There's a whole big world to enjoy in Istanbul, Turkey

Jacoba had the privilege of going with 16 other students from Dresden International School on a trip to Istanbul, Turkey during April. She stayed with a host family that was absolutely wonderful and spoiled her rotten. The only major disappointment for her trip was the weather, it was really damp, cold and very rainy. As you'll see in the photos, the weather didn't wipe away her beautiful smile, she enjoyed every moment.

The group actually went for a Performing Arts Festival, so their activities included theatrical presentations, making pieces of artwork, viewing other students artwork and touring the International School & City.

Here are some highlights directly from Jacoba.

Best Memory: My host family-they really were super nice, some other kids host families tried to be "American" but mine showed me lots of cool Turkish stuff.

Best Food: Turkish Meatballs-they were really buttery, it's like they would melt in your mouth.

Best Drink: Turkish Tea (only with 2 sugar cubes, though!), I even bought some to bring home and they drink it in these really cool tea cups (now my Mom is trying to buy some, they are small and she thinks they must make the tea taste even better.)

Funniest Experience/Event: The weather was horrible in Istanbul itself, and the funny part is, it was the best weather Dresden had seen yet! And, we were sitting in traffic (which was really bad) and when I looked over I saw a man walking down the street selling bread in between the cars. The bread was on a big stick he carried over his shoulder.



Thoughts about my host family: Very generous, kind, and outgoing. Only one member of the family spoke English to the extent I could understand her, but it wasn't so bad. The daughter translated a lot, and at the end of each sentence was: "If you want".

For example, "We can go to the beach and have ice-cream after dinner, if you want".

Or, "We can go to a really famous mosque, and have Macaroons, if you want."

They had 2 cats, and each had a name that was really hard to remember, I apologize... On my first night there, one cat fell asleep on top of my suitcase! I was very touched, I remember my Mom telling me that my first word was, "cat", so it seems just right.



What I saw at the Istanbul International School:

1 word: ART

make it 2words by adding: GALORE

There were several art pieces hanging up on the walls, and each was unique in its own special way. I had the privilege of going to the art room, where each art piece that was a work in progress. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it, the students there seemed to be really creative and talented.





What I learned from being a part of this group/trip:

There is a whole big world to enjoy, and if you can`t enjoy it, at least try to.