YAVAS GAMATS

Female - Armenia

EXPECTATION
Armenian-Turkish acceptable relations always seemed to me too far and unreal. I still think, that Turk is a man who is ready to kill a nation. But I also realize, that my ideas come from the history, from the last century and they might be a bit not actual today. And from the other hand, Turkey still haven’t recognized Armenian Genocide of 1915 and this fact can really ensure the idea I have. Now I want to recognize and understand who Turk is today. Are my imaginations about neighboring country true, or false? What similarities and differences have today’s Turk from the one in the beginning of 20th century. As I have already mentioned in my application letter, I think the invidiual feels comfortable and safer, when he knows his neighbors and has good relations with them. The same is with the states. Both our nations know very little about each other. I think this kind of Summer schools, seminars and other joint activities will give young people chance to get acquainted with each other and to understand what can and must be done in, at least, civic level in order to overcome the existing situation. I am sure the participation in this seminar will help me to have some relationship with Turkish young people, to know Turkish culture and mentality and to review my opinion about this nation. I think that Armenians know about Turkey more than Turks about Armenia. So I’m sure Armenian group members and me must do more to introduce Armenia and Armenians as well as possible. I hope to get Turkish friends durint this summer school with whom we can have further cooperation and to implement different projects concerning both student and civic activities. And in addition to all this, I would really like to spend nice time in Antakya and come back to Armenia with full of impressions and good feelings!!!

11.08.05
• Today’s group work started with collecting diaries. Some of our group didn’t prepare it, so I was to give mine and wait for others. Here I understood once more how it’s important to do everything in time. • I liked very much todays 2 lectures. I learned very ? ? from both of them. I never could pay attention on some points in literary works. Murat Belge’s lecture helped me very much. I also now have lots of information about Turkish writers and literature. • The second lecture read by Sevan Nişanyan was closer to me, because he told about Armenians generaly and in nowadays Turkey mainly. This lecture was useful not only for Armenian group, but also for Turkish. I found out many detailes concerning the Armenians living in Turkey. • The second part of the day was even interesting. I saw so many and so nice mosaics for the first time. I really felt the soul of history. The visit to St. Pierre church come to add new emotions to this. In this part of Antakya I felt like in Armenia, because the mountains so lika ours. • Waterfalls of Harbie disappointed me a bit because I thought they’re high and bigger. But in any case, it was a nice and quiet place wher I’d very much to spend a little bit more time. • Shopping: We walked from waterfalls to the restaurant and did some shopping there. I bought nice blue scarf made of silk. Then we had a dinner during which I had an interesting conversation with Turkish students about several political issues. Then Mr. Sevan Nisanyan joined us and we talked over Armenian-Turkish relationship.

12.08.05
• The day started with group work as usual. Today we worked very effectively, because managed to learn some figures from national dances Halay, Shalakho. • The lecture read by Ferhat Kentel and Nazan Maksudyan was very informative and I learned a lot. Then a very hot discussion took place about nationality (ism), nation and nation states. • Sevan Nisanyan again surprised me with his interesting speech. I was a bit dissappointed with the facts he talked about, but it gave me a chance to review what I learned for so many years in school and in University. • After having dinner some with Armenians and Turks went to have a little walk. Walking we reached lunapark suddenly. Everyone was so happy there as if we were small children. We laughed there so much, that now I have some stomach ache. In the way we back we were comparing our faces and behavior during the classes and in the lunapark.

13.08.05
• Our group work was very succesful today. We danced all 3 national dances with music and it wa very nice. Though it was for the first time we looked like professionals :) • The first lecture by Murat Belge, Ferhat Kentel, Nazan Maksudyan was like a continuation of their previous ones. Again, it was informative and included very interesting ideas. It was again open for discussion during which we could express our ideas. • Presentation done by Emel Kurma was very useful for me, because I study political science and conflict management, resolution are very close to me. Then we had a short brainstorming on Armenian-Turkish conflict resolution. Every group was to map the conflict with actors, conditions, etc. • During the evening group we had to some shopping for our dance. We bought a CD in order to copy all 3 songs. • In the evening, we had our language course. I liked it very much. We learned and have a lot fun because sometimes it was to hard to tell the word we read just in the classroom for the first time. Turkish students easier get used to Armenian words and pronouncation, than Armenians. Maybe because they read it (written) in Turkish alphabet, but we Armenians had to learn the alphabet and the words together. • At 8:30 we were in the bus for the trip to Vakıflıköy. The celebration there was exciting. There were Armenians from many different countries. They danced together the the same dance and we joined them. The feeling I had there are impossible to share with the paper…

14.08.05
• The day started with the impressions I got previos day in Vakifliköy. The celebration was very nice. I was full of different feelings. I was proud of that people who keep their traditions, relations with each other, visit their village nearly every year, but I also felt a little sadness because that people mostly didn’t speak Armenian the first important condition for keeping their nationality. But I was very happy, when a man from Berlin told, that the population of village started to grow up and some relations with patriarchy are established which will let them to have a bishop there, some classes of language, history, music and culture in general. The whole celebration was really very exciting. I’m deeply impressed with what I saw. I never could imagine I’ll ever be there at that time. • The second part of the day was full of fun. We went to Samandagi and stopped in a hotel near the Aegian Sea. I swam with others, had sunbath and than built a little castle with some of the guys. Then we went to swimming pool and started to “swimm”. Mali and me didn’t know how to swim. Fortunately we learned. Bella teached me and Talar teached Mali. We both were very happy for that we because nearly had lost the hope to learn to swimm. After having so much fun we had a dinner and come back to Antakya. We were singing in the bus which made the trip shorter and faster. • There was a wedding ceremony in the hotel this evening. Nearly all students gathered and started to dance. In the end we joined them and dance with them. All of us were very happy. I never could imagine I would take part in a Turkish wedding :)

15.08.05
• We did some prepatory work for our group work. We asked manager to copy some music. We did but unfotunately there was a mistake. One song was not that we selected. But sure, that is not a so big mistake and problem for us. • Lectures today were very different. We talked about problems of journalism with Sinan and Sevgi. I never could imagine that the problem is so sharp. Then Bella and Arman told about different things in Armenia and Armenian. Turkish reconciliation committe. Unfortunately I could not listen them, because I had to write my article for journal. • My article included the ideas and thoughts of the people who came to Musa Ler Dagh from different parts of Turkey and world. Once more I passed through all the feeling I had in previous day. • Then we went to market. I bought some cheese for my father. I hope he’d like it. Then we went to the Orthodox church. I liked the church but the meeting was too boring for me. I didn’t like that man, because he didn’t match the church at all. • In the evening I completed my article and then passed the evening with others. Though it was not very interesting because everyone except our group had to complete their group works.