HIGH SCHOOL JOURNEY PART-5

My last journey in High School was going to United Kingdom. It was my dream to go there because the sprit of those lands and stories were affecting me so much. Depressed weather conditions, careless faces, architecture… But this journey will be the same as my life, it will seem nice and then I feel the pain. Even though I had so much good time, I had many problems which let me to be depressed. (Actually, it was the thing I wanted. I am not complaining here) After we arrived to UK, first difference was the roads and cars. They were using right side instead of left side. It was my first cultural shock. When we got in a car, they asked us to put our seat belts on. I said what for I am sitting in back. They said here is not Turkey, everyone should put their seat belts, or we will stay here. I put my seat belt and we went to hotel that we will spend the days.

Our visa got accepted because we applied for a language course there. We went there 4 or 5 times in total and travelled around London all the time. First time I was in the language course I met with a girl in garden when she was crying. I learned that she is a friend of my classmate. We started talking and decided to meet at weekend. Days were passing so fast there; I was going out for night walks, watching people, and feeling the air. But it couldn’t last that long, I lost my phone in a museum (probably stolen) and for half of the journey I must stay without phone.

After losing my phone everything started to get worse. I almost have no photos from this journey. Everywhere we go I was waiting for people to take photos. But it turned out very good because it was the first time after years, I was not using any mobile device with me. When I was waiting for the people, I was walking and enjoying the moment. Because for me it was the first and last time, I see those places in my life in that age. It was a huge recognition for me in that time. I understood importance of the moment.

We were staying in Chelsea city which was my favourite team’s hometown. I was a huge fan of Lampard; he was the leader of the football team. I never imagined of going to their stadium. There was also a match at there but guess what… Since I didn’t have my phone, they didn’t let me go because I was under 18 and they were scared If I get lost or something happens to me. Also, this situation got worse, and they didn’t allow me to go out with the friends I met in language course.

After I turned back to Turkey there was a big problem in my mind. Since I couldn’t meet with the friends I had in UK, I couldn’t contact them from anywhere because I didn’t have phone. Biggest problem was I couldn’t remember the girl I met there. I just remember her friends name who was my classmate. I’d seen many dreams, she was saying “my name is ….” There was no voice in last part. I was getting crazy and found my classmate’s facebook account. I saw the photos of them together and asked her what her name is. She smiled and said “Are you stupid? Her name is labelled on the photo!” I was shocked, I didn’t want to ask her this because I was shy and knew there had to be a way to learn her name instead of asking my classmate. I opened the photo and clicked on the labels then I saw the name of her. Her name was “Julia” …

HIGH SCHOOL JOURNEY PART-4

 

Last year of my high school made me grow so much. I started to be a person who understands his responsibilities and effects of behaviours. I became a person who cares nothing. I was being lazy all the time, doing nothing. It was almost the same in the primary school time. I didn’t have almost any hope for future and wanted to be dead all the time. Two important things happened in this year, I joined a band called “ALBINO” and I went to UK.

I had another close friend in high school, his name is Yalcin. He was playing many instruments and he was very talented. He was the leader of Albino and he changed people in the band, but he was never satisfied. After some time, he found his drummer and singer but there was one position missing, bass guitarist! They called me to join them in the studio and when I arrived, they asked me to go and buy tobacco. When I turned back, they started to stare at me. One by one they said “you have the nose, you have the stupid humour, you have the soul to be a bass guitarist! Would you like to join our band?” I was shocked but felt so happy, I directly accepted the offer and started to play. I remember first time randomize song. I enjoyed it a lot…

After some time, we got an offer to perform in Zorlu PSM which is very famous place. The problem is we were just started and had nothing. In 2 months, we had to be ready for the concert! They started to write songs and do everything, but I couldn’t do anything. They were way ahead of me. I felt so bad those times tried to do something but all they do was having fun and making jokes on me. I felt insulted but at the same time having the best time in my life.

Concert was a big success and they asked us to come again to perform before the famous bands. We were so happy but there was a huge problem. All of us were going to join university exam and it was so important for all… Also, not only the exam but also feeling happy with the depressed songs we made was not right. It was opposite to our ideology and after we turned back, we couldn’t write any new song or did nothing. We suddenly stop talking and It was the end of Albino for us. (I still miss those days and use the name Albino in many games as a Guild name)

After almost one month I learned that there will be a trip to UK with a private group. I was so excited and wanted to join. Finally, something was not related to my high school. I got accepted and did every paperwork. For Turkey it is hard to get visa from UK as some other countries do. I was little bit anxious but nothing bad happened. I remember the first time I get in the bus at UK airport… Steering wheel of the car was on opposite side of the car! UK was going to be my lovely grunge country…

 

HIGH SCHOOL JOURNEY PART-3

Middle of my high school is the most exciting part of my teenage years. The person I’ve become dates back to those years, I guess. I was always arguing with people. I loved to act like stupid because I wanted to show them the other side of general people. There were basic topics for me which I could easily understand but didn’t prefer to do it. In general, those were about cultural walls that people don’t think about but obey.

In 3^rd year of high school, I was not a believer anymore. The society I was living in was generally included Muslim people. They were not Muslims for me, maybe just followers of Anatolian cultural costumed religion thing. For thousand years religions appeared in this region and people followed the rules. I wanted to break them so hard that I didn’t care about anything else.

That year was also the year when government announced that women can wear hijab at school. I was angry to this decision because it was just about Muslims, and they were using this to get more votes… We (men) were not allowed to have long hair, wear earrings or piercings but for everything were allowed. This situation triggered my anger more and more.

One day when I was waiting for the lesson to start, one of our head teachers came and told me to take out my bandanna from my head. I was not surprised but it was my time for to shine. I started argument with this sentence “My religion tells me to wear this, if hijab is allowed for Muslim girls I want the same privilege.” At the end I won, felt so relaxed and proud of myself. Following days there were more arguments like this with teachers and I was beating them one by one…

After some months it was time for the best Erasmus+ project in the school. I was this time hundred percentage sure I will go to other countries. I was joining the online meetings, making presentations about global warming. I was so happy till I learned I won’t be able to join any of them. This time I learned the truth. As I mentioned earlier, I reported some students to Ministry of Education. Because od this there were many problems occurred in the school, they started to investigate our school and our teachers had some trouble times… Our school manager was offended and stopped talking to me because of this but I didn’t know anything.

I went to him and tried to talk with him, but he was not even looking to my face! Then I made my move with religion argument again. (This one is my favourite) I told him that a “Muslim cannot stop speaking with another muslim more than 3 days! You’ve been not talking to me for months which I didn’t recognize…” He turned his face to me and started to apologize (funny). He promised me about the projects that I will go to Italy and Poland.

After I solved this problem, I turned back home happy and start waiting the day. One week later I had another hard argument with a teacher who was the wife of assistant director. She asked us to bring quiz book with us. I brought quiz papers and she refused and said I want book not papers -This woman also didn’t give me 0.5-point earlier term, so I had some troubles with the lesson after. And her husband was always disturbing me in the lessons like making jokes on me-.  I started to read book instead of solving my paper quiz. 

After some time she said why don’t u solve your quiz, I was so happy that she asked this question. I told her that I don’t have any quiz if I had u wouldn’t refuse. She started screaming and said meet me at the manager’s office after the lesson. I went to the office after the lesson, and I was so happy. She started to write something on the paper at the room while acting like she was innocent with tears in her eyes. I was laughing all the time and tried to cut her speech, but manager didn’t let me to do it. He said wait for your turn. I was fully sure she couldn’t do anything to me!

I waited for an hour for her speech to finish and started to talk. After 2 sentences manager stopped me and said we will meet you at board of discipline. I was shocked but expected this to happen and I stood up and said “I would love to talk there instead of talking in front of people who doesn’t do their job as professionals. You are just bored and searching for fun which I would love to be a part of. See you there!” I closed the door so hard that anyone could hear the sound in the school.

I don’t know if it’s about this situation, but they again didn’t let me to join the projects again. I got so angry and talked with the teachers I am good with. I told them everything and they said that this school doesn’t deserve those projects because of the manager and his assistances. They promised that they’re not going to do another project there ever again. I was depressed after those problems and started to smoke and drink alcohol, I didn’t feel well. I was feeling like I will never have a chance to go to another country again till I found another opportunity to go United Kingdom in 4^th year of high school…

HIGH SCHOOL JOURNEY PART-2

After turning back from Macedonia, I felt myself as an important person. Before that I only felt loneliness and sadness. But the people I met there improved me a lot. As I mentioned “The Huge Step” in my life at high school was going to happen in that summer. I decided to start studying Language Department in high school which will be the most important decision I’ve ever made.

Normally our school doesn’t provide this opportunity because there is not much request on this department. Ever year students got together and try their best to open this department. As you can guess they couldn’t, but we did. It was so difficult not at the beginning also in every year. We had 2 different classrooms; in general lessons we were in first classroom with other students and in special ones we were in second classroom.

The problem was about our language class had 11 students and almost all of them were marginal people. Whenever we join general lessons we had fights with other students about religions, ideas etc. I remember my fights with teachers…  (I will write another article about it.) Also, there were other students who were disturbing me all the time and teachers were doing nothing. In time I got angrier to school and to teachers and reported them to Ministry of Education. But there were no one coming and nothing happened (I was thinking like that in that time).

While those stupid things were happening there were also Erasmus+ projects which I could join. Me and my 4 friends applied for first project in Romania, we were all expecting to get approved and go to the project because we were in language department. After 3-4 days a student came and called 4 friends who applied to the project with me. I was little bit shocked but didn’t understand what’s going on that time.

After they turned back our teacher explained me the situation. There were 8 places for students, and they decide to send students who didn’t join any projects before. But the way they do is sending one new student with a one who’ve been in another project. Its hard to explain but they will go like couples. Anyway, then she added “in the next project you will go I promise.”

I was feeling terrible, destroyed, collapsed… After they turned back, I was listening to them and feeling terrible. I wanted to join that project so much but there was nothing I could do. I start waiting for the other one. I learned that in other project there were 5 or 6 countries we will have opportunity to visit. Which made me so much more excited. It improved my motivation a lot and I started to study more and more… 

HIGH SCHOOL JOURNEY PART-1

My high school was the second-best school in our town. In 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade we were joining exams at the end of each year. With the grades we were applying for high school. In the school I got accepted, I was in the middle of list. I wanted to go the first one, but my primary school was failure, so I ended up with this one. School was a mixture of everything. It was possible to find every type of people. Lessons were so different; topics were more interesting for me.

At the first year I made a huge step in my life. Normally I was a math student, which means I was going to select a department related to math. But at the end of the year, I had a chance to visit Macedonia with my school. After Macedonia, the path that I was walking in give me another chance to change the way, I loved different paths all my life and said to myself why not?

Our school had a sibling school in Macedonia. Every year we visit each other. Students stay in host families and go somewhere with teachers. It was my first experience being outside of my country. I was not expecting that I would love it that much. We used bus as vehicle to go to Macedonia. We passed through Bulgaria first. I still remember the first time I saw St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. It was my first-time meeting with Christianity and church idea. Seeing pictures on the wall and burning candles.

After Bulgaria we moved to Macedonia. There is a city called Vinica, we stayed there for 10 days. It was the first time I was obligated to speak English. I never felt this feeling before that moment. I was at home and trying to communicate with my host family. It took me 3-4 days to start talking easily, but it was not enough for me. I started to learn Macedonian… It was so strange I was able to almost understand general things people were talking about. I felt like I discovered my secret skill. I directly started learning and tried to join all conversations.

I also almost had a girlfriend there. I didn’t want it but I was so popular and I had to pick someone. On the way back we visited Greece. I felt almost the same as I felt in Turkey. Culture and people almost everything was the same. Also, there was an important thing, someone tried to steal our passports. Luckly our teacher understood the plan, and nothing happened.

I am not sure if we visited Bulgaria first then turn back Turkey on Greece, but important part of this article is the events I had. In the first day at Macedonia, the girl which I later pick to be my girlfriend asked me to meet with her friends. That day I was the only person in our school group that met with almost 30 new people. I was so proud of myself…