Meet My Friend Photos

Project Background

2005-04-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

This PBOX (Project Based On eXchange) was the first one of its kind to get off the ground in Turkey. PBOX's like this had been attempted before by other individual and groups of LC's (Local Committees), but because of the difficulty and complicated nature of developing and carrying out a project where you provide everything, including fun, for a large group of cultural ambassadors, none of them had ever been successful.

That was before an Aiesec like Bursa stepped in and said, "Hold on a cotton-pickin' second! Can't we form one of the most kickass OC's ever?! And can't we work for months and months without going to class or sleeping?! And can't we recruit like madmen for some fantabulous trainees to come here to our little emerald in the rough for two months?! Then what the hell are we waiting for?!"

So they did just that! The team of ten OC members from two different countries recruited a team of twelve trainees from eleven countries who, when their powers combined, formed an inhuman culturally diverse, fun-having, Turkey traveling, SUPERFORCE!! Fear not world, MMF '05 is here (and gone :( )! Shed not one tear, you can relive the adventure of your favorite superforce through these photos! :)

Travel with the MMF superforce through two months from February 7th - April 2nd and leap over the jagged, snowy peaks of Uludağ, forge through herds of culture-thirsty children, withstand the typhoon-force blasts from the sea of Marmara on a windy day, and try and do it all without getting a case of the Montezuma's Revenge from the Turkish food.

Introductions

2005-04-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be nice for you to see the individuals who were involved with the project so that, well, you'd know who the hell was in about 90% of the pictures. First, we'll meet the Organization Committee (OC) team, then all of the trainees...

The OC Team

2005-04-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

The OC Team we worked with consisted of ten people, one who was an international OC member from Romania. They worked their fingers to the bone for months and months before the actual start of the project to plan, organize, and prepare for our arrival. They did this all on top of being full time students, though you wouldn't know it by how much time they spend NOT going to class. :)

Ibrahim, OCP - Izmir, Turkey

2005-04-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

First, there's Ibrahim, the OC President (OCP). The man that turned the vision into a reality, but not without the help of some other very important people

And here are those important people right now..

Aysenur - Istanbul, Turkey

2005-04-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

Serap - Bolu, Turkey

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Ayse - Istanbul, Turkey

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Furkan - Istanbul, Turkey

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Every trainee has a "buddy", a person who is responsible for them while they are here. Furkan was my buddy for the project.

Onur - Istanbul, Turkey

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Eray - Izmir, Turkey

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Sevde - Istanbul, Turkey

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Alma - Romania

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Remember how I mentioned our one international OC member??? Here she is, all the way from Romania...

Canan - Ankara, Turkey

2005-04-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

And the last, but certainly not the least of our OC team...

The Trainees

2005-04-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

Now, I'd like you to meet some of my other friends, the other trainees.

Claire (Yang Hsuan Han) - Taiwan

2005-04-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

Oh please God I hope I spelled your name right...

Masha - Russia

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Denis - Ukraine

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Wing Chi - Hong Kong

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Marloes - Holland

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Nicola - Germany

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Ibrahim - India

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Tina - Romania

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Mari - Romania

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Kota - Japan

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Ewa - Poland

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The trainees were divided into partners. She was my partner for the project, meaning she was the one I spent all day with for six weeks going to the different schools.

Laura - USA

2005-04-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

And the toughest one of the bunch, who needs no introduction...

The Reception Team

2005-04-16T11:23:00.001-07:00

These are the Bursa Aiesecers whose job it is to pick up trainees, plan activities for them, and do well, reception type activities; so anything you can imagine that can be involved in that type of job.

There is also another reception team I unfortunately don't have a picture of, but am sure most of the trainees have been well acquainted with, and that's the Istanbul reception team. They are the ones who met each one of us at the airport in Istanbul and made sure we got on the right bus to Bursa when we didn't know what the hell was going on and were still suffering from major jet lag, or offered our weary selves a place to stay until we could get our bearings, and gave us brief tours of the hot spots in Istanbul. So, thanks guys!!

Welcome

2005-04-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

This will be the Big Momma page that will act like a portal for all of the other Blogs that will actually contain the pictures.

Note: You can click on a photo to view a larger version of it, but it will open in the SAME WINDOW. That means to get back to this page, use your browser's Back button. If you close the window instead, bye bye Bloggie.