STYLE
Proč jste se rozhodla přestěhovat se do České
republiky, jaký je váš příběh?
Potřebovala jsem odejít. Nebyla jsem šťastná. Jako
svobodná žena jsem se necítila bezpečně a jako
učitelka jsem nemohla probírat s mojí třídou problematiku naší země. Učím jazyky, takže probírat
politiku nebylo zrovna něco, co jsme ve třídě dělali často, ale všichni jsme museli být velmi opatrní
při plánování kurikula. Například, pořádně jsme se
museli zamyslet nad tím, zda použít text z Amnesty International jako text na analýzu. Já jsem byla
jedna ze šťastnějších učitelek, protože jsem pracovala ve Francouzské škole se svobodomyslným
vedením, ale pořád jsme byli utlačováni a často
jsme riskovali. Tak jsem se rozhodla odejít. Nechtěla jsem odejít do Asie, nebo Jižní Ameriky, protože
jsem chtěla zůstat blízko své rodině a kamarádům,
ale zůstat v Evropě také nebylo zrovna lehké, díky
mému Tureckému pasu. Většina zaměstnavatelů se
nechtěla trápit s papírováním pro moje dlouhodobé vízum. Mezitím jsem kontaktovala The Ostrava
International School a byla jsem moc ráda, když
jsem zjistila, že jim to papírování nevadilo.
Jaký je váš život v Ostravě a na The Ostrava International School?
Mám tady větší klid než v Istanbulu, ale taky si to
tady užívám, protože můžu cestovat skoro každý
víkend. V České republice se mi nejvíc líbí příroda,
takže se snažím vždy hledat nová nádherná místa.
Školou jsem velmi zaneprázdněná. Poprvé pracuju v IB škole, takže si toho musím hodně přečíst,
připravit a naučit, ale moc se mi líbí, že můžu být
součástí místní mezinárodní komunity.
Ostrava: The Right Choice for Me
Banu Hatipoglu is an English teacher at The Ostrava International School. She came seeking a more
open environment and has been here for just over a year. Here is what she has to say about her
experience.
Where are you from exactly, how are the people
of that area, do you perhaps have any special
memories growing up in the area?
I am from a small island near Istanbul called
Buyukada. The population is quite small, about
2000 people, but lots of tourists come here in the
summer. The people are usually very friendly. Since
it is small, most people know each other. There
are inhabitants from many different cultures and
religions. Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Jews, Greeks all
live together.
I have a lot of memories for sure. In the summer, we
would go to the beach everyday from early in the
morning till 9-10 pm; sail, go fishing, dive, play games
all day long. My best memories are all connected to
the sea.
Also, being in a multicultural environment, I have
memories about practising all religions. We would
all go to the mosque during Ramadan, then to the
Church for Easter and Christmas. We all grew up
with respect and freedom. We didn‘t even know the
difference between a Muslim or a Christian, a Turk
or an Armenian.
Why did you decide to come to the Czech Republic,
what is your story?
I needed to leave the country. I was unhappy and
being a single woman, I didn‘t feel safe. Also, as
a teacher, I had no freedom to discuss the problems
of the country with my students. Of course, being
a language teacher, discussing politics wasn’t
necessarily what we did in class, but we all had to
be very careful when planning the curriculum. For
example, we would think twice before including
a text about Amnesty International as a reading
comprehension text. I was one of the lucky teachers,
working for a French school with a very openminded administration, but we were all oppressed,
often taking risks. So, I decided to leave. I did not
want to go to Asia or to South America, since
I wanted to be close to my family and friends. Staying
in Europe was also not that easy, as, due to my
Turkish passport, most employers didn’t want to deal
with the paperwork regarding my long term visa. In
the meantime, I contacted The Ostrava International
School and was happy to find out that they didn’t
mind the paperwork.
Could you give us your brief view on the current
state of your home country?
With oppression from the government, a declining
economy and without proper services like education
and healthcare being offered for free, the people
have become impatient, rude, and disrespectful.
There are now a lot of problems not only on the
mainland, but also on islands, such as the one I grew
up on. It is still bearable to some extent, as long as
you live in your bubble, but I think, hoping to be
mistaken, it will get worse.
How is your life in Ostrava and at the Ostrava
International School?
My life is quite calm compared to Istanbul, but it
is also a lot of fun, since I can travel almost every
weekend. I really appreciate the countryside in the
Czech Republic so I try to visit a different place each
time.
My schedule at the school is very busy. I am working
for an IB school for the first time so I have a lot to
read, prepare and learn, but I really like being a part
of the international community here.
Name:
Banu Hatipoglu
Age:
40
Nationality:
Turkish
Hobbies and interests:
Travelling,
swimming,
photography,
cinema
Favorite Czech food:
Bramborak
Text:
Adam Koneval
Student of The Ostrava
International School,
IB programme
Foto:
www.is-ostrava.cz
POSITIV ǀ 4/2018 55