Teacher calls learning tour of Turkey ‘eye-opening’

Diversity of religion, creative economies and freedom of speech: Those were three areas of interest a Springfield middle school teacher took away from a learning tour of Turkey
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20130802/NEWS02/708029903

Published August 2, 2013 in the Rutland Herald Teacher calls learning tour of Turkey ‘eye-opening’ By Christian Avard STAFF WRITER Diversity of religion, creative economies and freedom of speech: Those were three areas of interest a Springfield middle school teacher took away from a learning tour of Turkey. Lisa Mobus of the Riverside Middle School was one of four Vermont teachers selected to participate in the two-week program. The trip was sponsored by the Turkish Cultural Foundation and the World Affairs Council of America. The teachers returned to the United States on July 27 and Mobus said the trip exceeded all of her expectations. “I’m usually not at a loss for words, but right now I am. The trip was amazing,” Mobus said. Mobus traveled to several Turkish cities, including the capital of Ankara, Istanbul and Constantinople. She visited ancient sites such as Çanakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale, Çatalhöyük, Konya and Cappadocia. Prior to her departure, she said she wanted to learn more about Turkish culture and dispel prejudice against Muslims. She said she accomplished that and a lot more. According to Mobus, Turkey is more diverse than one would believe. Although Islam is the primary religion, Turks follow many religions — or none at all. “There are various sects of Christianity but many Turks, to my surprise, are not very religious,” Mobus said. “There are traditional Muslims where women are veiled, but there are many who are cosmopolitan just like you could see in New York City or Boston.” The Turkish economy is growing and diverse economic pursuits are encouraged. Craftspeople and artisans play an important role in local commerce and the government has invested in hundreds of construction projects across the country. Mobus said her biggest eye-opening moment happened in Istanbul, directly across from her hotel. Students were protesting at a nearby television station about the coverage of demonstrations taking place around the country. The demonstrations began when the government announced their plans to redevelop Taksim Gezi Park, she said. The plans were to build a shopping mall and it was opposed by hundreds of thousands. Mobus said her group walked through crowds and riot police to return to their hotel and what they saw was much more than protesting over a park. “The picture that is portrayed in the U.S. media is not complete because you don’t have much access to Turkey. The prime minister and police were really cracking down on people trying to express their freedom of speech rights,” Mobus said. “Our guide was translating a story in the Turkish press to us about a couple that met during the protest. They were supposed to get married in the park the same weekend we were in Istanbul, but the government was worried about riots and the police broke up the wedding with water cannons and plastic bullets. We will see what happens to Turkey in the weeks to come.” For the remainder of the summer, Mobus said she plans to work on incorporating Turkish history and culture into her social studies and English curriculum for next year.