospitality and ing something for t table, shar avel and really get or dinner. I love thoscordiality. We are inhem sometimes ing the food and, evin touch with the loc e evenings most. It vited to So I hope y a hug or a smile ca en if there is a grea als. Sitting with this a great rest of my ou got an idea aboun say more than a t language barrier b em on one this place stay here and i kn t this work camp, mthousands words. etween us, heart.Missand it’s people have ow it’s going to be q um. I’m looking fo already pl you a lot. aced them uite difficult to leavrward to the selves righ e Your trave t in the cenbecause lling daug ter of my hter, Pia

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y avick

ta L By R i

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0 , ustria 2 , a Pi nna, A Vie

“ I’m

sure you ar e wondering w actually do hat I’m ing here.”

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“In my opinion,

it’s a very big achievment”

By Rita Lavickyte

Yüsran Erden, Mayor of Yenipazar

It’s difficult to imagine the town of Yenipazar without its energetic, full of new ideas and always smiling mayor Yüsran Erden. It seems that he is everywhere, finding time not only for his wonderful family and responsible job, but for everyone who needs it. One hot morning he found time also for answering to some questions of our journalistic team. I am happy to give you our conversation: Mr. Yüsran Erden, can you tell some basic information about Yenipazar (population, activities etc.)? The population of Yenipazar is 6 500 people. It’s area 250 km2. The inhabitants of Yenipazar used to live mainly on agriculture. But lately people can’t gain enough money from it, so town tries to change it’s direction. We put efforts to increase tourism in Yenipazar. There are museums, also the town is famous for it’s traditional food – pide. I should also proudly mention that Yenipazar is a member of world wide movement “Cittaclow” (that can be translated as “Slow city”). This means that Municipality is respectful of citizens’ health, gives priority to authentical products and good food, unspoiled landscapes, propagate slow and quiet living. How long has Yenipazar been hosting international volunteers?

What do you think this town gains from arranging the camps here?

It’s the second year. As our first experience with international volunteers was so great, we decided to continue organizing workcamps here.

I think hospitality is common turkish feature. We are so happy to have here people from different places, to share our food, culture with them. Despite of that, after international voluntary workcamps Yenipazar started being known by other people, other countries. In my opinion, it’s a very big achievment.

What about volunteers? What do you think they gain from coming here? I think they have a great chance to know our culture, which is so rich and colourful. I want to tell you the example. Last year during the last evening, one of international volunteers - the french guy - started to cry and hugged me. He said that he is incredibly happy that he had a chance to discover so many things, that he realized how many good and nice people are in this world. So.. I think it’s amazing experience for both – us and volunteers also. page

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So, as I understood, you will continue having workcamps in Yenipazar? Of course! We are so happy having you here (smiling). Thank you so much for your time! And good luck!

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“Yenipazar

is a member of world wide movement.”

“Our major expectation was to give children human love in a useful way”

The inspiration of Cittaslow was the Slow Food organization. Cittaslow's goals include improving the quality of life in towns by slowing down its overall pace, especially in a city's use of spaces and the flow of life and traffic through them. Cittaslow is part of a cultural trend known as the Slow movement.

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Pamukkale Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey’s Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.

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“They came here from different places to make Yenipazar more beautiful place.” By Rita Lavickyte

Central park of Yenipazar is almost always full of people – doesn’t matter what time of day it is. Usually they enjoy cosy conversations with their coffee or tea in the small café place in the middle of the park. As our international workcamp participants do their work all around the park, I decided to ask few questions of local people and to know their

Mr. Dönmez, do you know what these international people do here in Yenipazar? Hakki Dönmez, Farmer

Yes, I know. They came here from different places to make Yenipazar more beautiful place (smiling).

Do you know, what is voluntary work? If yes, what do you think about it?

“I think these camps are very useful for all of us”

I know about voluntary work from last year’s camp here. Local people are not used to that. When they see volunteers, they think it’s a very nice idea to do something like this. They want to help, to host people in their houses. I think these camps are very useful for all of us. People from abroad make our town look nicer and also they can learn something about our culture.

Tell me, would you support your family member or friend to go to a voluntary workcamp? Absolutely! I would like to send my children abroad, because I believe that it is very nice experience.

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Local park in Yenipazar where people enjoy under the shadow during summer heat.

“I would like to send my children abroad, because I believe that it is very nice experience”

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EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! Issue 01 / 2012

D IE ria O IT te s M IL fe ed ot O C Ca h b h ts C A F in wit ith ile n C A od se s w r/to he ry Fo u er e itc d ho w at K aun st ho w L S

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I AT S

N : S Ilg

Sa k fa op r r a Lo z nb u o ca Mo lu lb u ea nta ch in es s

PL A C Ta E s

ABOUT KASTAMONU: Kastamonu is a central northern city ABOUT SELCUK on the Black Sea coastline with a population of 400.000 about 500km from Istanbul and 250km from Ankara. It is popular for all sorts of touristic activities from winter sports to seaside holidays, faith tourism to natural beauties, historic highlights to archeology and even cuisine. It has a long history and has hosted many civilisations throughout the ages like Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Macedonians, Greeks and Ottomans.

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cleaning of the university HOW TO GET TO YOUR MEETING POINT? 1. From Istanbul Ataturk International Airport, You can use subway till midnight to reach the central bus station named “Esenler Bus Terminal” (Esenler Otogari). One ride costs 2 Turkish Liras. (1€ = 2,30TL approx.) If you arrive after midnight youneed to take a cab which will cost around 15-20TL. (Pls note that there are two airports in Istanbul. The other one: “Sabiha Gokcen International” is not conveniently located and does not have easilyaccessible transfers for Kastamonu so we highly recommend you to fly to Ataturk airport but if you can not find such Painting the wall an option, please contact us for details.)

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2. From Esenler Bus Station (Esenler Otogari) You can take the below suggested bus company directly to Kastamonu Bus Station (Kastamonu Otobus Terminali) 3. As you arrive to Kastamonu Bus Station (Kastamonu Otobus Terminali) please wait for your meeting hours and your camp leaders.

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

If you are flying to Ankara:

Issue 01 / 2012

Gardening

1. From Ankara Esenboğa International Airport, You have to take the blue & white public buses with Code 442 to “ASTI - Kızılay”. You should buy your tickets from the kiosks inside the terminal before you leave the airport as you can’t buy them on the bus.The buses depart from outside the domestic arrivals gates. (Be careful not to take the “HAVAS” shuttle as they do not go to the Bus Station). One ride costs about 5TL (2,5euros) and takes about 75mins. Tell the driver you want to get off at “AŞTİ” which is the Bus Terminal in Ankara. Make sure you get off at the right stop as there are many other stops before and after AŞTİ.

2. From “AŞTİ” (Ankara Bus Terminal) You can take the below suggested bus companies directly to Kastamonu Bus Station (Kastamonu Otogar) Name of the Company: Kamil Koç or Metro Turizm Departure Hours: You can search on//www. metroturizm.com.tr or www.kamilkoc.com.tr Duration of Journey: 5 hours Costs of One Way Ticket: 30TL (approximately 14 Euro)

Cleaning the beach in Sinop

3. As you arrive to Kastamonu Bus Station (Kastamonu Otobus Terminali) please wait for your

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TRIPS 01

Free Time Activities 01

Riding the horse in Daday

Enjoying Safranbolu

In Tasköprü

Trip - Safranbolu

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“Local people have a positive reaction towards foreign people!” By Zoltan Csima

Milan has been an active volunteer for over ten years. He is actively involved in organizing programs for volunteers in his region through his NGO (non-governmental organization) and he is a regular participant in summer youth camps. Below he explains how he got involved with volunteering and also talks about the work camp in Kastamonu.

Milan Stojiljkovic, 26 Serbia Economist, Financial administrator

What is your previous experience with volunteering / work camps?

Why did you decide to spend your summer holiday at a work camp and why in Turkey?

I have been volunteering since 1996, I first started in a karate club. We organized camps in nature and we were involved in environmental work. In 2007 I came up with the idea of finding an NGO that organizes programs for youth in my county. We also wanted to learn as much information as possible about volunteering so we could help the community. Since 2008, we have been getting awards by the local and national government. In 2009, I was awarded ‘Best Young Volunteer’ by the Ministry of Sports and Youth. I first attended a work camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2009 as a participant. This year we decided to organize our first international work camp in Serbia where I worked as a coordinator. This camp in Kastamonu is my third camp.

I wasn’t planning to go to a camp abroad first, but then I got a boost in motivation after our camp this summer. I also thought this would be a good place to practice my English. And why Turkey? I find Turkish culture and language interesting, and as I already speak some Turkish, I am at the best place to practice it.

03 Could you describe the process before coming to the work camp (how you decided to come here, selection process, how you got to the camp)? I found out about this camp on the Serbian coordinator’s website in July and I applied online within a few days. I then had to sign my application at their office in person. I received an email within three days that I was accepted. I started practicing Turkish and English and started preparing for the trip. I travelled to Turkey by train, I bought my tickets on the day of my departure. It took me a day to get to Sofia from Nis, then another day to arrive in Istanbul. I stayed at an apartment there, did some sightseeing, and left for Kastamonu by bus on the third day. page

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04 What is your task at the camp? We had to paint walls at the university and did some environmental gardening work on campus. We did some cleaning at the beach during a trip to Sinop and we are also collecting bottle caps for charity.

05 Could you describe the living conditions (people/room, who do you share your room with, how do you do your laundry, any difficulties)? There are two of us in one room, I share my room with our leader, Berk. We don’t have a washing machine so I had to bring enough shirts. I also brought my sleeping bag because I thought I would need it, but after I arrived, I saw that I will not have to use it as we have comfortable beds here. Fortunately I don’t have real difficulties. Food is also good, it’s actually similar to our Serbian cuisine, so I really enjoy our meals here. I especially like stuffed pepper and different types of sweets.

What do you like the most about this camp? Local people are kind and hospitable, we got fruits, tea, and even fridge magnets from them. It feels nice to be able to converse with them on a basic level. People have a positive reaction towards foreign people. About the location, I like that it’s green and we are surrounded by mountains. Our programs have been well-organized, I enjoy the trips we take which help me to get familiar with Turkish culture even more. I also like the international atmosphere of this camp with so many Asians. Our leaders are also very nice, and although they are quite young, they are capable of taking care of the participants and know how to take responsibility.

What is your favorite activity at the camp?

What do you miss while being at camp? What would you like to have?

I like the work we do, but I have to say that travelling is my most favorite activity.

I don’t really miss anything. If I really had to say something, I would say it’s a dryer for clothes. I am tired of the technical gadgets, so I’m not missing my phone or laptop either.

“It feels great to make new friendships with so many people from all over the world!” 09 What would you suggest to future participants? Would you recommend this work camp for them? I usually write a report of the things I enjoy here and send it to my coordinator in Serbia. I will first share my experiences to my friends as I go home, and I can certainly recommend this camp for anyone else. Local people are hospitable, nature is nice, food is brilliant, trips are enjoyable and it feels great to make new friendships with so many people from all over the world.

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“By coordinating camps, we can also improve our organizational and communication skills.” by Zoltan Csima

Berk and Nuran have been familiar with volunteering in various areas. They know how society benefits from voluntary work and they tried to relay that principle at their camp in Kastamonu. I asked them about their volunteering experience and they also shared their view related to the work camp and the participants. What is your previous experience with volunteering / working as a camp leader? Berk: I have been volunteering for quite some time now. I was a supervisory member at the Model United Nations Association in Turkey, then I was appointed president of the Model United Nations Society at Hacettepe University in Ankara. As for summer camps, I attended my first volunteer camp as a participant in 2007 in Gerolstein, Germany. Last year I was a leader of the Didim work camp in Turkey, and this is my second time as a leader. Berk Durutürk, 22 Geological Engineering student Ankara,Turkey Nuran Yıldırım, 21, Political Sciences and Public Administration student Ankara,Turkey

Why did you choose this camp? Berk: I came to Kastamonu because I was asked to come here. The dates also fit my schedule, so I accepted the offer. Nuran: Although I live close, I have never been to Kastamonu before. This is a region famous for its forests and environment. I love nature, I was interested in what Kastamonu can offer, so I decided to come here.

Nuran: I am a volunteer at LÖSEV, which is an organization that helps children with cancer. I am also a volunteer diver cleaning the sea with TURMEPA (Turkish version of Greenpeace). This year I volunteered at an international paragliding competition in Turkey. My first work camp was last year in Urla, Turkey, where I went as a participant, and this is my first time as a leader here in Kastamonu.

Why did you decide to work as a camp leader? Berk: I was asked to be a leader at a camp in Turkey. As a leader, you gain valuable leadership skills and I also consider it as a meaningful part of my summer holiday. Nuran: I decided to work as a leader because I previously participated as a volunteer and I wanted to experience leadership this time.

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What did you expect before coming and is it like you thought it would be? Berk: Accommodation and work conditions at the camp are pretty much what I previously expected. Kastamonu is a great place to experience the culture of Anatolia, that is why we have so many trips which provide an excellent opportunity for the campers to learn about the culture of the city and the region. Nuran: I thought that being a camp leader may be difficult at times because leadership involves a lot of responsibilities. Unlike some other camps, our local coordinator knows English, she can also communicate with the participants. She has been helpful with organization of the free time activities and trips which made our job easier as well.

Do you have free time? How do you spend it? Berk: Our schedule is pretty busy and I don’t have too much free time. When there’s nothing else to do, I try to find out more information about our scheduled and unscheduled trips (like the hamam and luna park). I also try to find out more information about Kastamonu, both for the participants and for myself. Nuran: I don’t have lots of free time. When I do have some, I try to prepare for the evening activities or I just simply spend it with resting.

How would you promote this camp for volunteers who would like to participate next year? Berk: You can learn so much about Turkish culture if you come to this part of Anatolia. The people, the buildings and the local culture are specific to Kastamonu but still form a vital part of our culture. Besides, Kastamonu has an untouched nature, the scenery that we see during our trips is beautiful. You’ll also have a chance to see famous touristic sites nearby. So shortly: if you want to discover Turkey, this Kastamonu work camp will be the best opportunity and a great experience for you! Nuran: This camp is a good choice to make your holiday exciting. You’ll have so many nice experiences and you’ll meet so many different people. If you would like to be a volunteer and come to a camp, then this camp will be a great place for you! And if you like it, you can go on doing other things later in life using what you gained here.

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What do you think about the volunteers? In what way does the international atmosphere make this camp unique? Berk: The volunteers are nice and respectful for Turkey and our culture. We have only two Europeans and the rest are Asians. They like sharing their own culture with the others and it’s nice to see how well they get along with each other. We also tried to mix them at their accommodation and cultural differences didn’t cause any problem. They can all handle differences and I can see that they are having fun as they spend time together. They are willing to improve their English and they are really fun when I compare them with other participants . Nuran: This is kind of an Asian camp as the majority come from there. It’s really nice to see three Japanese and two Koreans here with the two Serbians. They are so kind and friendly and it’s nice to see how they all interact with each other. I was also surprised to see how many things our culture shares with the Serbian culture.

What would you do differently next year? Berk: I could organize more varied work at different places. But I have to say that although this is the first camp, it is well-organized where we are having a great time. Nuran: There were a few issues initially with the accommodation, but together with the local coordinator we tried and managed to solve anything that didn’t meet our expectations. This is what we have to keep in mind when we prepare camps in the following years.

What do you gain from this camp? Berk: I learn more about myself as I observe and compare others with each other and with myself. It is a kind of self-exploration which is a nice experience. Nuran: I just wanted to see smiles on people’s face. Volunteering means working and making people happy. For example when you go to a children’s camp and children are happy, you are a part of it. I also found Berk to be a great leader and a good friend. He’s an authority figure and a good organizer, we are good partners and fortunately we have no problems with each other.

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Dear Mom

I arrived s me. This i afely to my camp s came to Tus my first journey oo you needn’t worry of them ca rkey. People are ver n my own and I’m about when I lostn’t speak English, ty kind here. Althou glad I me that th my way on the wa hey were really help gh most hospitable. ey like Asian peopley to the camp. It see ful ms to because th Turkey ha e y a r e kind and visit. Thei s so many historica culture, I ar culture is a mixtur l and interesting p Their arch m amazed at the th e of European and Alaces to buildings itecture is also uniq ings I can discover sian here. ue, I had n Turkish fo in Japan. e v e r s een such and dinne od is really deliciou can taste dr at the university’s s. We have our brea traditiona ifferent flavours ev dining hall where kfast and also nl food in restaurant ery day. We often ewe is really p ot so expensive. I alss as well, they are s at ice cream topular but a little bi o like desserts here, o nice The work a oday which I really t sweet for me. We h baklava ad some was to paint the camp is also e liked. national s t walls at the univ njoyable. One of our a classroomymbols, flowers, anersity: we all painte tasks that these . They looked so n d similar items on d our students. pictures will teach o ice when we finishedwalls in one of our We also cleaned somur cultures to the Tu , I hope around th trips and now we ar e part of a beach du rkish e doing ga ring I like Turke campus. r d e n ing work I hope that ey so much and I’m travel toge one day we can com really enjoying th ther in thi i s beautifu e back to Turkey ans camp. l country. d Love, Moe page

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tics s i u , g 9 o, 1 ish Lin pan b u l a s Oht in Engrsity, J e Mo dent nive Stu kkyo U Do

“I

am amazed at the things I can discover here.”

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KĂźre National park

The Kure Mountains National Park, a unique part of Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s geography, met all criteria. The National Park covers an area straddling parts of Kastamonu and Bartin provinces. The park includes unspoilt land home to endemic plants, fauna, a unique microclimate, interesting geomorphologic structures, deep valleys and gorges, rushing rivers, waterfalls and local culture. The park, covering 370 square kilometres, is truly an open-air museum, and boasts a biodiversity that rivals almost any in the world.

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“We aim to make a promotion of our university in the international arena”

Kübra Baysal, English Lecturer at Kastamonu University, Initiator and Coordinator of the camp

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Ms. Baysal decided to organize a volunteer camp in Kastamonu which was to be the first of its kind in the city. She made sure that the programs and trips during the camp would offer a good chance for participants to learn as much about Turkish culture as possible. I asked her about the road that lead to the first Kastamonu volunteer camp. By Zoltan Csima

Why did you decide to organize a camp here?

How does the university and the town benefit from this camp?

I was a volunteer in a similar camp in France five years ago and I had a great time there. We had so many activities and it was a great experience for me to travel abroad for the first time. That’s why in 2008 I wanted to participate again in a volunteer camp and I became a camp leader in Giresun, Turkey where I experienced the organizational part of the camp. I started working at Kastamonu University in February 2012 and I wanted to contribute to the city and the university. I wanted to attract foreign volunteers here to experience our culture and also wanted to give them the chance to mingle with different cultures. This is why I contacted GSM and that’s how we organized the camp.

First of all, the university has foreign students from Japan, Korea and Serbia for the first time so it’s an innovational act here. The university expects to attract students with exchange programs and we aim to make a promotion of our university in the international arena. The university supports EVS, Erasmus and other educational programs. We hope that this camp will satisfy expectations and bring more people from different cultures. As for the environmental work, we plan to fulfill a participants’ program with satisfactory social work and encourage their integration with the university even if it only takes place for a short term. As for the city, local people are surprised to see Asians and Serbians on the streets and that’s why they welcome them so sincerely and they would show their hospitality to possible future participants as well.

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What expectations did you have? I expected to establish a ground for international student and volunteer involvement and also to make a promotion for the university as well as for the town. As I have been a volunteer and leader previously, I was sure our volunteers would have a great time at our voluntary camp. Our Rector, Mr. Aydın welcomes beneficial initiations within the university so he decided to make an agreement with GSM when I mentioned him the idea of a volunteer camp. Our Vice Rector, Mr. Sarıyıldız and our General Secretary, Mr. Sağlam also supported me with the organization of the camp. My expectations are met and accordingly the university’s expectations shall be satisfied.

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What interesting places are there in and near Kastamonu? In the center, we have Kastamonu Castle, the Clock Tower, the tombs of famous religious people, Nasrullah Square and Mosque, İsmail Bey Mosque and a handicrafts bazaar. As for the small towns, we have Daday (famous for horse riding and etli ekmek), Taşköprü ( famous for its garlic), Abana and Cide (beaches at the Black Sea), Tosya (rice fields), and Safranbolu in Karabük (old traditional wooden houses).

What difficulties did the university have while organizing the camp?

Why would you recommend this camp to foreign volunteers?

There were no real difficulties. The only problem was that we didn’t know the exact number of participants until a week before the start date. We organized everything, including accommodation, food and transport considering the maximum quota of the camp.

People who love adventure, who are open to new cultures and different experiences and who have no prejudice towards other nations should participate in our camp in Kastamonu because we guarantee that they will return back to their home countries with unforgettable precious memories and they will want to come back the following year.

“People who love adventure, who are open to new cultures and different experiences and who have no prejudice”

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“This is so much fun and a really interesting experience.”

By Zoltan Csima

Jin has been doing voluntary work for the last few years, but she has never been to a work camp before. This year she decided to join a voluntary camp and do something useful abroad. She talks about her volunteering experience and also shares her impressions about the Kastamonu volunteer camp.

Kyeong Jin Lee, (23), South Korea, Economics B. Sc. student at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul

What is your previous experience with volunteering / work camps?

I am being curious - why did you choose to come to this workcamp in Turkey?

I first volunteered when I was 17 years old: we visited widows in Seoul who had little contact with society. We talked with them and helped with some household duties at their home. As a university student I helped distribute food for homeless people at train stations. Last year I was selling clothes and collecting money for poor children in Africa. I haven’t been to any camp before, this is my first volunteer camp.

I simply wanted to volunteer somewhere abroad. In Korea, some big companies support students who would like to volunteer abroad, but I couldn’t join those programs. I searched online and I found a lot of useful information about these camps, and I decided that this is something I would be interested in. I chose Turkey because it has been an ally of Korea, it’s a crossroads between Europe and Asia, and I was interested in Turkish culture.

03 Could you describe the process before coming to the work camp (how you decided to come here, selection process, how you got to the camp)? After I found my coordinating organization online, I applied on their website in July. I filled in my profile, gave them my volunteering experience and my list of preferred countries, which were Turkey, Thailand and Japan. Within a week I was approved into a camp in Turkey, and after I learned my camp dates, I was able to buy my plane tickets. I also tried to find people who were coming to the same camp, and I managed to find Yun online. We sent text messages to each other, spoke on the phone many times about our camp and the preparations, and actually we also bought our plane tickets together.

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What is your task at the camp?

Could you describe the living conditions (people/room, who do you share your room with, how do you do your laundry, any difficulties)?

We painted walls at one of the faculties of the University of Kastamonu, we did environmental gardening work around the campus and during a trip to a small town, and we also collected bottle lids for charity that supports disabled people.

Three of us girls are in one room, the other four girls are in another one. I share my room with our leader Nuran and with Moe, who comes from Japan. The restrooms and the showers are in the corridor. We wash our laundry by hand. We also have a TV in the dining hall, but we don’t really have the time to watch it.

06 What do you like the most about this camp?

What is your favorite activity at the camp?

I can’t really pick one thing. I like the fact that people from many countries come here, this is so much fun and a really interesting experience. I like the steps of getting to know each other and learning about other countries’ customs and cultures. I could say that I am wiser about European culture now and I will even want to learn more about that in the near future. The location and the landscape are very nice and the weather is optimal, not too hot. The things we see during our trips are exotic, and we Asians like that locals are really kind and helpful, they are interested in our cultures, too. These are my reasons why I am having a great time here.

I like social activities like card games, after dinner we meet and socialize with each other in the garden of the dormitory. I really like that atmosphere.

“I could say that I am wiser about European culture now”

What do you miss while being at camp? What would you like to have?

What would you suggest to future participants? Would you recommend this work camp for them?

Although Turkish food is really nice, I miss spicy Korean food. I also miss my hair dryer and warm clothes for chilly nights.

I would suggest them to be open-minded and flexible, and then they will have a great time here for sure. Come and enjoy Turkey, enjoy the trips, try different foods, and try to talk with local people with the help of the leaders. Respecting people’s lifestyle is also very important as they live here very differently than in my country. This camp is a really nice experience for me and I am sure anyone will have the same feelings if they come here in the future.

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PLAYING GAMES IS NOt ONLY FOR KIDS! G By Rita Lavitckyte

ames is a very common tool in international voluntary workcamps, being used for reaching many goals such as enjoyment, interaction with other people, education etc. The best thing is that while having fun, you also learn important things and improve your skills (i. e. team work, memory etc.). Some people like them, some don’t, but we cannot disagree that sometimes you cannot achieve your target in other way. Or.. it would be much more difficult.

s our journalistic team participated in few different type of workcamps, we had a chance to play many games. Usually the first day of the workcamp (or sometimes even the second day) is a bit strange, a bit chaotical, cause different people from different parts of the world come to one place and they try to find the “common” language, try to get to know each other. So, for getting this weirdness away, the best way is to play games. I will give some examples:

Thread ball

All people gather together and sit in one circle. One person has a thread ball. He should say his name and something specific about himself (i. e. I am John, I am afraid of spiders; I am Joana, I love playing piano or something like that). Then he throws the ball to someone in the circle, keeping the end of thread to himself. The person who gets the ball, should repeat the name of the last person and the specific thing he said, then tell his own name and his own specific thing. Then throwing the ball to someone else and keeping the thread to himself. It becomes like a spider web. When everyone finishes, they have to go back – throwing the ball backwards. In the end the person who started the game, should receive the ball back. It’s really funny game that helps remember the names and also let you know about other people more. page

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Let’s make some move

All people are standing in one circle. At first everyone should say his name and then to make some move identifying him (can be clapping, finger snapping, showing some specific sign, dancing or something else). After that someone starts the game saying some other person’s name and showing his sign. The person, who’s name and sign was showed, needs to continue with other person’s name and sign. It’s a fun way to remember people names. After a while it’s possible to go to a more difficult level. For example, you “become” someone on your left or right with his name and his sign. Let’s say that someone tells the name and shows the sign of person on your left (or right, depends on the rule you all decide), it’s you who has to continue. And further it goes like this. Sure it’s possible to create some more rules and continue until you will know all the names. It’s a nice and active game with lots of fun.

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When you know a little bit more about each other, you can play other games also. Mostly it’s for enjoyment and for spending your time wisely. So, here’s the other games you can play:

Treasure hunt

I think that this game is really well known in all the world. It can be played indoors or outdoors (we had it mixed). The aim of the game is to find hidden objects (or places) by using a series of clues, that, in our case, were made by camp leaders. It can be played individually or in a teams. We had 3 different teams. Each team was following different notes with different clues. The team who reached the final destination first was the winner. This game is really good for building a team and for having fun. Recommended!

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Invisible friend

This game can be very long, but also very short (as it happened in our case). To be honest, I have no idea why the name of the game is like this. It has nothing to do with “friendship”. In opposite, you can’t trust anyone during it. So, let’s see how it should be played. Everyone has to write his name on the piece of paper and close it that noone could see it. On the other piece of paper everyone has to write some action (i.e. to make someone cook for you, to make someone wear your clothes or some other actions, depends on your imagination). Also, secretly. Noone should know in advance. Then everyone from two different piles has to take one paper with a name and one paper with an action. When you have it, that means that you have to “kill” (metaphorically speaking ) the person whose name is on your paper with an action it’s written on the paper you chose (i.e. if you have “John” and “make someone cook for you”, you have to make John cook for you for making him “dead”). When you “kill” someone, you take his papers with the name and action he chose and move on with other person. The aim is to “kill” everyone else. By the way, the person can be “killed” just when you are alone with him, noone else can see it. If someone sees you killing someone, you are also “dead”. So, usually you start avoiding staying with someone alone, start guessing who can be your possible killer. Also, I should add that while playing this game you should put the paper on the wall and everyone who’s “dead” should write his name, time of “death” and the message to the others. It is fun game. Recommended!

Secret friend-Devil friend

This game usually starts from the first days of the camp and lasts till the last day. Everyone of the group (participants and also leaders) write their names on 2 different papers and put them in 2 different piles. Noone should see the names. One pile of papers is for choosing a person for whom you will be his secret friend. The other pile is for choosing a person for whom you will be a devil friend. Then everyone is taking one paper from each pile. The idea of secret friend is to make small nice surprises, small gifts for your secret friend. For devil friend – it’s the opposite. You can do small crazy jokes or some small bad things for the person whose devil friend you are. You cannot reveal whose secret or devil friend you are. This can be known just on the last day. This game is nice for everyone. Also it makes you so curious, guessing who could make you some nice or crazy things. It’s fun. Note. Sometimes this game can be played just as a secret friend.

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Other part of games is meant for group dynamics and team building activities. These games teach you to work in a team, to share duties and responsibilities, also to understand each other in a group. Here is some examples of such kind of games:

Guess what’s this

This game is most enjoyable for big group of people. It is possible to play it indoors and outdoors (we were playing in the park). People should divide into groups of 5 or 6 people. We had 3 teams. Each team think of some object that the other team should perform and next team should guess what’s this (i. e. one group tells to the other to perform a “tractor” and that group should do everything what’s in their imagination (without using any words!) that the next group would guess the object). It’s so much fun! especially when the object is quite complicated (i. e. one of the ideas what our group had was for the others to perform a “sewing machine” or a “toaster”). I can assure that everyone will be able to show their creativity and to enjoy having fun all together.

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Find your people

People should gather together in the circle (the best if it’s 10 people or more). Then everyone without seeing gets the paper sticked to his forehead with picture of different geometrical figures, colours etc. (Note. Some people get analogical pictures, some random pictures). The task is without any words to group themselves (according to the pictures) and make a team. This game is really good for understanding how people think. Usually people group themselves according to the shapes in the pictures. The ones who has papers with too different figures on them are usually grouped together. But there are no winners in this game. It’s just the way to see how people ascribe themselves in some groups, what criteria they use for that etc.

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Mix of people

The group of people (best – 4 or 5) gather in the circle and they hold each others hands. Then they should mix themselves while still holding their hands. After they are mixed, the task is to get back to the initial (normal) position. This game is basically about team work. And.. it’s not that easy actually  The fastest team wins.

Magical shawl

One more game for team work. You put the middle size square shawl on the floor. The team – 4 or 5 people – should step on it. All the feet should be on that shawl and the basic rule is not step away. The task is to turn over the shawl without anyone stepping away from it. The winner team is the one which makes it fastest.

Which date you are

There is a line of chairs (the same number as people). Everyone has to step on the chair. The task is to make a chronological line according to the day and month of birth. So, people without talking to each other should find their place in the line (i. e. as my birthday is on the 20th of December I go to the end of the line, first in a line should be someone who was born in the beginning of the year). It’s really enjoyable activity.

Wh As you can see, free time activities are fun and enjoyable, so there shouldn’t be any worry for getting bored. Even if you are a person who doesn’t like games, just relax and enjoy being with other people. At least some of these activities will be acceptable even for the biggest snob. Also I should mention that there are much more games suitable for international voluntary workcamps, but it is impossible to write everything down here. So, it was just a short peek under the curtain. If you want to know more, you should come and experience by yourself. I can assure you that you will have a great time! Guaranteed :)

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Impressions from Antalya

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By Rita Lavitckyte

ntalya Antalya.. who doesn‘t know this name and this place?.. I am pretty sure everyone does. More or less. And probably everyone who has visited it, couldn‘t stay indifferent. Its beautiful nature – huge Taurus mountains, long and sandy beaches, dark blue sea and hot sun, its historical heritage undoubtedly make an impression. So, let‘s see what kind of place this is:

Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey, located approximately 545 kilometres from Ankara and 727 kilometres from Istanbul. It‘s the biggest Turkey‘s international sea resort. The population of Antalya is almost one million. Looking shortly at its historical background, the city was found by Attalos II, a King of Pergamum in about 159 B.C. He ordered his men to find him a paradise on earth and after extensive search they discovered this area. The city was named Attaleia after the King, but the name later mutated in Turkish as Adalia and then Antalya. This city has been the centre of culture, art, architecture and mythology throughout its history. Antalya is a very popular place for international tourists. Every year millions of people from all over the world come here for their holidays as climate is perfect for that (almost 300 days per year are sunny), hotels are with high quality standarts and quite cheap, also it‘s full of entertainments (rafting, diving, boat trips, turkish baths, crazy night life, shopping). I should also mention that many foreigners have their own villas or summer houses in this area. Besides holiday resort opportunities, there are also many places worth visiting as: historic city center of Antalya, called Kaleiçi, ancient monuments, which include the City Walls, Hıdırlık Tower, Hadrian’s Gate (also known as Triple Gate), the Clock Tower, also nice old mosques (İskele Mosque, Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque, Yivli Minare Mosque), museums (Antalya Archeological Museum is one of Turkey‘s largest and the most important museums, it won „European Council Special Prize“), also „miracle“ of nature close to Antalya - Düden Waterfalls. And for sure - this is not a complete list. So, obviously there are lots of things to do and to see in Antalya.

Impressions from Antalya

After all this introduction, it‘s obvious that it was a nice surprise for our journalistic team to find out that all EVS volunteers of Turkey (including us for sure :) will have their On-Arrival training, organized by Turkish National Agency, in Antalya. The duration of the training - 5 days and the timing is really great – the end of May (I checked the weather immediately and the prognosis was perfect +27˚C)! what could we ask for more! We were really excited.

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So, when the time came, we packed our luggages and took the night bus going to Antalya. And.. I should confess that for me it was a terrible trip! I‘ll try to explain why. First of all, I should say that I am not able to sleep in the bus. Even though we chose a nice bus company with comfortable buses, but c‘mon – you have only small seat for yourself (even though it‘s soft), so how can you find comfortable position for sleeping?.. just sitting in a „normal“ position doesn‘t work for me.. So, although I am quite small and I tried my best remembering my gymnastic classes at school.. no way! especially when someone else (in my case, fortunately it was Sandra) is „sleeping“ next to you and you are afraid to kick him.. second of all – the trip was incredibly long! it took about 8 hours!

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Even though we got some drinks (you can choose what you want to drink – coffee, tea, some juice or soda, but no alcohol for sure :) and cookies during the trip, it didn‘t help for my psychological comfort.. It should be noted that it was my first month in Turkey, so I was not used to all these distances.. Now when I remember it, it makes me smile. But it was my first so long and so terrible trip by bus here in Turkey! Most of people probably would say that this girl is desperately spoiled :) Anyway, when we reached the destination (our hotel was located about 60 km from Antalya), I was totally exhausted! It seemed that every bone in my body is broken. I felt like a zombie and was dreaming just about opportunity to lie down somewhere.. Luckily after just few hours of suffering, we got the rooms in the nice hotel and could relax. Then, as I mentioned before, we had a 5 day long training, where we got some news about voluntarism in Turkey, some useful tips about living in Turkey, some cultural introduction. It was really interesting. Our group was more than 30 people from all

over the world starting from European countries and finishing with Latin America and Mexico. We had different activities, during which we could know more about each other, also about our projects and goals here in Turkey. But I don‘t think I should bore people with detailed stories about the training itself. I should just mention that it was quite intense, so we didn‘t have too much beach time (as it was in my dream plan). When I came to Turkey in the end of april, and also when I came to Antalya, I was so white as a cheese, so my hope was to get some nice (preferable chocolate) colour and to look less alien here. Unfortunately I didn‘t succeed on it at this trip.. but you can‘t have all at once, right? (I can brag that after few summer weeks travelling in Turkey I became a chocolate girl as I wanted :). Well, I think from all the trip I should tell more about touristic experiences, cause maybe someone will decide to visit same places, so hopefully this information can be useful. So, as we got so lucky to come to our training in Antalya, we got even luckier (where‘s this luck coming from? :), during

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the training having the chance to visit some of the most beautiful and historical places here. Last afternoon all the participants had the trip which included visiting Düden Waterfalls, also Kaleiçi (the old city center of Antalya). So, I want to tell a bit more about that: When we found out about the days schedule, all excited we jumped in a bus and got into the mood of little adventure. I think it took less than one hour before we reached our first destination, but I cannot be sure as we spent the time in the bus having fun and enjoying each others company. So, first we came to the big park with huge car parking space with many cars. That‘s how we could suppose it‘s a popular visiting place. It appeared that we will see a „miracle“ of nature – Düden waterfalls.

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Düden Waterfalls are a group of waterfalls in the province of Antalya, formed by the Düden river. The waterfalls are located 12 kilometres north-east of Antalya. They end where the waters of the Lower Düden Falls drop off a rocky cliff directly into the Mediterranean Sea (on the way from Antalya to Lara Beach). Unfortunately we didn‘t see the Lower Düden Falls, but the park we visited was with Upper Düden Falls. And.. It was breath taking! It‘s difficult to describe. At first, it seems as a simple park, maybe a bit similar to botanical garden – you go by little roads surrounded by trees, river is flowing just next to you. Very relaxing. Then, you can see how river becomes stronger and bigger, you start seeing little waterfalls and then – boom! you cannot believe your eyes – something magical in front of you. Huge waterfalls! I think their height is about 20 metres. Incredible! And that smell of water, of freshness.. I simply love it! Also, you can even go inside Dilek Magarasi (Cave of Wishes), located underneath the waterfalls. It is allowed to walk behind the rushing cascade and see these waterfalls from inside. It‘s really amazing. I would definitely recommend to everyone to visit this place. Especially during the hot summer time, this park is a cool, refreshing place, suitable not only for walks and enjoyment, but also for picnics.

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Full of emotions after this park, our group continued our trip and reached the second destination Kaleiçi (can be translated as „Inside the Castle“) - the historic city centre of Antalya, also known as „Old Antalya“. In past times this area surrounded and protected the old Roman harbour, that was the reason for the city to survive. Now this area became the heritage of historical times, attracting people who still want to feel the spirit of ancient world. It‘s so relaxing to walk narrow streets of historic Ottoman era houses, visit market place with huge amount of turkish souvenirs (you can definitely find something nice to buy for memory), to breath fresh air of the sea and just forget about everything else. It‘s also enjoyable to walk in Marina, which is full of private and very impressive boats, most of them ready for touristic trips at any time. Actually, I should admit that the captains of the boats are really creative in order to develop their business – they dress up as pirates or some well-known figures, also some boats decorated as pirate ships or ships from fairy tales. It can be a little bit annoying when all of them try to „convince“ you to take the „best“ boat trip and offering you „mountains of gold“ in that trip, but it‘s just the way they do business, so the best is not to pay any attention to them or just to say that you are not interested. Or.. if you have enough time and financial possibilities, you can always enjoy the boat trip (I haven‘t tried, but I am sure it‘s a nice entertainment).

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It‘s neccesary to visit Hıdırlık Tower - a landmark tower of old tawny stone, next to Karaalioglu Park. The tower is at the south side, where the land walls of the city join the sea walls. The 14 metre high circular tower rises on a quadratic pedestal. It was used to serve as a lighthouse or lookout for shipping in Antalya‘s harbour. Now you just can enjoy amazing view from there – mountains, sea, marina and some part of the city. It‘s really nice. It‘s also possible to stop there for a drink, snack or a meal. Then you can have a walk in a nice Karaalioglu Park. While walking in Kaleiçi, you will definitely see the Clock Tower of Antalya, that was built at the end of 19 century. It has a square-plan and is made of rough and hewn stone. It‘s located next to 18th century Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque. I cannot imagine the view of Antalya without these objects in the center.

What else is interesting in the centre of Antalya?.. for sure, it‘s worth to see Alaaddin Mosque (also called „Grand Mosque“ and „Fluted Minaret Mosque“), which is a historical mosque in Antalya, built in 13 century. The mosque’s fluted minaret, which is decorated with dark blue tiles, is a landmark and symbol of the city. It‘s height 38 metres. It has eight fluted sections and 90 steps to the top. I am sure that we haven’t seen all the things and places that are worth attention, but we simply didn’t have enough time. After long walk in Old Antalya, we were really tired and happy. It was sad to leave this place.. but we had to go back to reality. Also our stomaches were screaming for some food, so we jumped back in our bus and went back to our hotel. Oh, it was unforgetable day!

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Issue 01 / 2012

After 5 days in Antalya, when our training came to an end and we had to leave our hotel, also all the participants there, it was really sorrowful. During this time, we not only visited many nice places, but also met so many great people whom I will not forget! It‘s so crazy – just a week or day ago, you don‘t even know someone and after some time you become almost best friends. That‘s still a mystique to me. During this period of time I felt so alive meeting all those people from all over the world with their different life stories, different experiences and that luminosity in their eyes, hunger of adventures, enthusiasm to change something in this world. Maybe it can sound lame, but I am sure that people with the same experience know what I am talking about. Also it was so comforting knowing that now you have friends everywhere. So, when summarizing impressions from the whole trip, I should mention that it was unique experience – by all meanings. And now I will always remember Antalya as a beautiful place where friendship and warmth takes over.

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Issue 01 / 2012

Afiyet Olsun! Enjoy Turkish food!

By Rita Lavickyte

I haven’t met any Turkish people, who don’t believe that Turkish cuisine is the best in the world. They say it has everything – all possible combinations and such a huge variety for any taste. I should say that even the biggest sceptic after trying many different dishes can be convinced that Turkish cuisine is really rich. So, let’s see which dishes are most popular. Breakfast (in Turkish “Kahvaltı”). Usually for the breakfast it’s very common to eat cheese (peynir), butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey. For me, one of the favourite things for breakfast (I don’t have it in my country) is simit! It’s a circular bread with sesame seeds. Also it’s popular for breakfast to eat menemen (kind of omlet). It’s made from tomatoes, green peppers, onion, olive oil and eggs. It’s probably not necessary to mention that Turkish breakfast cannot be without kahve (Turkish coffee) and çay (Turkish tea).

Köfte means simply meatballs, but there are many different kinds of köfte as çiğ köfte (raw meat patties), etsiz çiğ köfte (meatless raw meatballs), kadınbudu köfte (minced meat is mixed with cooked rice and fried), ıçli köfte (bulgur filled with onion, minced meat and nuts), terbiyeli sulu köfte (meatball cooked with flour, tomato paste and water in which lemon and egg sauce is added). Usually köfte main ingredients are minced meat, parsley, bread-egg (not necessarily, usually homemade köfte contains egg yolk and some crumbled bread) and a range of spices: cumin, oregano, mint powder, red or black pepper powder with onion or garlic. Sarma is a savory dish of grape, cabbage or chard leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat, spicy rice, pinos and black currants or a sweet dish of filo dough wrapped around a filling often of various kinds of chopped nuts. (From my experience, most of the people love this dish! But it’s not one my favourites..).

Even though most of Turkish people are muslims and islam forbids drinking alcoholic beverages, Turkey has its own traditional alcohol rakı, and a very rich traditions of drinking it. It is a unsweetened, aniseflavored hard alcoholic drink (40-50% of alcohol) and usually being drunk diluted with water. When mixed with ice and/or water, rakı turns milky white. Because of that, Turks call it lion’s milk (aslan sütü). The basic meze (“side dish”) for rakı are slices of honeydew melon and creamy feta cheese with freshly baked bread. To be honest, I am not a fan of anise, so rakı is not that attractive for me. It was interesting to try, but that’s it – enough for me :) But most turkish people really like it. page

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Issue 01 / 2012

Dolma can be understood as stuffed vegetables. There are two categories of dolmas: the ones filled with a meat mix and the ones filled with a rice mix. The rice dolma is cooked in olive oil and eaten at roomtemperature. The meat dolma is as a main dish eaten with a yogurt sauce. Any vegetable which can be filled with or wrapped around these mixes can be used as a dolma, including zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, cabbage, and grape leaves.

Kokoreç (the intestines of sheep) with spices is a traditional low-price fast food in Turkey. To be honest, while knowing what that means I had no enough courage to try it..:) but Sandra promised that she definitely will! I am curious to hear her impressions.

Baklava is one of the most popular (and one of my favourite :) turkish desert. It is rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It’s really heavy desert, full of calories. But it’s impossible to resist eating at least a little piece of it.

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Issue 01 / 2012

Mantı Turkish pasta that consists of folded triangles of dough filled with minced meat, often with minced onions and parsley. It is typically served hot topped with garlic yoghurt and melted butter or warmed olive oil, and a range of spices such as oregano, dried mint, ground sumac, and red pepper powder. The combination of meat-filled dough with yoghurt differentiates it from other dumplings such as tortellini, ravioli, and Chinese wonton. Mantı is usually eaten as a main dish. Minced chicken and quail meats are also used to prepare mantı in some regions of Turkey. (In my opinion, it’s a very nice meal! Doesn’t matter how picky with food I can be, I like this one! Just prefer it without garlic :) And I recommend everyone to try it!).

Doner kebab is a Turkish dish, made of roasted meat cooked on a vertical spit. It consists of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats roasted on a spit. Less common alternatives include fish and sausage. It is often served wrapped in a flatbread such as a pita or tortilla. There are many different variations of kebab..

Iskender kebab is one of the most famous meat foods of northwestern Turkey. It is a kind of döner kebab prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb basted with hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread and generously slathered with melted sheep butter and yogurt. This kebab contains thin and wide strips of meat. It is prepared by stacking large pieces of meat vertically.

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Issue 01 / 2012

Gözleme is a savoury traditional Turkish handmade and hand-rolled pastry. Fresh pastry is rolled out, filled and sealed, then cooked over a griddle.

Lahmacun (meaning dough with meat in Arabic) is a thin flatbread covered with a layer of spiced minced meat, tomato, pepper, onion or garlic, also called as “Turkish pizza”.

Pide is one of the most common traditional stone-baked Turkish specialities. It can be made with minced meat (together with onion, chopped tomatoes, parsley and spices), kashar cheese, spinach, white cheese, pieces of meat, braised meat (kavurma), sucuk, pastırma or/and eggs put on rolled-out dough. (One of my favourite Turkish meals! I prefer mixed pide – that means pide with meat and also with cheese).

As it’s not a cooking magazine, I will not get too deep into the “food” subject here, just wanted to run through the main things and to let you create basic picture of it. But even though I mentioned just few and most popular Turkish dishes here, you can realize that this cuisine is really worth to taste as Turkish people have creativity in cooking (also most of them have a great cooking skills) and everyone has a big variety of choice.

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Issue 01 / 2012

ankara By Zoltan Csima

Ankara Castle (Citadel)

The castle is located in Ulus district. The best way to reach it is to walk from Ulus Square. In this square, we can see the Monument of the Republic, which is a symbol of struggle for independence on the part of Atatürk and the Turkish people in the War of Liberation. As you walk uphill, you will have a chance to visit some authentic bazaars or cheap restaurants. The Temple of Augustus and the Column of Julian are also located nearby, which are remains from Roman times. Within a few minutes of walking you will be able to reach the castle. The area around and inside the citadel, being the oldest part of Ankara, contains many fine examples of traditional architecture. Many restored traditional Turkish houses inside the citadel area have found new life as restaurants, serving traditional dishes like gözleme, mantı and kebap, just to name a few. The panorama is beautiful, you can see almost all parts of the city from here.

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Anıtkabir

The mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk (Anıtkabir) is located on a hill about two kilometers west of the city center. It is an awesome fusion of ancient and modern architectural ideas. Anıtkabir has four main parts: the Road of Lions, the Ceremonial Plaza, the Hall of Honor (location of Atatürk’s tomb) and the Peace Park that surrounds the monument. The Road of Lions is a 250-meter-long walkway with twelve pairs of lions carved in stone on each side. This road takes us to the Ceremonial Plaza, which is a large area designed to accommodate 15000 people. On Turkey’s national holidays, this place is filled with people from all around the country who commemorate Atatürk’s life and great achievements. The Hall of Honor is the building where Atatürk’s tomb lies. The changing of the guard is also worth seeing here. And while you’re here, don’t forget to visit the museum under the hall where you can see a wax statue of Atatürk, and writings, letters and other items belonging to him. During the summer, there is a light and sound show in the evenings. The park surrounding the complex is called Peace Park in honor of Atatürk’s famous expression “Peace at home, peace in the world”.

EXPIRIENCE TURKEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY! www.gsm.org.tr

Issue 01 / 2012

nkara, the capital of Turkey, is a fairly modern and well-planned city with a long history dating back to the Bronze Age. Centrally located in Anatolia, the capital is an important commercial and industrial city. It is an important crossroads of trade, strategically located at the center of Turkey’s highway and railway networks, and serves as the marketing center for the surrounding agricultural area. We can easily see all the modern features in Ankara: there are wide avenues, green parks, elegant shops and a large number of first class hotels and restaurants. Foreign embassies and government buildings are all located in Ankara, too. Some of the most important and touristic sights worth visiting are the following: the Castle (Citadel), Anıtkabir (the mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk), Atakule.

Atakule

The Atakule Tower, located at the southern corner of Botanic Park, is one of the main landmarks of Ankara. It offers a magnificent view over the whole city. If you’d like to experience the wonderful panorama that the tower offers and Turkish flavors at the same time, you can choose from two restaurants and a café at the top section of Atakule. The bottom of the tower has a shopping mall and a few other restaurants.

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Issue 01 / 2012

LIFE IN ANKARA By Rita Lavitckyte

I thought it will be so much more easy to write about the city, which was my home for 6 months, but.. it‘s really difficult to digest all the impressions and to summarize them. Seems you could tell so much on the one hand, but, on the other hand, you realize that some things are important and interesting just for you. So.. I‘ll try to „catch“ some sightings that could be interesting or useful for everybody

Taxi drivers! If you will not get killed by taxi drivers in the streets of Ankara, it‘s already an achievment! Seriously! they are the craziest turkish drivers that I know. Especially during my first days in this city, I was so shocked about their driving manner.. it seemed that if they see you crossing the street, instead of slowing down the car, they push the speed pedal and have the goal to knock you down. Nice „entertainment“ for them, no?.. So.. you end up running in sweat, your heart is beating like crazy, but when you reach a pavement you are happy that you survived. Or.. if they are just standing and you cross by, you cannot be relaxed at all, cause they can start going at any time! and by doing that, they can also scream at you how stupid you are just by going your way.. But.. it‘s not all about these „incredible“ representatives of this profession. I guess it could be possible to write all book about them. Sometimes they have no idea where they need to bring you. For example, you come to the bus station in the middle of the and think you can relax.. but think twice!.. First of all, sometimes they have no idea

Simit boys.

where your adress is, even though they nod their head convincing you that they are

The sound of simit boys

sessame seeds, very common for

so sure where to go.. so, you just go round and round and then he turns on the GPS

screaming in the street at 7 in

breakfast) and look for possible

system to find the place.. Also, they drive crazy not only when you are outside the

the morning is one of my first

buyers. Everyone can call them

car. Once, when me and Sandra were on the way back home after the trip from one

memories in Ankara. Doesn‘t

to their apartment and buy simit

workcamp, I think we could die twice while being in a cab. That was quite a big dose

matter it‘s a weekend or a usual

without going out of house.

of adrenalin.. ufff..

week day, every early morning

Incredible, no? some of these

night, you are so tired, that just dream of reaching your house, so you sit in the cab

you can hear „Simiiiiiiit, simiiiiiiiit“

boys sell not only simits, but also

Also, probably Sandra had the most „exciting“ experience with taxi drivers when

outside. They have even kind of a

a peynir (kind of cheese). So, you

instead of taking her and her luggage back home in the middle of the night, the driver

song. At first I couldn‘t understand

can get full service at your door.

wanted to take her out to some bar or club for a drink.. unbelievable! and she had

what is happening, but then

I think they even have second

really difficulties to convince him just to bring her home..

I figured it out. These boys

round about 9 a.m... Now I don‘t

(usually they are 8-12 years old)

even hear these annoying voices

What else?.. I really hate that every time when taxi passes by you, the driver should

go around in the streets with a

anymore, but I should confess

always keep on beeping in order to show that he is not taken. Or.. if you go on the

basket of freshly baked simits (it‘s

that at the beginning it was really

pavement with your luggage, he will definitely follow you or will try to convince that

a circular bread with

irritating.. especially during the

you need a ride.

weekends, when you wake up at 7 and can‘t fall asleep anymore..

So.. I don‘t want you to be scared, cause not 100 percent of taxi drivers are like that, but.. Be aware that taxi can be a dangerous way of transportation page

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Issue 01 / 2012

Being foreigner in Ankara How do you think it should feel being a foreigner in Ankara?.. well, it‘s the capital

It is a bit different if you want to go out during the night time. First of all, I would never

of Turkey, the modern city with 4 million people, so you can suppose that it‘s like

recommend for a foreign girl to go out at night alone. Best option is to go with your

everywhere else.. but.. still it‘s not the same as being a foreigner in other country.

friends. And.. if there‘s even one man in your company, it would make everything

First of all, I should mention the staring part. Everyone who looks differently (and

very easy. If you go with a man (no matter how small or thin or weak he can look),

especially blonde people – that means not only light hair, but also blue/green eyes,

turkish people usually don‘t try to get to you – they avoid annoying you. In other way..

white skin) gets lots of attention – almost all the locals are staring at you everywhere

you can be ready for anything.. horny looks, vulgar cues, efforts to get to know you

you go. And doesn‘t matter what you wear – even the longest skirt or all covered

better, persuasions to go somewhere etc. Few times some turkish guys even tried

body is not an excuse for them not to notice you. Luckily, usually it ends up only with

to speak with me and Sandra in russian.. was funny. I am not saying it‘s always and

a staring and no any other attemps. But you should be prepared for being stared at.

everywhere like this, but let‘s not forget that the city is huge with so many different

Actually, before coming here my friends suggested me to colour my hair dark just

people, so.. there are always some that are uneducated and unpleasant.

to avoid any uncomfortable situations, but I definitely refused to do that. What‘s the point?.. anyway, they can see you are not local, so you will get attention anyway, so..

Also I should warn about english skills of turkish people. Before coming here I was

why to sacrifice my hair? To be honest, I am not bothered by the looks. After a while

quite sure that in the capital, which is full of embassies and consulates, english will

I don‘t even notice any. Or.. maybe locals got used to that and they don‘t look at me

be popular tool for communication. But.. unfortunately I was wrong. The majority of

anymore :)

local people don‘t speak english – some of them don‘t know it, some of them are too shy for using it in practise.. everywhere you can hear just turkish turkish turkish.. I guess, the most difficult is in the shops and restaurants, cause they rarely have english menu and it‘s not easy to explain what you need.. (usually I try to perform or to show my wishes by my body moves :).. but, no worries - even with your english skills you can survive here! just now it gets really surprising to hear english in the streets of Ankara..

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Issue 01 / 2012

Summer time in Ankara

date, especially during the sunset. It‘s a very popular place during summer period. But I should mention that no matter how hot it

We didn‘t spend too much time in Ankara during summer period as we were visiting different workcamps, but I am very happy about this, cause during summer

was I have never seen anyone swimming in the lake (that is strange for me as we

time Ankara is dead. First of all, it can be really hot here in july and august. I think

use lakes for swimming in Lithuania) – just boats or pedalos, which you can rent.

this july at some period the temperature exceeded 40 degrees of Celsius.. it was terrible! we were all sweating like crazy, sipping water, catching breath and

There is also a Mogan Lake close to Ankara (25 km from the city centre), which

trying not to get a sunstroke.. uffff.. was difficult times! it was impossible to sleep

is public. It‘s very popular picnic area. There is also a public transportation to go

because of the heat, it was impossible to do anything.. the only one thought was

there (not like to Eymir Lake). I have never been there, so I cannot tell any details

to survive. And imagine if there was also humidity in the air (as in south part of

about this place. You will have to discover by yourselves.

Turkey).. summers are quite difficult to handle for people who are not used to the heat..

It‘s worth to mention that there are many parks in Ankara, that can be a good option for summer time. Not all of them are nice, not all of them are big, but still,

Also, during summer time the city is almost empty. Most of the people go on

it‘s nice to visit some. One of the famous parks is Gençlik Parkı (means „Youth

holidays, to their summer houses or during their free time they try to find some

Park“), located in the centre of Ankara. It has a big territory (27,5 ha) with a big

activities in the nature. So.. streets are empty, no events, no activities.. bars are

pool and fountain, also a place for light performances during the night. You can

empty or closed, clubs also.. So, if you know that you will have to stay here at this

have a nice walk here. I can mention that next to the park, there is an amusement

time of the year, you should better get ready for being a little bit bored. But, even

park, where you can get some adrenaline.

though the start of this was a bit pessimistic, I will also give some good news – there are some options even for the summer in Ankara.

Kuğulu Parkı („Swan Park“) is in the end of Tunalı Hilmi Avenue. It‘s very small green area with few pools with the swans. There are some benches, nice cafe

As there is no beach here, no rivers, not so much natural amusements, the one

place, so it‘s quite relaxing to come here, especially with kids, and to enjoy the

good option is lake. In Ankara‘s city teritory there is Eymir Lake, which is actually

time. But to be honest, the place is so small that I couldn‘t call it a park (as I

not public as it‘s a property of Middle East Technical University (you should have

understand by definition „park“) – it‘s more like a square. But anyway it‘s nice

a membership to enter the area). But as we have nice friends here, we could

place to visit.

manage to visit the place. The lake is huge – its area is 13,5 kilometres - and really beautiful! there are many cafes and restaurants around where you can taste

Also, I would recommend to visit Seğmenler Park. It‘s very near Kuğulu Park.

fresh sandwiches with fish, drink some beers and relax. You can rent a bike and

This park is not so small (as the previous one :), with green lawns for picnics, with

have a bike trip around the lake. It‘s so far from all city noise and pollution. There

some water pools, children playgrounds. It‘s nice for walks, for relaxing. Many

are also picnic areas, where you can come with your friends or family and spend

local people like going there on Sundays with their friends and families.

Sunday afternoons in calm atmosphere. Also, it can be a romantic place for a

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Issue 01 / 2012

Shopping

Probably everybody knows that comparing to other countries it‘s so much cheaper to go shopping in Turkey (especially some specific goods like leather, glass, jewelry, hand-crafted goods etc.). I am pretty sure that Istanbul is the „capital“ of markets and shops and and and.. almost everything, but you can also find so many things in Ankara! For me it was really unelievable at first to see all those shops, all this supply here! as in Lithuania we have just few main brands and not too many possibilities to choose.. so, it can seem as a shopping paradise here  I should mention that obviously there is a lot of junk and kitsch everywhere here, but you can also find nice things according to your financial potential. If you prefer more fancy things and people, you should choose Tunalı area. Actually I love this area – one of my favourite places in Ankara. It‘s a big street – Tunalı Hilmi Avenue – with many different shops, passages, cafes, restaurants, also many people going back and forth. I like this uproar feeling. Even though I don‘t need anything to buy, I like just going for a walk and feeling a part of this street life. If you want to go shopping there, you will definitely find something nice! and if you get tired, you can always rest your legs in a nice cafe or eat delicious food in a nice place. The other opportunity for shopping is Kızılay. It‘s a very central area of Ankara, where you can find everything! Also it‘s the area for entertainment – lots of cafes, restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs. In Kızılay there is a big shopping mall - Alışveriş Merkezi. Also there are many many small shops everywhere around, so you can definitely find what you need for a good price. This area is always full of people, but the spirit is not the same as in Tunalı. There are so many huge shopping malls in Ankara! For example, Kent Park, Anka Mall, Armada, Bilkent Center, and others. They are full of different shops inside, so you can spend whole day when you enter any of them. But these big shopping malls are not located that central, so it can take a while to get there. Well, I prefer go shopping in the 2 areas that I mentioned above.

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