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Istanbul #2
Day 2 - 20th July
We started our day off with walking to Doga College. The college is a 15 minute walk away from the hotel. Along the way, there are a couple of donut stalls and a few other shops. When we reached the campus, we had breakfast in the cafeteria. Studying in Doga College will definitely make you healthy and lose weight because at almost every meal, salad and fruits are served. After breakfast, we convened in the Conference Room (probably the best place in the whole Doga College to be in because it has air-cond!) to start off the day with a morning assembly.
During the morning assembly, the theme song of the 2011 IDEA Youth Forum in Istanbul was revealed. Mind you, it is an addictive song titled Istanbul by Sertab Erener which is relatively easy to learn after you listen to it everyday for a week. Didem, the host coordinator taught us how to sing the chorus of the song and soon, we were singing and dancing to it.
After a few other announcements for the day, the demo debate began. For us Malaysians who have never seen a Karl Popper (KP) debate before, it was a good insight to how the debate would be like. A unique thing about a KP debate is that it has cross-examination (which can be interesting or really scary depending on how you look at it). The demo debate was done by a few of the coaches and trainers and I believe that the whole debate has been uploaded online, so you can watch it on the IDEA website.
We had some preparation labs after the debate with trainers to help us out in the debate. Our trainers were Rose and Sergei and they helped us a lot in finding our footing as we didn't really know how to approach a KP debate. We also had to settle some last minute points (a character typical of Malaysians) before our first ever KP debate which was going to happen on the same day.
Next up was lunch, and then the pressure began. The KPDC started and our first round was against Botswana. Don't ask how it went because it was a disaster. Thankfully, we lost by a split decision so we didn't feel so demoralised. [A big thanks to the judge who voted in our favour! You know who you are ;)]
Then, we were up against Croatia and it was time to redeem ourselves. This round went better and we
won with a unanimous decision.
For both rounds, we were debating on the extended time preparation motion (meaning that we were supposed to have prepared since April for it) that "Nations of the world should increase the protection of economic and social rights of migrants."
We were so tired after debate that we just headed back to the hotel and had a good rest for the day.
PS: I've just came back from a long, tiring excursion around the historical peninsula so please excuse my incoherence if I am not making much sense in this post.
As always, pictures will be uploaded later!
We started our day off with walking to Doga College. The college is a 15 minute walk away from the hotel. Along the way, there are a couple of donut stalls and a few other shops. When we reached the campus, we had breakfast in the cafeteria. Studying in Doga College will definitely make you healthy and lose weight because at almost every meal, salad and fruits are served. After breakfast, we convened in the Conference Room (probably the best place in the whole Doga College to be in because it has air-cond!) to start off the day with a morning assembly.
During the morning assembly, the theme song of the 2011 IDEA Youth Forum in Istanbul was revealed. Mind you, it is an addictive song titled Istanbul by Sertab Erener which is relatively easy to learn after you listen to it everyday for a week. Didem, the host coordinator taught us how to sing the chorus of the song and soon, we were singing and dancing to it.
After a few other announcements for the day, the demo debate began. For us Malaysians who have never seen a Karl Popper (KP) debate before, it was a good insight to how the debate would be like. A unique thing about a KP debate is that it has cross-examination (which can be interesting or really scary depending on how you look at it). The demo debate was done by a few of the coaches and trainers and I believe that the whole debate has been uploaded online, so you can watch it on the IDEA website.
We had some preparation labs after the debate with trainers to help us out in the debate. Our trainers were Rose and Sergei and they helped us a lot in finding our footing as we didn't really know how to approach a KP debate. We also had to settle some last minute points (a character typical of Malaysians) before our first ever KP debate which was going to happen on the same day.
Next up was lunch, and then the pressure began. The KPDC started and our first round was against Botswana. Don't ask how it went because it was a disaster. Thankfully, we lost by a split decision so we didn't feel so demoralised. [A big thanks to the judge who voted in our favour! You know who you are ;)]
Then, we were up against Croatia and it was time to redeem ourselves. This round went better and we
won with a unanimous decision.
For both rounds, we were debating on the extended time preparation motion (meaning that we were supposed to have prepared since April for it) that "Nations of the world should increase the protection of economic and social rights of migrants."
We were so tired after debate that we just headed back to the hotel and had a good rest for the day.
PS: I've just came back from a long, tiring excursion around the historical peninsula so please excuse my incoherence if I am not making much sense in this post.
As always, pictures will be uploaded later!
Istanbul #1
Yes people, I am in Istanbul now and sorry if you've been trying to reach me for the past 1 week and failed to do so. I'll be here for another week or so for the 2011 IDEA Youth Forum.
The Youth Forum consists of a Karl Popper Debate Championships (which we ranked 23rd), educational tracks (I'm in the British Parlimentary) and also social activities every night! Life has been very hectic at the moment and I've been getting on the average of 5 to 6 hours of sleep each night.
Eleasha and Amanda are here too and there's also another Malaysian delegate from KL.
I'll try to give a brief insight into my life here everyday. Sorry if the updates are irregular as the Internet connection here is shaky and I can only use it in the mornings when everyone else is still asleep ;)
Day 0 - 18th July
We left the Penang airport at around 9pm for our connecting flight to Changi airport. The airline we used was Singapore airlines so you can imagine how comfortable we were and how good the food was :) The flight was tiring, more so since we transited in Singapore for 2 hours at the early hours of the day. I'm sorry that I can't really upload pictures at the moment as I'm rushing for time but I'll do it the next time I am free.
The stupid things we do in Changi while waiting for our flight.
Day 1 - 19th July
We left Changi on the 1am flight to Istanbul. The flight was all right, though we had to sleep all the way there and couldn't really make full use of the in-flight entertainment. Food was good and regular (kudos to SIA!) and service was prompt. The plane landed at around 7.30am on the 19th in Istanbul's main airport, Ataturk. After passing through immigration, collectiong our bags, we waited for our hosts to pick us up from the airport. We left the airport in a Doga College bus (Doga College is the official partner of IDEA in hosting this forum in Turkey)
The journey from the airport took around an hour. Istanbul's scenery is very different -- it probably has to do with the fact that Turkey is part Europe and Asia. We shared the bus with participants from Zimbabwe and Romania. In the bus, I sat with Noma from Zimbabwe and it was a fun trip talking to her.
Finally, we reached the hotel -- Greenpark Bostanci Hotel, one of the better hotels in Istanbul. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we were not assigned to the same rooms because we were supposed to be 'intergrated'. My roomate, Nicola was also from Zimbabwe (talk about coincidence) so we didn't have any problems introducing and fitting in because we had already met in the bus.
After a nice, long awaited shower, we went for lunch in a cafe down the road from the hotel. Unfortunately, the weather during the day in Istanbul is as hot and humid as Malaysia's. Fortunately, Turkish food is delicious, especially the way they cook their meat. We tried the kebab (or something like that) in the cafe and it was delicious as well as reasonably priced. I had beef kebab, and personally, that was one of the best beef I had ever tasted (probably due to the fact that I was starving!) because of the way they cooked (grilled?) the meat and it was thinly sliced.
We headed back to the hotel and tried to discuss about the motions which we were supposed to have done since months ago. However, we were so tired that we weren't very productive and we had another nap. By the time we woke up, it was time for the opening ceremony in the hotel where we had a welcoming dinner with Turkish food and music. The weather at night in Istanbul is very windy which makes it a refreshing change from the hot weather of the day. After a party, we went back to our rooms for more discussion on the debate for the next day.
I know I'm really slow, only blogging about the first day while a week has already passed but I'll try to be more regular and upload more pictures whenever I am free or have a stable Internet connection.
See you!
The Youth Forum consists of a Karl Popper Debate Championships (which we ranked 23rd), educational tracks (I'm in the British Parlimentary) and also social activities every night! Life has been very hectic at the moment and I've been getting on the average of 5 to 6 hours of sleep each night.
Eleasha and Amanda are here too and there's also another Malaysian delegate from KL.
I'll try to give a brief insight into my life here everyday. Sorry if the updates are irregular as the Internet connection here is shaky and I can only use it in the mornings when everyone else is still asleep ;)
Day 0 - 18th July
We left the Penang airport at around 9pm for our connecting flight to Changi airport. The airline we used was Singapore airlines so you can imagine how comfortable we were and how good the food was :) The flight was tiring, more so since we transited in Singapore for 2 hours at the early hours of the day. I'm sorry that I can't really upload pictures at the moment as I'm rushing for time but I'll do it the next time I am free.
The stupid things we do in Changi while waiting for our flight.
Day 1 - 19th July
We left Changi on the 1am flight to Istanbul. The flight was all right, though we had to sleep all the way there and couldn't really make full use of the in-flight entertainment. Food was good and regular (kudos to SIA!) and service was prompt. The plane landed at around 7.30am on the 19th in Istanbul's main airport, Ataturk. After passing through immigration, collectiong our bags, we waited for our hosts to pick us up from the airport. We left the airport in a Doga College bus (Doga College is the official partner of IDEA in hosting this forum in Turkey)
The journey from the airport took around an hour. Istanbul's scenery is very different -- it probably has to do with the fact that Turkey is part Europe and Asia. We shared the bus with participants from Zimbabwe and Romania. In the bus, I sat with Noma from Zimbabwe and it was a fun trip talking to her.
Finally, we reached the hotel -- Greenpark Bostanci Hotel, one of the better hotels in Istanbul. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we were not assigned to the same rooms because we were supposed to be 'intergrated'. My roomate, Nicola was also from Zimbabwe (talk about coincidence) so we didn't have any problems introducing and fitting in because we had already met in the bus.
After a nice, long awaited shower, we went for lunch in a cafe down the road from the hotel. Unfortunately, the weather during the day in Istanbul is as hot and humid as Malaysia's. Fortunately, Turkish food is delicious, especially the way they cook their meat. We tried the kebab (or something like that) in the cafe and it was delicious as well as reasonably priced. I had beef kebab, and personally, that was one of the best beef I had ever tasted (probably due to the fact that I was starving!) because of the way they cooked (grilled?) the meat and it was thinly sliced.
We headed back to the hotel and tried to discuss about the motions which we were supposed to have done since months ago. However, we were so tired that we weren't very productive and we had another nap. By the time we woke up, it was time for the opening ceremony in the hotel where we had a welcoming dinner with Turkish food and music. The weather at night in Istanbul is very windy which makes it a refreshing change from the hot weather of the day. After a party, we went back to our rooms for more discussion on the debate for the next day.
I know I'm really slow, only blogging about the first day while a week has already passed but I'll try to be more regular and upload more pictures whenever I am free or have a stable Internet connection.
See you!
Hiatus
Sorry everyone, I'm gonna have to take a break from this letter writing challenge as I've just been swamped with a whole lot of work. I'll probably resume during the March holidays (only a month away, don't worry) so please be patient! :)
Oh yeah, please pray for me too. I'm so scared for exams which I'm not prepared for and some other things that I'm doing on the side. If you have any questions, please inbox me. Thanks and see you after a month.
Oh yeah, please pray for me too. I'm so scared for exams which I'm not prepared for and some other things that I'm doing on the side. If you have any questions, please inbox me. Thanks and see you after a month.
Day 9
This letter is part of a 30 day letter challenge that I am doing.
Dear my love,
I am so fussy and picky that deep, deep down in my heart I know that I'll never meet you. But today, I am supposed to write a letter to 'Someone you wish you could meet', so I chose to write to you. I wonder if you're someone I know, but I highly doubt it. Hopefully, you're someone that I'll get to know in the future. I was made to write about you recently -- more specifically, the qualities and traits that I would like to see in you. That got me thinking long and hard about what I actually wanted in life. Personally, I feel that my essay did not reflect me that much because I still don't know what I want. And if I don't know what I want, how am I supposed to go and look for it? You'll always remain as a puzzle to me.
Love, yours.
PS: This letter is actually for my 'ideal husband'. I had to write an essay on that topic for my holiday homework. I'll post it up here after it's checked and commented by my English teacher. Keep on checking this blog for updates! :)
Dear my love,
I am so fussy and picky that deep, deep down in my heart I know that I'll never meet you. But today, I am supposed to write a letter to 'Someone you wish you could meet', so I chose to write to you. I wonder if you're someone I know, but I highly doubt it. Hopefully, you're someone that I'll get to know in the future. I was made to write about you recently -- more specifically, the qualities and traits that I would like to see in you. That got me thinking long and hard about what I actually wanted in life. Personally, I feel that my essay did not reflect me that much because I still don't know what I want. And if I don't know what I want, how am I supposed to go and look for it? You'll always remain as a puzzle to me.
Love, yours.
PS: This letter is actually for my 'ideal husband'. I had to write an essay on that topic for my holiday homework. I'll post it up here after it's checked and commented by my English teacher. Keep on checking this blog for updates! :)
Day 8
This letter is part of a 30 day letter challenge that I am doing.
Dear R,
I wonder if you'd count as an internet friend. I keep in touch with you through the internet so I suppose you are. I miss you so much and even more so now. Thank you for always being there for me and letting me be a part of your life although we can only talk through the internet now. Thank God for twitter, msn, facebook and of course for the phone because without these tools, I am sure that our friendship would not have lasted for so long. Come back soon, I miss you.
Love, H.
Dear R,
I wonder if you'd count as an internet friend. I keep in touch with you through the internet so I suppose you are. I miss you so much and even more so now. Thank you for always being there for me and letting me be a part of your life although we can only talk through the internet now. Thank God for twitter, msn, facebook and of course for the phone because without these tools, I am sure that our friendship would not have lasted for so long. Come back soon, I miss you.
Love, H.
Day 7
This letter is part of a 30 day letter challenge that I am doing.
Dear you,
It was never meant to be, and I have given up. Goodbye.
Me.
Dear you,
It was never meant to be, and I have given up. Goodbye.
Me.