Turkiye Trip 2010
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Dialog and Friendship Trips to Turkiye
Niagara Foundation of Nebraska organizes dialogue trips to Turkey as yet another means of building bridges and strengthening friendships between the East world and the West. Though hailing from different religious backgrounds, we find common ground through our travels in which we share the same dining table. Nebraskans are presented with the opportunity to network with new, and God willing, lifelong friends as a way of strengthening even further our commitment to a global ethic of dialogue and mutual understanding.
Photos (2009)
| May 2009 | June 2009 |
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Testimonials (2009)
We cannot thank you enough for all your hard work and for all your patience with us. The sites that we saw, the people that we met, the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that we enjoyed will never be forgotten. The warmth, hospitality and graciousness of the Turkish people were remarkable. To invite us into their homes, continually feed us wonderful delicacies and then to shower us with gifts was beyond anything imaginable. Two elements of the trip, however, stand out in my mind; the wonderful reception we received from the people of AishaNoor's village and the interesting conversations that the group shared while we traveled, ate (and ate and ate) and generally enjoyed being with each other. I truly believe that some lifelong friendships were formed, and I thank you for that.
Gary and Paula Groff
Lecturer of Religious Studies / University of Nebraska, Omaha
The trip to Turkey was quite wonderful. Our hosts as well as people we met where welcoming, gracious and the epitome of hospitality. Most powerful for me was the invitation to attend prayers in the mosque and chapels (particularly Friday early morning), the visit to the Hagia Sophia and various Mosques and chapels, the conversations our group had on our trips between destinations, the visit to a local farming community and the beauty of the country. One of the doctors I met told me that he felt that we had been friends for a long time even though we had first met. I felt the same way.
Raymond A. Bucko, S.J.
Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology / Creighton University
Even though we missed two days, due to our canceled flight, your help in getting us through the airplane challenges was SO APPRECIATED by us all. I will never forget your smiling face bringing us a tray full of ice water, while we waited in that never-ending line at United in Omaha. And then, you kept talking to your friend at Turkish Airlines in Chicago, and got us re-booked before that Friday night was done. Also you actually drove my husband Howie and me home from the airport. YOU were wonderful, and made a difficult situation somehow sweet, by your being there with us so long, and by your taking such good care of us!
We loved Turkey. Again, the Niagara foundation took excellent care of us, with wonderful food, comfortable hotels, great Turkish people to meet, interesting sights to see and explore in depth with expert guides. Our trip guide, Hakan Solak, was a pleasure to be with, with his always present smile, and easy-going attitude that added to the atmosphere of congeniality and friendship which was part of our wonderful group.
I think one of your goals was that we might make lifelong friendships. I feel that our group all did come to feel that kind of bond, and I can only hope we continue to see each other to fulfill this goal, continuing our friendships into the future!
All I can say is the biggest THANK YOU, I can muster in this fashion, for a trip I will never forget, and for one which I will share my warm thoughts and increased understanding with everyone I meet.
There is so much more I hope we all can share with you about our trip, but for now, I repeat:
THANK YOU!!
Sincerely,
Lee Needelman
Women of Spirit / Tri-Faith Initiative / Temple Israel
As Americans we often forget we are a very young country compared to the rest of the world. The opportunity to travel to Turkey, a country with thousands of years of history, was indeed the opportunity of a lifetime. Not only did we get to see ancient historic sites like the ruins at Ephesus but many beautiful mosques and a tree older than our country. But more importantly we had the pleasure of meeting friendly local people, getting to spend a little time getting to know them and realizing we are not so different after all.
There are many wonderful things to be said about the people and the country of Turkey. Thanks to the generosity of the Niagara Foundation not only will we have our memories of a wonderful trip but we have made new friends right here in Omaha and nearby that will last a lifetime.
Virgil Coate
Retired Heat Treat Technician, Eaton Corp
In May of 2008 I received a marvelous gift: the chance to spend ten days in Turkey with the Niagara Foundation of Nebraska. There we encountered people of extraordinary generosity and hospitality. We learned something of the history of this beautiful land and got a glimpse into its present struggles. Turkey is a place of rich tradition and culture, agriculture and industry, antiquities and the latest technology. Along the way our group found ourselves learning from each other about our faiths – Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu – and making new friends. Thank you, NFON!
Rev. Stephen Griffith
Saint Paul United Methodist Church, Lincoln, NE
Shabbat shalom. A Turkish memory.
Seated on a comfortable bus, we wind through gorgeous green foothills of Western Turkey. A carpet of olive trees envelops the bus. We approach a village, filled with people. The smiling, waving crowd fills the main streets of Buyuk Belen, an agricultural town of some 3000. A celebration. Beautifully costumed children dance to pleasant Middle Eastern music.
People surrounding us, young and old, many with weathered faces, reach out, shake hands, and offer welcome greetings.
Back to the bus, whisked off to a nearby olive grove mountaintop skeet shooting range. No shotguns. Just more music and dancing, now mixed with the rich scent of spiced cooked lamb. As village women hand knead pita dough on clean large flat stones, children dance across the skeet shooting pad ON THEIR HANDS. I hike to a secluded spot for a better view of the olive grove, sniff the feast, hear the laughter, and breathe the fresh air. I hike back to enjoy the picnic.
Smiling young men approach, signaling me to join them in a dance. I attempt to follow their rapid foot movements to the pulsing beat. I sweat profusely in the strong mountaintop sun, but fail miserably in learning the complicated steps. I hand my ball cap to the best dancer, a token of my thanks.
Post dance, I attempt conversation with another young Turkish man.
"What do you do for a living?" I inquire.
"I am a barber."
"Will you cut my hair?"
"Of course!"
"Now?"
"Of course. There's my car. Let's go."
In a rugged compact car, the strange barber deftly gears down the mountain, back to town, to his meager barber shop. A crowd rapidly ensues. Children swarm the shop to witness the trim. A toothless man in the shop raps in filthy English slang.
(adjust throat, cough out tune)
My conversation with the barber stretches to family, history, politics, religion, more. Others join in. We share photos of our kids, each smiling proudly. The barber completes my haircut as the rapper rapaciously adjusts his throat, ending his fourth song. The crowd cheers for more.
The barber and I backward haggle over haircut price refusing any payment for his work. Eventually he grudgingly accepts $10 for the outstanding haircut, but only if it covers payment for the next customer in line, a young Hindu man traveling with us. Pay it forward.
I move on from the barbershop. More kids outside, biking around. None have helmets, their bikes rough. I help adjust the brakes on one boy's bike. He smiles and rides off. Another set of children offer to show me the town mosque. We hike up a hill and around the block, into a beautiful structure. Gorgeous blue and white tile cover the interior from floor to ceiling.
Back to the bus. A gift of locally produced olives and capers provided. A two hour stop turned into an unforgettable day.
David Goldberg
Temple Israel / Informulab-BetaFast
For more info please contact info@nfon.org