Vocational Study Exchange program 2015 – Turkey

Libby introduced herself in Turkish and gave a very interesting presentation from some of her 3400 photos of the trip, on the VSE Team (Rachael, Caroline, Tenille and Robyn) visit to Turkey.

 

 

As the presentation was detailed, some of the points were;

When looking at the photos in the presentation one must remember, they were mainly in the Istanbul region, the city has 17 million people along the narrow Bosphorus. It is crowded and has many problems of an ancient large city. Turkey is a complex society having many conflicting aspects. Politics, religion versus secular, environmental issues, farming versus urban areas, old versus new, traditions v modernisation.

 

The team were warmly welcomed at many Rotary clubs, communities and businesses. Some features of Turkey are the farming extremes from small landholding and free moving shepherding of sheep to highly mechanised production.

 

Remnants of the many waves of war are found across the countryside, gun emplacements and old memorials of long ago wars. Schools varied from Government, with little or no funding, to elite schools. Rotary funded a school for deaf children.

 

Food was great, and offered everywhere they went.  In one village the locals rolled out a carpet onto the ground brought out fresh food.

 

Turkey has high tech manufacturing and some labour intensive produce such as silk on silk carpet weaving taking up to 1600 knots per square centimetre worth hundreds of thousands. Libby brought a small one to the club tonight for display.

 

Other places visited were caves, balloon rides, hotels, 11^th century towers, Hagia Sophia mosque, blue mosque, palaces, towers, Roman water storage, Grand Bazar of 6400stalls, whirling dervishes, Spice Bazar, and many other architectural examples of old and new.

 

Libby ended the presentation by playing a recording of a Turkish traditional song with photos of their visit and handed President Neil a set of Turkish Rotary club banners collected during their visit.

 

When asked how she could remember everything covered in tonight’s presentation. Libby says she kept a detailed journal of each day of their visit. Barbara gave a vote of thanks for a most enjoyable presentation and given the extent of their visit perhaps another presentation.