C1 Turkey
24th OF NOVEMBER
We have just arrived in Istanbul, the most popular city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural and historic center.
We feel really excited about this new experience, because it is the first time our school takes part in an Erasmus KA229 project.
During the previous months we have been working in several tasks related to our project "Healthy eating and movement for a better quality of life". In September, we organised a contest to choose the best logo for the project and in October, our students answered a survey about their nutritional habits and their physical routines.
We have also analysed all this information to be able to compare it with the rest of countries involved in the Erasmus programme.
25th of november
It was our first day in Istanbul and we felt really nervous about visiting the school and meeting our partners in the project for the first time.
As it was planned, we went to visit the "Emir Sultan Secondary School" . When we arrived there, students, families and teachers were waiting at the playground to give us a warm welcome with flowers and gifts. After that, students from different levels performed folk dances from their country.
Then, we went to the conference room where teachers and the headmaster talked about turkish educational system and nutritional facts about students. Moreover, we were be able to attend to kindergarten and english lessons.
Furthermore, at lunchtime we could enjoy turkish typical food cooked by families and teachers. It was delicious!
In the afternoon, we visited the turkish aquarium, which is the biggest in Europe, and then, we could enjoy a nice walk through the seafront.
It was a wonderful day!
26th of november
During our second day in Turkey, we had the incredible chance to visit a private school called "Ihlas College".
It was a huge college with great resources and facilities. The most exciting activities were archery and Turkish dancing.
During our brief visit, we could meet the school staff, students and families and we attended to different lessons.
In the afternoon, we went to the Panorama museum. This museum shows the conquering of the city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, by the troops of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed The Conqueror on 29 May 1453. After that, we visited the Miniaturk, where we could see miniatures of the most important turkish monuments.
We feel quite comfortable in this marvellous city!
27 th of november
Today, we met our partners at the hotel, where we could share presentations of our schools and the results of the survey that our students answered the month before. After that, we were discussing about the different nutritional trends and lifestyle in our cities.
We also programmed the activities we should developed with students at school during the following months and we set the dates for the next staff meetings.
In the afternoon, we visited the Galata tower and we could walk around Taksim.
We love this city!
28 th of november
Today, we could enjoy a cultural tour around the most famous monuments of Istanbul. We visited Saint Sophia, the Blue Mosk, the cisterns and Medusa's head. It was tiring but really inspiring!
Then, we enjoyed the typical turkish meatballs in Sultanahmet and we could drink turkish coffee, which is really strong.
After lunchtime, we walked around the Gran Bazar and the Spices Bazar where we bought some souvenirs and we discovered how delicious the turkish sweets are.
We learnt lots of things about this fascinating culture!
29th of november
It was friday and it was our last day in Istanbul. We met our partners to discuss some points related to the project and we share the presentations related to each country educational system.
After that, we went to visit the Maiden tower, and we were walking around the KUZGUNCUK that is a neighborhood in the Üsküdar district on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. It is somewhat isolated from the main part of the city, being surrounded by nature preserves, cemeteries, and a military installation. It is a quiet neighborhood with streets lined with antique wooden houses.
Then, we were be able to enjoy awesome views while having a relaxing Bosphorus trip by boat. It was amazing!
We hope to come back to Istanbul soon!