Travel in Volunteering

Hello everyone!

In this post I will share with you what I experienced in the 2nd month of my volunteering (in March). Our activities this month consisted mostly of working at a dormitory where we helped those affected by the earthquake and, secondly, of travelling around the country in our spare time.  We travelled to a lot of cities this month. That's why this post will generally be about the cities we have visited. This trip was not only a chance for me to give back to the community but also an opportunity for self-discovery and personal growth.
My first trip was Konya, a city known for its whirling dervishes and its spiritual significance. While there, I visited the Mevlana Museum, which is dedicated to the life and teachings of Rumi, the famous Sufi poet and philosopher. The museum had an incredible collection of artefacts and was a peaceful place to reflect on life's deeper questions.
Next, I travelled to Alanya, a charming coastal town located on the Mediterranean Sea. The town's stunning beaches and crystal-clear water were a welcome respite after a long journey. In my free time, I explored the city and its rich cultural heritage, including the Alanya Castle and the Red Tower, both of which offered breathtaking views of the coastline.

I then headed to Istanbul, a city that straddles two continents and is known for its rich history and cultural significance. The highlight of my trip was visiting the Hagia Sophia, a historic monument that has been a church, a mosque, and a museum throughout its long history. The intricate architecture and stunning mosaics left me in awe.
From Istanbul, I travelled to Cappadocia, a region in central Turkey known for its unique rock formations and hot air balloon rides. I took a hot air balloon ride at sunrise, and the views were simply breathtaking. The natural beauty of the region was awe-inspiring and left me feeling grateful for the opportunity to experience it.
Finally, I visited Eskishehir our last free days, a university town known for its thermal spas and hot springs. I visited the Odunpazarı district, which is known for its beautiful Ottoman-era architecture, and the Porsuk River, which is a popular spot for locals to relax and socialise. I also tried local cuisine, such as the delicious Eskişehir-style meatballs and the sweet dessert known as "çibörek." After a long and rewarding time working in the earthquake dormitory, travelling to Eskishehir  was the perfect way to unwind and relax.

Overall, my experience as an ESC volunteer in Turkey was an incredible journey of self-discovery and personal growth. It allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, learn new skills, and gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and ways of life. I had the opportunity to meet and work with other volunteers from all over the world. It was amazing to see how we all came together, despite our different backgrounds and cultures, to work towards a common goal. We shared our experiences and perspectives, learned from each other, and formed friendships that I know will last a lifetime. I am grateful for this opportunity and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful and rewarding volunteer experience.
Thank you for reading, and I hope this post inspires you to consider volunteering in Turkey or elsewhere in the world!

Nuriyye Ceferova

Second Month of Volunteering: Adventures, Rain and Love

Selam! 

Here we go again after one month! I can’t believe that I’m already writing the second and last blog page. This  was a really full and intense month. The time flies away so fast and I still have to realize well all the things I’m living. So, let’s go deep in this reflection moment. 

In the first days of the month we had a change in our volunteering plan: some of the families victims of the  earthquake were hosted in a dormitory here in Ankara, so we started to help there. Our main activity was to  organize the social market where people came to take clothes and other basic needs. Without knowing the  language, I tried to do my best with the practical work but sometimes it was quite alienating not be able to  communicate with people to be more helpful. However, blessed body language and basic Turkish words that  helped me to try at least. Some days when we finished earlier with our work in the social market we had the  amazing opportunity to join the group of volunteers responsible to entertain the children. This was the brightest  part of our days, the kids covered us with love and joy! We danced, painted, played, they face painted us and  one of my favorite moments was the day we surprised them during the last hour of school bringing sweatshirts  to all of them. They were super happy and grateful for it and was a really good exchange of good energy. I  hope that, even if it was for a short time, we brought a sparkle of joy to them in these days spent together  because for sure they gave us such positive vibes! 

As for the rest of activities we continued to create social contents during the office days and we are enjoying  every day more preparing videos and posts and moreover it’s nice to see our improvements. I’m going to miss  the time spent there working and having fun too. We continued to have Turkish lessons once a week and during  the last one we had the chance to go in one of the Yunus Emre Institutes and it was a really nice experience,  they welcomed us heartily and my desire to continue learning Turkish language grown even more.  

Talking about our free time, this month was the month of the adventures and exploration of Turkey. Every  weekend we visited a new city. The first one was Konya, a really nice city, quieter than Ankara and more  conservative and traditional. We had the chance to feel more the Turkish culture there especially visiting  museums and mosques. Here we also tried the etli ekmek and we spent an amazing and chill sunny afternoon  in a nice park. It was a really good day especially because we didn’t know yet there but that was the last sunny  journey: the following were really adventurous raining trips!  

The first was in Izmir, an amazing lively but chill sea city. We spent a couple of days there and I was amazed  by it. I was missing the sea vibes and one of my favorite place was the Bazar, lively but not so overwhelming  (like the ones in Istanbul), full of amazing food shops and handcrafts. I love the vibe of this kind of places  cause you can feel really well the energy of people and of the city. I can’t not mention two great moments:  trying the Izmir bomb and having my first Turkish breakfast. The Izmir still hot it’s just an explosion of  happiness in your mouth and the Turkish breakfast… my dreamlike idea of breakfast: a mix of salty and sweet  things and such a big variety! It was amazing, especially having it with the sea view. Even with the rain we  enjoyed the journey a lot and we were super grateful and super happy when the sun came out for two hours  giving us a taste of the sunny Izmir! 

Then Istanbul! Such a different environment, it was a bit that I wasn’t in a highly touristic place but despite  the chaos it was nice from time to time to hear familiar languages. However I have to say that my favorite  things in Istanbul were the most hidden ones were you could feel more the normal life. It’s really difficult to  describe Istanbul cause is a really huge and complex city, I think you can find a little bit of everything there  and every place has different vibes. Of the most known places, I really enjoyed was the environment around  Galata bridge: small restaurants and bars on the sea hidden under the bridge, fisherman from day to night and  let’s talk about the feeling of trying the balık ekmek on the bank of the sea watching the night lights of Istanbul:  sublime! And if you want to experience a less touristic and quieter place, it’s a great idea to go in Balat, a really 

colorful neighborhood with its tiny streets and nice coffee places or Kadıköy, in the Asiatic part of the city (it’s  also a great chance to take the ferry, cheap as a normal metro). Another thing about Istanbul: seagulls, it’s not  an Istanbul view if you don’t have seagulls flying around. Super nice! 

And Kapadokya on the road, the most adventurous trip of this two months. Obviously with rain (again) lol.  Despite we couldn’t experience Kapadokya as we were expecting, we adapt to the conditions and we enjoyed  really a lot! The view was amazing even with rainy weather and see the contrast between the grey sky, the  brown rocks and the pink of blossomed trees was such a good and peculiar scenario. Also the ceramics  museums are really worth. Let’s say that the rainy weather is the perfect excuse to return in Turkey and visit  everything again with sunny weather lol. 

The truth is that the best part of this adventures was the companionship and even when things went wrong we  found a way to enjoy and be grateful the same. Not just in the crazy trips we had but in general in this two  months, the bond with the other volunteers was the best. I feel really grateful to have met these beautiful souls  and have built so many memories with them. Grazie belle! Vi voglio bene assai <3 

And now here we are… our last days here in Ankara, enjoying the last activities, eating our favorite foods,  going in our favorite places and exploring new ones, spending time together and with the people we met here.  But new things are still happening. Food delivery (one of the usual activities of the association that was stopped  during the month after the earthquake) started again: we prepared the packages of the food and we brought  them to the refugees here in Ankara. It was really nice to restart this and provide again the service for who is  in need.  

I also explored new places in the city: 50 yıl park, where I enjoyed a gorgeous sunset with the view of the city,  the ethnography museum, where I had the chance to deep a little bit in an old time Turkey and the Ankara  Castle: amazing! The view but especially the tiny streets to arrive in it, full of tiny shops, both old style and  new age vibes. Not a new place, but I have to mention it: Hamamönü with the blossoming trees! The perfect  place to have a walk right now, especially in these last days when the Ramadan started and some minutes  before the iftar the streets take life: people and music everywhere.  

I don’t know how to finish this blog page, I still have to realize that this experience is almost finished but I’ll  have time to reflect about this. Now it’s time to enjoy the last amazing moments, enjoy the last walks in the  city (especially in the night this city is just magic), get our body renew in the hammam (one of my fav things  btw), eat the last ciğ köfte, baklava and Turkish breakfast (and not only, the list is long lol), drink the last çays 

and continue to share love here and wherever we go.  

Teşekkurler Türkiye! Alla prossima! :)

Vittoria Zotti

The Month of March + Goodbye

Heyy everybody!

Continuing my blog post from February, I wanted to tell you about how the second half of our project and our life in Ankara went. This month was a wild one, full with great work, travels, experiences and amazing days.

At the beginning of March, we started to work at one of the dorms in Ankara where now victims of the earthquake live. We packed and organized a hall full with clothes and necessary things for everyday life, like shower-gel, toilet paper, books and toys for children etc. In the afternoon we had the chance to participate in organizing activities for the children living there together with the amazing Damla Organization who were there to provide psychological support for the children. We played, danced and draw together with the children and I can honestly say that these afternoons are one of my favorite memories from the work we had. Working with children always feels special, they give so much love for every one of us and appreciate our work in a way that is indescribable. Seeing the joy on their face when they see us and when we are playing with them is a special feeling. The ways they communicate with us, even though we are not speaking Turkish and they are not speaking English is mind-blowing. It was amazing to see that sometimes speaking is not important at all because there are other ways to communicate. I am really thankful that I had the chance to experience this kind of work because it gave so much perspective and truly amazing memories. Other than going to the dorm, we did our social media tasks just like in the first month but it was great to see how much we improved in every field since the first day. At the end of the months the food delivery activities started again and it was such a good feeling to do it two more times.

As of our free time, it was a hectic month. On the 27th of February we started our travels. The first destination was Konya where we spent an amazing day, ate Etli Ekmek, visited mosques and just walked to explore the atmosphere of the city. It was a great start of our travels. The next weekend we decided to visit Izmir for 2 days. On Friday at midnight our bus left Ankara and around 8 A.M. we were at the bus station in Izmir. Going with a night bus was an interesting experience, because they served us tea and snacks on the way, which is something that I am not used to. The 2 days that we spent there were amazing, we walked around, visited the bazaar, went to the coast, eat Turkish breakfast and obviously tried Izmir bomb. The weather wasn’t in our favor unfortunately as it was cloudy and most of the time it was raining. However, the sun came out for a couple of hours on our last day and let me tell you, Izmir with the sun is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited. Fast forward to the next weekend, we went to Istanbul. We decided to spend 3 days there and it was fully worth it.  We explored the city, visited Ayasofia, went to Pierre Loti, walked in several neighborhoods (from which the part of Galata Tower was my favorite one) and enjoyed the atmosphere. We tried Balik Ekmek while sitting on the bank of the sea, talking and admiring the night view of the city and ate Turkish breakfast in a vintage style restaurant. On the third weekend of the month, we went to Cappadocia. Originally we planned to spend there more days, however on that weekend it was raining the whole time so we decided to spend there just one day. Despite the pouring rain, Cappadocia was beautiful and extraordinary. The nature is amazing, the museums we visited were really nice and all the small towns had their special atmosphere. I definitely plan to go back in the future on a sunny day. 

After Cappadocia, our last full week started. We were really busy because we had way a lot of plans. We wanted to try everything that we planned before to go home and visit all the places we wanted to in Ankara. We went to the castle which was luckily open and we could see the whole city from there. It was an amazing afternoon with the sun out and the warmness of the spring. On our last Monday in Türkiye we decided to go to Eskisehir. Visiting that city was a huge surprise and was nothing like I expected. The whole city had a chill but really good atmosphere and some of the streets and parts of the city were reminding me to the streets European cities. We walked a lot in the city, went to the old town area and tried Çiğ Börek and Balaban Kebap. We also walked to Sazova Park and walked in two famous streets of the city, Doktorlar and Adalar Street. It was the perfect ending of our travels throughout this 2 months with a beautiful sunny weather, lots of good news and laughter. All of these memories have a really special place in my heart.
Somehow 2 months have already passed and our project is coming to an end. I still can’t comprehend that in couple of days I’m going home and leaving this project, this city and these people who mean so much to me. It feels unreal when I look back to our first days here, how different I felt, how little I knew the people who I now consider close friends of mine. During this project I grew a lot, I discovered new interests and values of mine, learnt to enjoy the special moments even in hard situations and manage my time in a way that I could both experience the project and all the adventures that came with it and work toward my long-term goals. Looking back at the last 2 months, I know I made the right decision when I applied here. I met with the most amazing people, explored a beautiful country, did work that matters and of what I am really proud. I am forever thankful for all the people I got to know here and who contributed to my experience in any way. And above all, I am grateful for the amazing volunteer team who made these last 2 months unforgettable. 

Panni Mayer

Volunteering with Children

Merhaba guys!

In this blog page I want to share with you my experience volunteering with children.

First of all, it is a rewarding experience that can be life-changing for you and for the children you work with. Personally, I have a special love for children and dealing with them. 

Even if you are not a professional social worker, you can give  children the love and attention they need. Most of these children have  suffered severe hardships in their lives whether they are refugee  children or children of earthquake victims, so simply taking time to  play with them or listen to their stories will make a real difference in  these children’s lives.

Especially, I felt joy when meeting children from Syria and Iraq , And when you  talk to Syrian and Iraqi children, you find that they have distinctive  characteristics of them, you find their attachment to the homeland, you find in  them maturity that you do not find in adults, and real values that you do not find  in others. 

You’ll have the opportunity to provide love, care and attention to children who  may not receive it elsewhere. You can help them gain the skills they need to lead  happy and successful lives. 

Volunteering with kids can also be a lot of fun, as you get to participate in  activities that are geared towards children and to tap into their natural energy  and enthusiasm. 

Kids come with lots of energy they enjoy physical activities like running  around; playing chase there’s no question that kids can be very creative  and imaginative in their play.

Children will be your most excellent teachers in learning about their culture and  customs. They will show you how things work, what they like doing, how they  play and what makes them happy or sad.

Takoi Gharsellaoui