Turkey - evaluation letters

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Evaluation written by students from Turkey

From Ecem Kılınç, Turkey

This Project is about meeting different cultures, people and speaking English. When I

heard this project, I wanted to join immediately and I joined this project because I

wanted to improve my English by travelling to other countries.

My expectations were learning about new cultures and meet to new people. My

expectations came true.

When I went to Denmark, I saw traffic was quiet and the town was clean. I really liked

my Danish home. All Danish people were very kind and peaceful. I realized that Turkish

people eat so much but Danish people eat a little, especially at breakfast.They eat butter

and chocolate.

When they arrived to Turkey, my guest- Susan told me Denmark is very different from

Turkey. She said the weather here is very nice, almost like a sauna. But she didn’t like

the traffic in Turkey. She loved Turkish food especially kebap, lahmacun and breakfast.

She always said Turkish people are very kind and talkative. Susan and I went to

everywhere and we enjoyed ourselves.

We had no problems during the visit. We got along very well.

My best experiences were talking to foreigners and going abroad.

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Egemen Giray, Turkey, wrote:

The project is about making friends from other countries, religions and cultures.

I joined the project because I always wanted to go to other countries and make friends from

other cultures to develop my English.

My expectations were meeting very friendly people and being friends with them for a long

time.

I was so happy when I met my Danish guest.

Only challange I had was hosting my guest, because I wanted to be the best host and make

him feel as comfortable as I can.

From this project, I learned that race, culture and religion do not matter. We all can be

friends and can be in peace if we want to.

My best experience was drawing with my foreign friends and winning the exhibition.

I learned that I can speak English fluently and make friends easily.

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From SEDA KAÇAR, TURKEY

I was a host in Turkey. In this project. I want to meet other cultures, friends and

countries. I think this project is very valuable for me and my friends. The project is

about different cultures and different people. I think that people from different

countries can be friends with each other.

My expectations are; I want to know different people, cultures, rules, customs and

traditions.I want to speak English,too.

My first impression was that there were a lot of people from different countries and

they could understand each other. They loved each other so much.

We had some difficulty but we could overcome. And we enjoyed.

I went Poland and learned that Poland was a cold country. And it was a very clean

country,too. In Poland, it was banned to throw rubbish. It was important to obey the

rules.

My best experience was that I met different people, I went to places that I may not be

able to go in my life. I also met different languages.

I have learned about myself that I can develop my English. I love my Danish,

Romanian and Polish friends so much. I miss them so much. And I hope we will meet

one day.

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Hi! I am Sedef Topali from Turkey. I was my Romanian friend's host.

I joined this project, because I wanted to get unforgettable memories and experiences

with different people from different countries. I didn't know they were so kind, funny

and sincere before they came. I love them so much!

I lived all my expectations. They didn't disappoint me. On the contrary, I enjoyed more

than I expected.

My only challenge was of course sharing my home with someone I didn’t know. I did

all I could to comfort her. It was a little hard, because I didn't know what she liked or

disliked. However, when we started to know each other, everything got better and

easier.

My best experience was exhibiting the drawings, which we did together. That was

our success. It made me proud because people liked our work so much. Speaking English

all week was great. My other best experience was of course dancing with all students

and all friends at school with our national song and dance. It was so funny!

I met amazing people. I learned different cultures. I practiced my English; - sometimes

I even forgot my mother tongue :)

I realized only our language is different, not us. I gained self-confidence. In the

future, I will remember all of our lovely memories and I will smile. Thanks to everyone

for this luck!

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From: SEREN AKÇAY, Turkey

This project is very amazing. It caught my interest because I am a foreign

language student and I want to improve my English.

Thanks to this project, I improved my English and I met new people. It is very

different but also funny for me. I was lucky because I was chosen by my teacher for

visiting Denmark. I had an opportunity to learn something about Danish culture and

people. When I was in Denmark, my host was very friendly.

My first impression was ‘’All the people live in the same world but in the

different life style.’’ Because their people and culture are very different from us.

In addition to this, I had difficult times there but it was normal. Different home,

different people… I felt nervous. Their food, schools, roads and education system

were different from my country.

My best experience was riding a horse. It was both enjoyable and scaring. And

we went ice skating with my friends. I fell many times but it was very funny.

When our friends came to Turkey, my host from Denmark- Line didn’t come. I

was so sad. I had many plans to do with her… Luckily, I spent good time with other

friends. I think they liked our food more than everything. On our last day, all of us

cried so much. I know we will keep talking to each other and we will never forget

these good memories and friendships.

Now, I have a lot of memories with my new friends. All the time, I spent in the

project was more than I expected and it was my best experience. I love all my

friends…

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Cansu ARSLAN from TURKEY wrote:

This Project attracted me because I’d like to go abroad, learn about other cultures and

improve my English.

This Project is an excellent experience for me. During the meeting, I spent a great time

with my guest. We had fun together and we had an opportunity to improve our English.

The problems we had: Sometimes we couldn’t go outside because we were too tired.

All week, we tried to serve our delicious traditional cuisine. My Romanian guest found

our meals too spicy and hot. I learned about their traditional clothes.

I love my guest, Ioana so much. She is so friendly and kind. I’ll miss her so much. I’ll keep

in touch with her. My mother and father liked her so much.

I’m so satisfied with this Project. Everything was perfect.

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Hello, I am Tuğba Şenkal from Turkey.

I have two reasons to attend The 4C's Project. The first one is my love towards

English. And the other one is having a chance to meet new people. Because when I

meet somebody from another country, I gain a lot of things such as cultural

knowledge, memories and good friendships.

Before starting to this project, I was expecting to improve my English skills, make

new friends and travel other countries, so I did. It was perfect.

When I went to Denmark, my first impression was that their language was too difficult

to speak. When we were at school, a little child (Mads) was always saying to me

'Rød grød med fløde'. I thought it was amazing. Our intonations are so different.

Their meals were so delicious. I stayed with Emilie and her mother Hanne was

preparing tasty meals for us.

In Turkey meeting; Katrine stayed with me and we had really good times together. I

think that we didn’t have any problems. She was really a good guest.

My best experience is “we had very good times, really, I will remember these

wonderful times all my life with a big smile on my face”.

I learnt that where you come from, which language you speak or which religion you

believe do not matter. The important thing is sharing the same feelings.

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From Beyza DOĞAN, TURKEY

This project is about meeting different people, places, friend and cultures. I’m interested

in this project because I can see new places, learn different cultures and make new

friends. I’m so glad as I’m a member of The 4C’S.

My expectations are improving my English, learning new cultures, showing Turkish

culture, getting to know new people and seeing new places.

When I went to Poland, I noticed their life style is quite different from our life style. To

me, Polish people eat less than Turkish people. The streets are cleaner. All vehicles were

letting the pedestrians walk first.

The only problem I had in Poland was that I missed my family. I didn’t have any other

problems because my host family was perfect and I hope my guest told them.

I learned a lot about Polish culture. For example, on Sundays, they wear their best

clothes and go to the church.

My best experience in this project is, of course, first going abroad and then riding a

horse.

I also learned about myself. I love travelling, seeing new places, getting to know new

people and new cultures.

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FROM BEYZA SARSU, TURKEY

I joined this Project because I wanted to improve my English, know different people

and their cultures and of course travel to other countries. We spent an amazing time

together with my friends, learned about their history and culture and taught them ours

so we could see the similarities and differences among us.

When I went to Denmark, I saw only a few people on the road and the city was very

quiet. It was so peaceful compared to Turkey, as there is a lot of noise and crowd

here. Most of the Danish students, even if they are teenagers, work after school; it

was so different to me. Their breakfast was different as well, Turkish people eat much

more things at breakfast but the Danish people prefer eating bread, butter and

chocolate.

When I was in Denmark, I missed my family and my country but I didn’t have any

problems. My host family were so polite.

I learned about their traditions, too. They eat duck on Christmas and they go to

church for “confirmation” when they are 13-14 years old.

My best experience was going abroad without my parents. When we were at the

school party in Denmark, we taught our traditional dance and they tried it. My host

family wanted “Kısır” from me and I made it. They liked it. They also tried Turkish

food for the first time.

What I learned about myself: I love travelling, learning other nations and their culture,

talking with people from other nations and learn languages.

It was very amazing. It was my first experience and I want to travel again. This

project was beneficial, I got very good friends and I’m still in contact with them.

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From İrem AĞDAŞ, Turkey

MEETING IN TURKEY

To be honest, I dont know why, but it is so hard to write… I really cant find the right

words cause it was more than amazing. No one can deny, that it was the best experience

in our high-school life, maybe whole life? I dont know.

In my words, it is all about meetings of different cultures and knowing really, really

lovely people. But of course my first expectation from these meetings was seeing my

lovely host and guest Amalie. It was a bit hard for me to translate all the things to Amalie

from Turkish to English and I was so scared because of this but, - thanks to this, I’ve

improved my English and I believe in myself that I’ve made my best.

I dont know much about Poland and Romania cause I’ve been just in Denmark. And I

realized that we know much more things about countries and cultures that we see if we

go there, and I have seen so much thing thanks to this project.

But even if I didn’t see their country, I think all the people coming from Romania (I wish

that Poland was here with us…) showed us their culture very well. Also, I saw something

about Poland, when I was in Denmark from my sweet Polish friends whom I met there. It

is about showing and teaching something about our countries and cultures.

Oh but I think that the most important point of this project is, even if we have different

cultures, different languages, we can be best friends, even sisters and brothers like me

and Amalie or Egemen and Andreas.

This project is about being kind, showing respect and missing each other. But of course

hoping to see every single person in project again at least one more time…

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From Kağan Dağ, Turkey

THE 4’S

I’ve joined this Project because i love English and in this project I can speak English.

To be honest, I and my family were waiting for a sulky boy. But our guest was so

friendly and cheerful that’s why we had a very funny week.

My first impression was that the participants were very funny.

I didn’t have any challenges or problems. But if I have to write something. I can say

this: Sometimes I couldn’t say something, because I didn’t know some English words.

I’ve learnt a lot about Romanian culture in this meeting. In my opinion, Romanian

culture is similiar to American culture. My guest friend and his family enter the house

with their shoes. Everyone puts his/her plate to counter. And everyone must clean

his/her plate. After washing his/her plate, they dry dishes with a towel. They love

coffee so much. My friend has told me that: ’When I wake up, I drink coffee every

morning.’

Our cultures have many things in common. They watch Turkish series in Romania.

Also they are interested in Turkish culture. Our meals are almost the same with

Romanian meals. Almost every dinner he said to us:’Oh, we’ve this in Romania, too’.

I think our cities are similar too.When we went to city centre, he told:’Oh, I feel like in

Romania.’ At a shoe store, he heard a Romanian song. It made him so happy. They

have dances like Turkish dances.

I lived with a European boy. It was my mom’s childhood dream and my best

experience.

Finally, I can say that I have to learn some more English words…

See you in a another Project

With my all love.

Kağan Dağ

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Ozan Zeren - TR, wrote:

The project is about meeting new people from other cultures and countries.

I joined this project because I wanted to see other countries and develop

my English skills.

My expectations were developing my English skills.

I was so happy to meet my Romanian guest.

For me the challenge was having a foreign friend in my house for the first

time.

I learned that every country and religion has its own culture and it’s very

joyful to learn about their culture.

My best experience was the exhibition with my foreign friends.

I learned that I can easily make new friends.

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From Habip KISAAYAK, TURKEY

ESSAY ABOUT THE PROJECT: “The 4C´s”

This project is about meeting other cultures, speaking English and sharing something about our traditions. I’m a Turkish host. I have been in Denmark for 8 days. We are having new experiences all the time. We are teaching each other different languages and introducing our countries, cities and schools.

When our guests came to Turkey, I wanted to do my best and entertain my guest. Because our hosts also entertained us when we were guests in their country.

I had a Romanian guest. I got on well with him. Sometimes we discussed about our painting task but it is not a problem because when we finished our teamwork. All of us liked the work, which we did. Polish guests didn’t come so we were sorry but we talked to them and we decided together. We are so lucky to have this chance.

I want to thank firstly to Mrs. Filiz Egemen, then all people who are a part of this project.

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Ceren, Turkey, wrote

I joined the Project because I wanted to improve my English. I wanted to know about

different cultures, countries and people. I wanted to travel. I hoped to spend amazing times

and learn about their history and culture, teach them our history and culture. In order to

see differences and similarities.

When they came we wanted to spend great time with them. We hoped that they pleased

from us and comforted at our house.They challenged to adaptation our culture and life

style.

When I went to Poland I saw their life style is different from our life style.

Their homes,streets are different.Their foods are different from our foods.

When I was in Poland Polish people didn’t eat dinner so much but Turkish people eat.

When I was in Poland i just missed my family. I hadn’t any problem because Polish

people and my host’s family were so kind.

Polish people care about rules so much. Poland is very clean country.

My best experince was that going to abroad without my parents.

I learned about myself: I love to travel,learning about different cultures and visiting

different countries. I want to go again…

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Gizem Ağbaş from Turkey wrote:

This project is about learning about different cultures, their lives and beliefs and also

showing our cultures, lives and beliefs. They are different from us with their languges

and beliefs. We tried to live peacefully.

Their cultures are different from ours. They go to church to pray and they marry

there.

My expectations were making good frieds and living like we are a family.

I was surprised when I saw all of them are blonde and they have blue eyes. They are

also tall. Their physical appearance is quite different from ours.

My best experience was making presentation in English in Denmark.

At first, some of them thought that all women and girls wear a scarf in Turkey, as we

are Muslims, but they saw the reality. They are all very nice and kind people. In

Denmark, my family took care of me as if I am their daughter. I’ve lived my best

week, there. We went ice skating and that was the first time for me. I had a guest

from Denmark and lived with her like she is my sister. I taught her some Turkish

words.

I didn’t have any problems with her. I wish she was happy here.

I learned that we can live peacefully with other countries. I love and miss all of them.

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Tuna Çolak, Turkey wrote:

In my opinion; this Project is about the other countries’ meeting. We learned, had

fun,made some friends.

My first expectation was improving my English and I did this. I learned the other

cultures. When I was a host, I organized trips to a lot of places with my guest and It

was perfect.

We have a lot in common with my guest. She is so polite. Our best activity was

swimming in the sea together. We introduced her our traditional foods. And I liked

their chocolate.

My problems were she told our foods are too spicy for her. Sometimes she was

bored and missed her family.

I wanted spend more time with her. My family loved her very much. All of us will miss

my guest, Andrea so.

It was a perfect week. I’m so thankful for everything.

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Evaluation written by students from Denmark

Stine Strandvig Frederiksen from Denmark wrote:

The visit in Turkey

I’m participating I a project called The 4C’s, and I’m very happy for that.

The following four countries is participating in the project: Poland, Turkey,

Romania and Denmark. I think the project is very interesting because you

meet a lot of new people and starting many good friendships.

My expectations were high, because I knew some of the people from the visit

in Denmark. It’s very exciting to see how people from other religions and

nationalities is living in their “everyday life” and it isn’t often that you can

come so close to the local people. My first impression was when I arrived to

Turkey and everybody was very happy and welcoming. Even if I didn’t

know the people, they wanted to talk to me and say hey. Very fast, I got a

lot of new friendships.

The challenge was the food, because it was only white bread, and not quite

“raw” food like in Denmark. But it was good when you have eaten it a couple

of times. My host family thought me how to drink Turkeys Coffee and Tea. I

liked that and I drank it the rest of the trip.

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Andreas from Denmark wrote In 2014 the first meeting in Denmark was. A group from Denmark came with a girl from Turkey and a girl from Poland. I am so happy about that, because I am still friends with these girls. When I came to Turkey my first impression was that all the people was so friendly and lovely. I met my host and his family, they too were so sweet but it was hard to speak with the family because they only spoke very little English. The family I lived by is quite international because the mother is from Russia and the father from Turkey. So their culture was not only Turkish, but the food was very tasty and I liked it so much. The best day I had was with my host and his family. Where we drove to another city there I met my host´s big sister and after that the whole family went over to see “Heaven and Hell”. There I tried to ride on a camel, - it was so lovely. But the best thing I can say about the mobility meeting is that have improved my English. I trust myself better now and I know I can communicate with people from another country.

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Evaluation written by students from Denmark Amalie Stokbæk wrote,

My visit in Turkey

The Erasmus+ project is a school project where students from 4 countries; Denmark, Romania, Poland and Turkey, meet each other in the different countries, where they have to do some work. In Turkey we made “New art”. We were in groups of 4, then we had to choose a song. In my group we choose the song ‘Secrets’ from Pretty Little Liars. Then we painted a girl who are whispering secrets to another girl.

My host family

I had looked so much forward to see my host, Irem, again. She lived at my house when she was in Denmark. She is like my sister. I really love her. I had also looked forward to see her family because she had told so much about them in Denmark. My first impression was that it hopefully would be an amazing week.

Challenges

The toilets on the ground was a big challenge, because in Denmark we just have “normal” toilets: It was a bit difficult to stand up and pee :) It was also a big challenge that the food was so much different than the food in Denmark… Some of the Turkish food was very spicy…

I had decided to taste everything, but it was not sure that I liked all the food :) I have learned now that the Turkish people are so friendly and lovely. They are always smiling, and that makes someone like me happy. I have had so many good experiences, but my best experience was to meet Irems family, they are all very sweet. I love them so much. It was like I have always known them. They were like my family. It was also a good experience to meet her friends, they were really funny and nice. It is cool to see have much difference there is between Denmark and Turkey. In Turkey there are no special rules when you’re driving in a car… But in Denmark you have to pay money if you don’t drive as the rules demands. I have learned that I am a girl who will travel the world around and that strong foot isn't something for me… haha.

This trip had been amazing, it is one of the best experience of my life. One day I will go back to Turkey… It’s so wonderful that i have meet Irem, she is the best sister I could wish… Her mom and dad is like my parents too. I want to say thank too Ulla and Marita for giving us this experience.

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Lærke from Denmark wrote,

My trip to Turkey

Erasmus+ is a project between Poland, Rumania, Turkey and Denmark, were

we travel to the four countries and do different projects. I went to Turkey in

the fall 2015, the project was about how to express yourself through art. I chose

to go to Turkey because I have been in Turkey many times as a tourist, there

for I wanted to see how it is to live at the locals instead of living in Alanya.

My expectations were to get new friends and meet old friends, and to get a

tan ;) It was nice to meet the old friends and the new ones, because everyone is

so nice in Turkey. My host family are really nice, they welcomed me with

open arms, I´ve meet her aunts, uncles and cousins, AND EVERYONE IS

SO NICE! Even though they pee in a hole in the ground. I first tried it the last

day at the school, and I loved it. It was something I always wanted to try but

never did, I just take the “normal” toilet. It was a challenge at first but I did

it! The second challenge was defiantly the language, it was only my host

who could speak English, and so it was a little challenge to talk to her parents

and siblings. The culture is more open than I thought, when you say it is a

Muslim country, I think instantly that every woman and girl wear scarf,

but they don´t. My host mother didn´t wear scarf, she is a really nice

woman, and a good cook. That is also something I´ve learned, the food is very

spicy but it taste sooooo delicious! The best experience is the food, if my

mother could cook like my host mother, I would be so fat that I couldn´t walk

to school, I would have to roll. I´ve learned that with open arms you come

longer than with closet arms, and you have to be ready for some difference

between the two countries! I wouldn´t be without this amazing trip!

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Susan from Denmark wrote, In 2015 I got the opportunity to participate in a project with Turkey, Romania and Poland, and I am so happy I said yes. It has been one of the biggest and most different experiences in my life. Because you are a part of their everyday-life. You get a much bigger insight of their culture and behavior. My expectations for the visit in Turkey were not that big, because I knew nothing about the country before I went here. I only expected the weather to be warm. A thing I remember clearly is my first impression; I realized that the Turkish people are so nice and treat strangers like they are family in a way. I must admit I have had a lot of challenges during my stay, - but most positive challenges. I liked that I had to eat Turkish food and learn about their traditions. A less positive challenge was the use of the toilet and driving in the busy and noisy traffic, but after some days I got used to it. My best experience there was definitely that I could live with a Turkish family, in that way I experienced a lot of interesting things about Turkish everyday-life until the last detail. I have learned a lot about myself these days, from people, form the culture, from their behavior and from their look.

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Written by Katrine Lund

The 4`s

Denmark, Poland, Romania and Turkey we are The 4`s

This project is about learn different religion, way of living and so on I are

interest in The 4`s was because I will be better to English and get some really

good friends.

I had some expiations expel good friends, better to English, good experience and

all people here In Turkey are so happy all the time and I don´t think I have some

many but maybe my English I think the Turkish, Poland and Romania`s culture

is really different from Denmark`s culture because expel turkey are Muslim and

in Turkey it`s so hot weather and I think it was so fun to try a come to turkey

because in Denmark are it so cold but in turkey it`s also hot and people in

turkey is so sweet always and also in The 4`s my best experience was all things

to come to turkey and get a really good host but I think it was all things in

turkey but I have learned so much about my self expel my English I know now I

can talk English and I am okay to it because one year since there thinking I am

`can`t don`t say anything in my English class because all things I will say was

wrong but now thinking I am okay good to English and I can say some English

in my class without it`s wrong

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Katrine Jessen wrote Meeting in Turkey

In Turkey we had a project about feelings through music and art. We had to choose a song which had a lot of feelings and senses. After that, we had to paint the song and the painting should make people feel the picture and feel the song in it.

My expectations for the meeting was high. I expected first of all that I would meet plenty of new lovely people, we would have a lot of fun and I expected i would know something about the Turkish food and culture. But still in the end I was happily surprised about it all.

My very first expression when I came to Turkey was surprising. Everybody at the school looked at us like we were superstars. It was cool, but just too much in the end of the day. I was also caught by the beautiful view.

In the start I was very challenged in her home, because they couldn’t speak English very well, but we understood each other very well and it wasn’t really a big deal at all.

In the time I was there I learned so much about the Turkish culture through the food, view and the people. The food is so spicy and there is cheese everywhere, but the cheese is very very good! The houses are so difficult from Denmark. I really like the ceilings and the religious influence in- and outside the houses. All the people, and I really mean all, are amazing. They are all so friendly and helps if you need it. They are willing to do so much for you and doesn’t even expect to get something from you. It’s amazing!

The best thing I experienced in Turkey is meeting my host Seda and her wonderful family. I’m so impressed. In the end I of course learned a lot about myself. I came out of my “safety-zone” and learned to just trust myself. I got a lot of confidence and I learned to see the beauty in life and the beauty in almost every little and big thing.

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Evaluation written by students from Romania

Paula Georgiana Avacaritei, Romania, wrote:

Erasmus + Erasmus, the project which opens a wide door to the world around us, so different and yet, so new to explore. Four cultures and its totally different mentalities managed to harmonize and work as a whole despite their differences. I felt lucky that I could participate in this unique experience. I believe the project succeeded in combining four different characters in an original way, forming new friendships that slightly turned into something we have never thought. The project has intrigued me since its first presentation and my expectations were related to discovering a different mentality, developing my ability to speak English and improving my cultural knowledge. I can say that this experience has broadened my horizons, namely I should not be afraid of what is new and unknown. On the contrary, we must tackle its novelty. Besides culture and appropriate behavior, I learned to appreciate and respect more what surrounds us and to have more confidence in me. I had experiences that I will never forget, such as the evening where my host family spoke about their traditions and their way of life, which impressed me a lot. I was surprised by the mature way of thinking the young Turkish children have. They are so warm and helpful, believing first in people’s honour and humanity. This experience made me see the world totally different and eager to make new friends. I will repeat this experience with no hesitation.

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Amalia- Adina Cojocariu from Romania wrote:

Erasmus Plus

This project Erasmus+ is very interesting because we knew not only new people

and their traditions but also we made new friends.

I was curious about everything related to Turkish school, clothes, families and

religion, too. All was perfect because my host was very sweet and the trip was

funny.

My first impression was that it will be difficult, but when I knew Ceren and her

family, I understood that I like Turkey and this project altogether.

At the beginning, the changes were big for me because my family and friends

weren’t right there besides me and I wanted my life back. The best experience

was when I went by a steamer on the Mediterranean Sea and all people danced

and sung a Romanian song.

I learned many things about Turkey’s culture and how to accept someone new

in my life. I wanted to come back because I realized I love my family from Turkey.

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Mihnea Buiciuc from Romania wrote:

My name is Mihnea Buiciuc and I am one of the Romanian students who went to Turkey

through the Erasmus+ project – The 4C’s. I’ll have to admit that I wanted to quit at the last

minute but because the plane tickets had already been bought, I was obliged to go, not by

teachers nor parents but by myself. Now frankly speaking, I’m extremely happy I chose to go.

The reasons I wanted to get out of this project were childish – I didn’t want to be home

sick and to starve there (because literally, my stomach accepts only meat inside... and I am not

kidding; maybe also some oranges and potatoes). But I’ve had enough of talking and

complaining about my worries and let’s talk about the trip, shall we?

I’ll start by talking about the positive sides of the project. I really enjoyed people there,

and not only the foreign people, but even my Romanian colleagues because I learned things I

didn’t know about them. My host was a nice guy and I heard that the others were also polite;

they offered to pay our food and the long roads from home to school, to the city and then back

home.

Iskenderun city where our Turkish school are situated is a beautiful place. Iskenderun is

a very big city, but very well organized... apart from the traffic which I want to say... I have

never seen worse drivers in my entire life. Surprisingly, the food was amazing, especially Döner

Kebap, I asked for an only-meat one and it was great!

The trip was filled with great moments, but I think I covered the most important ones.

The bad side, if I can call it like this, Iskenderun traffic is worse than a bull-race in Spain. Also,

the long-hour drive from home to the airport and then vice versa was exhausting, really, really

exhausting.

I am really happy that I chose to join Erasmus+ project because this project helped me

develop my international language skills by making me understand a new and different culture.

Thanks Erasmus for letting me be a part of this trip and for making everything nice in

Turkey!

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Ioana- Cristina Ivanescu, Romania wrote:

The Mobility in Turkey

My pleasure to speak about meeting the other friends from the other part of the world

overwhelms me. I´m so happy to be here, sharing my and our experience because we are a

family till the end.

Now, let me speak about my host family, first! Such a friendly family! Every moment

that I spent with them was so lovely because they tried to make me understand their culture,

traditions, food and nationality. What was also interesting in Turkey was the fact there are so

many different things about everything. That is why, I did not have any expectations about the

mobility, I knew that I was going to another world, making new friends. The food was so good

and almost the same as ours. The other students were so open-minded and eager to share their

friendships in our hearts. The school was bigger than ours from Romania. I learned so many

interesting things about their culture such as while visiting an antique castle, we found out about

details about their history and during a visit to a mosque (my favourite part because I always

wished to know what it is like inside) we discovered new things about their religion and rules

for their prays. There we had meetings with the mayors of those cities and now we have a lot

of memories from them because they gave us a lot of gifts. They were so excited to meet new

people, different people like us.

This project meant and still means everything to me. It is like an open door to have a

view to the world. I feel like an accomplished human being as I have all the brothers and sisters

in my heart forever. ¨What do you wish, Ioana?¨- I wish we could visit them next year, all of

us, because they are really worth all our future efforts. I miss my new family, sister and brother

from Turkey and all my friends from Denmark. I have a SECOND FAMILY.

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Patricia- Iuliana Chiuc from Romania wrote: I joined this project because I heard wonderful things about it from my friends who had been at the first International Mobility Metting and I wanted to make new friends from another country and of course, for the trip to Turkey. My expectations about this exchange programme are high because it is an international project and it is very important to each participant country.

The first impression about Turkey, when I arrived there, was very different from what I imagined at home due to the mass-media warnings about the dangers in this country. The Turkish cuisine and wardrobe challenged me most. I was impressed by the Turkish culture in particular, by its gastronomy (I learned more recipes). The second day in Turkey, my host took me to a mosque because I had been very curious about the way it looks like in reality since I was a child. This moment was very important to me. During this project, I became aware of many things such as : my family is far more important than I ever thought it would be, I love my country more than before and I won’t leave it. This trip made me grow up and understand what it takes to be an independent person because for seven days I stayed in a new country and most of the time, I was the only Romanian in my host’s place. When I arrived home, I felt very different as the Turkish delight and a lot of sweets were missing. The people I met were so nice with us that I am eagerly waiting for them to meet again. The time I spent in Turkey passed so fast that I didn’t realise when all ended. The most important thing that I learned these seven days was not to judge strangers because we don’t know anyhing about them.

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Andrei Scobioala from Romania wrote: The project, Challenging Communication in a Committing Community” is

about meeting people from different countries and removing the barriers that

divide us.

The reason why I joined the project was because I wanted to meet new

people and cultures and see the things that make us different. My main

expectation was to meet a wide range of people with different ideas and

philosophy.

When we first arrived in Turkey, I was amazed by the warm, welcome’’

that the hosts, students and teachers gave to us. Because we were from different

countries, we used English as a bridge between languages. That is why, the

first challenge for me in this project was my English skills. Even though we

had basic knowledge in English, it was hard to understand each other at the

beginning of our stay, but we managed it by teaching new words in English,

even in Turkish and Danish.

Their culture is wonderful with beautiful historical monuments, tasty

food, great dances and nice touristic areas.

The whole week we spent in Turkey was a wonderful experience during

which I met beautiful people and outstanding landscapes. I can profoundly say

that this was the adventure of my life.

In the end, I learned that even though we are from different countries and

speak different languages, we still can be wonderful friends. After this

experience, I decided that I want to visit other places, meet more people and make

more friends.

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Andreea-Denisa Ciubotariu, Romania

Erasmus Plus

(a chance to something new)

The project Erasmus+ is about 4 countries , 4 cultures , 4 nationalities and 4 mobilities, the countries involved being Romania, Denmark, Turkey and Poland. The collaboration started with the mobility in Denmark where each team showed their country traditional dances and songs. After the mobility in Poland, came the mobility in Turkey, which I and my colleagues took part in. I really wanted to go in Turkey, I was very curious not only about the Turkish families, school, students, but also their customs, traditions, religion. I hoped not to make mistakes in speaking English, to understand what the others were telling me; the beginning was just a little difficult, but after all everything went very well.

The first time when we arrived in the Turkish partner school I was very surprised by their reactions, with how much love and care they welcomed us, it was like home. We found our hosts and at the beginning of our stay we had a week-end in the family; it was very relaxing and pleasant at the same time after a long journey. The taste of the Turkish food and the custom of Muslim women to wear scarfs on their heads and robes long to the land represented obvious cultural differences for me. Their traditional dances are very common with ours, their music is very fast and the steps are more of the legs.

My best experience was when we went to Payas, where we learned their dances and we made a reel, which is usually specific to the Romanians. I liked it very much, it was very easy and at the same time very hard to maintain the correctness of the steps because everything happened so fast that you weren’t allowed to make any mistakes.

What did I learn from all this experience? I learned that I’m not ready to live without my family first but I learned how to express myself in English better. Also, I learned how to accept and care about someone new in my life. In the end, I didn’t want to leave, but I will always know that Turkey is my second family, my second support. I hope I will come back to show to my family the place and how I was treated.

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Constantin- Octavian Saramet from Romania wrote: This project is more about human beings, how we interact with foreign students and we co-operate with them. The 4C’s caught my interest because of its advantages, meeting new people, making friendships and also having fun. First, I thought it will be just a trip, an enjoyable one, we will meet people, talk to them and that’s all, but I was really impressed after my first weekend there. My host family tried to talk to me in English although they didn’t know it very well. I saw that we had similar types of food, reminding me about history lessons where I learned we had Turkish colonies in our country. The main challenge of this project was team working. The subject was art. Therefore, we did some paintings on canvas and after that, we presented them in the Prime mall of the city. It was entertaining, I sang with my group partners all the songs we knew and we took a lot of selfies. Culturally, I learned that even though we have different religions, habits, we pray to the same God. My host mum showed me some hand-made things like traditional clothes and instruments. That’s why I played “Darbouka” all the trip. My best experience was the boat party. I loved the group view; we were Denmark, Romania, Turkey together like a family, an European family. During the party we danced, we took photos, we shared memories and we had fun there. Of course the landscape was brilliant. In the end, I learned that I need to share all my hobbies, interests and everything with all people there. Don’t take a view only for your country???, just imagine you can also have friends abroad. I also learned, I can have a second home.

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Evaluation written by students from Poland

Unfortunately Polish students and teachers

were forbidden in participating in the third

mobility meeting in Turkey.

Teachers from Poland wrote: At the beginning of new school year 2015/2016 we heard bad news about the situation in Turkey, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned against the trips to that particular area of Turkey which is so close to Syrian border. We phoned to our NA, after we had talked to our headmaster and our students’ parents and they all were so worried

that they did not give us their permission for a trip to Turkey.

We were really sorry, especially because of our students who worked so hard and who deserved to go abroad but things happen and we had to obey our school rules and first of all we have to think of the safety for our students. Of course, we and our students wanted to work on our project, we did our best to do all the Turkish tasks, we could cooperate with our friends on-line while the meeting in Turkey. Our students prepared wonderful paintings at our school, teachers took pictures and sent them to our friends working together. We talked via Skype. Luckily, our friends from Romania, Denmark and Turkey had a safe and successful meeting. We are really glad because of that and believe we all will meet again in Romania.

Students from Poland wrote:

I was very sad when I heard that we won’t be with you on the exchange in Turkey. I really wanted to meet you again and also meet new people as well.

Julia

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When teachers told us that we couldn’t go to Turkey I

was upset and dejected. I was dreaming to go there

and see my Turkish friends in Iskenderun.

Sara

I was in shock when teachers told us that we can't go to Turkey. It

was really sad, because I wanted to see you again, meet new people

and have more amazing memories.

Julia

When teachers told me that we’re not going to Turkey,

I couldn’t believe it. I was really unhappy, because

I wanted to meet you, make some new friends and spend

great time there.

Ola

I was really upset and disappointed when I heard that

we can’t go to Turkey. I wanted to see you again,

meet new people and spend great time together.

Oliwia

When I heard that we couldn’t go to Turkey I was really upset. I

hoped that we could meet and work together in the project. We

didn’t go there because there were some accidents with terrorist’s

attacks in Turkey those days like similar ones in Paris today. We

were afraid. But we have to work and show everyone that people

from another cultures could work together and have fun.

Klaudia

I was really sad when teacher told us that we can’t go to Turkey. That was upset. I hope that

we’ll see each other in the near future. We could spend good time together and just have fun.

I really want to see you again.

Wiktoria

When I heard that we can’t be in Turkey, I was upset because I was waiting to meet friends

from our project. It was sad because I wanted to spend great time in Iskenderun.

Jagoda

Documents

Turkey - evaluation letters