Goodbye or reunion alias S.U.S. (See U Soon)!

Well... something started its way on 1st, September, 2013. 2 volunteers decided to make a change in their life by applying for an EVS program that took place in Gaziantep, Southeast Turkey. Applying for this project probably made us think about Turkey, creating ideas about the country, the culture, the locals and how Gaziantep looks like. We tried to create the flavours in our mouth, imagine different smells to make our nose work and probably our eyes had also some tiring nights before coming to Turkey.

We were freshmen so called "Çıraklar" (in Turkish) in some meanings. The "Çırak" needs time to develope, get to know the environment, the colleagues, the rules and the whole atmosphere. I think we did a great job, and even if we are not usta yet, because we are all the time in development, still by now have taken a huge and important way of our life.

One Turkish proverb comes to my mind:

"Zararın neresinden dönsen kârdır". No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back! Definitely we make mistakes, sometimes more often that it is natural, but we also have the right and opportunity to change. I think I won't reveal a secret when I share it with you that we had both good and bad experiences during these 5 months. It is also true that with time the bad ones will lose importance. BUT: don't get totally rid of bad memories, because those also belong to someone's personality just try to change or learn from mistakes.

I think we learnt a lot during this time. At first, Gaziantep was only one industrial city from an unknown region of Turkey. Now, I think I can tell it in the name of Julie as well, that Antep became our second home. Home gives something to its residents, but also expects sometimes, like in a symbiosis. The first impressions, fears, strangers, strange flavours, smells became familiar, impressions were replaced by opinions as fears were changed to rather sedations or hopes, many strangers became our friends, the unknown flavours determined our everydays as well as smells. I am sure we also added something to the life of Antep, even thought it might be not visible.

Even if we return back to Antep in 10 years or more, in this city we won't feel ourselves as a tourist... not anymore. We have deserved the right not to be one by taking part in the everyday life of the "city of baklava". From 1st, September we started our journey, that has not reached its end yet, how can it reach anyway? Our mission came to its end, but there is no question about whether its the end of this amazing advanture. We already arrived back to our countries, but took common souvenirs from certain places that connects US forever, leaving foodprints throughout Turkey, but especially in Antep. And I can still feel the imaginary smell of Nargile on my trousers, the flavour of çay in my mouth and in my hand the sand of the Mediterranean sea...