The Light at the Far End of the World: Turkish Schools
Thousands of people crowded into the yard of the Istanbul Exhibition and Congress Center, under its new and beautiful name, before dawn.
No sooner had the doors opened than one of the biggest indoor areas of Istanbul was packed with people.
No, it was not a pop concert. The audience was there for one of the rarest cultural events of friendship.
What was extraordinary about the event was not that students read poems and sang songs in Turkish while it was not their mother tongue (the contest was the least important part of the event, even for the students).
What was more important was witnessing the reality of Turkish schools located in distant countries that can hardly be found on a map.
However, those students were real, coming from countries afar and filled with love and innocence.
They could communicate in Turkish, sing and tell jokes. The thousands of people who witnessed the sight of those students wearing colorful clothes and waving their country's flags realized that they were the fruit that came from establishing Turkish schools in foreign countries.
These schools have turned into a promising Turkish brand worldwide.
The people who watched the Turkish Olympiad last night realized that the world does not only mean Turkey, but many other countries, colors and cultures.
This world is a place that can be a paradise filled with peace, love and understanding if we make the necessary effort.
Everybody in the hall was pleased to realize this fact.
Those who prefer action to observation should know that every young tree's destiny is to grow and become mature.
Everybody witnessing this great organization, the 4th Turkish Olympiad, felt once more that all human beings are like different parts of the same body. (By Ahmet Turan Alkan)
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