ITALYALIYIM, ANKARA' DA!

Merhaba!

Benim adım Vıttoria. Italyalıyım. This was my only turkish knowledge in my first days here in Ankara, other than baklava and kebap. At first it was quite overwhelming being in such a different environment, however, despite the communication struggles, I enjoyed this place since the first days, especially thanks to the other volunteers here that made me feel at home. This adventure started in February and soon we had an unexpected

situation: the earthquake that hitted the south of the country. Luckily, Ankara was not directly hitted by the disaster but obviously the repercussions were felt in all the country. Our scheduled activities also changed: we had the chance to help an amazing group of volunteers in a youth centre with the collection of items to send to the earthquake places. They welcomed us heartily, showing their amazing initiatives and involving us in their work. That place is full of good energy and people of all ages, from kids to elders, always ready to help and share. After the practical work in the first days of emergency, we have done other types of activities: English lessons for the kids volunteering there, we took part in Turkish lessons together with kids and youngsters from different countries, had drawing session with them and in the free time we had the chance to talk, learn about new cultures, exchange knowledge.

On other days we stay in the office of the association, learning more about volunteering, project management and creating contents for social medias: graphics for Instagram posts, shooting and editing videos to share on YouTube. I’m really glad to have this occasion to step out of my procrastination and improve creativity and technological skills, fundamental for sharing with more people our experience and ideas. Once a week we have also a Turkish lesson and it’s so good to have the chance to use soon what we learn in class in our everyday life.
However, the experiences and new learnings are not restricted just to the activities. Living in a completely new environment makes every day an adventure. We’re exploring the city in all its nuances. We visited some symbolic places such as Anıtkabir, Hamamönü, some mosques but the most interesting thing for me is to enjoy simple places of everyday life: coffee places, cozy restaurants, parks, libraries (noteworthy is the Presidential Library, a huge library open 24/7 full of students studying or just chilling in relax rooms), bars, groceries shops…The opportunity to enter in contact with the real everyday life of the city and create our routine here is priceless. Sometimes I love to have some random walks and just enjoy the flow of the city. Especially when I’m walking by night, every time I’m amazed by the view of Kocatepe Camii with its lights, one of the spots I’m most fond of.

Even staying at home is never boring. Living with other volunteers, even the simplest things are memorable: chilling in our cozy living room talking and drinking çay, eat together, watch tv series, learn about other’s cultures...  And special nomination goes to Turkish food that surprised me with its variety and it’s just delicious, especially when shared with amazing people.
So, what else to say, it’s impossible to fully describe this experience in a blog page, this is just a taste of it. I’m getting used to live here and after one month I can already feel that I’m going to miss all this. But a new month is coming, full of new adventures. So, hadi gidelim!

Hugs! Güle güle! :)

Vittoria Zotti