Turkey Sport for Healty Life

Day 1 – Saturday: Arrival in Yozgat

After a long journey, we finally arrived in Yozgat, Turkey, for the project „Sport and Healthy Lifestyle.“ Our German team consisted of seven members. Although we were all tired from the trip, we were motivated as we began the first workshop day, which took place on Saturday. We started with icebreaker games where we talked about the meaning of our names and who gave them to us. After that, we exchanged our wishes, expectations, and fears. Some feared not getting enough exercise or not getting to know each other well, but fortunately, these fears did not come true! Our diverse group consisted of the German team, the Turkish host team, and groups from Italy, Romania, North Macedonia, and Jordan. In total, there were about 35 young adults. To get to know each other better, the teams introduced the organizations they represented. We presented Aubiko e.V. and shared information about it. Since we were all still exhausted from the journey, we had the evening free to explore Yozgat. Some of us chose to explore the city and visit a traditional „hookah“ bar, while others rested in their rooms.

 

Day 2 – Sunday: Volleyball and Turkish culture night

On the second day, we started the day full of energy. Every morning, a different country team organized the morning exercise, and on this Saturday, the Romanian team was in charge, teaching us an aerobic dance. After a short coffee break, we had a workshop on obesity. Each group presented an aspect, including the health consequences and causes of obesity and the impact of COVID-19 on health.

After lunch, we visited the Yozgat Youth Center, where we organized a volleyball tournament with the various countries competing against each other. Germany played against Romania first, and although we lost, we had a lot of fun! While the other teams played, we participated in a craft workshop where we learned the marbling technique.

Afterward, we visited Sports Valley in Yozgat, a newly built sports facility with an outdoor gym, basketball courts, soccer fields, and a bouldering wall. In the evening, we experienced the Turkish cultural night, where we learned dances in a traditional Turkish house and reenacted a wedding ceremony, including local customs like serving coffee with salt and henna tattoos for those who wanted them. We ended the evening with delicious baklava, Turkish delight, and chai.

 

Day 3 – Monday: University and Ultimate Frisbee 

On the third day, we organized the morning exercise program. After a warm-up game and a short workout, we formed two large teams and played dodgeball. Everyone was so motivated that we even played two games! This was followed by another workshop, where each country team prepared a presentation on obesity in their own country. We learned that 53.5% of Germans are overweight, and even 19% of adults have obesity.

As an energizer, the German team played the game „Do your 20s“ throughout the project, where each player had to do at least 20 push-ups once a day.

After lunch, we visited Yozgat University, where we met the university president and received interesting information about the university, including the fact that it is one of the leading universities in Europe for cannabis plant research!

Afterward, we returned to Sports Valley, where a German team member taught everyone Ultimate Frisbee. Everyone had a lot of fun learning a new sport, and we appreciated the opportunity to incorporate our own ideas into the program.

In the evening, it was time for the German cultural night, which we shared with the Romanians. We started with a Kahoot quiz and then played a proverb game, where we translated German proverbs into English, and the group had to guess what they meant. We served sauerkraut, German beer, Ritter Sport chocolate, „Dickmanns,“ marzipan, and Franzbrötchen as German delicacies. To conclude, Jolanta showed us some traditional German dances like „Laurentia“ and „Annen-Marie.“

Day 4 – Tuesday: Visit to Sorgun  

On the fourth day, we traveled to Sorgun, the headquarters of the Turkish youth organization Sorged. There, we participated in a workshop on sustainability and researched what different countries are doing in this regard. We then met the district president of Sorgun and asked him many interesting questions about his job and Sorgun’s commitment to sustainability.

Afterward, we started a trash collection campaign at Lake Mükremin and cleaned the beach. We then had free time in Sorgun to explore the city and try local Turkish cuisine. In the evening, we returned to the Sorged office, where the Italian and North Macedonian cultural nights took place. There was food, dancing, a quiz, and games. The Italian team presented a variety of Italian dishes, while a member of the North Macedonian team gave an impressive dance performance.

Day 5 – Wednesday: Nationalpark

On the fifth day, we traveled to Yozgat Çamlığı National Park in the morning. With sunny weather, we hiked for two hours. We enjoyed lunch by the lake, where we had lahmacun and cig köfte for the vegetarians. Traditional chai was cooked over a stove with pinecones.

After lunch, we returned to Sports Valley, where we had free time: some of us rode bikes, played volleyball, or used the sports equipment. We also visited the volunteer recycling center, an initiative that makes toys and art from collected trash. For dinner, we visited a cig köfte restaurant, where we could try homemade bulgur meatballs. Back at the hotel, the Jordanian team hosted their cultural evening. They presented traditional clothing, decorated our faces with traditional „tattoos,“ and let us try kohl (a type of eyeliner). We ended the evening with a Jordanian dance workshop.

Day 6 – Thursday: The last day in Yozgat 

On the last day, the Italian team led the morning exercise program, which offered a nice mix of warm-up exercises and dance workouts. We then visited the center of Yozgat and a traditional Turkish house, where we learned more about the history of Yozgat, listened to music played on a baglama (a type of guitar), and danced. After that, we had free time to explore Yozgat, buy souvenirs, and visit the mosque. The farewell dinner took place in a restaurant on a mountain right next to Yozgat, from where we could take one last look at the entire city and have a joint farewell.