SKILLS in Turkey

Between 5 and 11 January 2022, “Suleyman Demirel Anadolu Lisesi” high school from Istanbul in Turkey, hosted third mobility under the Erasmus + KA2 school partnership project “With the Skills of the Future for a Successful Job and Life”. In addition to the host school, students and teachers of the “Technical School Požega”, from Croatia, along with the students and teachers from “Kanepi Gugrass Gümnaasium”, from Estonia, which is the project coordinator, also participated. The students and teachers from the partner schools in Italy and Slovenia, unfortunately, did not come to Istanbul because of the complex situation due to the COVID pandemic.
At the beginning of the meeting, the students, through prepared presentations of each school partner in the project, talked about the professions of the future, jobs that will be important in the future, and the ones that will soon vanish.

Learning activities aimed to highlight the importance of developing communication skills in everyday life, school and business cooperation. Through a seminar that contained lectures and workshops, students learned the development of communication throughout history, as well as the development of a letter and a communication device. They have found out what communication is, and what isn't, how it starts and ends. The lectures depicted the emotions and psychological states of people. The lecturers launched a discussion on the communication used by women and on the communication used by men. An understanding of the animals in nature was also considered.

Students participated in debates with the topics: “Is technology good for people?”, “What is more important to people - love or money? “, “Should students attend college?”. Developing the ability to discuss and present attitudes and opinions will be a useful knowledge of life for the students. In particular, a lecture on how to do a job interview properly and how to write a perfect CV will help them a lot. The students learned how to show themselves in the best light and how to communicate properly.
Going to Istanbul is certainly a special experience that most people fantasize about, especially challenging was the visit to students. As Istanbul is a multimillion city spread on European and Asian parts of the mainland, participants in the tour have been introduced to the most important attractions and cultural sights.
The school and hotel in which the participants were accommodated are located in the district of Kartal, located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Moral Sea. Although it is far from the centre of the city, Kartal is heavily populated.

On the Asian side, on a hill above the city, there's a lookout. The entire park is intertwined with tables, chairs, and benches that come from the city of Istanbul to relax, talk, or enjoy beautiful views. From any position on the city, a magnificent view is provided, and places for taking photos are designed for tourists who want to take them as a memory of the historic and modern city of Istanbul, which is perfect in that unique combination.
The Beykoz glass and crystal museum is located in a beautiful wooded area on the Asian side of Istanbul near the bridge of Fatima Sultan Mehmet. The museum was named after the imperial glass factory and the Beykoz crystal formed in the same neighbourhood during the Ottoman period. It is filled with pieces of wondrous glass objects, and among them is the royal carriage of Sultan Mahmud II adorned with mirror glass.

The elegant palace of Beylerbeyi is located in the district of Beylerbeyi on the Asian coast of the Bosporus. The palace was ordered it in the mid-19th century by Sultan Abdülaziz. It was a summer residence of the sultan and a prominent place to entertain important foreign visitors. It is made in French non-traditional style with the traditional Ottoman establishment plan. It's exterior was made of stone and marble, and interior was decorated with brick walls and wooden floors. Large carpets, bohemian crystal chandeliers, French watches, and Chinese, Japanese, French and Turkish porcelain vases adorn the interior. Gardens are full of different kinds of trees, with a beautiful view of the Bosporus, and two small pavilions at sea along the docks that the sultans used to enjoy the view of passing ships.
The Sultanahine area, the centre of old Istanbul on the European side, thanks to its great past as the main ruler of both the Ottoman and the Byzantine Empire, contains tourist attractions, all of which are timeless buildings and landmarks. From buildings within this district, emperors and sultans made decisions that shaped events around the world and determined the course of history.
The Palace of Topkapi Saraj was the main residence of the Ottoman sultans until the mid-19th century and is now open as a museum and is the great tourist attraction of Istanbul. The palace is divided into several logical units, courtyards. In the interior of this monumental building, the gates are the most famous Royal gates that enter the first courtyard. Apart from the the courtyard inside the palace, there was an unavoidable Harem in which the Sultan's family was located.

The 17th century blue mosque, famous for its six minarets, is an icon that reflects the brilliance of the Ottoman architecture and depicts the modern life of Muslims in the largest city of Turkey.
Situated on the opposite side, Aja Sofia used to be a large dome building and operated as a church and a mosque before it became a museum in the 1930’s, and now it is the Great World Mosque. Although the building itself is an architectural marvel, Islamic calligraphy and karst mosaics within the same walls are its gems.
The great Bazal, unique by its appearance, construction and size, like a covered marketplace, surrounded by walls with associated alleys, hides over 4,000 different stores.
The Galata Bridge is one of Istanbul's known buildings and is sung in many songs and literary works. The bridge connects the old historic part of the city where the imperial palace was located and other significant buildings of religious and secular institutions with city districts.

The Galata Tower, built in the middle of the 14th century, was the tallest building in Istanbul at the time. This sensational edifice is one of the most remarkable buildings in Istanbul. The tower is about 60 feet (60 m) high, nine stories high, and it has a beautiful view on the Golden Horn, a rucksack separating the old part of Istanbul from its modern part.
A tour by a tourist boat along the canal will give you an awesome portion of the city of Istanbul and that part of the coastline where old historical buildings that fascinate with their mirrored in the sea can be seen. The most recognizable and most beautiful decorations of the city of Istanbul are the three major boroughs that intercede traffic from Europe to the Asian side.
The Croatian team during the sightseeing of the city also used the Marmaray, an underwater transcontinental tunnel intended for railway traffic. It is 13,6 km long and under the Bosphorus Strait connects Europe and Asia.

An attractive new airport in Istanbul is one of the biggest airports in the world. The control tower is inspired by a tulip that has been a symbol of Istanbul for centuries and is an important reference to Turkish-Islamic history.
We thank the hosts for the hospitality and organisation of the sightseeing of Istanbul. The Skills project is co-financed by funds within the Erasmus + programme. The following mobility will be held at the end of March 2022 in Catanzaro in Italy.