This photo was taken during the first week I moved to Istanbul at the famous Ciragan Palace. The scenery behind me expresses my view of the country Turkey: beautiful. It’s the kind of view that you can stare at and never get bored of. Turkey is my second home. This picture is the perfect representation of that.
Hello Trailblazers! My name is Dana Elquza, Vice President of TRCN. This is my first year at this school, and so far 8th grade has been a blast! I’ve had the honor of working with my incredible yearbook team, starting my own debate club, joining the ASB and NJHS, and so much more. I want to give you a featurette about myself, so you can get to know me a little better.
To begin with, I was born in the small community of Oro Valley in Tucson, Arizona. It was stunning but also extremely hot and monotonous. Though there weren’t quite as many activities as in California, it was still pleasant! Up to the middle of the fifth grade, in March 2020, I resided in Tucson. I moved to California at that time, just when COVID started! I relocated to Irvine and stayed there for a year and a half. I only attended my new school for two days; after that, we had to switch to online learning. The pandemic was a very interesting and unique experience for me, like all of you. Although, it defined our perseverance through struggles which did make us stronger. After graduating 6th grade, my parents decided to move the family to Turkey!
They wanted this for numerous reasons, including the fact that it’s a beautiful country, going there will be an amazing experience and adventure for us, would broaden our horizons, and will help us develop a great cultural mindset. We relocated to Antalya, Turkey, over that summer, when I enrolled at a private Turkish school. English was not spoken at all at my school. The curriculum wasn’t easy either. I would frequently nod off in class or face public humiliation as a result of my limited Turkish speaking. However, my school was gorgeous! Our school garden had chickens roaming around, and during recess, we could pet dogs and cats. They even offered an outdoor classroom under a beautiful vine-covered pergola. My school and apartment were on the Mediterranean sea because Antalya is a coastal city. I was able to view the entire sea while I was eating lunch! Me and my brothers still struggled with learning though, so my parents decided to move us to Istanbul, Turkey where we would be able to attend an International American School there. We moved exactly halfway through the school year. My international school was fantastic! Despite the fact that I already understood how to speak Arabic, they taught us how to speak Turkish and Arabic. I met and connected with so many new friends. On the weekends, my family and I would visit the famous Hagia Sophia Mosque to pray as well as eat delicious Turkish food. We made the decision to return home after a year of living abroad. As a result, I’m here after we returned to California and bought a home in Yorba Linda. I appreciate you taking the time to read about my experience. In addition, I also enjoy reading, baking, traveling, swimming, and debating. Once again, thank you for reading; I hope to see you soon!
