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CLASS 32 SOCIAL ISSUES SEMINAR

In anticipation of the Social Issues Seminar in Tacoma, Seminar Liaison Tristan Klesick organized a Class 32 Food Drive for the Emergency Food Network (EFN) of Tacoma. Tristan’s request resulted in an enthusiastic response of nearly 500 pounds of donated food from Class 32 for EFN. Tristan’s idea inspired Abigail Snyder, President of Class 32, to ask Tacoma AgForestry alumni to contribute as well. In response West Fork Timber Company, LLC, donated $1,000 to EFN through Class 32. When asked what the most effective way to donate is, EFN’s Development Director Jeff Klein explained that $1 donated results in $12 food benefit. West Fork Timber’s donation will translate into $12,000 of food for the Tacoma area.

Scott Swanson, VP of West Fork Timber (Graduate of Class 22) said this donation is supported by Toby Murray, Owner of West Fork Timber and President/CEO of Murray Pacific Corporation. Toby is a past board member of the Emergency Food Network and continues to hold its mission close to his heart. Class 32 is proud to have assisted in this transaction.

The offer to alumni remains open; if you would like to donate to EFN in the spirit of Class 32, please contact Emergency Food Network, 3318 92nd Street South, Lakewood, WA 98499.

Take this as an invitation to volunteer or donate to your local food bank.

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CLASS 31 EXPERIENCES TURKEY
31 tane sınıflandır Türkiye'yi tecrübeyle öğrenir
Written by Kathleen Whalen

In January, Class 31 travelled to Turkey, our International Seminar. The boat tour up the Bosphorus Strait provided a full snapshot of the size and age of Istanbul. With a population of 12.8 million people, it is the fifth largest city in the world. We saw palace after palace and 5-7 story apartment buildings. The contrast between this huge modern city and the little town of Harran, located in southeast Turkey, was quite dramatic. Here, some still live in beehive homes, where primitive living barely meets the modern world. Most of the homes, constructed of mud and dung, were enhanced with satellite dishes, and people walk the neighborhood talking on their cell phones.

The home stays were one of the most meaningful and memorable experiences of the trip. I, along with three other classmates, spent the night with a Kurdish family. Only the teenage girl could speak and understand very basic English, making communication challenging, but we managed. They were among the most hospitable people I’ve ever met. Later that evening, we joined another family upstairs who were hosting four other classmates. For the next three hours we talked on a variety of subjects including differences in family values, traditions, education, and music. We sang and danced together before retiring for the night. The warmth and friendliness of the Turks throughout the country really struck me. On a number of occasions, they gifted items to us, a gesture of their graciousness.

The tours of Ephesus and Hieropolis were another major highlight of the visit. Navigating through the ruins of these ancient cities established as far back as the 3rd century AD made me realize just how young our own civilization in North America truly is. The image of thousands of men working together to construct these marble cities was remarkable.

The architecture found throughout the country was breathtaking. It’s difficult to capture the grand scale in pictures, but they are forever etched in my mind. The brilliance of the gold color in the Christian mosaics being restored inside the Hagia Sophia particularly caught my attention. I felt as though I could have spent another week in that place just taking it all in and snapping a few hundred more photos of the beauty in it all.

I’m eternally grateful to the Foundation board, staff and many financial contributors who made this life-changing experience possible. This travel bug I have now makes me want to visit so many other places around the world. I can hardly wait to start my next journal of experiences on another international excursion of my own.

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INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR TO TURKEY
CLASS 31
Written by Mike Rickel

Class 31 visited Turkey from January 18-31 for its International Seminar. For our group it was an incredible “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.

Prior to the trip I did not know much about Turkey. This lack of knowledge drove my research in an effort to be a little better prepared. From my limited research I found that Turkey played a key role in the development of early civilizations and trade, but I did expected Turkey to be technologically advanced. I also feared that the Turkish people might not be very warm to Americans based on US international policy and a possible expectation that all Americans are “rude and have attitudes.” I found that I was wrong on both accounts.

I was very impressed with many aspects of Turkey: the history and ruins, the food and the people, the availability of technology and the quickly advancing agricultural practices, but in some cases still a very simple approach to agriculture.

Turkey has an amazing history as a major center for classic Greek culture and then Roman culture well before the Islamic area. Perhaps the greatest example of this that our group visited was Ephesus. This historic site was truly impressive and I was awestruck by the exquisite art and architecture on display at the historic ruins and museum. The advanced examples of art and buildings we saw that are thousands of years old was overwhelming. Aspendos was another site our group visited that exhibited how impressive the architecture of the early civilization was. The well-preserved coliseum and nearby aqueduct were testaments to how advanced the people and technology of early Turkey were.

Turkey is a historic country that is also embracing advanced technology. This was evident by the Ataturk Dam and the thousands of acres of irrigation and extensive electricity provided by it. I was also struck by the dichotomy between advanced development and technology within a very short distance of poor and/or historic areas little changed for thousands of years. This was made particularly evident to me in the city of Antalya, which is a historic seaport that has seen dramatic recent (10 to 20 years) development. Here there are buildings thousands of years old that are within a block of cell phone stores.

Perhaps the thing that will stay with me the longest from the trip to Turkey was how warm and friendly the people were. During our home stay we were welcomed by a family into their home with tremendous warmth. They were happy for the opportunity to meet us and were very eager to learn about us (Americans), and share with us who Turkish people are. From this encounter I found that Turkish people are very friendly, have deep religious and family values, and want the same things as Americans: the freedom to practice religion, ability to provide for their families, and a safe environment to live.

While the people and historic aspects of Turkey had the biggest impressions on me, the trip touched all of my senses. From the early morning call to prayer that echoed from the minarets, to the delicious aromas of the fresh foods we tasted and enjoyed, to the dazzling sites of the Grand Bazaar, it was an amazing experience. Further, by sharing it as a group, we were able to discuss it amongst ourselves to learn how various visits/sessions impacted others and what they learned. From this we were able to further deepen the experience and learn from others in a way that often times broadened our view and increased our appreciation beyond what we each might have initially had.

Many long-lasting memories were created from this trip. I now utilize any opportunity to share with colleagues, friends, and family these impressions of Turkey and more.

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