NSLI-Y 2023 Turkey – Week 3
Setting goals and expanding horizons
We’ve reached the half-way point in the program, and with only three weeks left, students were asked to share their goals for the remaining time in Bursa. Some of the responses won’t surprise you: students want to improve their Turkish so they can order food in restaurants, bargain in the bazaar, and communicate better with their host families. Some students focused on cultural experiences: going to a Turkish movie, exploring more places in the city, learning a Turkish recipe. Some also noted that they wanted to find ways to show their gratitude to their Turkish hosts.
Our Tuesday excursion checked at least one goal off the list as we ventured out of the city to the nearby village of Cumalıkızık, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved Ottoman houses and rural character. Students were given a short tour of the highlights and history of the town and then had free time to sample the local products, including black mulberry juice, one of the village specialties.
To help with another one of the student goals, we focused our Thursday afternoon Peer Language Partner activity on food. Students were able to interview their partners about their food preferences and work together to write a recipe in Turkish for a favorite dish. The students also role-played dialogues set in restaurants and greengrocers and were encouraged to use their skills in a real-life setting in the city with their host siblings.
On Saturday, we took an extended day trip to Iznik, a town on the eastern edge of one of the largest lakes in Turkey. Iznik, once known as Nicea, was the site of two important Ecumenical Councils in the early centuries of Christianity, and was later known as an important Ottoman city, with the first Ottoman university. It also became the most important tile production center in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with its famed blue tiles decorating mosques and other important buildings in Bursa, Istanbul, and across the empire. Although tile production declined after that pivotal period, it has been revived in recent decades, and studios and shops selling various ceramics now line the streets of the town. After touring the historic sites in the morning, the students had the opportunity to paint their own tiles in the afternoon before a refreshing dip in the lake.
NSLI-Y students and peer partners gather in the main square of Cumalıkızık.
Our guide explains the history of the village and some of its unique characteristics.
Thomas prepares to enter the narrowest street in town and maybe the world!
Lauren and her host sister Ferda brave the narrow passage.
Fernanda steps up to lead the class.
Entering Iznik from the Lefke Gate.
Riya goes for a spin.
A Jack-sized door at the Iznik City Museum, formerly an Ottoman hamam (bath).
Alhena and Nirek get help from the master artisan.
Noelle and Francesca paint their tiles. Sajid is hard at work in the background.
The students proudly show off their completed tiles.
Aristo duels with the ice cream man…and wins! Riya and Noelle watch in amazement.