Rotary sponsors visitors from Turkey
In their first week in the United States, a Rotary International-sponsored delegation from Turkey to southwestern Pennsylvania has been struck by the size of this country and the friendliness of the people. “Everything is huge and big here in the United States and the people are so friendly,’ banker Burak Erkan said with a smile.
The delegation, led by Dr. Ugur Gurel, a family physician and member of the Kusadasi Rotary Club, included Erkan as well as chemical engineer Guliz Baysal, international relations officer Asli Ersoy and language teacher Selen Sever. They stopped to make remarks Wednesday at a breakfast meeting of the Chestnut Ridge Rotary Club at 30 East Main in Uniontown where President Linda Yantko and members made them welcome.
Gurel, who also is general manager of his own private hospital, introduced the group of young professionals who are part of a Group Study Exchange team (GSE), who are not Rotarians but are being sponsored by different Rotary clubs in Turkey. The idea of a GSE team is to allow an exchange of cultural experiences. Team members visit local attractions, schools and industry and live in homes of American hosts.
Gurel noted the team members have all marveled at the size of everything in America, including cars, meals and houses.
He said, “Our houses are not so big and not separated from the city.’
But in remarks to the group and in interviews later, members of the delegation noted how friendly they are finding Americans in western Pennsylvania.
“I found the people very friendly and very helpful,’ said Sever.
“The people are very respectful and warm,’ commented Baysal.
“The people are warm and hospitable,’ said Ersoy.
Gurel, who previously has visited Florida and New York, saw a different layer of America in this rural area.
“You see flags at homes,” Gurel said. “People are proud to be American. And people are more friendly here.’
The delegation arrived in Pittsburgh April 25 and has toured the area, including a visit to Pittsburgh, and attended a Pittsburgh Pirates game. Members noted sadly the Bucs lost but said it was a thrill for them to attend.
“We sang the song in the seventh inning stretch. I’ve never seen a baseball match. We don’t have baseball in our country,’ said Sever.
As a teacher, she is visiting local schools and was impressed with the Bethlehem-Center School District.
“It was excellent. The kids were perfect and very nice. I hope we’ll be able to do some projects with them and exchange some ideas. We have English in Turkey, starting at age 7. My kids in the fifth grade are 11 and I’m sure they can do a project,’ said Sever.
Ersoy worked as a journalist for two years for several news agencies in a metropolitan area before her present job as an interpreter and international relations officer in the Protocol and External Relations Office at Bursa Metropolitan Municipality. She visited an area newspaper, which is smaller than where she previously worked. Ersoy also was struck by the fact it is an afternoon newspaper – something she said they don’t have in Turkey.
She said she also visited with a city council member, who explained Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Law and open public meetings.
“Our city council meetings are not open to the public in Turkey,’ Ersoy noted.
Baysal visited a plastics company where she was intrigued by its ability to get its message across to the public.
Baysal said, “They were successful in implementing their mission and values – it was all marked on sites. … You can understand their mission and goals and what they did to reach those goals.’
On Wednesday, the delegation visited sites in Fayette County, including the Uniontown Public Library, Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Farmington, lunch at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa in Farmington, Fallingwater in Mill Run and Ohiopyle State Park.
Their visit will take them to other parts of southwestern Pennsylvania, including a return trip to Uniontown to address the Uniontown Rotary Club and visit local businesses on May 22 before flying home on May 23.
“It’s a whirlwind trip. They keep very busy,’ said John Carom, a member of the Chestnut Ridge Rotary and former coordinator for GSE trips who also was a team leader for a 1994 GSE to England.
Yantko commented on hosting the guests, “It’s exciting. I think it’s great that someone from another country would want to come to Uniontown.’