NSLI-Y 2023 Turkey – Week 2
Getting into the swing of things!
While visiting with a host family this week, one host father remarked, ‘At first, I was worried we would run out of things to do to fill six weeks and our host student would be bored, but now, I’m realizing how short six weeks really is. There hardly seems to be enough time to do all the things we want to do to introduce her to Turkish culture!”
It’s already the end of the second week, and it still feels like we’ve only just arrived. Students have had another busy week, full of classes and after school activities, and they’ve enjoyed spending more time with their host families.
Students have adjusted to the immersion approach in the classroom and are eager to develop their language to help them navigate the city and communicate better with their host families. Our students come into the program with different backgrounds, and while our language teachers try to establish a common foundation for everyone, we also encourage students to set their own goals and develop vocabulary that is important for their own context and interests. Our Thursday peer language activities are a great opportunity to do both things. This week, we played some games to help cement new expressions related to weather and seasons, though no one needs any extra practice on how to say “it’s hot!” (Hava çok sıcak!)
On Tuesdays and Fridays, there are organized cultural activities for students after class. This past Tuesday, we visited the Umurbey Silk Production and Design Center, a working silk manufacturing center that was developed on the site of a formerly defunct factory. As one of the central nodes on the Silk Road, Bursa has long had a leading role in the textile industry. At the Design Center, our students were able to learn about the life-cycle of silk worms and see some of the traditional techniques employed for making silk products by hand.
As the first Ottoman capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bursa boasts many treasures for visitors. On Friday, we took a short walk up to Tophane, where students had the opportunity to see the final resting place of the first two Ottoman sultans and an extraordinary view over the city. The high point of the visit was a performance by a traditional Ottoman military band (mehteran). Mehteran are sometimes said to be the world’s oldest military marching band.
Students were again given the weekend for downtime with their families. Whether they headed to the Marmara or to the local shopping mall, we hope they will take the opportunity to rest and recharge for another busy week ahead!
Riya comes to the board to share her answers with the class.
Class isn’t all grammar and workbooks. Anna helps lead a game from the front of the class with Murat Hoca’s help.
At Umurbey, students get to see firsthand how silk cocoons are transformed into thread. Each cocoon contains almost a mile of thread!
Students also get to see how silk thread is transformed into finished products by hand or, as pictured here, by mechanical looms.
During the peer language partner activities, Rania discusses weather patterns in Bursa and in her hometown with Aysin.
Nirek presents the results of his partner work – a calendar page for the month of mayıs.
Noelle presents the results of her partner work. Students encourage each other through laughter as they take turns practicing their presentation skills in Turkish.
Students were invited to take a picture with the mehteran after the performance at Tophane.
Lauren (right) and her host sister Ferda get an inside look at the art of the mehteran from Lauren’s host father.
Fast friends: Riya and Noelle enjoy the meterhan performance together.