Katherine’s Trip to Turkey
Posted June 16th, 2008Categories: Middle East, Team Stories
Tags: Blue Mosque, Bosporus, Elif, Hagia Sophia, Katherine, social service center, turkey
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(from Katherine Osgood, Short-Term Quest Manager)
Last summer I traveled to Turkey to visit United Planet’s In-Country Coordinator in Istanbul and
evaluate the country as a location for our volunteers. It was an experience that will always remain in my memory. Istanbul was as beautiful and exciting as I had imagined, and I have never experienced so many warm and friendly welcomes in my life!
Arriving in Istanbul was wonderful after a rather long and uncomfortable flight from Boston. The sun was shining warmly on me, and as I traveled to my hotel I was overwhelmed by the size of this historic city. Spread out widely across two continents, half the city in Europe and half in Asia, Istanbul truly is a bridge between two continents. Dividing the two continents and splitting the city in half is the huge Bosporus Strait. Seen from my taxi it looked like a glittering blue jewel, stretching far into the distance, and eventually flowing out into the Black Sea. The Bosporus was alive with activity – fishermen and their boats with huge nets pulling fish out of the water with men, women and children buying and selling fish from the fishermen. Accompanying the fishing vessels were ferries constantly crossing, carrying people from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side, and vice versa.
Having taken in as much as I could from the Bosporus, I turned my attention to the ancient skyline rearing up ahead in my vision. I immediately recognized two historic monuments: the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Both buildings have played an important part in Istanbul’s long history and rich culture. The Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD by the Roman Emperor Justinian and is one of the world’s largest religious buildings – and a superb example of Byzantine architecture. It began life as a Christian Basilica, and was converted to a mosque as the dominant religion in Istanbul changed. Now it serves mostly as a museum, with the history of the two great religions charted on its walls and in its architecture. The second historic building is one of the most famous mosques in the world – The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, know to many as the Blue Mosque. So-called for over 20,000 handmade blue Iznik tiles that adorn its walls, it is a place of reverence and beauty. Visiting these two unique sites will always be a special memory from my experience in Turkey.
Of course I could not write this without talking about Elif Tuay, our wonderful In-Country Coordinator in Turkey. Elif greeted me that first evening with a huge smile and hug, and immediately made me feel at home in Istanbul. She took me out to a fantastic dinner, overlooking the Bosporus and the Istanbul skyline, where we ate delicious Turkish food and talked long into the night about United Planet in Turkey, the communities we work with there, and Elif’s dreams for the future. Elif loves being part of the UP team, and we are blessed to have her. She has such drive and vision, and welcomes each UP volunteer wholeheartedly into her life. Sharing Turkish culture with others is something she is very passionate about, and I learnt a great deal from her while I was there.
United Planet is currently sending volunteers to help at a social service center in Taksim Square. Taksim is in the heart of Istanbul and has lots of bustling shops and cafes. The social service center helps women and children who need employment training and basic health care education. Volunteers with a social service background or degree work with the women and children in pre-planned workshops on everything from wood crafts to reproductive health. It is a great way for volunteers to contribute to the community and also learn more about Turkish society.
My experience in Turkey will always be with me, from the grandeur and romance of the destination to the passion and drive of Elif and her team in Istanbul; it is a unique, challenging and fascinating destination for anyone with a desire to learn more about this part of the world.
-Katherine
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