Michelle Pham was our representative at the World Youth Congress in Istanbul in Turkey. Our club paid for her trip there.

This really opened her eyes for travel and how alike we all are.  We all want the same basic things in life.

There we students there from many different countries of the world.

In her dorm she was bunked in with Zimbabwe, Brazil, Poland, America and Turkey.

It was 45 degrees outside so we spent some time inside getting to know each other.

She was part of a group that was under 18 and there were 30 if them.

There were 60 Canadians all together.

Every day was something new.

We had drummers one day.  See video.

We had no conflicts here, yet there are so many through out the world.  Why?

We had Muslims and every sect of Christianity all together.

It was interesting to watch while the mass of people that all adhered to the Muslim way of life.

The call to prayer was right across the city. Every one went.

We had little sleep for two weeks.

We left feeling that we must have more intercontinental exchange of culture in the world.

It gave a new face to conflict in the world.

 
 Istanbul was an interesting place to have the congress as it straddles the two continents of Europe and Asia.

Istanbul had a Metro but when we arrived we had no local currency so we had to ask for help and people just gave us coins for the ride.

She found out that Turkish delight is a real product.  Who knew!  It was good.

5 times a day the local people are called for Prayer in the Muslim faith.

We went to the Mosque every day.

We took our shoes off to enter.

Michelle is writing for two newspapers now. She sings in the Bach choir with her brother.

This past year she has participated in a school clean up and a lakeside clean up.

There were cigarettes butts everywhere.

At the end of the World Youth congress the sent out a resolution to the world leaders and it was read out to them at a big conference in Mexico so she felt the time had been well worthwhile.

Harreson thanked the speaker.