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Q)
Did the study tour live up to your expectations?
 A) The AIS Study Tour of Turkey far exceeded our expectations. The people, countryside and historical sites of Turkey were amazing. Each day provided a new highlight. The honor of being at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day, coupled with the kindness, respect and warmth of the Turkish people was an emotional experience that we will not forget. The pleasure of meeting with Turkish families and being welcomed into their homes was also a real honor. It was also exciting to see the development and real achievements of Turkey in education, health, the arts, and in industry. It was also gratifying to see the effort being put into preserving and presenting the countless beautiful and inspiring historical sites and treasures. To summarize, our expectations were not only met, they were well and truly exceeded.
Q)
What
was the most interesting thing you encountered?
A) Visiting the homes of Turkish families, and being honored by these wonderful, warm and extremely hospitable people, was not only a highlight, but also intensely interesting. The parallels in family life, in a country that is in many respects so different from Australia, were astonishing. At the same time, the remarkable differences in lifestyle, food, culture and religion, between Australia and Turkey, a very young country compared to one of the oldest in the world, was amazing. This was for us the most interesting aspect of the study tour.
Q)
Would
you encourage others to participate in future study
tours of Turkey?
A) We found the AIS Study Tour of Turkey extremely rewarding and we would encourage anybody who wishes to travel to consider this experience. Go on a study tour, visit Turkey, and enjoy the incredible experience.
Tony
De Ridder |
 Q) Did the study
tour live up to your expectations?A) Most definitely. Well exceeded our expectations. It was a wonderful, albeit exhausting at times, experience. The opportunity to visit schools, universities, hospitals and people's homes has left a lasting impression, particularly in the area of family, community and values.
Q)
What was the most
interesting thing you encountered?
A) A very hard question to answer. If you are talking about things it would probably have been the Roman Cistern in Istanbul. If you are talking more generally it would have been the generosity of the people and how proud they were of their country and history both ancient and modern. Q) Would you encourage others to participate in future study tours of Turkey? A) I would most certainly encourage anyone who had the opportunity to go on the tour. Especially people who had some interaction or relationship with the Muslim community. A word of caution though would be that a more experienced traveler, who had some exposure to the Middle East or Asia, would gain more initially. Some persons may find the crowds and lack of personal space common in Australia a bit confronting initially. Also you really need to be reasonable physically fit/active as sometimes the days are long and activity filled. Also you need an enormous appetite - I put on 4 kilos having tried to eat everything that was offered to me. Emre was the king in this area.
Trevor Parks
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 Q) Did the study tour live up to your expectations? A) One of the very best experiences in my life and a significant milestone for me on many fronts
Q) What was
the most interesting thing you encountered?
A) The depth of thinking, passion and commitment to the Gulen Movement and development of the future leaders of the country.
Q) Would you
encourage others to participate in future study tours of Turkey?
A) Would love the opportunity to return again and would gladly support others to make the journey (Telephoned Liz Beattie MLA in regard to attending only to find that she had already been on the trip) Gary Jamieson |
 Q) Did the study tour live up to your expectations?
A) The Study Tour was more than I had hoped. Not knowing anyone
on the Tour I was a little apprehensive about the composition of
the groups as I was only a clergyman. Fortunately we showed
great understanding towards one another and this led to a most
enjoyable time together - parliamentarians, police officers,
academic students and priest. To see and experience something of
Turkish culture, history, Islamic faith, early and present
Christian communities, family life, education systems and
countryside made me and my companions even more aware of the
treasures pf Turkey and its people. Having two Australian
Turkish-born Muslim leaders made the difference as we were able
to understand each other's viewpoints and address our needs. Of
course, all this trip could do was to wet our appetites as we
merely touched on what makes Turkey so interesting and
attractive. I am looking forward to returning to Turkey one day!
Q) What was
the most interesting thing you encountered?
A) The
most interesting and wonderful thing I encountered was the
attitude of Turkish people towards us. There we were, complete
strangers to those who extended to us hospitality. Yet there
was no hesitation by our hosts in welcoming us to their homes,
institutions or offices, sharing their food with us over dinner,
engaging in conversation and then giving us beautiful gifts as
mementoes of our visit. All of us were overwhelmed by Turkish
hospitality and felt somewhat embarrassed at their generosity.
As they said to us God has blessed us in having you visit us. I
only hope and pray I can learn from this experience and be able
to extend similar hospitality to any stranger who comes visit
me.
Q) Would you
encourage others to participate in future study tours of Turkey?
A)
The answer is most certainly yes.
To have experience of a small group enabled us to have access to
many people and places that would otherwise be denied. The
selection of historical sites, the opportunities to engage in
conversation with Turkish people from all different
backgrounds, the good accommodation and delicious food enabled
me to appreciate even more what riches Turkey has to offer our
world. From these encounters we build bridges, for
understanding leads to acceptance, and acceptance leads to
reconciliation which in turn leads to unity and peace.
Cheers, Tom Brophy |
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Q)
What was the most interesting thing
you encountered?
Q) Would you encourage others to participate in future study
tours of Turkey? David Tittensor
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 Q) Did the study tour live up to your expectations? A) The study tour went beyond my expectations. The places we went; the people we met; and the experiences we had were truly wonderful. Q) What was the most interesting thing you encountered? A) There were many interesting things I encountered, however two of the most interesting and memorable times were the Dawn Service at Gallipoli and the experiences dining with local families and business people. Both were important for me in my learning. Q) Would you encourage others to participate in future study tours of Turkey? A) Yes, absolutely. It was a wonderful experience and I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the 2008 AIS ANZAC SPIRIT Study Tour. Thank you, David Hodgett |
