Where To Find The Energy of Peace

The Second Vice International President of Lions Clubs International, Dr. Patti Hill, started a great initiative: Global Conversation About Peace. With this initiative, members of Lions and Leo Clubs are encouraged to take action for peace, to organise service activities with a focus on peace, to create an awareness, to create a unifies energy and consciousness of peace.

t a time when we are talking about Syria and Afghanistan, not only in home country Turkey due to the immense number of refugees from these two countries, but all around the World, it is impossible not feel the energy of fear.  There is such a big need for peace and understanding in our lives.

On the other hand, nature had its cries for help.  Forest fires stormed Turkey, Greece, Italy and many other countries in Europe and again around the World this summer, creating great pain.  Forests lost, wild life lost, people losing their homes as well as their livelihood, their farm lands and farm animals.  We witnessed the helplessness as well as the unified efforts of citizens and volunteers.

As the World gets globally connected, we are becoming more and more aware of the pain and suffering in different parts of the World. We are becoming more aware of the restlessness, the lack of serenity and peace in our minds, in our hearts and in our physical world.

Over the centuries, great leaders have always called out for peace.  The founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, although a soldier, always talked about the importance of peace. He is known for his famous saying: Peace at Home, peace in the World. Lions Clubs International, the largest and probably the best service organisation in the World, for more than a century, has focused on creating a climate of understanding between nations and in the World.  

Being able to serve those in the need without expecting anything in return requires an energy of peace.  Being able to selflessly work to help others requires one to be in harmony and peace with oneself, to respect people, nature, our World.

A lot can be said about peace.  There is a need for peace in almost all aspects of life.  Working to support peace is an immense task.  The influx of negativity is tough to shake off and it is equally tough to look at this seemingly insurmountable mountain and take the first step.  However, that first step and the steps that can follow are exactly what need to be done. One step at a time.  And those steps, if they can be taken together with like minded people, bring us the hope that we need to remember, the hope that we need to believe in the inherent goodness in people and that peace is possible.

Lions’, Vice President Dr. Patti Hill’s “Global Conversation About Peace” is an ongoing conversation about taking action for a more positively rooted consciousness of peace.  It is a call to look at where that energy of peace is needed, to identify what action can be taken and to start wherever and how ever we can.  

Attending of the online session of Global Conversation About Peace, I remembered the many projects that we as Lions Clubs' members actually did over the years to support peace and understanding in our communities and in our lives.  During the breakout room discussion of that session, I shared shortly some of the projects  that we did, for example to create awareness for some of the issues that the mentally disabled children and their families experience, to address the hidden violence in our use of language - the need for peace in the way we speak and communicate, and also to protect nature as an action of peace, as a way to show our respect to life.

In my mind and heart, peace is a reflection and an expression of respect.  When I do not know where to start to support peace, I start by showing love, compassion and respect to people, living things and nature around me. I start by treating everything around me, animate or inanimate, as living, as beings that will be able to feel the “touch” of my actions, feelings and thoughts.  That approach changes me and shifts what I am able to do. And that sometimes means starting small.

When the needs that we see are huge,  we start to believe that we need to come and do big projects and take big actions.  Of course, if you are able to, surely do go ahead.  We all have initiated and have taken part in big and influential projects. However, if that unique creative idea is not coming yet, or if the organisation and means are not coming together, please do not wait in order to support that energy of love, care and compassion, the respect to preserve and to enhance life, to support peace.

Among the many things that I have done and plan to do, for this September 21 International Day of Peace, as an act of peace, I chose to show my care and appreciation for nature by doing personal daily cleanups.  

For me, that means taking a short walk to the beach with a glove and a trash bag and spending 20 minutes every morning to collect what the sea has brought to the beach during the night and also picking up that broken piece of glass or the blue plastic bottle cap among the pebbles. At times, even though that voice within that whispers, “why do I have to do it” still can be heard, the feeling of leaving a place a little better that I have found brings that energy of peace first of all to me, and it probably resonates from me to my day that I share with others.  And those ripples are what taking an action for peace is all about.

So, I would like to call you to take an action for this September 21st, International Day of Peace. Whether you are a member of a Lions/Leo Club or not, let’s join forces to step up once again, to take action, even if we may have been disheartened many times before.  Ripples do reach many distant shores. And maybe, when our ripples unite and gain strength from each other’s hearts, the energy of peace that is always present in us, though sometimes hidden, discouraged and forgotten, will awaken in so many more.

With love and gratitude,

Lion Zeynep Kocasinan

Member, Istanbul Ulus Lions Club, D118T, MD118 Turkey

Past District Governor, 2018-2019, D118R, MD118 Turkey

Lions Global Action Team Area Leader for CAIV Europe

P.S.

If you would like more information on ideas and how to join, please check out the information below.

www.lionsvirtual.org

Facebook: “Lions Virtual” https://facebook.com/LionsVirtual

lionsvirtualuniverse@gmail.com

Ertugrul

This memory appeared interestingly after over 10 years.

I had had the privilege to visit the temple that some of the Turkish soldiers were treated and taken care of in, after their ship Ertugrul sank in a typhoon on September 16th, 1890 at the rocky shores of the Ooshima Island in Kushimoto, Wakayama, Japan.

532 soldiers had lost their lives and 69 could survive thanks to the search and rescue efforts carried out by the local people, the Japanese authorities and the German ship Volf and the Japanese ship Buci Maro.

I am and will always be deeply grateful to Lion Mr. Seiji Mukaiyama, a member of the Wakayama Lions Club for taking me to Kushimoto and Ooshima, to the Memorial Site for our soldiers, the Turkish Museum on the Island. Mr. Mukaiyama even introduced me to the mayor of the town in this visit. Thank you Mr. Mukaiyama. ありがとうございました.

It was very touching and heartwarming to see how the Japanese people are still so gently caring for our soldiers who are resting there with utmost respect for their memory.

That day will always be one of the most precious days of my life.

And I hope in the future I can visit the Ooshima Island and our soldiers again. May they rest in peace.

Back to Writing in English

On August 6th when I wrote in my blog in English, I realized that it had been 1 day short of four years since I published anything in that blog. 

In 2016, I had been elected to serve as the Second Vice District Governor in our Lions Clubs District in Izmir. It meant that I would be on the board for four years and serve as the District Governor and the Federation President for one year. 

I knew that these positions would take a lot of time, however, this commitment required even more of my personal time than I expected.  What made it more difficult was the fact that I lived in two cities, Istanbul and Fethiye, simultaneouly.   And since apart from one Club in Fethiye which I am a member of, the rest of the 64 Clubs were scattered in various cities and towns in Western and South Western part of Turkey, mainly in Izmir and Antalya.  

And since our District’s headquarters were in Izmir, it meant a lot of travelling and a lot of time spent away from home.  Especially during my year as the District Governor, apart from work which I had minimised for that year, and my voluntary work for Lions, I had almost no time for anything else.

I had an amazing four years with our Lions District.  I met hundreds of wonderful people in my District, in Turkey and in the World. I learned a lot.  I almost grew up in some aspects.  I feel very lucky and deeply grateful, therefore I am not really complaining.  Yet in hindsight, I realized that it meant that I had to put some of the things that I love to do on hold.  Like writing.

During those four years, except for the year I served as the District Governor of D118R of Turkey, I continued to write in Turkish, even though not as much as I used to before. 

However, I did not write in English at all. 

I love writing. In Turkish and in English, as well.  I wrote two of my books in English. They are not translations for my books in Turkish.  I really like learning and using the English language.   I used to write some of my journals in English, however, I started to write in English when I started to write a weekly column for a local English newspaper.  If I remember correctly, I wrote for that paper for at least three or four years.  I also remember how difficult It was to express what I wanted to say at first, and how the ideas and words started to flow more easily after the first year.

Today, as I decide to start to write in English again, writing feels awkward.  I find myself looking for words and they are not coming to me easily.   I feel that I will need to accept to live with this feeling of incompetence for a while.  I know from past experiences that, sometimes, even though English is a foreign language for me, I am able to express myself better.  Sometimes it really happens, or at least happened, that way. 

For that reason, I want to give it a try again.  Whlle doing that, I think, for a while, I might have to find a way to make peace with accepting my inabiliy to express myself as I would like to.  

Therefore, let this be a new beginning.

In my column in English, I used to share a quote and an affirmation each week.  I would like to continue to do that.  I hope that their message and energy will give you support.

With love and light,

Zeynep

Affirmation of the Week:

“I calm my thoughts and I am serene.”

By Louise Hay

Quote of the Week:

“Surround yourself with people who respect and treat you well.”

By Claudia Black

To Be a 'Karate Kid' at the Age of 45

The movie “The Karate Kid” that came out in 1984 was the reason many kids like me got interested in Karate.  One of my cousins, Erdogan had started to learn, but learning Karate as a 14 year old girl was not so common and easy. And for that reason, my desire to learn Karate was dormant for over 30 years.

In 2010, this time Will Smith and a couple of other producers made the new version of “The Karate Kid.”  This time with Jackie Chan as the unusual karate teacher and with additional touch of Chinese Kung Fu.

I had been so busy with work and also with NGO activities with Lions Clubs International, with Down Syndrome Association and many more that, although I had never totally forgotten, learning Karate was a dream which would always stay a dream I had thought.

Well, maybe life had other plans for me.

It was a few months ago, after over 30 years, when the topic of Karate came up again and I found myself talking with my cousin Erdogan, telling  him that I wanted to learn Karate.  He immediately had an answer for me. He told me to find, to go to and talk to Mr. Omer Habes in Habes Sports Centre, in Calis, Fethiye. 

I had not known that there was indeed a World and European Champion Karate Instructor in Fethiye.  In turns out, Mr. Omer Habes, who is 7^th Dan in black belt, had won countless National Championships in Turkey in both Kata and Kumite braches of Karate.  He had been the captain of our Turkish National Team for many years, who is also known as one of the best technical Turkish sportsman in Karate. And had become World and European Champion.

One Monday evening I found myself sitting at the corner of Mr. Omer Habes’ Karate training place * his Dojo. The word Dojo in Japanese literally means the “place of the way.”  Watching his class for adults that Monday, I decided to put my fears aside and do something that I wanted to do since I was a young girl.

After my first day of training on that Wednesday, I had become sure that I had made a very good decision. Having wanted to learn Karate for many years, of course I was motivated. I was scared and motivated.  And as some you might know, I have a favor for things Japanese. I am a Reiki instructor and have to Japan many times and I have worked with Japanese NGOs and Foundations.  However, what I found in Karate from day one is beyond what I expected.

The way of Karate is a path. It is told to be a life-long process of self-discovery. However, again from day one I found myself in a wave of energy that energies the body and the soul. I was also amazed, and still am, how Shihan (Master Instructor) Omer Habes follows his students in training.  How he knows the limits and the potential of his students.  Kids and adults alike. In a training, at an unexpected moment you may find him call your name from a distant corner of the Dojo telling you to not give up and do your best at a punch or a kick, just to realize that you were indeed about to give up and wonder how he realized it before you yourself did.

Apart from the classes for adults, I had the chance to watch some of the classes for kids as well.  Tiny kids who are four, five, six years old in yellow, orange and green belts practice Karate in such beauty and discipline, you may find yourself just wanting to keep watching them. I also am very proud to see that there are many young girls of all ages learning and practicing Karate in Mr. Habes’ Dojo. 

Shihan Mr. Omer Habes practices and teaches the “Shotokan” style of Karate, developed by Master Gichin Funakoshi from Okinawa, Japan.  Master Funakoshi was born in 1868 and has passed away in 1957.  Although Karate has very ancient roots, Master Funakoshi was the person who brought Karate from Okinawa to main island Japan, to Tokyo.

On the evening that I visited Mr. Omer Habes’ Dojo in Calis, I ordered some of the books of Gichin Funakoshi online.  I usually feel the need to connect through reading and for Karate I felt the same need.  Of course until the books arrived, I continued to attend the three-nights-a-week classes for adults.

When the books arrived, I started to read “The Twenty Guiding Principles of KARATE” first.  My first impression was that, although the words were not uttered, these 20 principles were very alive and present in our Dojo and in our classes.

One of my other interesting discoveries was that Karate is, when taught honest to its roots, is very “nonviolent.” It is not easy to explain how.  We probably expect Karate to be about power, using power and we expect it to be even dangerous.  I probably did.  The power used in Karate might be dangerous when used with a negative intention, however, the real lesson behind it all seems to be about discovering our inner strength and discovering our weaknesses that we hide even from ourselves and making peace with them, as well as turning them into strengths.

I am lucky because I had the chance to unexpectedly find a world class instructor in Fethiye.  I felt even more lucky when a few trainings later I found myself training in Fethiye with World Champion Scottish Sensei Alistair Mitchell from Great Britain.  We may call Fethiye a small town in Turkey, however Fethiye seems to be able to offer the World to many.  Well, as for Karate, it turns out many World Champions, teachers and masters visit Shihan Mr. Omer Habes, and students like me find the amazing chance to meet these other Karate Masters in his Dojo in Fethiye.

My dream of starting to learn Karate came true after 31 years. 

May your dreams and desires come alive as well.

With love and light.

Zeynep

Contact for Master Ömer Habeş:

Mr. Faruk Habeş / Mrs. Elif Habeş

Fethiye Karate Habes Sports Centre

Habeş Spor Merkezi

Yerguzlar Caddesi No.73-1, Fethiye, Turkey

+90 (543)357 48 00

The Inner Voice

I was in Bodrum for four days last week to attend Lions Clubs International Turkish Council meetings.  Before moving to Fethiye eight years ago, I used to go to Bodrum more often. Especially during the summer.  Before going to Bodrum last Wednesday evening I have been travelling in various cities in Eastern Turkey. Especially Malatya and Elazig. I have been going to Malatya since 1992.  And To Elazig since 1981.

I usually travel alone.  Travelling gives me time. To think, to question, to observe.  Mostly the thoughts in my mind. I like travelling.  Some call it waste of time. For me, travelling gives me the space to slow waiting there, being in the plane, at all these times, I am not able to do much.  Maybe I read or talk on the phone, or check my e-mails, but usually I have more time than these can fill up.  I use these times for Reiki and distant healing a lot.  I give Reiki to myself, check how my family is doing.  I check the energy of my clients.  I always remind my Reiki students to make the most of the idle times of waiting, in a taxi, at a doctor’s office or in a line in a bank.  These are idle times that can become precious through Reiki or other self-help and healing methods.

And I can catch myself in moments in which there are no thoughts in my mind.  My hand might be  on my chest or leg, I would be giving Reiki to myself and I would find myself looking into my thoughts and I would see an clean white page in front of me. I usually get this image or ideas that excite me start to come up and I realize that I was not thinking about anything prior to these new ideas. Unexpectedly, I would be coming up with solutions that were not that apparent with my regular mind.

Meditation is one of the methods that give us that space to hear our inner voice.  Meditation slows down our thoughts and allows the thoughts that we were not aware of to appear.  Allows a breathing space for them.

As I had more and more of these “aha” moments, I started to realize that my travelling times were my meditation times. While waiting at the airport, or sitting in a plane or a shuttle bus, out of nowhere I get clarification.  Maybe that why I am able to travel this much.  There are rewards to the continuous packing and unpacking.

In all that we do, there are rewards.  There is an intention behind most of all our thoughts and actions.  Not always.  Sometimes other people’s thoughts and intentions affect us, control us, manipulate us.  Maybe I’ll write about these effects in the coming weeks; however, there is a positive intention behind most of the good and bad that happens in our lives.

I fall an hurt my ankle.  I have to rest for weeks while work piles up.  Bad luck? Could be.  But also maybe I needed the compulsory rest.  Maybe I was not able to say not to the demands of my family or my boss.  If we are not able to say no to things that we really do not want to do, or that we cannot handle, usually we find other ways to say no.  And the other way is usually “making ourselves ill”.  We are not aware of it.  Our subconscious knows. Our soul, our energy knows.

The biggest gift we can give ourselves is to say no when we need to and want to.  We may refuse to do a thing and still have to do it.  Yet, this is different than seeming to agree and accept what we simply can’t.   This is one of the topics that we work on with most of my clients.   This is one of the most important healing points in my own life.  Saying yes to what we want to say no to kills our inner voice that we desperately need.

For the next few weeks, I would like to leave you with some more questions and observations:

1-      What traumas, injuries, negative events do you share with other people regularly?

2-      How often do you do this?  What is the intention behind sharing these?

3-      What would you most like to have happen in your life?  Be specific and describe in as much detail as you can.

4-      What is the most pleasurable and fulfilling thing you could to with your day tomorrow?

5-      What kind of people do you have the most trouble with? How do they make you feel?

6-      What are your common feelings?  Track and jot down your changing feelings for a day or longer to observe the changes.

*

We will look into the answers of these and other questions in the future.  May you have many pleasant discoveries.

With love,

Zeynep

Quote of the Week:

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”                                                                                                                                                                                                              Howard Thurman

Brussels, Lions and What Cello Brings

I went to Brussels for the second time this fall. The first time was more than 23 years ago.  I had spent one afternoon and one night as was going to New York for my third year in college.  I had found a cheap ticket on a flight with Sabena Airlines, which no longer exists.  Belgium now has a Brussels Airlines I believe, but I never used it. On that one August evening twenty three years ago, Brussels had seemed quite safe, quiet and friendly.  This September, Brussels to my surprise, seemed less safe, a lot less safe.

...

I was going to Brussels to attend the Lions Clubs International’s 58. Europa Forum.  Last year it was held in Maastricht, The Netherlands and next year the yearly European gathering of Lions Clubs Members in Europe will be held in Istanbul.  Since this year I am the vice-council secretary of the Lions Turkish Council, I wanted to be there as a Lion, but also Belgium was one of the few countries in Europe that I had been in only once.  I wanted to see the new Brussels as well.

This summer I had been to China for the first time and I had felt quite unsafe in this huge country.  Strangely, I felt the same “uneasiness” in Brussels.  Strange. The ‘de facto’ capital of the European Union seems to have turned into a city where you need to be careful.  Careful to make sure you watch and protect your purse, your wallet, your phone, whatever you may be carrying.  In a split second you may lose your passport and all your important belongings.  I had not seen so frequent “pick-pocket” incidents in a long time.  About 25-30 years ago, every time we visited Italy, we would be told to be very careful and I had tried to be a little bit more careful in Italy, a country that I really love to go to.

I had been in hundreds of taxis around the world.  In Europe taking a taxi is usually a trouble free experience.  Usually. In Brussels, it was less frequent to meet a decent taxi driver.  I do not speak Dutch, I speak some French.  However I do not choose to speak French if I do not really have to.   Still, I was happy to be able to understand one of the languages spoken in the Belgium.  

When I go to a country and a city that I do not know well, I always buy a book about the place and a map beforehand.  To be able to move around a city comfortable, I need a map.  My mind needs a map.  And I had a map of Brussels that I bought in Istanbul with from day one.  I also got a more practical city map from the hotel I was staying at as well. 

So almost every time I go in a taxi in Brussels, I knew where I was and where I was going and the approximate distances.  Brussels is a city you can walk and discover in a couple of hours, but my mind still wants a map and I do not fight with that need any more.  In four days I was in Brussels, I saw taxi drivers who tried to convince me that there were fixed minimal rates for certain destinations, that of course did not exit and lucky that I knew did not exits.  I met taxi drivers who tried to take unreasonably long routes to places that I had gone three or four times before from other and cheaper routes.  It was very strange to see what taxi drivers in Brussels were willing to do to get two, three, five Euros more from their clients.  It did not feel like Europe. I found myself scolding drivers and getting out of taxis in the middle of the roads.  I only had the trouble of changing couple of taxis and maybe paying extra 5-10 Euros, but some Turkish Lions Clubs members attending the Lions Europa Forum were not as lucky.  One lady even had her handbag stolen at the lobby of the four star hotel we were staying in.  The hotel management showed us the signs that they had put in the lobby to warn customers about the theft problem in Brussels, which we had not been aware of before the theft.  I am not sure if this is a result of the Economical problems in the EU or about Brussels changing after being the capital of Europe, but certainly Brussels is not the sweet and peaceful city that I liked and wanted to visit again this September.  The weather was amazing. It was sunny and warm, without a drop of rain, which I was told was to be expected any day in the Fall.

I had one positive encounter with an old Tunisian taxi driver.  As I got in his cab, we started to talk in French.  I am never confident with my French.  But this sweet old man convinced me to carry on talking and we had a wonderful talk for about twenty minutes.  As I was getting out of the taxi, he gave me a very gentle smile and told me that I did well.  I found myself smiling back.  I was talking only in French for twenty minutes and we had talked about our countries, families, politics and more. 

...

The Lions Europa Forum that I attended in Brussels was really great. There were very interesting sessions on service projects in Europe, as well as Leadership trainings.  Every year different competitions for the youth take place at the Lions Europa Forums.  One of them is the Lions European Music Competition.  This year’s instrument was the cello.  And I am very proud to announce that a young Turkish cellist Dorukhan Doruk got the first place where 18 countries were competing.  Dorukhan really is an amazing musician and very smart, kind hearted and a very well-mannered young man.  In the 21 year history of this music competition, for the first time a winner played with his instrument with an orchestra, The European Symphony Orchestra, at the closing ceremony of the forum to about 1500 people. His performance ended with a standing ovation.   I could not help but think of Benyamin Sonmez, a very talented cellist from Fethiye that we lost in 2011 at the age of 28.  As most of you know, our town of Fethiye organised its first Classical Music Festival in his honour with the complete support of official and non-governmental organizations in Fethiye. Cello was an instrument that I was not very familiar with. Dorukhan Doruk and Benyamin Sonmez put this instrument in my awareness that is hard to diminish or take back. 

For more information on Dorukhan Doruk: www.dorukhandoruk.com and for information on Fethiye Classical Music Festival, which I hope will continue in the coming years:  www.festiyefest.com.

...

I met many old Lion friend from different parts of Europe in Brussels.  Especially dear friends from Romania, The Netherlands, Austria and from the headquarters of Lions Clubs International in the US.  I had the chance to see Lions Clubs International’s Past International President Dr. Wing-Kun Tam, from Hong Kong China, whom I had the honour of meeting in İzmir last year.  We had met in Busan, Korea as well this summer, but only shortly.  Of course, our current Lions International President Mr. Wayne Madden was also in Brussels.  Dorukhan Doruk received his music award from International President Mr. Madden.

...

My dentist in Istanbul is a wonderful lady from Belgium.  And many friends from different parts of Belgium.  I have always loved their friendly, down to earth but gentle attitude.  If I return to Belgium, I hope it will be to visit friends.  Like almost every piece of land on the planet, life feels safer and happier among friends.

With love and light.

Zeynep

Quote of the Week:

“Reality is always kinder than the stories we tell about it.”

-          Byron Katie, “Loving What Is”

Affirmation of the Week:

From Louise L. Hay:  “I attract only healthy relationships.  I am always treated well.”

China, A New Country for Me to Discover...

I was in China for the first time this summer.  I am not sure if I would like to go back soon, but seeing China made me think about a different part of the world during my whole trip.  I could not help but think of the choices people make in life.  I went to three cities in China, Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. 

I remember that the first morning that I arrived in China, I felt a strange energy of constriction.  Not because I knew about the country.  It was the feeling that something is not right.  The same feeling continued even after we arrived at our five star hotel, a Marriott and even after I entered my room which was one of the best that I have stayed among the hundreds of hotel rooms I have stayed in.  In the middle of the evening I woke up.  I looked out my wide window.  My room had a wide view of that  part of the city.  There were no cars in the wide boulevard of a city of millions.  I felt a strange chill down my spine.  The energy of Beijing made me uneasy during the three days that I was there.  With its high rises, with the modern look, Beijing looked like a developing city. Still there was something that was making me uneasy.  Something hard to describe, yet very real. 

Sometimes you move into an apartment and although the location might be great, although the apartment may be in great condition, you can never feel comfortable in it.  It happens with shops and offices as well. Some shops in a certain location never have good business while the shop next door might be flocking with customers.  The problem may be the land the building is on and sometimes the problem is the people who owned or used to live in the building.  The energy of past troubles, the energy of the old occupants might still be there, affecting the people who live or work there now.  Customers might keep away because our subconscious, our energy knows that there is a problem there.  And we keep away.  Beijing had a similar effect on me.  It was as if I was on my toes trying to keep away from trouble.  The five star hotels, the high rise buildings, the clean look of the main boulevards were not enough for me to ignore the feeling.  In Xi’an and Shanghai the feeling did not disappear, however, it was definitely strongest in Beijing.

2012 is the “Year of China in Turkey” to honour the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Turkey and China. The year 2013 will be the “Year of Turkey in China.”  As some of the might remember because of my connection with Japan, with different foundations and groups in Japan as well as my connection with Lions Clubs in Japan, I had taken part in various organisations and events to honour the “Year of Japan in Turkey” in 2010.  Together with Fethiye Lions Clubs, which I am a member of, and Lions Clubs International Turkish Council we had organised concerts and specials events in Fethiye, İstanbul and İzmir.  Two years later Turkey is increasing its connections with another country, China this time.  And I do not feel prepared.  Visiting China in this special year was an opportunity for me to start to learn about this country and its people personally.

Visiting Shanghai and seeing the city from the Shanghai Tower, Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower as it is formally called, was an experience that will stay with me forever.  The Tower was completed in 1994 and until 2007 it was the tallest structure in China.    It is 468 metres high.  I had the chance to have dinner at the revolving restaurant which is at the 267 metre level.  The open buffet restaurant had food from all parts of the world.  I found myself drawn to the Japanese buffet again. The miso soup was excellent.  So were the sushi.  The restaurant was revolving quite fast.  If you were standing of the side that was revolving and if you took more than a few seconds you would find your table getting away from you.  However, apart from that it felt very comfortable.  Also, as the restaurant was revolving and the buffets at the center were stable and stationary, I would need to walk different distances to reach the various parts of the dinner buffet.  The big circular restaurant was quite packed and it is worth the money and the effort.  If I went to Shanghai away, I probably will like to repeat the experience.

The antenna of the Oriental Pearl Tower which adds 118 metres to the structure is used to broadcast radio and TV programs. And with this antenna, the Tower reaches its height of 468 metres.  

At the 90^th metre of the Tower, there is another observatory level, one of the fifteen in the Tower.  At that level  there is a glass deck that you can walk on and see the city under you as well as out.  I tired to get on that glass bottom balcony and I have to admit my head started to spin, chills –again- went down my spine, my stomach tightened.  I only could lie down on the glass floor.  I could not walk to the glass side of this glass deck.  There were some who could do it.  However, among the hundreds of people who were there, only very few could do it. It is strange how our body stops us from doing this that our mind finds safe and reasonable, how our body literally stops us from something our heart wants.  Our deep rooted reflexes unexpectedly kick in.

Shanghai with its hundreds of high-rises and skyscrapers made me forget that I was in China instantly.  I had been in New York and Tokyo many times.  These two cities were symbols of modern age to me, may be Tokyo even more.  I had not been to Dubai, so I might be missing out on another important benchmark.  I had been to the capital of South Korea Seoul before seeing China.  The city had seemed quite modern.  Going to Seoul again after seeing Shanghai, everything looked a bit dull, not high-enough.  After seeing Shanghai  it is hard to be impressed by another city.  With this colourful city of continuous constructions that seem to be growing higher every day, China has certainly created an impressive image in Shanghai.  Of course to be able to know the real China with its 1,3 billion people and 9,6 million square kilometres, one might need to travel a much different path...

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Before I started to write this week’s piece, I chose a card from the “Saints & Angels” Card Deck of Doreen Virtue with the intention of asking for support for all those who will read it.   The message came from St. Agnes of Rome and her message was “Don’t Compromise”.  The main message translates as “The need to take a stand in favour of our truth and self-esteem.”  This does not mean to fight with those who do not agree with us, but rather first to try to make others see and understand our point of view peacefully.  However, if those efforts do not work, still to make sure that we stay with our beliefs and values and not to compromise as the main message says.  This surely is not an easy path, but maybe is the only one that will make us truly peaceful and happy even if it is difficult.  You may invite St. Agnes of Rome to support you to live with your beliefs whenever you feel the need.  May this energy support us during this week.

With best wishes,

Zeynep

http://www.zeynepkocasinanenglish.blogspot.com/

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Quote of the Week:

“Birth and death are not two different states, but they are different aspects of the same state."

                                               Gandhi

Affirmation of the Week:

From Louise L. Hay:  “I know that old, negative patterns no longer limit me.  I let them go with ease.”

Being a Turk in Korea

A few days ago I visited a neighbour at the Sovalye Island, Mr. Zeki Koreli.  His last name is Koreli which means “From Korea” or rather “Korean” in Turkish and there is a reason for him to have this last name.  He is one of the veterans of the Korean War in which Turkish soldiers also took part in the early 1950s.  Many of the soldiers never made it back.  He is one of the lucky ones who made it back to Fethiye after eleven months in Korea in a brutal war.  Mr. Zeki Koreli was my neighbour for seven years, but after coming back from Korea this July, I feel like I understand him and I appreciate his time in Korea for real for the first time.  I believe now even more in the power of seeing for ourselves.  Seeing becomes believing; seeing becomes understanding.

What did I understand?  Well, let’s go back a few weeks.

On June 23^rd, 2012 I got on an early morning plane with 106 Turks from Seoul to Busan to attend the Lions Clubs International’s Lions Parade in Busan, Korea.  As a tradition Lions from 208 countries walk in a parade with their countries’ flags to salute the people of the city where the Lions International Convention takes place. The Parade was in the morning of the 23^rd of June in Busan and we were going to make it just in time.

After we landed, we got on three buses and went directly to meeting point of the Parade, where thousands of Lions from different countries were waiting for their turn to start walking in the Parade.  After spending a day and a half in Seoul, Busan was my second destination in Korea.  And in Busan, I discovered what it meant to be a Turk in Korea.

Only a few minutes after I got off the bus, I found myself walking side by side with Korean Lions who were also walking to get to the meeting point.  We started talking.  The second they discovered that I was a Turk, they started smiling, talking more, shaking hands, complementing me and offering me things, offering me food, pins and small gifts.  I was surprised, but I would be discovering later on that I was not comprehending the real degree of their friendship yet.

When we as the Lions Clubs Members from Turkey arrived at the Parade meeting point, there were thousands of Lions from so many different countries.  I knew that over 55 thousand Lions Clubs members had signed up for the Lions 95^th International Convention, however to feel the energy of so many liked minded people with such different backgrounds was like swimming in a sea of many different colours and textures.  As I looked up, I saw the two big Turkish Flags in the air.  A team of Turkish Lions had come to Busan a few days earlier to take care of the necessary preparations for our group.

In the Parade area there were Lions from Nepal, Spain and Bangladesh nearby.  Many women Lions from Korea were wearing their traditional costume the Korean Hanbok, which is a long dress resembling the Japanese Kimono, in bright colours.

We had to wait about 30-40 minutes for our turn to start walking in the Lions Parade.  As we lined up to walk with one very big Turkish Flag in front of our group and with banners with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s sayings, Koreans started to cheer for us.  Each member of our group had a few Turkish flags in our hands which we stared to wave as we were walking.  Lions from Korea and Koreans who were waiting on the side of  the road stared to shout our “Our big brother... We love you... Turkey, welcome to Korea...” and many similar words.  Since this was my first Lions International Convention and first Lions Parade, I initially thought they were cheering for all of the countries as they walked in front of them.  I soon realized it was not so.  They were cheering for us, they were applauding us, they were calling us their big brother because we were Turks, because we were Lions from Turkey.

Koreans were coming near our group asking for one of our small Turkish friends.  They were coming near us to take a picture of their kids with us.  They were telling their kids to wave to us, to cheer for us.   As we they were cheering  “Turkey... Turkey... Turkey...” And in return our group of about 100 Turks found ourselves cheering, shouting “Korea” at the top of our lungs. They were shouting  “Turkey” and we were shouting back “Korea.” This continued for the couple of hours we walked in the Lions Parade in Busan.  Strange, interesting, emotional, surprising... I had heard that Koreans like Turks very much and that there is a deep respect for Turks in Korea. I had heard. However, I had not imagined that people my age or younger, who certainly were not around during the time of the Korean War still appreciated the efforts and sacrifices of the Turkish soldiers during the Korean War.  They knew.  Little kids who were may be 7, 8 or 9 years old seemed to know.  They seemed to know and care.  It was strange to see that they not only cared, they wanted to make sure that they showed us that they cared.

When I had decided to attend the Lions Clubs International’s yearly International Convention in Busan, Korea, I had not imagined that being a Turk would make that trip special.  I had been to many countries around the world and had been welcome in many. However, I had not experienced a visit where being a Turk made such a big difference.  Korea in that respect would be a first for me.

There is surely more to the story and June 25^th, 2012 was another special day to be Turk in Korea.  Let’s leave the story of that day to another week.

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In these hot summer days, please make sure you drink plenty of water and let it wash your body from inside out.  If you consume alcohol and caffeinated drinks which cause dehydration, make sure you add a couple of glasses more to your daily amount of water intake.

Wishing you many blessings in the week to come.

Love,

Zeynep

http://www.zeynepkocasinanenglish.blogspot.com/

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Quote of the Week:

“Every time you put yourself into a proactive state, it is considered an act of sharing."

Yehuda Berg, From “The Monster is Real”

Affirmation of the Week:

From Louise L. Hay:  “I get plenty of sleep every night.  My body appreciates how I take care of it.”