
On the 2nd of December, storyteller Judit Kalapos took us back to the fairy-tale and wonder-filled times of our childhood with a Turkish fairy tale - "Three with Turkish Truth". The story is about a padishah and his three sons. One day the padishah asks them how much they love him. One of them mentions gems, the second (if I remember correctly) feasts, and the youngest salt. He chases the youngest son, Kazimir / Kazmir, out of the castle for his answer. (Familiar set-up, isn't it?) He hires hunters to kill him, but they don't do it because they love him for his goodness. He goes to a neighbouring country to live with an old mother, and is then elected ruler. He then invites his father to visit him, but he is always served a meal without salt. Finally, the padishah recognizes his son.
Later in the afternoon, one of the students, Idil Özcanli, gave a presentation on Turkey. She brought photos of some of the more special places in the country. She told us about the Galata Tower, which is believed to be the place where two lovers who go up there will soon be married. She brought sentences that are very similar in Hungarian and Turkish. We also gave examples of Hungarian words that are of Turkish origin (e.g. keçi - kecske, which means goat). We also talked about the history of the two nations and the Hungarian-Turkish Friendship Park.
Overall, we learned a lot about each other's cultures and everyone was open to what the other had to say, which I think is fantastic. It's always an experience to meet new people and learn about new cultures and traditions. It never hurts to learn a little bit more about the world outside of you.