Sulamerican day in Turkey

March 24th, 2002:

As previously scheduled with everybody we would go to Katherine's house to estudy turkish and prepare the lunch. I'm done with bread and yogurt everyday but I feel I will miss it when I'm back to Brazil.

We went to the supermarket (Katerine, Claudia and I), bought spagetti, tomatoes, portakal juice (their orange) and meat. They have no idea how to cook and I had to do the lunch alone, then I decided to prepare my famous pasta and create a souce... if the taste was not good, the excuse would be "it's a brazilian food" kkkk. But at the end everything went right, they love it. We ate a lot! Without bread and yogurt (finally) and listening to brazilian music, I felt like in Rio, seated in the balcony, during the Carnaval, eating pasta and listening to music.

After this Brazil moment, we started to study, repeating over and over the turkish words for more than 1 hour following a tape that came with the book. Time for a break, music in the radio, let's dance. They would like to learn how to dance... what a shame... but ok, I tried my best. Katerine also showed us some Colombian dances like Merengue, It was a lot of fun.

After that I went back home as I had to do laundry and talk to the guys in my appartment before leave around 8:30 PM to have dinner with the AIESEC people and guess... more bread with yougurt!! Everything here must have it? It's impossible to get rid of it. The only solution is to get used to it.

After this "turn back to reallity", the only thing to do was to go back home, have a shower as I was freezing, relax and go to bed to sleep.

See you in the next email (post).

Working and learning Turkish

March 18, 2002 - Started to learn turkish and to work

First day at work and the first kick on learning this weird language. My day at work was completely free but I noticed that maybe my boss did it to see how I would work without pressure. I decided to work hard then and almost finished 1 week work only in 1 day.

I think I could do more if 2 nerd turks from our IT deppartment didn't want to install a fingerprint identificator in my machine. There are so many computers here at the office, why mine? Anyway, they expent a lot of time there, almost 2 hours, and always when I tried to check my fingerprint... nothing. I think this cold weather erased my fingerprints. After they left I decided to try more and more and finally I could register it. I hope everyday I can open my computer easily.

After work, I went to AIESEC office to find out where I can develop my photo film, where I can wash my clothes (in turkish house there isn't place to wash it, neither a place to hang it to dry), where I can buy some bateries to my digital camera, and so on... I met Onur there and he told me Claudia called him telling she bought a book to learn turkish and wanted to know if I was interested to join her and Katerine, the colombian trainee, to study. For me is great, I'm not going to expend a cent with classes or books because she already have one. We studied till 10pm when I decided to go home. Before go home be brave to walk in 2 degrees weather... but I'm alive.

Kisses people... today I'm so tired I think I'm not going to have more news tomorrow. I just want to sleep a bit after dinner in my very simple but confortable bed on the floor... at least it is very hot.

March 19, 2002 - I just wanted to sleep, but...

I just wanted to go home early and sleep but...
I left work and went home to change my clothes because it was very cold and I was frozen. I dressed 2 moleton pants, 2 t-shirts, a pullover and a jacket over... I was ready to fight against the cold outside.

I don't know if there is a work to express it in english but there isn't in Portuguse... it was not only cold... it was minus 2 degrees. My clothes were enough but my nose frozen. At least only for 20 minutes, when I was walking till AIESEC office.

From there we went to dinner at the same place but this time I decided to try something different... I went for Manti. I liked a lot and I'm thinking about to eat it more times, also because ot is cheaper than Yogurt'lu Kofte. I was starving and only this plate was not enough... I need to eat some bread at home.

At the restaurant Mehmet (one of the AIESEC'ers) destroied my weekend plans. This weekend there will be something for new member and they need some help again. Ok, no problems, next weekend I'm planing to go to Istanbul to 3 Ankara trainees and the next one maybe a brasilian party here. Mehmet also put my film to develop today. Soon I will have some pictures and I already found out that there is a scanner in my company. I just need to convince the guys, in turkish, to scan them to me.

After dinner we went to a pub to watch Galatasaray (the biggest turkish team) versus Barcelona. Before the game starts I said, just to play, that Barcelona would win for 1x0... guess what happened? Exactly, Barcelona did it for the same score I said!

Now, more than ever, I have to find a safe place to watch the game between Brasil and Turkey for the World Cup. BEcause of this match at the pub I went home to sleep only at 1am.

Kisses,
Alex

Ankara city tour and pic-nic

March 16, 2002 - Ankara’s adventure

Beginning from yesterday...
After work I went to Anadolu University to a AIESEC new member presentation. I didn’t understand anything they said at the entire presentation but at the end they asked me a help to talk about myself and my expectations. I talked about how is to be a changing agent but I think they have another idea about this traineeship. There was a guy translating to turkish what I was talking but I’m really sure they didn’t understand anything.

I met the colombian trainee. She is an English teacher here in Eskisehir but sadly she works on Saturdays and will not join us in our weekend trips.
After the presentation I went to Claudia’s house to do something because it was Friday! Eskisehir is a young town but it was too cold outside and I think everybody decided to stay at home. We walked a lot looking for something. We found a techno party in a place that seems to be the city point but we didn’t enter because it was a bit expensive. Finally we decided to come back home, but it was fun anyway.

Today: Wake-up was dificult... the bus leaves to Ankara at 9... we got it without problems and 3 hours later, we were there.

AIESEC Ankara is very nice... it is a house... yelow... at the corner. I checked my e-mails there and we left to a city tour guided by 2 AIESEC’ers I don’t remember the names. We went to Ataturk mausoleum - this man is the national hero because he made a lot of important things. From there to a huge mosque, very nice... I can’t describe. Then, we went to a book store because Claudia wanted to buy something to learn turkish and then, back to the office.

I really wanted a place to dance a bit, have som fun... but we decided to go to a cafe and we stayed there, just talking. After 40 minutes, 2 people came over, one of them Marcia, a brasilian trainee from Curitiba - Paraná. It was enough for us to make a party at the place because I had in my backpack some samba and forró CD’s.

Giving a “brasilian way” I convinced them to put the CDs to play. The rest of the night was only dancing and making them believe that we knew how to dance samba and forró. But I think they were a bit terrifyed because here they don’t dance so close to each other.

After this dancing night we went to an AIESEC’er house to sleep. There, I still had time to try to teach her and Claudia some forró and samba.

There are more adventures tomorrow.

March 17, 2002 - Picnic on the snow??

Second day of adventures in Ankara!
Wake-up early again... 9 am the bus leaves to pic-nic. We paid more than was agreed before, but it is ok... what metters is the party.

Getting there, 1 hour by bus, I saw a white stuff on the ground... I thought it was something like foam. To my surprise it was snow! I saw snow the first time in my life. The first thing I did when I left the bus was to run to this snow and make a snow ball  I took some pictures.

I was very curious to know how was a turkish pic-nic in a place with snow. Well, turk stuff, chicken legs barbecue with bread (of course). When the chicken legs got finished they appear with some snacks and cakes... saved the day!

Here they have some different games.. we played some... but as the time was passing cloder was getting. The temperature was around 5 degrees celcius maximum. Was very hard but I survived and around 5pm we came back to the bus.

From the pic-nic to the bus station... from there to Eskisehir (3 hours by bus). Arriving here at the city a surprise... 2 degrees!! Guys, you know, I’m from Rio... I can’t live with this temperature.

The only thing I did was go home and sleep.

Kisses and hugs to everybody.

Alex

In Eskisehir

March 12, 2002 - Finally in Eskisehir!!

Still in Istanbul we almost lost the bus that was leaving from Besiktas to the Bus Station (Otogar), but everything went right. After some difficulties to understand what the people at the bus station and inside the bus were speaking, finally I got here at Eskisehir.

They have a lotion inside the bus that they offer to everybody to clean the hands and as I could noticed they get furious if you don’t acept it. After 6 hours by bus, in a better one then the one I came from Athens to Istanbul, I arrived in Eskisehir.


As I’ve been studing and asking to my friends, Eskisehir is a city with 700 thousands inhabitans where the most of them are university students. There are 2 huge universities here and a river that cross the city and people say it’s the city point. Let’s see.

I’m already stabilished in my new home. My roomates are cool but I didn`t have time to talk to them. I saw only a little bit from the city, just knew some streets around where I live.

I can’t stay for longer here because I already answered tons of mails and it will get expensive. Soon I will be working and can send these e-mails from the office... what will be easier.

March 13, 2002 - Exploring Eskisehir!!

Hello everybody! I`m already exploring the city!

I went to Anadolu University... that place is great... seems like the universities shown on movies. I almost asked how I could finish my graduation here. I helped AIESEC people in some class presentations and then I went together to my new friend Onur (you will read a lot about him in the future) to walk around. We played table tenis, where I lost, but was interesting to learn the numbers till 22.

After the university we went to the office where there was a meeting to new AIESEC member. Then, we went dinner... the food here is really spicy... I hope my stomach supports for a little more till I find something better.


There is a german trainee here, Claudia, and we went there to her house to a small party... what was really fun! I drank a red vodka from Finland and came back home a bit drunk... but it’s OK.. at least I remember everything 

Kisses and Hugs!