What a day...

Today was so amazing, I have to report about it. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, visited our school as part of her schedule on her Turkey trip, and I was lucky enough to be invited to a conference with her, where journalists, some students, members of the German parliament, professors and Turkish ministers were invited and where mostly the Turkish educational system was discussed. She was incredibly polite, funny and down-to-earth, talked to us students for a big part, and really strengthened our confidence in the matter of speaking our thoughts out openly, underlining the importance of the young generation and its opinions. Her politics are discussable and not supported by everyone, but that is not what I am talking about right now and that doesn't change the fact that I found her to be a very likeable person. Shortly, I don't have the intention of promoting anything.
I am a strong defender of the idea that we, the youth, are the future and that a schools main purpose should be to make us individuals who aren't afraid to stand up for themselves, who have strong ideals and opinions and who aren't afraid of supporting these. School should help us forming our characters and finding our way in life, teaching us to look at a matter from different angles, thus simplifying the dissolving of problems in life. I read this quote a couple of days ago which is, in my opinion, absolutely true:

'Education is what remains when one has forgotten everything he has learned in school.' - Albert Einstein

Honestly, I learn stuff for exams and forget it again the day after I wrote it. The things that stick with me are those I just talked about.


Two really excellent students of our school, who even got the chance to sit next to her on the podium. It was a priority to just be there, so I was very glad about my place in the audience and was very happy for these two seniors, who represented us very well, I think.