We visited so many interesting places and we got acquainted with such wonderful people! The excursions program around the city was very rich and we visited several museums per day. We were fascinated by the East’s mysterious world. I was most astonished by the incredibly fine architecture in Istanbul. All those mosques, temples captivated by the wealth of their decoration and reminded me of the fairy tales about Ali-Baba. The country’s nature did not leave me indifferent either.

Darina Andreychuk,
10 – G form

For the first time I learned about Ukraine from my friends – schoolgirls, who stayed with us. They all were very beautiful so I took a liking to them at once. They told us about Kiev and we acquainted them with Istanbul. It was very hard for us to part. We came to Ukraine by our Kiev girl-friends’ invitation. Kiev is a wonderful city. I very much liked the fact that there are trees everywhere.

Busra Ayaz

Ukraine is a clean and nice country. I very much like the school I am studying in and my teachers. Majority of Ukrainian people are kind and thoughtful. People in my school are exactly the same. I have made friends with many students here. I like Ukraine very much.

Zeynep Guler, the student of
The 4 – C form of the “Meridian” IS

I did not want to return home so much! My rucksack with the souvenirs presented by my Turkish friends weighed 18,5 kg! I was very much afraid that it might get lost on my way home!!! I am recalling the “Eurovision 2004” contest today when Ukraine occupied the 1st place in the final. Turkey put the highest mark to our Ruslana – 12 balls. It was that moment when I felt deep liking to these people, this country for the first time. This moment was repeated for the second time during my trip to Turkey as a member of the delegation of Ukraine. Thank you, Turkey! Tesekkur Ederim!

Maksim Bilyk, the student of
the 10 – D form of
the “Potential” high school

I am a student of the Topkapi Fetih College. We got on well with our friends – the students, who came from Kiev and Odessa, with our eyes and hearts though we did not speak each other’s languages. I very much liked the way they showed us their traditions by means of their dance and costumes. A friend of mine from Kiev presented me with a soft toy – a hare of the national flag colors of Ukraine. I keep it as a wonderful souvenir. I am sending to all my Ukrainian friends and their families my heart full of greetings together with the wishes of love, friendship and peace.

Tolga Yilmaz

It was the first exciting journey in my life. I couldn’t even imagine that Turkey is such a nice country with picturesque expanses and amiable people. The magnificent cultural program was also prepared for us. We visited the distinguished Blue mosque (Sultan Ahmet), the Temple of Saint Sophia, the palace of Topkapi Sultans, the tomb of Roxolana, quite a few museums and Ataturk’s dwelling. I couldn’t come to my senses from the trip and I told my friends, classmates and acquaintances about what I had seen.

Oksana Voloshina,
the student of the “Podol” Lyceum No. 100

The ancient history of the Ukrainian people impressed our friends in the “Pyrogiv” Museum of National Architecture and Mode of Life where we arranged a small picnic on a grass-plot. Mustapha, Yilmaz, Meric and Eralp skated and imagined themselves to be Ukrainian Cossacks. On Sunday morning we came to fetch Mustafa, he became our new family member that day. The durable pedestrian excursion didn’t tire our guest as he was astonished by beauty and picturesque surroundings of the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), Andreevskiy uzvoz (slope), Khreshchatik, the Sofiyevskaya Square, Vladimirskaya gorka (hillock) etc. The time passed very quickly. Satisfied and tired Mustapha came to the camp with the bought souvenirs and presents. His story about the spent time was still heard for a long time but it was time for us to say goodbye to each other. Our friends made their way to pack their things after the prolonged and strong embrace but we were still standing and following them with our eyes for a long time. I hope that we’ll meet again.

Nastya Skripka, the “Obolon” high school,
Sveta Belyavskaya secondary school No. 2105
I liked it very much in Turkey. It was an unusual journey to the country of the Eastern traditions and the European way of life. I saw many interesting buildings and had quite a few unusual dishes there. Carrying the Ukrainian flag at the Fenerbahce stadium I realized the necessity of joining up the best features of Ukrainian and Turkish cultures. Studying the Turkish language is very important for me. I want to become a programmer in future. I believe that knowledge of the Turkish language will increase my chances of receiving a good work.

Nikita Vcherashniy, 14
The “Obolon” Gymnasium students’, 2008

I iked to live in a Turkish family very much. My Turkish friend’s name was Berke. We went to the amusement park, played bowling and visited the old city with him. My friend’s mother cooked very tasty meals for us. I went to Turkey not as a tourist that time. I saw it on the inside. I understood that the boys, we were playing football with, are similar to us. I noticed that parents love their children very much in Turkey.

Andrei Grinchishin, 14,
The “Obolon” Gymnasium students’, 2008