Experiencing Summer in Turkey

Summer is really hot in Turkey!!! Of course not only in Turkey......don’t let me start the topic of Global Warming!!!

But summer has a special effect on the Turks (especially the ones on Aegean or Mediterranean regions) is making them relax more and more (like they were not relaxed enough) and doing less and less (....). People are refugee in cafes/bars on sea side, or in summer houses in different villages on the coast or just escaping on coast cities , beaches and resorts. Izmir looks ghosted and the people that are forced to stay inside in the middle of the week for sure you don’t see them at the end of it. The perfect image of this ghosted city is in fact in the weekend. Can you speak about awareness campaigning, active participation, heavy social problems and topics to somebody in these days? Find them first and then try out!!! :)

I did tried to find them :) by going to their summer houses, in different sea resorts, in cafes as well and telling to myself autumn is coming and new opportunities as well.

What I did recently (even in the previously presented conditions)

• I visit some refugee organization (for some future work – they are also basing on the students involvement and if they will not join no big idea of mine will come true)
• Planning work for the camp on sustainable development in September and also for my home work for the training for trainers in Africa-Europe Cooperation (a training for global education multipliers)
• Planning work for my future months from my EVS – including some serious Turkish lesson (in a specialized school) because my students abandon me some months ago and either i am not good with languages to catch it by myself from streets or from books or serious training is need for this different family language!
• I moved 2 times from my temporary houses – is ok...now I have more peace and a more central location :) !!!
• I offered a “crying” shoulder for other EVSs from other organization from Izmir :) my university specialization is coming in force!
• If you didn’t understood from the photos (also from my last post- I cut my 4 years long rasta hair :) I started with a 0 haircut!!!

Autumn, be ready here I came with stronger force!!!

“Challenge YOU and YOUR community” represent an EVS project (European Voluntary Service) implemented by A.R.T. Fusion(Romania) and TOG (Community Volunteers, Turkey) financed by trough Youth in Action Programme by Romanian National Agency.

The opinions expressed in this article belong 100% to its author!

Intercultural model

In the last training I was involved in Africa I learned a very smart theory (although incomplete) about the cycle of phases of somebody that wants to be a empowered actor in a new culture/ setting/ organization and I think is really fits every long term volunteer/worker in a new culture that desire to be an integrative part of the new system he joined. I don’t have the name of the theory , also i don’t have all the names for each phase, look below and if you know who created this model or you have a more detailed description please contact me.

I discused with all my EVS volunteers friends about this model and all of them saw its relevance for themselves and for understanding their experience more.

There is nore determined time for each phase (everything can happen in one month or in years - is depending on the characteristics of both invidual and the cultural setting he is joing.

For more questions I am here,

Capacity of influencing how the system works	Knowing the system’s order. Rules, principles	ORDER	NO ORDER
POWER		4)“Empower Actor” After getting the order he is developing as well the power to influence it;	1)“New Comer Syndrome” He thinks he has the power but he doesn’t know the order of the new system; enthusiastic, motivated, full of energy and ambition
NO POWER		3)“Theory of the Plot” He starts to understand how the thinks works, to get the order but still not having the power for influencing it; therefore “ they have something with me/they don’t want me etc” phenomena is developing; very mental phase where cinism is strong, stereotypes and prejudices are mobilized;	2)“The Fall” – he realised he doesn’t know the order and therefore he has no power to do what he wanted ; frustration, disappointment, depression, anger (very emotional phase)