The long way back home

 After a wonderful stay with our Turkish friends in Sivas, it was time to say goodbye. It was a farewell filled with hugs and smiles, reminiscing about the great week we had spent together. 

Following our farewell in Sivas, we flew to Istanbul around 10 in the morning. There, we had a layover before catching a flight to Valencia. 

Upon arrival in Valencia, we waited for quite a while before boarding the two-hour train back to Alicante. Finally, we reunited with our families at the train station, our suitcases filled with new experiences and stories to share.

Last day in Sivas

 This was the last day of our trip, so we started it with a lot of energy to enjoy it to the fullest. 

The first thing we did in the morning was watch a video made by the Turkish students and a documentary about social media addiction. Later, we saw the photo presentations taken during the "Exploring Sivas" activity, and they gave each of us a diploma for our participation in the project. 

Finally, we bid farewell by raising the Turkish flag with all the students singing the anthem. Fortunately, all the groups met at the funfair at night, so we were all together until the end ❤️

A usual day in Sivas

 As every day, we started the morning with a splendid breakfast at our Turkish classmates' houses and then went to the school to meet with the rest of the Erasmus members.

This day, we played different games in the school pavilion. First, we played tug of war, a game that everyone knows, but later they taught us a peculiar game where we had to peel a banana with our mouths without using our hands. It was an entertaining game that gave us all a good laugh. 

Around midday, we went to see a museum about horses, where we learned how Turks fought mounted on these animals. Inside the museum, there was a horse riding simulator that we all tried out. After that, we went with our families to see a beautiful place full of trees. To finish the day, we all had dinner together in a very large restaurant where the food was excellent.

Cappadocia

 On Saturday, we visited the beautiful city of Cappadocia. First, we went sightseeing in Avanos, a small town where we went for a walk and discovered the great variety of pottery in this town. 

After a delicious meal, we enjoyed the bus ride, admiring the landscape full of nature and mountains. We finally arrived at the Red Valley, where we enjoyed guessing the shapes of the rocks. Despite the bad weather, we continued with a smile to visit the Göreme Open Air Museum and the Kaymakli Underground City, where we saw churches excavated in a volcanic mountain and enjoyed the nature and the views.

 After a long day of sightseeing, we returned to Sivas with our backpacks full of experiences and precious memories.

Social media addiction seminar

 The fifth day in Turkey, and our third day in Sivas, was more theoretical than practical. 

It was mainly focused on a seminar given by the German representative, dedicated to technology and social media addiction, and how it affects our daily lives. The seminar was very helpful, and there was great collaboration and participation from all the teams from different countries, which helped in gradually building those bonds of friendship.

Working hard in Sivas

 We started our fourth day eager to visit our friends' school. After a good Turkish breakfast with our host families, we arrived at the school, where we kicked off this Erasmus week with a cake-cutting ceremony, with a representative from each participating country. 

We spent the morning meeting new friends from different countries with whom we will create unforgettable memories this week. Excitedly, our hosts showed us around their school, giving us a better understanding of their daily lives. Then, it was time for lunch in the school cafeteria! Though we never lacked anything in the morning, as there were always tables with snacks available, the best part was getting to try all kinds of local food. 

The afternoon continued with a Turkish language class, where we were taught some basics and expressions in a fun and engaging way. We’ll be using these with our families in the coming days, and it will be very useful. 

It was then time to explore this wonderful city where we will be staying for a week. To end the day, our friends took us to a bowling alley where we all had a great time playing games, virtual reality, and paintball. Finally, we had dinner, took a shower, and went to sleep, ready to continue this amazing experience tomorrow.

In Sivas, at last

 After a long day in Istanbul, we got up at 4 o'clock in the morning to set off for our destination. We were all very nervous as we were going to see our friends after such a long time. 

First, a van picked us up from the hotel and took us to the airport. Then, another van took us to the school, where our host families were waiting for us, excited and nervous. The welcome was very warm; all the families were very happy that we were there. 

After arriving at the school, we all went with our families, settled into the houses, and had lunch with them. In the afternoon, we went for a walk in the shopping center of Sivas and played some arcade games. Finally, we had dinner at home with our families, and after a happy day, we went to sleep.