Sierra Germeyan
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"I'm half Turkish and half American. At Bethany, I play the violin in orchestra, I'm on the volleyball team, and recently I was in the school musical. I also like to read and spend time with my friends. I spend my summers in Turkey, where we live in Istanbul. One of my favorite things to do in Turkey is attend Olive Grove, an international holiday adventure in Antalya for children and youth. I attend Trinity United Methodist Church in Elkhart."
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Jay Mast
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"I pass my time by hanging out with friends and family. People in general have a lasting effect on me. I'm greatly involved in cello, piano, singing, and musical theater. I'm an active participant in my youth group and some of my favorite memories with the group are service trips."
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"I hope to learn more about serving a wider range of people by going to Turkey."
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Chi-su Moon
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"Merhaba! I’m from South Korea and I'm 18 years old. I’m so excited to go to Turkey during interterm this year. I have traveled to many countries such as Japan, USA, China, France, Canada, and Thailand. I always enjoy visiting other countries because I can learn many things from their culture, their language, and their lifestyle. Therefore, I also expect that I’ll learn many things that are helpful for my whole life from Turkey.
Hosca kaliniz!"
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Luke Peters
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"I am 17 years old and am planning on becoming a filmmaker. I have a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. People say that I am obsessed with the Star Wars movies, but I'm not... I just really like them a lot!!!"
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"I am really excited to get to go on this trip to Turkey. Culture fascinates me. This is my first trip to anywhere outside the US except Canada. This is an experience that I will always treasure and I eagerly await April."
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Stephen Pettifor
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"I enjoy playing sports. My favorite sport is soccer. I go to Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. I enjoy drawing and writing. I love food. I love to try out different cultural delicacies."
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"My reason for going on this trip is to understand how Muslims live, more specifically their religion and cultural behavior. I am hoping to try as much food as I can. I am most excited for the sightseeing, specifically the architectural design and buildings."
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Kelly Snyder
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"I love to play soccer and tennis. I'm involved in the youth group at Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. I love to be with my family- they are lots of fun...especially my sisters. I love to sing. Change is a great thing. I love new and exciting things. Any new experience is a fun one."
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"I'm super excited about going on this trip! I can't wait to learn about and experience the culture in Turkey. I'm excited to learn to know the people in my group better, along with learning to know people in Turkey. I can't wait to work with children in Istanbul. When I went to Africa over Christmas, seeing the children and talking to them was the best part of the trip. Children really touch my heart. There are so many things I'm looking forward to during this trip. Trying new food, learning new things, having my faith challenged, and so much more!"
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Simone Sommers
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"I love photography, playing volleyball, spending time with my friends and family, reading, watching movies, and traveling. I enjoy being the junior photo editor on Witmarsum (yearbook) at Bethany, being a class officer, and being active in my church community at Hively Avenue Mennonite Church."
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"When I was 3, my family served with MCC in Cairo, Egypt for 2 1/2 years. Ever since then I have been bitten by a travel bug and have felt a need to get out and see the world. I also love learning about history and am very excited to see old ruins and other interesting monuments. I hope to meet lots of interesting people in Turkey and to get an even broader understanding of lives and cultures of people around the world."
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Collette Weaver
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"I play volleyball and tennis. I am involved in my church's youth group at Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. I love being with my friends and going shopping. I love to go to the beach and I enjoy the ocean!"
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"I'm excited about experiencing a new country and culture. I have never been out of the United States so this will definently be a new experience for me. I am looking forward to meeting the students in the high school, and hanging out with them and learning how they like to spend their free time."
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Jennifer Lucas-Germeyan
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Group leader
Social studies teacher
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"My interest in Turkey began 23 years ago, when I met my Turkish husband while we were both students at Ohio State University. After the birth of our two daughters, we moved to the bustling city of Istanbul. After a few years, I moved with our daughters back to Elkhart so they could attend school in the States. Since then, our family has straddled a cultural bridge as we go back and forth between Turkey and the States. We also as a family bridge the gap between Islam and Christianity- half our relatives are Christian and half are Muslim."
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"While living in Turkey, I was a trainer for adult leaders in Girl Scouts in Europe, which meant lots of free travel in Europe! For the past 10 years, I've also been actively involved as a volunteer at Olive Grove, a camp for children and youth run by St Paul Cultural Center in Turkey. And of course, for the past 6 years, I've taught social studies at Bethany."
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