Hello from Istanbul!
I am here on my last but one mobility trip to Zübeyde Hanim Īlköğretīm Okulu, our Turkish partner school. I’ve just arrived after a 10-hour coach journey, together with eleven teachers from “Hristo Yassenov” Secondary School. Serhat is here to meet and take us to the hotel, which is in a nice and rather busy area, near Taxim square.
Although it’s an exam day, our partners are ready to welcome us with a wonderful show of traditional dances and music from the different regions of Turkey. The Dervish dancers are amazing. Parents have also come to see the performance. Everybody is so excited. My Turkish friend Lemon takes me around the school and introduces me to pupils and teachers there. Nice classrooms for about 40 students, each one with modern equipment. I wish all our rooms had an interactive board.
I can see that they have been working hard on our project – our project map, the welcome poster, the presentations on the partner countries. It’s time for the traditional exchange of presents. The school staff have prepared delicious snacks for us. Yammy!
The next day of my visit is 1st May - a national holiday in Turkey, as in our country. Although all the roads are closed, our hosts, Serhat and the head teacher have managed to come and pick us up from the hotel, after a five-kilometre-walk. They show us around the magnificent Istanbul. So many sights, so much history so many Bulgarian tourists.
We see Top Kapi Saray, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Galata Tower.
In the end, I ‘m feeling so tired that I’m immediately going to bed, while my teachers are feeling like exploring the city further on. They are going on a night Bosphurus boat tour. Oh, I should have joined them. They say it’s been a marvelous experience.
After some shopping on the next day, we are on our way back to Bulgaria. The coach to Sofia is waiting for us at Bayrampasa.
