I realized I forgot to answer one of the questions I've heard quite frequently, so I figured I do that now:
What are you going to do in Turkey?
For the most part, I'll be taking classes; the program is a direct exchange, so I'll be just like a regular METU student, except not fluent in Turkish and without a "real" major. Since classes at METU are worth 3 credits each, I'll be taking 6 or 7 classes, as opposed to the 4 that would be a normal courseload here; apparently 6 or 7 classes is fairly normal there. When I get to Ankara, January 22, I'll start a 2-week orientation, with an intensive Turkish-language class and a class on Turkish government/society/stuff I should know. Then, I'll be a regular international student; I'll get some travel in, definitely to Istanbul, on the weekends. The Study Abroad office organizes a few trips for the International students, so I'll do those; I know that one of them is supposed to be to Cappadochia, which is the "fairy chimney" region, with cave churches and cities. For the most part, though, I'll just be a regular student.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Thursday, December 15, 2005
in which I attempt to answer a few questions I've heard a lot lately
I know a lot of you have been wondering about the answers to these questions, because I've heard them several times, so I figured I'd kill several birds with one stone and answer all of those general questions, to some extent, right here:
1. Where's Turkey?
Turkey is right between Europe and Asia. It borders Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, a small part of Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Guess which neighboring states I won't be visiting... :-)
2. Why Turkey?
Well, a short answer is that I think it'll be an incredible opportunity to learn a language and culture that's a bit "off the beaten path" while keeping up with my studies; also, Turkey is such a cool place: it's full of Biblical history, ancient civilization-type history, fascinating traditions, and it's uniquely situated between Europe and the Middle East, which makes it an interesting place politically (for example, the "should Turkey be in the EU" debate). It would take me several pages to fully articulate "why," so this'll have to suffice for a short answer.
3. Where, specifically are you going? Istanbul?
No, although it would be fun if I was there, because then I could sing "Istanbul, not Constantinople" a lot. I'll be studying at Middle East Technical University, or METU, in the capital of Turkey, Ankara. The university campus is actually closer to the outskirts of Ankara, and is more enclosed than BU's campus. Ankara has about 5 million people, and is similar to Boston in that it has a lot of colleges, and therefore a lot of college students.
4. How many people are going from BU?
A grand total of 2. For awhile, it looked like I was going to be the only BU student going, but I'll be over there with another girl, a Junior from New York. Lest you fear that it'll be just me and her and multitudes of Turkish students, there should be 75 or so total exchange students at METU, from all over the US, Canada, and Europe.
5. Is Turkey a Muslim country?
Officially, Turkey is not religiously affiliated, but 98% of Turks are Muslim, so I'd go with a "yes" on this one. In government buildings, it's forbidden to wear veils or other definitely-Islamic garb, and METU is included in that. Apparently, although there are Muslim Turks who do wear veils, et cetera, for the most part they choose not to. I'm actually really interested in learning more about Islam, because most of what I know is from secondary sources. I also think it'll be fascinating to live somewhere where my own religion isn't the "majority" religion.
6. Turkey's pretty close to Iraq, Iran, et cetera; is it safe there?
Yeah. For the most part, Ankara is fine to walk around in; according to METU my biggest danger is being hit by a car, because Ankara isn't a very pedestrian-friendly city. Obviously, I wouldn't want to go gallivanting about in unfamiliar neighborhoods by myself at night, but Ankara's a pretty safe city, and the campus is enclosed, with checkpoints to get in, so I should be fine.
If you have other questions, by all means ask away! I might not get back to you right away, especially if it's at about the same time as my finals, but I'd love to answer any question, no matter how unique!
-R
1. Where's Turkey?
Turkey is right between Europe and Asia. It borders Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, a small part of Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Guess which neighboring states I won't be visiting... :-)
2. Why Turkey?
Well, a short answer is that I think it'll be an incredible opportunity to learn a language and culture that's a bit "off the beaten path" while keeping up with my studies; also, Turkey is such a cool place: it's full of Biblical history, ancient civilization-type history, fascinating traditions, and it's uniquely situated between Europe and the Middle East, which makes it an interesting place politically (for example, the "should Turkey be in the EU" debate). It would take me several pages to fully articulate "why," so this'll have to suffice for a short answer.
3. Where, specifically are you going? Istanbul?
No, although it would be fun if I was there, because then I could sing "Istanbul, not Constantinople" a lot. I'll be studying at Middle East Technical University, or METU, in the capital of Turkey, Ankara. The university campus is actually closer to the outskirts of Ankara, and is more enclosed than BU's campus. Ankara has about 5 million people, and is similar to Boston in that it has a lot of colleges, and therefore a lot of college students.
4. How many people are going from BU?
A grand total of 2. For awhile, it looked like I was going to be the only BU student going, but I'll be over there with another girl, a Junior from New York. Lest you fear that it'll be just me and her and multitudes of Turkish students, there should be 75 or so total exchange students at METU, from all over the US, Canada, and Europe.
5. Is Turkey a Muslim country?
Officially, Turkey is not religiously affiliated, but 98% of Turks are Muslim, so I'd go with a "yes" on this one. In government buildings, it's forbidden to wear veils or other definitely-Islamic garb, and METU is included in that. Apparently, although there are Muslim Turks who do wear veils, et cetera, for the most part they choose not to. I'm actually really interested in learning more about Islam, because most of what I know is from secondary sources. I also think it'll be fascinating to live somewhere where my own religion isn't the "majority" religion.
6. Turkey's pretty close to Iraq, Iran, et cetera; is it safe there?
Yeah. For the most part, Ankara is fine to walk around in; according to METU my biggest danger is being hit by a car, because Ankara isn't a very pedestrian-friendly city. Obviously, I wouldn't want to go gallivanting about in unfamiliar neighborhoods by myself at night, but Ankara's a pretty safe city, and the campus is enclosed, with checkpoints to get in, so I should be fine.
If you have other questions, by all means ask away! I might not get back to you right away, especially if it's at about the same time as my finals, but I'd love to answer any question, no matter how unique!
-R
Monday, December 12, 2005
My First Post
Hey everyone!
Welcome to my new blog. I'm starting this so that I can keep in touch with everyone while I'm in Turkey; this way I can write updates, and post photos, and not forget to share everything with everyone. Also, you all can comment and keep in touch with me; so it's a win-win situation. I'll post a few more updates before I leave, and then I'll try to update on some sort of regular schedule once I get to Turkey.
At the moment, I'm still in Boston; my last day of classes was today, and I have final exams through the 21st, so I'm flying home December 22. Then, I'll pretty much be in Minnesota until January 21, when I fly to Ankara for my orientation session and then my spring semester.
I'm getting really excited!
-R
Welcome to my new blog. I'm starting this so that I can keep in touch with everyone while I'm in Turkey; this way I can write updates, and post photos, and not forget to share everything with everyone. Also, you all can comment and keep in touch with me; so it's a win-win situation. I'll post a few more updates before I leave, and then I'll try to update on some sort of regular schedule once I get to Turkey.
At the moment, I'm still in Boston; my last day of classes was today, and I have final exams through the 21st, so I'm flying home December 22. Then, I'll pretty much be in Minnesota until January 21, when I fly to Ankara for my orientation session and then my spring semester.
I'm getting really excited!
-R
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