Petar Petkov’s visit to Antalya, Turkey

 

Petar Petkov’s visit to Antalya, Turkey

(Erasmus+ participant)

 My name is Petar Petkov, I’m a 12^th grade student from the Maths and Science School “Ekzarh Antim I”. I live and study in the city of Vidin, Bulgaria. I’m grateful that I took part in the Erasmus+ project in 2021/2022 firstly as a host, and then as a guest in Antalya, where I have never been before. In this essay I will let you know what was my experience in Turkey with my friends, some of whom are old ones and others – newmade.

I’ll start with our arrival in Istanbul after a long (but enjoyable) bus trip starting from Vidin. To be honest, we couldn’t see much because it was 2 am but I was really amazed by how large and wide-open was everything there. After a while we got to the airport and when the time came we took our flight to Antalya.

The first thing I noticed was that it was full of palm trees everywhere instead of the broad-leaved trees we are used to in Bulgaria. The whole greenery was completely different from what I’ve seen before and I really appreciated the atmosphere it creates. Anyways, after a few minutes some teachers from the Turkish group took us to have lunch – ‘’Turkish breakfast’’. In spite of the name, I don’t think I’m able to eat so much food as I wake up, it was amazing. Then they took us to the dorms where we were going to spend the nights. I won’t lie, I didn’t know what to expect but as we came in and saw the rooms, I knew I was in a good place. Then, in the same day, they took us to see a fascinating waterfall right next to the seaside.

In the first two days the weather wasn’t really good so we mostly stayed in the school area, where we met a lot of new people with whom we had fun around the different classrooms. I enjoyed visiting the Philosophy, Music and Art classes where we once tried a unique painting technique.

The next days the weather was getting better so we started visiting some outdoors places, including the ancient town Perge, Pamukkale, Kurshunlu Shelalesi and much others. All of them were not only amazingly beautiful but also soaked with history which makes them much more interesting to visit. I also shall acknowledge the adventure in Davraz where I went skiing for the first time – I can’t tell I’m a professional but it was fun still.

I should not miss the part when we had some work done in the schools. All of the groups had a couple of presentations connected with bees and bee products, which were all interesting to see. There were also some workshops where we were crafting, painting or trying stuff which as a whole was really enjoyable.

Also, this essay wouldn’t be full if I don’t say anything about the great food I tried in Turkey. Starting with kofte and piyas, going through ishkembe, kele paca (my favourites) and doner with some ayran and finishing with kadaif and BAKLAVA (soguk baklava is better). With surprise I found out that a lot of things from the Turkish cuisine are very similar to some from the Bulgarian one: kaymak, kofte, yogurt and so on.

In order to keep the essay from turning into a novel, I can’t really tell everything in a great detail but all in all, I should tell that seeing those fascinating places, trying the delicious Turkish food, doing some activities for the first time and most importantly – meeting a lot of kind and funny people, with whom we will stay friends for years by now, are things that I’ll be thankful for for my entire life. Firstly, thanks to the nicest hosts I’ve ever had and secondly – thanks to the Erasmus project that makes such a great experience come true.

 

The paintings are inspired by my experience in Antalya and are made by me after I returned to Bulgaria

Petar Petkov