Erasmus+ project "Jump into the STREAM" in Antalya, Turkey

Monday 11.12.

Our trip in Antalya, Turkey is part of the project "Jump into a STREAM" and the idea is that every country takes one topic from Arts, Technology, Science and Mathematics. In Turkey the topic is Art. What is a bit different is also that we work with 3 different schools here and so we get to spend one day of the week at each of them.

The first school was a high school with specialization on science and natural sciences. We had a nice and warm welcome, tour of the school and after a short presentation of each of the teams we started with the activity. The local team was teaching us how to use the art technique or marble painting. The idea is that we pour paint into water and create various designs by arranging the paint into patterns. We made some nice art this way and let our creativity go wild. 

After traditional Turkish lunch we went to see the Antalya museum of history. We learned about the rich prehistoric and antic history of the region of Antalya and took a digital tour to the past using some cool new technology. Rest of the afternoon we spent time with your hosts and visited beach or mountains and some of us went to a local bazaar to shop for some gifts. 

Turkey is really interesting for us, most of us have never been here and we learn so much about the history, food, habits and culture from this trip already on the first day. 

Tuesday 12.12.

Today we started the day at the administrative center for schools for the entire Antalya region. They are responsible for managing all the schools and that is also why we work with 3 of them this week. 

We visited a different school today and received a warm welcome. There was a band playing traditional Turkish music using traditional instruments, we watched and learned traditional folk dances and at the end learned how to make the Turkish carpet. Each symbol at the carpet has a different meaning and so they tell a story when "read" properly. After the welcome we had a moment of artistic improvisation and creativity by expanding a picture of Antalya with our imagination. It was fun and the results were like from a gallery :) 

Lunch was served at a very typical local restaurant and we got a taste of the rich world of flavors that make the Turkish cuisine. And then it was off to a cable car ride high up the mountain and to see the hills and the city of Antalya from the top. We really enjoy the stay here, mostly because people here are very friendly, hospitable and spontaneous and they always have smile on their faces. We feel like the mood of happiness is spreading also to us and we feel a connection being created. 

The afternoon was again for us to enjoy time together and with our families. Some took us to the city, others to a wildlife and we also saw aquarium and a local amazing waterfall. Turkey is really place full of beauty and we are happy that thanks to Erasmus we could see it all, make new friends and learn about each other's culture. 

Wednesday 13.12.

One of the things we find different in Turkey is the religion and some of its forms. Every morning and 4 more times during the day we are awoken by the call to prayer from minarets that are all over the city. It adds an exotic flavor to the morning routine. 

Today we went to visit the 3rd school that we work with. It was interesting how every school visit was different. This school was new, built only in 2015 and it had an amazing view over the city and the mountains. It is also a school that many migrants attend, so we met students with rich cultural backgrounds like Iraq, Syrie and other. As before, everyone was very nice and we got to taste some small snacks that are traditional for this region. 

Next was some art related task where we made a drawing with sponges. It was fun and we were proud of our creations under the lead of the art teacher. She looked very Bohemian and knew a lot about art and was very supportive in our art expressions. Then it was time to learn some traditional dance and songs and some background of local music instruments, it's history and we even tried to play it. That was not easy at all. 

Lunch was held at an adult education institution where we saw some workshops for adults like ceramics, leather work or metallurgy. And the last activity of the day was a visit to the old town, we saw the amazing fortress, Roman harbour, small streets with cute houses and had time to buy some souvenirs for our families at home like spices, local tee or some handmade products. Free time was spent with ice cream enjoying the sun. It is December here but we are surrounded by palm trees and orange trees and the temperature is around 18 degrees. Maybe we will all move our school here, at least for the winter. 

Thursday 14.12.

This day was dedicated to the Turkish history. We didn't know there are so many antic ruins around Antalya. We visit 3 former big cities of the antic Greece and Rome. What surprised and award us is the fact that these survived even though they are over 2000 years old. We visited Perge and 2 other places and first went to see the model of the city as it looked in the ancient times and then had an adventure in between the ruins. We saw the theater, stadium, Hadrian Gate and ancient shopping street. 

We had with us also a digital guide available that showed us how the places looked when they were built. This has taught us a lot about the history of the Greek and Roman civilization. We learned and saw how was their everyday life and how they spent their free time. Interesting thing everywhere in around Antalya are the bitter oranges. They grow all over the city and look very fresh. We tried to taste one but we learned why they are called bitter oranges. They tasted like lemons and we were told nobody eats them and they are only used in some special sauce. 

The evening was, again, spent with our families. We got to know almost the whole neighborhood of our host families because when their friends and neighbors heard they have guests from Finland, everyone wanted to come and have a tea with us. The Turkish teas is another interesting thing. The people here drink it even more than Finns coffee. It is served at all occasions and it keeps coming. It is a strong black tea served in a small pear-shaped glass. And it is very bitter so we always have to put sugar in it. 

Friday 15.12.

Today is the last day of the activities in Antalya. To be able to spend more time with our friends and host families the programme for today is a bit shorter. 

We went to see the waterfall that was first a natural one but then it was modulated by people into a form it has now. It is part of a botanical garden and we go to see the fauna of Turkey, palms, fruits, and many other plans we have never seen before. 

After that it was a short trip to the beach but the weather was not very nice. Instead we went to see a mosque and got a little lesson about moslim religion. The call for prayer is done 5 times a day by the Iman and it can be recorded but a good Iman with an ability to sing can also do it life. Like for us Sunday, the biggest praying time for moslim is Friday at 13:00. They take their shoes off in front of the mosque and washed their faces and hands and feet. For the prayer they need to be clean. 

Men and women pray separately, and the Iman has always some short speech about a topic that the ministry prepared for them. So the topic is always the same at all mosques. They can be anything from how to be a good husband to how to be a kind person or how to help poor. Sometimes they also talk about animals. And here we want to point out that Antalya was full of cats and dogs, they were wild ones running around but they were not scary at all. And they all looked healthy and so that they are well taken care of. We noticed that many people leave food for them in front of their homes. And all the dogs were chipped and vaccinated. We think it is a very nice detail to have animals in the city. It gives it a nice feel and if you like animals, there is always someone to pet. 

Later on it was a free time again and we were a bit sad to have to go back home. But we have many good memories and so much we have learned. And new friends that we will see soon in Finland on another Erasmus trip.