Our visit to Seville 5/14 November 2015

As the Erasmus Project group of Özdemir Sabancı Emirgan Anatolian  High School we went to Seville, Spain with a group of 3 teachers, 15 students on 5th of November 2015. We landed at Malaga Airport in Spain after a 4 hour-long flight. After our landing, we claimed our lugagges and headed over to the bus, which was going to take us to Seville. After a 3 hour-long ride we made it to İ.E.S İSBİLYA the school in which our partners welcomed us. The first thing I realized about the city was that it was full of historical buildings and  wasn’t as crowded as Istanbul ,most people here use public transportation or bikes to travel around the city.  After arrival we had the chance to walk around the city and Seville wasn’t such a huge place, which made it easier to travel on foot. My partner was very friendly and that was one of the reasons why we got on well easily. At the 6th of November we went to Plaza de Espana. It was an impressing, big center with some canoes for people who visit there to enjoy. We canoed for a bit and it was lots of fun. The architecture of Plaza de Espana was absolutely fantastic it was something I have never seen before. The day after that we went to a Roman City in Italica in Santiponce. The city was interesting and it had an arena in it which was cool it didn’t interest me as much as Plaza de Espana did. On the 9th of November we entered our first lessons in the school. I experienced Biology and P.E that day which was fun. These lessons were quite similar to ones we have in Turkey. After the lesson finished we walked on foot to see the Fortress and the Tower of Giralda. The Fortress was interesting because the architecture was similar to the ones of the mosques in Turkey. The Tower of Giralda on the other hand was completely different from what we usually see in Turkey. Its church part was beautiful and the view of the city from the tower was ecstatic. I will definitely go there again if I have a chance. After this tiring day we, at the 10th of November went to Centa, El Rocio, The Acebron Palace and MatalasCanas Beach. Centa was an environmental unit, it would get the dirty water from the city and treat it until it becomes clean again. 

I am going to be honest here; the water treatment system didn’t really smell the best but the importance of the work they are doing is truly remarkable. In El Rocio we saw different kinds of birds and a church called The Hermitage of El Rocio. At the Acebron Palace, which currently serves as the park visitors centre, we saw many interesting things including a  head of a lynx. The beautiful Matalascanos Beach was fun, but us Turkish students didn’t swim in the water, instead we ate some ice cream with some Italians. The day after seeing these places we attended in more classes end after our lessons have finished we walked to the El Salvador, which was a huge church and made me feel like a small ant, and the Fine Arts Museum. On the 12th of November we did some sports activities in the school and went shopping afterwards. After that day the school organized a farewell party and we were given our certificates. Spanish and Turkish students showed their national dances and everybody said farewell to each other. 

And In the morning of the day we were going to back to Turkey we had emotional moments with our partners. We were then collected by a bus which dropped us at the Malaga Airport then a 5 hour long flight to Turkey saw our projects Spain leg officially end. This project improved my English but the most important of them all I made new friends and saw unforgettable places. This journey to Spain was simply marvelous. 

                                                   Aykut Yunusoğlu    

    

 STRESS IN OUR LIVES

We generally use the word "stress" when we feel that everything becomes too much to handle. 

   Stress is everywhere in our lives for example i am a student i have exams at school and while i am in exam i get stressed if i had not worked enough.     

  Life stresses can also have a big impact. Examples of life stresses are; 

- the death of loved ones 

- divorce 

- loss of a job

- getting married 

- emotional problems

- working long hours 

- being unhappy in your job

If we decide our available skills are more than enough to deal with a situation it is not seen as stressful to us. What usually happens to your body when you feel stressed? You start to (terlemek). In order to coope with a stressful situation, it is important to know. What are the causes of stress? 

The most common you causes of stress are can not bereavement, family problems etc.. 

What can you do manage your stress? 

The first step is to learn to recognize when you are feeling stressed. 

  A second way is to change how you react to stress. You can following methods, exercise, assertiveness, nutrition,time,breathing,talk. 

Stay healthy, stay out of stress.

Our project activities between October and November

OSEAL-Ozdemir Sabanci Emirgan Anatolian High School  from Istanbul is a partner of the project ''Sound Mind in a Sound Body-How to survive the changes in our world and be well''since November 2014.The project will end in 2017 and our other partner countries are Italy,Spain,Finland and Poland(Coordinator country).We made our first visit with students to Sicily-Italy in March,2015.It has been an unforgetable project mobility exchange with various activities related to the project,mainly focused on physical health.2015-2016 term will focus on mental health and students have been using our school boards driving attention to threats to our mental health and how to be well.

On 20th of October -Our biology teacher Figen Ozturk had class sessions with 9th and 10th grades about ''Stress and anxiety" .

On 23rd of October-Our school band gave a short concert during our lunch break focusing on the effect of music on a person's mind and how it makes someone feel much better.We learnt that afternoon classes were fun with other teachers as students were on such a beautiful spirit.

On 25th of October 2015-with our project coordinator Nursel Kayisoglu and our literature teacher Melek Kurukaya we had a morning breakfast activity focusing on the effect of a healthy breakfast on a person's body.

On 5-14th Sevilla Mobility is done.

On 17th of November-our school counselor gave useful seminar on ''Addiction'' that we believe that it brought an effective impact on the students.

Causes of Stress

Causes of Stress

The kids won't stop screaming, your boss has been hounding you because you turned a report in late, and you owe the IRS thousands of dollars you don't have. You're seriously stressed out.

Stress is actually a normal part of life. At times, it serves a useful purpose. Stress can motivate you to get that promotion at work, or run the last mile of a marathon. But if you don't get a handle on your stress and it becomes long-term, it can seriously interfere with your job, family life, and health. More than half of Americans say they fight with friends and loved ones because of stress, and more than 70% say they experience real physical and emotional symptoms from it.

Read on to learn why you get stressed out, and how that stress might be affecting your health.

Causes of Stress

Everyone has different stress triggers. Work stress tops the list, according to surveys. Forty percent of U.S. workers admit to experiencing office stress, and one-quarter say work is the biggest source of stress in their lives.

Causes of work stress include:

• Being unhappy in your job
• Having a heavy workload or too much responsibility
• Working long hours
• Having poor management, unclear expectations of your work, or no say in the decision-making process
• Working under dangerous conditions
• Being insecure about your chance for advancement or risk of termination
• Having to give speeches in front of colleagues
• Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your company isn't supportive

Life stresses can also have a big impact. Examples of life stresses are:

• The death of a loved one
• Divorce
• Loss of a job
• Increase in financial obligations
• Getting married
• Moving to a new home
• Chronic illness or injury
• Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)
• Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
• Traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, theft, rape, or violence against you or a       loved one 

Sometimes the stress comes from inside, rather than outside. You can stress yourself out just by worrying about things. All of these factors can lead to stress:

• Fear and uncertainty. When you regularly hear about the threat of terrorist attacks, global warming, and toxic chemicals on the news, it can cause you to be stressed, especially because you feel like you have no control over those events. Fears can also hit closer to home, such as being worried that you won't finish a project at work or won't have enough money to pay your bills this month.
• Attitudes and perceptions. How you view the world or a particular situation can determine whether it causes stress. For example, if your television set is stolen and you take the attitude, "It's OK, myinsurance company will pay for a new one," you'll be far less stressed than if you think, "My TV is gone and I'll never get it back! What if the thieves come back to my house to steal again?" Similarly, people who feel like they're doing a good job at work will be less stressed out by a big upcoming project than those who worry that they are incompetent.
• Unrealistic expectations. No one is perfect. If you expect to do everything right all the time, you're destined to feel stressed when things don't go as expected.
• Change. Any major life change can be stressful -- even a happy event like a wedding. More unpleasant events, such as a divorce, major financial setback, or death in the family can be significant sources of stress.

Your stress level will differ based on your personality and how you respond to situations. Some people let everything roll off their back. To them, work stresses and life stresses are just minor bumps in the road. Others literally worry themselves sick.

Effects of Stress on Your Health

When you are in a stressful situation, your body launches a physical response. Your nervous system springs into action, releasing hormones that prepare you to either fight or take off. It's called the "fight or flight" response, and it's why, when you're in a stressful situation, you may notice that your heartbeat speeds up, your breathing gets faster, your muscles tense, and you start to sweat. This kind of stress is short-term and temporary (acute stress), and your body usually recovers quickly from it.

But if your stress system stays activated over a long period of time (chronic stress), it can lead to more serious health problems. The constant rush of stress hormones can put a lot of wear and tear on your body, causing it to age more quickly and making it more prone to illness.

If you've been stressed out for a short period of time, you may start to notice some of these physical signs:

• Headache
• Fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping
• Difficulty concentrating
• Upset stomach
• Irritability

When stress becomes long-term and is not properly addressed, it can lead to a number of more serious health conditions, including:

• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia)
• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Heartburn, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome
• Upset stomach -- cramps, constipation, and diarrhea
• Weight gain or loss
• Changes in sex drive
• Fertility problems
• Flare-ups of asthma or arthritis
• Skin problems such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis

Managing your stress can make a real difference to your health. One study showed that women with heart disease lived longer if they underwent a stress management program.
                                                                                       MADE   BY   BASAK DOGAN