Ostrava: The Right Choice for Me

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:

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

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