Nostalgia

I came through the piece of paper with the following lyrics written on it while digging my old stuff. These are the chants (in Turkish) that we wrote to support our Kyrgyzstan team in international KVN (abbreviation for "Club of the Merry and Inventive" in Russian) competition in Turkey (2003). It included other national teams from Kazakh, Turkmen and Azerbaijani students studying in Turkey. The format of the competition was a bit different than classical KVN. It was organized in Bursa with the support of the Representatives of Ministries of Education of these 4 countries.
We, as a student senate, prepared and sponsored our team in Ankara (as this team was the winner in previous KVN competition among Kyrgyz students in Turkey). After great performance and tough challenge by Azerbaijani team, Kyrgyzstan team came up first! More than hundred Kyrgyz students came to support, and somehow we were seated in the mid-tribune, and both overcrowded and overshouted other teams' supporters. At that time I was the amigo with the whistle organizing the supporters. Everyone got the copy of the below chants numbered from 1 to 5. Whenever the support was needed, I was raising my hand high and showing the number of the chant with my fingers, and with the blow of the whistle all Kyrgyzstan supporters (dressed in white T-shirts with Kyrgyzstan flag) were singing them... great atmosphere! great performance! great support!
Those were the days when I really experienced the magnifying power and magic feeling of being united, being together. And that's what we need the most at the moment.

-----
Yalla Kırgızstan yalla
Vitesi beşe salla
Bizimkilere laf yok
Artist gibi maşallah
+++
Kervanın başı Orta Asya
Buraya geldik yarışmaya
Kupasız gitmek bize yakışmaz
Jüriler bize artı puan yaz
+++
Kırgızstan gençleri
Kervan ileri
Bu taraftar sizinle gurur duyuyor
Bu taraftar sizinle gurur duyuyor
+++
Türkmen, Kazak, Azeri! Sizlere selam!
Dostluk için geldik, gerisi yalan
Gözümüzde hepiniz en iyisiniz,
Ama merak etmeyin şampiyon biziz!
+++
Kırgızstan'da doğdu
Türkiye'li oldu
Helal olsun sana
Türkün Kırgız oğlu!
+++

Champion team - Guliza, Aktilek, Parizat, Jibek, Sayfuddin, Myrzahid,
Shamil, Ulan, Edil, Baktygul

+++ Check my travel photo sets at

Turkey Trip (being back "home")

My "journey for future" ticket.



My plane waiting to depart Taipei.



Blogging in Singapore Changhi airport ;) while waiting for my plane to Istanbul.



...over Indian ocean...



Dubai International airport



Topkapi Palace (22 Ottoman Sultans lived there) view from the bridge connecting Europe to Asia.



Inside Topkapi Palace.



I love Istanbul, I love its atmosphere (not everywhere)...



Inside Topkapi Palace.



Inside Topkapi Palace.



Topkapi Palace and Mramor Sea.



Cesme, spring water, just near the gates of Topkapi Palace.



Souvenir booths nearby Topkapi Palace.



near Hagia Sophia



Roof of Hagia Sophia.



Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) in Istanbul, built during Ottoman Empire. (one of my favourite places in Istanbul)



Blue Mosque. How it looks from inside. Blue mosque is bult during Ottoman empire. Far at the front you can see people praying.



Blue Mosque door



Baktygul and Janna, my dearest friends.



Blue Mosque roof view from inside.



Souvenir shop at the basement of Hagi Sophia(used to be room for horses), my friend works there.



Istanbul University gates.



Feeding the pigeons in front of mosque.



Flag of Fenerbahce F.C. is hang everywhere, Fenerbahce became champion in football league this year. (Personally, I hate them, forza Galatasaray!!!)



One of DHL Turkey offices in Istanbul. "More Power".



Istanbul, tramway and cab sharing the same road.



Simitci - person who sells simits. It looks like dougnut, but not sweet. Traditional turkish bread, the best thing is to have simit with turkish black tea in the breakfast!



Kocatepe mosque in Ankara



Kocatepe Mosque at night.







Tank in Ankara, that day there was a protest by some party members (usual thing in Turkey).



Science tree, symbol of METU.



METU, Department of Computer Engineering. Where I studied.



2 Cups, our Ankara and Kyrgyzstan team became KVN champions among students in Turkey. (KVN - very popular game among university students in ex-USSR countries, here teams compete in cleverness, ability to be quick-responsive and funky and to compose all of these in songs).




Friends in Ankara, and my brother Kylych (2.row, 2. from left)



Mahamat and Anarbek, Kyrgyz friends who study in Ankara. Thanks for your hospitality, guys!



Bilen (big guy near me), friend and project team-mate, .Net geek ;). Traditional Turkish breakfast. Thanks for hosting me, guys!



Memati, one of Bilen's 2 kittens, were the main joy during our work on the project.



Cakir, the second kitten, was tired fighting with Memati and sleeping :).



Katana - sword of Samurai, I brought it for my friend Bilen from Taiwan. "The box" (read prev. posts) contained this katana. :)
+++ Check my travel photo sets at