Feedback for ANZAC study tour to Turkey 2014 Name: Daetona Rawiri The ANZAC study tour to Turkey is coordinated by the Education Platform of Pearl of the Islands Foundation. This intense study-tour program involves a range of educational and cultural activities including visits to Gallipoli and participation in Anzac Day Dawn Services at Gallipoli as well as visits to major cities Istanbul, Izmir and Bursa, historical locations, museums, schools and dinner with local Turkish families and other significant buildings and places. Turkey is a country rich in history and with some truly wondrous sights to discover. This beautiful country has always attracted visitors who wish to venture into ancient history and experience the past and the present for themselves.
What are some of the things you learned about Turkey’s history? • Alot of sites in Turkey are very old, sacred and have religious connections. • Sultan Ahmed wanted to build 20 mosques but couldn't so he built one mosque with 20 domes. • The Basilica Cistern held the heads of Medusa which were believed to have been the three sisters and were constructed upside down. • Turkey is a very spiritual place and its amazing how today most people are Islamic • We saw a lot of the paintings left untouched from previous religious beliefs of Christianity. • The house of the Virgin Mary is special to both Muslims and Christians. • Going to ANZAC cove and seeing the conditions that both the Turks and the Anzacs had to go through during the war was very moving and very real with many lives lost. What did you enjoy most about some of the sights/historical locations you visited while on this study tour? The thing I enjoyed the most was the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. But most of all I loved going to Galipolli. It is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. The whole trip was AMAZING! This tour has been designed and planned to strengthen existing relations with tour participants, build bridges between communities, schools and cultures.
Tell me about some of the ways you built relationships with the other students on this tour – both from Manurewa Intermediate School and Papatoetoe Intermediate: We were all from a diversity of cultures. We all got along and the way I approached it was we all have to get along as a family. No matter what, we are spending 16 days together. I was fortunate to have known Cullen (from Papatoetoe Intermediate) outside of this trip before we went to Turkey. Having an ANZAC club setup at our school helped us (Manurewa Intermediate) form a bond and research what we were doing on tour and deepen our knowledge. We were lucky to have our teachers put in the extra time to help us with everything. We blended with no problems at all on the tour.
Tell me about some of the ways you built relationships with the Turkish people you met and interacted with: I was lucky I was more confident with the language so I felt I could hold abit more of a conversation so that was a bonus. People would get excited if you spoke back to them in their own language as it shows respect for their culture. I seemed to have been a hit with the girls especially in the shops and was even confident to do my own bartering. These study tour aims to enable young people to develop greater appreciation and understanding of different cultures, beliefs and a newfound respect for the ANZACs as well as the Turkish soldiers.
What did you learn about the Turkish culture and beliefs? They are quite loving people. They never destroyed any of the Christian churches or paintings that you can still see in the mosques. To me that means a lot because the Turkish respect the ways of the previous generations/religions. People of today would have torn them down but Turkish people dont seem to carry any hate and are quite easy going people. Going into the mosques, the girls and female teachers had to cover their heads which is something we don’t see in our culture. It was also interesting to see the praying at certain times of the day. The food was very different too. I enjoyed drinking my apple tea a lot and also what we had for breakfast was very different to what we would have in NZ – cucumber, cheese, olives, tomatoes, potato pancakes. So it was a very different lifestyle in the way you eat (which I’m not complaining about). Why is it important to appreciate and understand different cultures? No one is the same. We all have different beliefs. It can be offensive if we disrespect someone’s culture if we didnt research it beforehand. The way some people wear clothes in our culture could offend people if we were in Turkey. You must learn to adapt and appreciate that not everyone is the same. Different religions believe in different things and Turkey has alot of historical biblical sites that would appeal to many religous views. So I think it’s very important to obey and respect the way of the people in Turkey. How did this trip help you do this? We got to experience it all first hand. Going to the school and seeing what they do I could see some similarities to what we believe in at school. For a change I wasn't just hearing about it. Instead I was experiencing it first hand and seeing it from my own perspective. We were lucky to have dinner with host families and develop a bond with people and see their way of life. It definitely benefited us and I thank Pearl of the Island Foundation for setting that up for us. The Turkish were warm and inviting people with some beautiful homes. I am eager to keep up the friendships made and stay in touch with my new Turkish ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’. This experience makes me want to go back and do it all again and also wish to speak more Turkish. I have taught my baby sister abit of the language.
It will support students to explore the history of Anzac Day and the continuing importance of New Zealand’s involvement in various conflicts and peacekeeping missions. It will provide an exciting opportunity for students to visit a World War I battlefield of significance to ANZACs and Turkish people to coincide with 2014 Anzac Day commemorations.
What do you know about the history of ANZAC Day? It is a time to come together and remember all those that fought at war. We are very lucky to be invited back on Turkish soil to where a war we were defeated in, took place. We lost many soldiers in that war and in tough conditions. Many never made it home and lie there in unmarked graves row on row. We sell poppies on ANZAC day to mark those that died in Flanders Field where poppies grow and that I noticed poppies seem to grow wild all over the place in Turkey. The Maori battalion got sent from fighting a war in Italy to Galipolli and arrived later in the war by boat. Sammie and the donkey was a special story to me and we were lucky to have pure replica medals from the Manurewa RSA. What did it mean to you to attend the ANZAC Day ceremonies at Gallipoli? Going to Gallipoli was VERY special to me. It was a awesome experience to be VIP and sitting close to dignitaries and soldiers. The mood was very sombre. I was going to Gallipoli representing many of my ancestral connections where family had died at war and one was even buried there. It was an experience of a lifetime and I will go back again one day even if it’s not for the service. I felt I had to pay my respect not just to the ANZAC soldiers but the Turks too. Especially after spending a lot of time with the people of Turkey that I felt very at home with and called my family. The service in Chunuk Bair was even more special especially meeting some of the people I knew came from my homeland. There are things I wished we had done at Gallipoli as this was my way of representing my family and having strong connections there. I wanted to get the full experience. Please provide any feedback that would help the Pearl of the Islands Foundation make this a better trip for students: • • • •
•
•
I felt like it was pretty full on. Maybe we could concentrate on just a few of the historical sites so we get the total benefit of where we are going. Definitely loved the ferry ride and seeing Asia and Europe. The most I would have loved to have done was get the full ANZAC experience by walking the walk my ancestors would have done. Seeing the unmarked graves for me was important so I could take that piece of photo home to my family. It was awesome to be VIP but I just would have liked to have seen more trenches and get the real war feeling. Maybe a few more bonding sessions to be organised between the two schools going. We had one at the beginning with all families and apart from language lessons, that was it. Maybe a couple more so we can all share what we are learning about our trip. Having the Ipads to document the trip was a must as our journals weren’t used as much as there was no time to write it all down.
• •
• • •
Maybe get back to our rooms after dinner abit earlier as we were abit over excited and getting to bed really late by the time we did washing, diaries, etc. I couldnt thank you enough PIF for giving me this opportunity and to any others that are up and coming. I will treasure this trip for the rest of my life and all the friendships made. It has shown me diversity, respect for others cultures and to appreciate what we have and what we can do and to branch out and see the world. Thanks to all my teachers for the extra effort and putting up with us and giving up their spare time. Thank you to our Turkish families that opened their homes for us and to our families at home for getting us here. It was truly appreciated by all us kids. And to Taner and my Mum and Dad – thanks for showing us around your beautiful country and making this possible.