How amazing is Izmir…
Hi, my name is Helen, I am 20 years old, and I come from Germany. I arrived in Izmir six weeks ago and I will be volunteering for Pi Youth Association for a year as a part of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) program. I am happy to share my first really great experiences in Izmir with you on this blog!
Getting to know Izmir
I will probably never forget my first few days in Izmir. Not only did I get to know my amazing fellow volunteers, I also got to discover the exciting and colourful city of Izmir.
The day after our arrival, Pi Youth Association had arranged a city tour for us. Thanks to three Turkish mentors, we got to see Izmir’s sights and got an impression of the Turkish tea and coffee culture – fortune telling included! The highlight of this intense day however was the concert of the famous Turkish singer Hande Yener in Kültürpark, who we now listen to quite often.en a
During the following days we started to get used to the vibrant city and the public transport – we figured out that you cannot rely on the schedule of buses or the Izban. The ferry to Karşıyaka, however, is nearly always on time and has definitely become my favourite way of transportation in the city! In general, living close to the seaside is really great, especially the sunset and the evenings on the promenade with the other volunteers and Turkish mentors.
Working with Pi Youth Association
During the first few weeks Pi Youth Association had organised a great On-Arrival training for the ESC volunteers and helped us figuring out everything concerning money and administrative documents. To prepare for our workshops, Begüm took us to multiple workshop places all around the city, which were very interesting to visit since every place had its unique touch and we could get an impression of how we can organise our workshops and who we will be working with.
One of these places was Izmir Kız Lisesi in Konak, a High school founded by Atatürk himself, which was originally meant to be for girls only but is a mixed school today. This is where I had my first German Conversation Clubs together with Franca and Arzu. Our goal is to find a way to strengthen the students’ speaking skills with non-formal learning methods, which is not even that easy when you have to deal with certain topics like “talking about graphics”, but we tried our best and I am sure that, with time, it will get easier and easier. At least, most of the students are really motivated and ready to participate in the activities, so in the end it is lovely to see their progress and appreciation of our effort.
The most amazing people
What made my arrival in Türkiye very easy were the incredibly kind and open-hearted people I met here. I was told before coming to Izmir that Turkish people are known to be very hospitable and helpful and – what can I say – I was definitely proven right in my first few weeks here! There are not only the people from the Pi Youth Association office, who are ready to figure out any problem with us, but also amazing mentors who showed us around the city, spent the evenings on the promenade with us and always have very useful suggestions about the best places to visit in the city or Türkiye in general. Also, it didn’t even take four weeks until we were invited to a Henna night – which was an amazing experience for all of us! I love how proud Turkish people are of their culture and I am really grateful that they are ready to share their traditions and customs with us. Being able to explore the city with the help of locals is also way more exciting since we get to see so much more than just the touristic city centre and, of course, it’s always useful to have a native speaker with you if you don’t want to be scammed.
Apart from the mentors, we have met incredibly welcoming young Turkish people in the city who are motivated to spend time with us, so we already managed to get some Turkish lessons.J And, of course, I have to mention my fellow volunteers as well, who are already like a big family for me. I think it’s wonderful how good we get along even though we all have different characters and we are from different countries and backgrounds. I guess, in the end, it is the similar mindset and our goal to make intercultural connections that unite us. All in all, I am very happy to have so many good-hearted and open-minded people around me, who make me feel at home in Izmir already.
