Age: 20

Comment about your Project?

 

My project can be described as 8 months full of joy, feelings, friendship, activities, adventures, tears, experience AND baklavaJ

I worked together with and for children in various associations like nurseries or centres for young people with disadvantaged backgrounds or difficulties in their daily life. I mainly gave English lessons and organized leisure activities such as excursions and games. The longer I stayed the deeper I got into the Turkish culture and the closer I got to the people and the kids. In the end I felt like we had created a second home – me and the children – for us and I still can’t say I survived my departure – if you are afraid of losing your heart and mind: DONT GO TO THIS PROJECT!!!!

 

 

One of the best things about the association was that we had the possibility to meet lots of new people from different countries. Now I have friends all over the world. We lived, ate and travelled together – 3 main pillars of my life after EVS – and the exchange of cultures, experience and habits made my time more enjoyable.

Although we were offered a large variety of courses and trainings the best training for me personally was to train myself. The fact that I was given the possibility to learn about people and myself was something I am very thankful for.

Comment about Gaziantep?

 

Gaziantep is a city captured between modern Turkey and the old traditions. It has its “Old Bazar” with typical Turkish handcrafts and at the same time there is “Sanko Park” – the modern shopping mall with brand shops and fancy cafes. What I like about the city are its people. They are very friendly and hospital. They like having guests and eating good dishes. Especially during holidays like Ramazan it is an interesting experience to spend the time in some family or with Turkish friends. After 8 months I sometimes found myself not being able to finish a meal without the typical “cay” or being about half an hour late for a meeting...things I could have never imagined the first days I arrived in the city of pistachio.