I'm graduating tomorrow, June 22, 2025.
It was an honour to be a part of this magical tiny place that changes most lives it touches.
If you're reading this and haven't participated in an ESN project yet but considering, I beg you to take a screenshot of this to read again after your last project.
I saw an A4 paper with a questionably designed table that had names of countries and short and also confusing descriptions of mildly interesting looking activities written right below in each small box, next to the foreign languages department room's door in my school 16 months ago in my school.
Following my asking about what this was insistively to a few teachers even though i had no idea what it could be, i was told by a friend of mine who'd participated before that the confusing single paragraph descriptions were for us to choose a program to go in an organisation called "ESN" that appearently SENT YOU ABROAD FOR FOR A WEEK AND FOR FREE. 😦
I went on to ask Beste teacher about this and she told me i can go to her tomorrow and she'd need to do an interview with me because many other people were applicants. Ok. Fair. We did that interview 3 days later on Monday, then she said she needed to talk to teachers that knew me well. Although I'm quite sure the vice principal didn't recommend me, she came to feel I was just fine to go after talking to first me then some other teachers. She told me there was a project in 28 days in Italy about music, 1 open place for another Turk and if I applied in a few days, the visa would be in time and I could go. I applied for the visa a week late and the program on the last day and, fast forward, we're on the plane with a hilarious trio as students @ayse284 @urascan and Canan Teacher @cananturk .
Italy (Sarnico), although a tiny place, was beautiful. (Atri too @andreagiordani ) If you're looking for a program, I suggest their school along with the Portuguese D.JoaoII.
In the coming months, I've hosted three and a half times (spent a week with a friends host) and went abroad twice, the second one being to Setubal, Portugal.
I'm not gonna talk about Istanbul because excuse the bold claim but It's the best city in Europe and no matter what I say I won't be able to express just how you HAVE to experience this city in your life and even way better if with ESN...
I wish you teachers and students to come in the future keep this place in a shape it deserves as is and better...
Thank you to everyone that made these foreign cities more than buildings and roads.. Please take care...