A theme of the project was natural disasters and the programme involved, for instance, visits to places dealing with earthquake research.
Thanks to this exchange I expanded my knowledge on dealing with various natural disasters.
However, the exchange included not only education about disasters – it was also an opportunity to explore different cultures. I was very surprised by the food. Very greasy dishes and a huge amount of meat that is eaten every day were a big surprise for me but at the same time a fascinating element of local culture that I wouldn’t experience in any other way (especially since I’m a vegetarian haha).
During the week in Türkiye, I also had a chance to practice the basics of the Turkish language (very few people knew the English language in the locality where we lived which made my stay in Türkiye much more interesting.)
What is more, the exchange gave me the chance to meet wonderful people from different corners of the world. I’ve been practicing English every day, developing my language skills but, more importantly, I’ve made new friendships that I hope will last 😊.
One more time thank you for support of LEVEL UP!
I have already participated in 5 such projects and I’m sure I will apply for new exchanges. Youth exchange is a great opportunity to gain knowledge about new cultures, practice English and improve such skills as teamwork.
Alicja 22 years old, youth exchange “Don’t take risk, but precaution”, Düzce, Türkiye.
The exchange in Türkiye was a great experience for me. Before it, I hadn’t had any knowledge of natural disasters which is logical, considering their occurrence in Poland. However, after the trip, I feel more competent in this subject matter.
Besides, I fell in love with the culture of Türkiye – not too distant, very different, but at the same time friendly. I had the pleasure to meet a wonderful Polish team and other amazing people thanks to whom every moment spent there was pleasant. The most difficult thing for me was to move around there without the Internet. In general, life with no Internet wasn’t easy but I had a chance to have a short, but very much-needed detox from social media. When I came back, I couldn’t understand half of the new trends! I tried to learn a little Turkish, but some funny things came out of it, for example, when I wanted to order one ice cream with double caramel, I just got two of them.
Thank you especially to Kamila, Patrycja, Alicja and Filip – the Polish team, for the time we spent together.
I think that exchanges are a great way to spend free time. Such trips have only advantages – you learn engagingly, meet new people and, besides, you get to know plenty new cultures!
Bartek, 16 years old, youth exchange “Don’t take risk, but precaution”, Düzce, Türkiye.
The project in Düzce was an extremely interesting experience.
On the factual side, I learned a lot about all kinds of natural disasters and ways of their prevention. I also learned how to cooperate with people from different cultures and countries. A big surprise for me was the lifestyle of Turkish people, which is very different from the European one. It is more conservative, but at the same time, Turkish hospitality has no equal. The food proposed by the facilitators was, unfortunately, not the best quality, as it was very monotonous and greasy.
However, we ate in local restaurants at prices much lower than in Poland.
I am grateful to LEVEL UP for choosing me to participate in this project and for allowing me to meet so many intelligent and ambitious young people.
I’m sure that the friendships I’ve made here will last for years.
I definitely recommend my peers to participate in such trips because they allow us getting to know new cultures and, above all, to make new acquaintances.
Filip, youth exchange “Don’t take risk, but precaution”, Düzce, Türkiye.
What surprised me the most during my trip to Türkiye were the people. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to meet Alicja, Patrycja, Filip and Bartek. Being the leader of such an intelligent team was a great experience for me.
I couldn’t have dreamed of better people! I’m grateful that I meet only valuable people on my path.
Türkiye itself greeted us with quite greasy food – I sincerely admire residents of this country that they can consume such stodgy dishes every day. I can’t complain, however, about the hospitality of Turkish people – they welcomed us everywhere with tea and warm-heartedness. Unfortunately, we had communication problems because hardly anyone there speaks English.
When it comes to the project itself, the most valuable experience was visiting the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Red Crescent organisation. They showed us how they help the local community during earthquakes that recurrently occur in this region. I think that during this trip I learned a lot about the activities of these organisations.
The LEVEL UP Association deserves great applause for creating development opportunities for young people. I enjoy that the organisation has chosen a direction that focuses on preparing young people to enter the labour market through the development of both hard and soft skills. I think that LEVEL UP is one of the best functioning non-governmental organisations for young people in Poland.
You should try new things in life. You can make mistakes because every mistake is a lesson. Inaction resulting from the fear of change is the worst you can do. Mobilities allow us to step out of our comfort zone and prepare us to deal with worse moments in life. And even if we do not like this, there is always a chance we’ll hear one sentence that will change us. It is worth going for any mobility even for this one sentence and internal transformation.
Kamila, 28 years old, youth exchange “Don’t take risk, but precaution”, Düzce, Türkiye.
Many cats on the streets, chanting prayers you can hear all over the city (even at 5 a.m.), kebab everywhere, and people drinking tea in huge amounts … these are just some cultural features I have noticed in Türkiye.
I’m thrilled I was able to participate in this project because, for the first time, I have felt such a cultural difference (in comparison to the European cities I have visited so far). Indeed, getting to know other cultures or talking with people from other countries who have different traditions, values or experiences, are- in my opinion, the best aspects of international exchanges! Great activities that take place during every project are cultural evenings. Teams have to portray their country to the rest of the participants using a presentation, traditional foods, drinks etc. We shared fun facts about Poland, danced the “Belgijka (The Chapelloise)” dance, and prepared Polish dainties. A fun fact: crackers with pâté and kabanos sausages received the biggest recognition:)) And dancing “Belgijka” dance is always super funny.
The trip to the waterfall was the event that I enjoyed the most during our project. We had a picnic and a meeting with people from a language school. It was a time of integration in nature, which I adored!
I also have to mention the Polish team, with whom we adapted simply great! We spent a lot of time talking with each other, gossiping, and strolling around Türkiye.
It was my first but hopefully not last project together with LEVEL UP!! I strongly recommend everyone to take advantage of the opportunities that the EU gives us, including youth exchanges! If you have never been on such an exchange, it’s time to take that first step!!
I strongly recommend such trips to everyone! It’s a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world, visit other countries and learn about their cultures. Another important aspect is language practice. The exchanges helped me a lot in this matter. Before my first Erasmus, I never had the opportunity to speak English, however, after a few exchanges I feel more comfortable doing so. The same situation is when someone feels stressed out when talking with other people. Exchanges are perfect for getting out of your comfort zone, as everyone there is open and non-judgmental:))
Patrycja, 19 years old, youth exchange “Don’t take risk, but precaution”, Düzce, Türkiye.
