Recent news articles from Turkish papers featuring Aytuna and Devon

18.03.10 / Hürriyet / Ataları savaştı onlar buluştu / Syf 6

18.03.10 / Hürriyet Ege / Onlar birer barış çiçeği / Syf 1-2 *Haber, gazetenin ana sayfasından duyurulmuştur.

18.03.10 / Vatan / ‘Dedem cehenneme gelmiş, ben cennet bir yerdeyim’ / Syf 7

18.03.10 / Posta / Destanın yıl dönümü / Syf 18

18.03.10 / Sözcü / Düşman dedelerin torunları dost oldu / Syf 9

Other online articles:

dha.com.tr / Atalarının savaştığı topraklarda buluştular

Hurriyet.com.tr / Ataları savaştı onlar buluştu

Hurriyet.com.tr / Dedeleri savaşan barış çiçekleri

Gazetevatan.com / ‘Dedem cehenneme gelmiş, ben cennet bir yerdeyim’

Haberler.com / Ataları savaştı onlar buluştu

Haberler.com / Atalarının savaştığı topraklarda buluştular

Anahaber.com / Ataları savaştı onlar buluştu

Tumhaberler.com / Atalarının savaştığı topraklarda buluştular

Guncel-haber.com / Ataları savaştı onlar buluştu

Mersinhaber.com / Ataları savaştı onlar buluştu

Walking by the seaside with my friends on Saturday.

And again.

Making dolmas with my mother.

The last two days have been freezing cold again, it's been raining and really windy but I still had a fun weekend. On Saturday I went to my friends house, we watched movies and went for a walk by the seaside it was stunning. On Sunday the weather was really horrible so we decided to stay at home and do some cooking.

I am looking forward to this week as there are two Australians who will be coming to my school. They are on five week exchange to Canakkale for Anzac Day, hopefully we will be doing some touring around the city together.

I have been learning how to cook some traditional Turkish dishes, my mother has taught me how to make dolmas and a variety of turkish pastas all of which are absolutely divine. Tomorrow she is taking me to a place where you can watch and learn how to make baklava, I can't wait baklava is my favorite Turkish desert although it is hard to decide they are all so delicious.

This weekend, if the weather is fine my family will be taking me to a place called Assos. It is a small fishing village about an hour out of Canakkale. It is also known as an ancient teaching centre, Assos was home to Aristotle who founded a school of philosophy. The pictures my mother has shown me of Assos are stunning I can't wait to see it for myself.

Pictures

The sunset from my balcony.

New Zealand Memorial, the inscription reads "In honour of the soldiers of the New Zealand expeditionary force 8th August 1915" and under that reads another "From the uttermost ends of the earth".

My school in Canakkale.

The spices in one of the markets in Istanbul

School in Canakkale

These are the remains of one of the ships that bought New Zealand Soldiers ashore Gallipoli.
Anzac Cove
Canakkale City from my balcony.

Today was my first proper day at school without Aytuna there to help thankfully most of the day we did english so I was helping my class with pronunciation, I wasn't so good at religion or mathematics. I am looking forward to next week as some students from Australia are coming for a five week exchange. There are also two students from America on a one year program that go to my school, they are helping me communicate with others and are teaching me some turkish words, I can now count to five and say yes, thank you, enter, hello and I'm full.

Yesterday my mother and brother took me to the movies to see Veda it was a new experience as it was in turkish with no subtitles although it was a very good movie about the Turkish war and Ataturk.

My family have been taking me all around Canakkale introducing me to turkish cuisine it is divine I am especially enjoying the baklava and yesterday I had turkish pizza which was very different to home but tasted just as good. They eat a lot of wild rice here it looks like white and brown rice mixed together it's really yummy. I have also started drinking tea which I have never done in my life but it is so cold here that it's the only way I can stay warm.

Enjoy the pics I will be adding more soon of my travels.

Arriving in Turkey

Flying for ten and a half hours with a short three hour stop in Singapore for shopping before flying another thirteen and a half hours, I finally landed safely at Istanbul airport. It was 7:30 on Sunday morning, I was extremely excited to meet Aytuna and her family but also very, very tired from the long trip.

After having some breakfast at Aytuna's aunts apartment Aytuna and her father showed me the amazing sites of Istanbul. We visited places like the Galata Kulesi which from the top had an amazing view of the city and Bosporus, Yeni Cami an incredible Mosque in the middle of town and markets that sold the most amazing, delicious Turkish foods like breads, spices and turkish delight.

In the afternoon we travelled on a boat up the Bosporus where there were stunning buildings on the waters edge and some dolphins that played in the water beside us. After an hour and half on the water we returned to Aytuna's aunts for dinner and a quick sleep before catching a bus at one o'clock on the Monday morning to Canakkale where I will be living for the next six weeks.

We arrived at 7 in the morning and after a shower, breakfast and a look at my new home, we set off for school. I meet Aytuna's friends who thankfully can all speak english and are going to help me learn some turkish during my stay here. After school Aytuna, her friends and I went for a walk to the shops and cafe's where we had something to eat and drink and got to know each other a bit better.

At the moment it is freezing in Canakkale, about four degrees over night and not much warmer during the day so I am hoping that over the next few weeks it will get a bit warmer. Looking forward to school tomorrow as there are celebrations for 18 Mart.

Award Presentation

05 March 2010

A poster for the award at school was all I needed, two essays, family trees, photos and a bulky presentation later I found out I had won.

I was presented the award at my school, Albany Senior High, in front of teachers, students, the Consul-General of Turkey, Nejat Kavvas, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Judith Collins, National vice President of the RNZRSA, Barry Clark and the Marketing and Communications Director of AFS, New Zealand, Tony Calvert.

Judith Collins started the assembly by presenting me my award I then thanked her with a very nervously delivered speech. After the assembly 3 News interviewed me and took some photos while Albany Senior High School put on an afternoon tea for the guests.

My first official meeting with my sponsors, AFS and RNZRSA, a fabulous day and an opportunity for me to personally thank them for their generosity. It will be a trip of a life time!!!!

Click the links below to photos and TV3 interviews of the day:

http://davidstgeorge.blogspot.com/2010/03/gallipoli-youth-award-2010.html

http://www.3news.co.nz/Top-essay-sees-school-girl-on-her-way-to-Gallipoli-/tabid/423/articleID/144913/Default.aspx

Posted by Tony Calvert on behalf of Devon Francis

Photos from 5 March award presentation

Hon Judith Collins, Minister for Veterans' Affairs

Barbara Cavanagh, Principal, Albany Senior High School

From left: Hon Judith Collins, BJ Clark (RNZ RSA), Devon Francis, Elizabeth Francis

Tony Calvert, AFS New Zealand

From left: Hon Nejat Kavvas (Turkish Consul-General), Elizabeth Francis, Hon Judith Collins

Hon Judith Collins, Devon Francis

Hon Nejat Kavvas, Hon Judith Collins

Devon Francis

Interview with Kim Choe, TV3 News

Group photograph of ANZAC Corps

Hon Judith Collins presents Gallipoli Youth Award 2010

On Friday 5 March, Hon Judith Collins, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, presented Devon Francis with the 2010 Gallipoli Youth Award. The presentation took place at Albany Senior High School in Auckland and was organised by school principal, Barbara Cavanagh.

Pictured above are, from left: Tony Calvert, AFS New Zealand; Nejat Kavvas, Consul-General of Turkey; Devon Francis, award recipient; Hon Judith Collins, Minister of Veterans' Affairs; BJ (Barry) Clark, National Vice President, RNZRSA.

TV3 News also covered the event that evening - you can view the clip here.