Projekti "Muudame noortega töö nähtavaks" toetab SA Archimedese noorteagentuur Euroopa Solidaarsuskorpuse programmist.
It was strange to learn that the Youth Center would be closed for 3 weeks from December 14th. Because I have been volunteering for 2,5 weeks. To be honest, although I have just started working at the Youth Center, it will annoying not to be able to see the children for 3 weeks due to the corona. Besides, there were tasks that Madis gave me.
Although the youth center was closed, I had to continue my volunteering work at home, outside or at the youth center. It was really difficult to do all the planning for each task alone. Because open-ended plans and activities where you can definitely use your creativity.. I saw what I can do thanks to Madis. 😀 I will tell you how I had a pleasant time in Estonia despite the new bans due to Korono. Are you ready?! Let's go! .. 😀
In Estonia, you are most likely to encounter people who initially seem distant and uncommunicativ. In fact, "What am I doing here? Why doesn't anyone want to communicate? Why doesn't anyone laugh? ..." Many questions may come to your mind. I always remembered what Hakan (my ESC coordinator 😀 ) said in moments like this and it was the most logical decision to be patient. Believe me, these questions gave way to bright lights and colorful ornaments, with the excitement of Christimas. You could see the eye-catching Christimas image in every home, private building, and city center.
We had dinner at Nöhvik as Youth Center employees in honor of Christimas. It was a pleasure to taste the dishes the Estonian chef made at this dinner, be with other employees and listen to their Estonian conversation (I wish to understand your conversations, but just to join your laughter was fun 😀 ). Because I approach my experiences here with a child's curiosity. Learning a different culture by living satisfies my curiosity. 😊
In the same week, thanks to my mentor Gaida, I connected live to interview Torva Radio Channel. I hope the people of Tõrva got to know me better thanks to this interview. :) With my other plan, I prepared to meet the people of Tõrva again. I created a list of Turkish songs that I enjoy listening. This list included Turkish folk music, rock music and pop music genres. I gave a lot of space to artists who especially add value to Turkish songs. Some of them are Barış Manço, Cem Karaca, Belkıs Akkale, Özay Gönlüm, Mango Group, Night Group,… It was an unforgettable experience to introduce the songs of my own culture to people who grew up in another culture in another country. I shared this happiness with all my friends so that everyone can hear it. 😀
I was looking forward to meeting the Turkish volunteer Dilara in Tartu as the Christimas excitement approached. You know, it is comforting to talk to someone who has the same native language, who is raised in the same culture, and to share experiences (mostly the difficulties we had :D). Understanding and being understood are the most basic human needs. I witnessed Turkish hospitality in cold Estonia. Thanks Dilara! What else will these eyes see ?! :D Christimas celebrations in general mean gathering the whole family and spending time together for the Estonian people. As Dilara and I were curious about the religious rituals of different cultures, we attended the celebration at the church on Christimas evening. We watched the ceremony with some speeches and piano. In addition to the ceremony, the medieval architecture in the structure of the church; Inside the church were small statuettes, piano and other structures from the Middle Ages. Then we gathered with our Asian friends in Tartu University Student Dormitory. That warm welcome as soon as you entered the door, it was a polite gesture to invite to us to the table. I never felt strange. We talked about common points and differences in our food culture, words we use in daily life and our expectations in life. The cultures of 6 different countries were spoken at the same table, but we had such similar characteristics that some common points that have been shaped in history lessons from centuries ago to this day still remain.
The talkative and friendly Mattias took the place of the "Cold Estonian" thought I initially thought. As Mattias put it, he is my "International best friend". I shot videos for youtube channel of Tõrva Youth Center in 5 different locations. Mattias helped me in this process, we did a real volunteer work. 😀 I will continue to post different videos during my volunteering period. Be sure to follow. :) Let's grow the channel together. The name of the channel is "
Tõrva Noortekeskus ".
Also, thanks to Mattias, I had the opportunity to learn more about Estonian culture. I met his family. Dilara, me, Regina, Mattias and Sirje had a nice day. I made them "Tarhana Soup" which is from Turkish culture and which I like so much. I wrote the recipe for Tarhana and Tarhana soup for them. Dilara also made "Flour Halva". We showed the dances of harmandalı, cemilem, horon etc. from Turkish culture. It was the first Estonian family I met, but the hospitality and the curiosity they showed to our culture made me happy. 😊 We slided in the snow together, it was a very enjoyable day.
As approached the new year, one of my daily activities was walking with Mattias. We took walks in Helme, Ritsu, Härma Karjäär forest. Here, you can walk in the unique scenery and beauty of the winter season. It is enormous with its fresh air, tall trees and snow views. Hopefully we'll walk more times, Mattias! 😀
2020 started hard, continued harder, it was a year in which I had to struggle with many things. Despite the corona, although life was getting harder, I had to do something for my future. I left 2020 behind in Estonia as a reward for dealing with these challenges. Spending New Year's Eve with Mattias and her family was an unforgettable memory. I entered the sauna for the first time. The temperature was 90 degrees, Sirje said. OMG! I know how you look so young now. I solved your secret. 😀 We sat down after the sauna classic for the dinner. I answered the questions they were curious about Turkish culture, tasted their delicious food, and also the snacks prepared by his father were delicious. 😀
No matter how bad 2020 has been, this last month brought me a nice Estonian friend. It brought in friends from Asian culture and gave me the opportunity to share my culture with an Estonian family. I had the chance to share Turkish music with the people of Tõrva. I have already posted a video on the youtube channel to continue my volunteering work on social media. 😊 Now my hobbies include slide in the snow and hiking in the forest. And I hope I will have more good memories. I am closing this year of 2020 with fireworks lasting for minutes and lots of hugs with the Estonian family.
Çocuklarla daha çok vakit geçirmek isterdim. Tam alışmışken burada da korona yüzünden hem okullar hem de gençlik merkezleri kapandı. Tabi bu süreçte kendi kendime plan yaparak gönüllülük çalışmamı sürdürmeyi öğrenmiş oldum. Açıkcası video için kurgu oluşturmak, konuşma metnini hazırlamak, senaryoyu oturtmak,.. Bunlar benim için zor. 😊 Neyse ki ilk videoyu "Tõrva Noortekeskus " kanalında yayınladım ve ikinci videoyu hazırlıyorum. Umarım gençlik merkezi haftaya açılır ve çocuklarla yapacağımız eğlenceli aktiviteleri de paylaşabilirim.
Her şeye rağmen sağlıcakla kalın, yeni yılda umutlarınızı daha güçlü kılın ve peşinden gidecek cesaretiniz sizinle olsun! 😊
