Kapadokya moment
''I can't write memories of Cappadocia because I still try to come back from there, piece by piece, really hard and this rhythm too slow for my way of being .... I haven't got memories, I still feel (too intense ) the Cappadocia moment. So, I write what I see, smell, hear, feel, what I think ... .. at the moment, here in the heart of Turkey , in this moon landscape which reminds me of home, of the mud volcanoes. But this region is more than the landscape, more than hundreds of cities and underground labyrinths and ancient steadfast stone. Cappadocia is history layered, overlapping strips of lava and volcanic rock, and from these are born and reborn amazing stories, which completes the magic of this place-Kapadokya- the region of beautiful horses. I can call it '' the house of beautiful people too'' ... .. of course, different people, simple , they were part of us , daily , for 7 days. They do not always understand us, we do not always understand them, the cultural differences sometimes are told on a strong tone, but controlled one, you know the saying : “The tone makes the music!”
So..."let's start at the very beginning....a very good place to start!" were the first words of the first song of our performance-a musical with something old, something new, something traditional….. We presented an "English class" full of joy, very interesting and atypical. The students could sing, dance, recite, laugh....all IN ENGLISH. And "their teachers" did the same.
In the other day we assisted different classes, observing the teaching methods and we asked many questions to our partners. It was an entire day with presentations of educational systems. And another day when we visited all the Turkish officialities .
Our "adventure" didn't stoped at "Ortahisar Fatih Ilkogretim Okulu" but we visited another primary school from there where we sang and danced again in one activity from the "English through songs and games" project.
Everywhere we go we find good hosts ... .. just like the Romanians ... ... even if with different culture and customs. Carpets, jewelry, hookah, "evil eye", stunning colorful clay pots, EBRU , "Turkish delights" , sweet roasted pistachio nuts, dried apricots, Turkish apple tea, camels, donkeys, Uchisar, Goreme, Urgup, Ortahisar , Avalon, Nevsehir, underground cities and the unreal "Fairy Chimneys" ... ... it all comes over me in a heady rush, accompanied by Hogea's call to prayer, mingled with our dance , Brasoveanca and Hora, danced over and over again to the delight of all ... ... all with the taste of mint, of course!
"Gunaydin, gunler iyi, iyi aksamlar, iyi geceler", from morning till late at night .... Be all good! For everyone! As of now we are just "iyi arkadaslar"-good friends! It can not be otherwise after you eat mint soup. It can not be the opposite when every day all people are near you , acting very carefully , being very attentive to what you need , after they show you what their country has more beautiful, more traditional, more interesting. It can not be otherwise after that Yavuz and Eda climbed in a hot air balloon for the first time because the group must be complete, a condition without which you can not fly to the sky ... .. to the Turkish sky, in the Turkish balloon , over the Turkish stunning scenery, it's true .... but feeling as a Romanian even at 800 meters altitude! INTENSE!
I am looking at the photos ...staring! I am pointing to..., wondering and surprised, turning and spinning around....afraid not to loose something!
Through European good willing we all became '' Comenius people'', Kapadokyans through Saint Basili good willing ( who was stubborn to bring us at the places were he started to ''build'' ,in my opinion to test us ...but also to show us how to move on and to continue ''bulding'') still through the Archangels Mihail and Gabriel ( who kept us on our first group flight over the Black Sea..to show us that we can be ''lifted up'') , my dear friends, because this is my way of feeling: WE ARE HUGE DESIGNERS!
We have the willing and the grace, the professionalism and the stringht ,the desire and the friendship( The Romanian, Turkish, Polish and the Bulgarian one), therefore nothing can stay in our way!
LET'S CREATE AND LET US BE ...HUMANS! "
Teacher Mary ....
Me ,you and them…Simply the best!
"Cappadocia was the largest province of Asia Minor, located in what is today eastern Turkey. It became more easily accessible to points south, including Jerusalem, after the Romans constructed roads through the Cilician Gates in the Taurus range. Despite the Roman empire's disdain for Christians, these roads actually helped the Gospel to spread.
Unbelievable …but I was in these places…these old places! I have never dreamed that I will visit them!
My first impression about Turkey was not so good…and I am going to tell you something, then you will understand why … J
We were in the airport…Istanbul. We were waiting for our connection to Kapadokia. Nobody from the airport’s stuff knew what happened with our plane. They were sending us from a gate to another. Finally at gate no.101, there was a man who was checking in the people ..I went to him and I said: ‘’ Hello! We are waiting for …. He answered: ‘’ Wait’’…I waited for 30 minutes..no answer. I went again…the same answer…and again…after a while when he saw that I am still there and I was insisting too much he told me : ‘’ Veniti! ( come)…I was very surprised that he told me in my own language J
He brought to another man, because he was not speaking English…so I spent one hour running after a man who could not understand me….
My opinion when I have met the great people in Comenius project as: Eda, Yavuz, Mr. Stop( Duran), Mr. Serdal, the lady who was preparing the coffee every morning at school for us…I think what makes the coffee special was her wonderful smile.
Every day was a challenge…different culture, different customs, different people…but still one TEAM J
For me it was nice experience: I had to teach there…It was very nice to se my students helping the Turkish students and vice-versa . I had a lesson about the clock. We shared things about personal life using the clock…it was more like a friendly conversation than a normal school class…I enjoyed it!
Turkish students impressed us by singing a Romanian song: ‘’ Alunelul’’
Eda presented us their educational system which is similar to ours. They have potential so…in a few years they will be more developed, speaking from the educational point of view.
Bulgarians and Polish people presented their dramas and the educational system in the other days. For our students it was boring , but for us very interesting. We found out more similar things to the Polish system.
Me, Teacher Mary ( Mrs. Dan) and our students presented a short musical inspired from ‘’ The Sound of Music’’. The main idea of this short musical was: the modern teacher should combine the modern and the traditional methods in teaching. It does not matter what subject you teach…YOU , as a teacher, can make your students love your classes!
We tried to make also time for visiting the LOVELY Kapadokya. The nicest place, which impressed me was the Goreme Open-Air Museum. I found that our ortodoxism roots are there!
Let’s move one…to FOOD…most of the foods I likes…but some of them were not my taste…they use to much meant in food…I liked very much their vegetables with meat dish, we used to eat this dish at noon in the Cultural Museum Restaurant.
This experience made me realize that it doesn’t matter where we come from, what colour skin is …we are people of this world…teachers who try to do our best for our great students!
I would like to end this short article with one of my favourite poems:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son! "
So long,
Dan Bejan- Teacher_D
Turkey, the country of people with beautiful soul
"Once upon a story... As all stories begin and start rethinking our story and everything seems detached from the story: places, characters, and especially Eastern tastes, HOGEA
What I knew about Turkey until November 2010? I knew the famous resorts of the Mediterranean, an honorable second place this year won the Eurovision (Romania is ranked the third position), several teams of Romanian football coaches who have made history.
What I discovered this year? I met nice people with heart Anatolian Plateau: those who have left once cultural values which guides all people nowadays, so kindly, so sincere and hospitable: the minibus driver waited for us patiently at the airport, although the plane had a considerable delay, then Mr Rafat, guesthouse- our protector father from Turkey to the families who have hosted the Romanian children, or the blue eyes of Mr. Duran’s daughter.
The director remains in our minds, and Eda with Yavuz, eager to show us something new, something special to offer us, guided us to places where the soul partakes of history. Mr Duran remains, with a smile that flows from the joy of our presence there. This leaves those who have accompanied us every day and we were partners in the project, as parting to call friends: Ayse, Gonça, Ozcan, Mehmet. We remember the hospitality of the office of school at lunch time, specific dishes, syrup of grapes, olives, goat cheese, famous " helva ",a wonderful mixture of meat and egg, serving with your dress and everything in an atmosphere more Oriental
These are the teachers who grow nice and beautiful children with great souls, respectful and curious about our presence there, friendly and eager to learn specifics of the Romanian, happiness to participate in the activities together with the Romanian students. Our thoughts ofter we turn from Cappadocia and asked what could it be so special??? I want to believe in a sun-filled days of comforting, I was imbued with a peace, a peace and harmony, similar to the primordial harmony, the soul is always willing…"
Teacher Mihaela Turtureanu
Flying to Turkey....
"Here we are on the day of our group’s departure to Turkey. Although the beautiful weather, a sweet November with Indian summer, marked the premises of a pleasant emotional state, our program began with a small delay from 5 a.m followed by the planes’ delay, which at least for me( being on my first flight) played an important role on the increasing state of tension, even though I tried not to reveal my feelings. Late in the evening we arrived at our destination (Urgup), with the driver, who despite his past unpleasant experiences with Romanians, was very kind and punctual. We get acquainted with Eda and her husband and we were accommodated in “Teachers House “.
Since the first day Eda took care to fill each moment with sightseeing. GORGEOUS…EXOTIC. In the evenings we, carefully, let the children at the families where they were housed (Ortahisar), and we went back to Urgup.
We had full days, with busy schedules, visits to museums, participation in school activities, invitations to the governor and the mayor. We were received very nice, everybody trying to make our stay as enjoyable as possible; serving us in every moment with the already famous: “tea or coffee”.
The time spent in Turkey gave me the chance to be proud of my students and my colleagues; it offered me the opportunity to meet students and teachers from partner countries, to “meet” other cultures and to realize that “friendship is beyond cultural, religious, geographical and historical differences, and it means communication, opening, acceptance. I can hardly wait ‘May 2011’ when we’ll be hosts…"
Kappadokya-Turkey
"When I think of Kappadokia I find that I haven't told to all my friends and acquaintances about this wonderful and interesting experience yet.
I traveled in a fascinating world bilt on the rocks, among the rocks, under the rocks – historical rocks, with hospitable and humanely people who are happy to share with us their customs and traditions. We have different cultures, but this was an excelent way to communicate, to be friends...
In this moment, I'd like to share
with you, my friends and colleagues a cup of traditional Turkish tea or coffee...:))."
Teacher Adriana Stroiescu
Merhaba!
Cappadocia, a lot of mistery! We would need another week to answer to all the questions with which we arrived home.
Cities with houses of rocks-…
Castels of rocks-..
Valley delightful coloured at the sunset.
Underground city.
Religion as a life style.
Solar cells for the environment .
Enjoyable hosts well impressed by Romania, romanian traditions and thoughts.
Spices , carpet and jewellieries all the way.
Usual people have usual needs and their way of life is more spiritual. Some of them will be remembered as special people for me.
Cooperating teachers, eager to find out everything from us, about Romanian educational system, habits, etc.
Back in time. The Goreme Open Air Museum is the most visited museum of monastic communities from Capadocia and it’s one of the most famous places from the center of Turkey.
It was definitely a gift of God this journey in Capadocia.
Hot air balloons for adventurous tourists.
Unique landforms. The rocks of Cappadocia near Göreme eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and forms. Volcanic deposits are soft so that people from villages in the heart of the Cappadocia region have carved houses, churches and monasteries.
Large cultural differences between Romania and Turkey. How much difference ...... how much resemblance.
A motivational learning system.
Respected leaders as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The most enjoyable moments have been when I felt proud to be Romanian because of the good impression of my students and colleagues.
What have I learned ? I learned some English, a lot of things from them but first and foremost that all the simplicity, serenity and modesty came from the family.
Teacher Mariana Roinita
