Recently, we told you about our talented student - the head of the Student Parliament - Mykhailitska Kateryna, who traveled to exotic Turkey in February as a volunteer. And now she has already returned to us and is ready to share her experience with you! We asked her to write a small review about the experience gained during the program, and we hope that you, our students, will draw from her a charge of motivation for further achievements!
- Hi to all! I recently returned to Ukraine after my EVS Erasmus + volunteer project in Gaziantep (Turkey) and I want to share my experience with you :)
First of all, I want to say that Gaziantep is a very nice town and the locals are very friendly and hospitable to visitors! Even though it's not that far from Syria, we felt completely safe and had a busy schedule.
These two months were like a whole "life" for me, full of emotions, wonderful people, interesting tasks and travels.
During the project, I improved my knowledge of the English language and my ability to work in a team with foreigners. I also grew as a person because I worked with children and teenagers, and I loved it!
I really enjoyed spending time with the team: we studied and played together, went hiking, explored the city and the country, discovering a lot of new and interesting things about the country, religion and customs, attended activities to support environmental safety (waste sorting , planted trees, etc.), decorated walls in kindergartens and schools with pictures and did a lot of other interesting things!
I want to note that EVS is a great chance to travel, do something good for others and discover a new country from the inside! I really enjoyed my time in Turkey and I can definitely recommend you to participate in this kind of project ;) The main thing is to dare!
View post on imgur.com
Now, based on my own experience, I want to give you a number of reasons why you should go to the East of Turkey, namely to Gaziantep, where I was:
- Local cuisine. Gaziantep is called the "gastronomic capital of Turkey".
Everything here is so tasty and unusual that it is difficult to refuse the offered food. It is a fantastic blend of Turkish and Arabic cuisine. Shawarma, doner, falafel, lahmajun... and sweets! – baklava, künefe, katmer, churchhella, Turkish delight... It is also the capital of pistachios, which are added to all dishes here.
- Middle Eastern flavor, or "another Turkey".
If you want to see the "Middle East", you will definitely find it here! Architecture, art, music, food - this is not the usual Turkey that Ukrainian tourists know.
- Eastern hospitality. I was impressed by the local hospitality and great desire of the residents to help foreigners;)
- People. Gaziantep is a city where many wonderful people of different nationalities live: Turks, Syrians, Afghans, Kurds and others.
I met beautiful people here, listened to their original life stories over a cup of tea and even received an invitation to a wedding!
- Cultural life. There are many museums and cultural centers here.
In particular, the world's largest Mosaic Museum, Hamam Museum (Turkish bath), Toy Museum, Atatürk Museum and others. Live music is often played in local restaurants. In general, you will not be bored here! In addition, you will be involved in round dances and traditional dances for the little "khalai":)
- Ancient history. Do you think Rome is the oldest city? You are wrong!
Antep is much older and is included in the list of the oldest cities in the world (3650 BC). A castle, beautiful mosques, cozy courtyards, ancient ruins and many other colorful buildings... I was even near the Euphrates River, which I read so much about in history books!
View post on imgur.com
So here is a list of reasons why you should finally dare to participate in this project without hesitation:
- Multifunctional subject of the project. In this project from EVS, I found a lot of interesting practical activities. - Do you like working with children? - Please - here are your children! - Teenagers? - This is also possible! - Do you want to work with adults? - Why not, you should try it.
You will be able to join English lessons, conversation clubs, drama, drawing, music, travel, and much more.
- Improving your level of English. Volunteers from various European countries participate in this project, so the language of communication is English.
After two months of continuous communication, I began to speak English better.
- Intercultural communication. I had to communicate with people who speak different languages.
Very few of the locals understand English, so I had to be resourceful and find a common language with them. After that, I was no longer afraid to start a conversation in a language I was unfamiliar with (I was introduced to the minimum base of the Turkish language for communication). Now I feel ready to visit even African tribes and communicate using "sign language".
- Work with refugees. We all hear about Syrian refugees all the time, but it is usually difficult to take the information adequately.
This project is an opportunity to get to know the "other Syria", full of colors and life, to find Syrian friends, to fall in love with the Arabic language, music, to sing songs, knowing that everyone will start singing along!
- Lots of joy, new friends and a positive atmosphere;)
I advise everyone to try to send an application to the EVS project. I guarantee one hundred percent that you will have an unforgettable time, gain new knowledge, experience and pleasant acquaintances.
