NSLI-Y 2023 Turkey – Week 4
Passing the halfway point!
The week went by in a summer haze. In spite of the unusually warm weather, we managed to stay busy:
- On Tuesday, students were able to visit the local archaeology museum with their language partners and explore local artifacts from different periods dating back several millennia: everything from Bronze Age grave finds to Roman statues and coins. In Turkey, you are always walking on top of thousands of years of civilization!
- Thursday brought a more hands-on opportunity at a local cultural center, where students were given a tutorial in ebru (Turkish water marbling) by a master artisan before making their own tulip designs. Watching the paint transfer from the surface of the liquid to the paper at the end never fails to amaze.
- On Friday, we took a short trip on the metro to the Bursa Fetih Panorama Museum. Students learned about the date in 1326 historians generally assign to the conquest of Bursa, which ended the Ottoman siege beneath the city walls led by Orhan I. Artists spent five years imagining what the scene might have looked like, creating one of the world’s largest indoor panoramas in the process. The museum is a popular site for school groups, but in spite of the perpetual cacophony of young children, the painting remains impressive.
Of course, the bulk of the students’ time is spent in language classes or with their host families. In class, students have been brushing up on possessive suffixes and the past tense. A mid-week diagnostic was a good indicator of their progress. Sometimes, learning a new language can be overwhelming, and it is easy to forget just how much ground you’ve already covered when you’re always reaching farther!
We may be past the half-way point, but we’ve only scratched the surface.
Riya completes an assignment at the Archaeology Museum.
Alhena and Ece explore the jewelry collection at the Archaeology Museum.
Sajid describes his family to his language partner Enes.
Fernanda gets some help from her language partner Ece.
Francesca discusses family relationships with her language partner Elif.
Rania works on the finishing touches on her ebru art.
Lauren gets some help on her tulip.
Thomas takes a turn with guidance from the instructor.
Anna shows off her ebru work–look at those tulips!
Will displays his ebru masterpiece.
Jack leads the class for an activity learning the past tense.
Lauren and Nirek at the Panorama.
Riya and Noelle at the Panorama.
Here is a throwback from week 3: Aristo takes a selfie with some of the guys at the Iznik City Museum.