My First Month in Ankara

I started my journey on the 1st of February. I went to the airport early in the morning with full of questions about what’s to come. Deep down I could feel that it was a good decision, but leaving home was hard and I had some worries about the next 2 months. But let me tell you, coming here was the best decision I could’ve made.

When I decided to apply, it was so random, I couldn’t explain my reasons why. The date of the project was in a time period when I had nothing to do and I had a feeling that it would be a great experience. So I applied. And I was accepted. Approaching the starting date of the project, my doubts started to raise as it was the first time for me to be away from my home for such a long period. I was preparing to go into the unknown, to live with people I’ve never met, to do work I’ve never done. Naturally, some anxiety comes with that. But honestly, after arriving, all my worries went away. I could feel that I am in the right place.

In the first 2 days of the months almost everybody arrived and we familiarized ourselves with the city, bought SIM cards, met with coordinator, had our introduction training and just spent time together. On our first day, we already had really good conversations and after one week I felt like I’ve known these girls for a long time, not just 7 days. In the meantime, the last person from the team, my roommate arrived and with that the team was complete. 

While living our first week in Ankara, in the southern part of the country the earthquake destroyed the lives of many people. With that our usual activities changed a bit. We spent most of our days in the Youth Center helping with the donations and spending time with the children who were there to help as well. It was mind-blowing to see how many people helped and how many children joined.  Other times we were in the office, working on our social media tasks. We made Youtube videos, prepared posts for Instagram and had a great time doing it. In our free time, we spent lots of time together as well. We ate Turkish dishes – Mantı, Tavuk Şiş, Simit and Chocolate Baklava are must-try foods in my opinion. We also tried the traditional Turkish breakfast and drank Turkish coffee. We explored the city and I have to mention Anıtkabir and Millet Kütüphanesi because they’re one of my favorite things. We experienced snowy Ankara then in the second half of the months, we experienced the sunny Ankara (personally, I prefer the second one). We also started to learn Turkish, which was an interesting experience for me because the structure of the grammar is similar to Hungarian. It is not an easy language but it’s worth to learn at least the basics because Turkish people barely speak English. 

It is weird how easily I adapted to my life here. Obviously I needed some days to get used to this place and this culture, but it came so easily and naturally that at one point I just felt comfortable and at home. It is not the most touristic place you will ever find, but the atmosphere is something you have to experience. Taking a walk and seeing the beautiful mosques is magical – especially at night. Going out to buy baklava in the evening and being on the lively streets of Kizilay makes me feel truly happy that I can be here. Meeting with the amazing Turkish people and making memories with them always feels special.  Coming home and wrapping ourselves in the comfort battaniye (=blanket; that we bought in the first days because it was so cold) before doing our work or continuing the Turkish series we started to learn some Turkish, is already a routine. And I could go on with this for so long.

After 1 months of being in Ankara, I can confidently say that I love being here. I love the atmosphere of the city, I love the work that we’re doing, I love the people we’re meeting but above all I love my friends here. I am convinced that this adventure wouldn’t be this good, if it wasn’t for them. I look forward to every new experience with them because I know they’re going to be amazing and memories for a lifetime. 

Panni Mayer