Yesterday, the group completed its second day in Istanbul. A surprise visit for some to a national TV show called Gunisigi (the equivalent of let's say: Good Morning, Turkey) started out the day while others were able to relax at Pierreloti Hill, a cafe atop one of the best views of the Golden Horn in Istanbul. This is a small waterway that partially dissects the two European sides of Istanbul. The cafe was named after the French officer, poet, and novelist, Pierre Loti. The Ottoman sultan at that time liked the poet so much that he gave him land in Istanbul. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Loti)

We are very thankful to STV and to Mr. Celik for arranging this opportunity for some of our guests. Our students and teachers had voted the night before on who would be able to do the live program as STV was only able to host 8 guests. At STV, 4 kids and 4 teachers were featured on live Turkish television yesterday, Monday, June 14th, 2010: Allison Skinner and Stacey Casey, Erika Bevers and Molly Newton, Kim Benefield and Melissa Kuester, and Kylie Brown and Carisa Griffin. Atakan joined the group to coordinate the translation while Sarabrynn was also available to facilitate the overall visit. DVD copies of the airing were given to those who participated.

After meeting back up with the rest of the group at Miniaturk, guests enjoyed seeing a panorama view of several miniatures of famous Turkish monuments, both man-made and natural. Miniaturk is a great place to go when you first get to Istanbul as you are able to see many of the historic and natural sites from a bird's-eye view such as the Hagia Sophia, the city of Mardin, Rumi's Tomb, and many, many more!

The group had lunch at Miniaturk outside under a tent (see group photo on blog). Next was a visit to Fetih College, a private school which hosts students from kinder garden through high school ( http://www.fetihkoleji.k12.tr//bpi.asp?caid=251&cid=99 ).

This was one of the favorite stops for the group as it was the first time students and teachers got a chance to see school life in Turkey. Differences between the American and Turkish educational systems include: taking a massive, cumulative exam upon exiting high school for entrance into the university system, the large lack of discipline problems in Turkish classrooms, the small ratio of students to teachers, and more. Most remarkable was the sight of how happy Turkish students are at school, as well as the design and overall cheerfulness of the school's appearance. In one cafeteria, lavender and blue were soothing colors for kids to absorb, while in other cafeterias, an orange scheme is used because of the color orange as one that is believed to make one hungry. Food quality in schools was another important observation our group made as fresh salads and a balanced meal are a staple of the curriculum at Fetih.

After the visit to Fetih College, the group just arrived last night to Ankara. Turkish Airlines was our flight carrier. We were surprised, even me, at the service on the flight since we were provided a full dinner on just a 45-minute flight: mixed salad, a sandwhich, a brownie, a small water, plus one other beverage of choice.

We are beginning our first day in Ankara today. The Ministry of Education is a stop for us today as well as the Superintendent of Schools in Ankara province and Turkish Parliament.

Best to all,

KCW