NSLI-Y 2024 Turkey – Week 6
Selamlar (en son kez)!
After 6 weeks of intense language learning, exciting excursions, and bonding, we are sad to say our time in Bursa has come to an end. We could not be more grateful for the experience we’ve had, including countless new friendships, second families, and lifelong memories. At our last RD meeting, as we discussed our personal identities, many of us realized how much we have changed since we met in Chicago. Each one of us learned so much beyond just the language. This is how we wrapped up this amazing opportunity:
On Tuesday, the cohort attended a dance workshop taught by Karagöz Halk Dansları. We learned a variety of traditional Turkish dances from the Karadeniz (Black Sea) area, Ankara, and the East Anatolian region. Some of the songs we danced to included “Horon Üç Ayak” and “Ahlatın Başındayım.”
Wednesday featured our final Peer Language Partner session of the program. We started off with a game of charades, where each student was given a touristic Turkish verb to act out. The cohort then paid a visit to the Bursa Arkeoloji Müzesi, where each pair was tasked with finding the oldest and most interesting item. One particularly fascinating exhibit showed a complete skeleton in an old room.
After the museum, we all created brochures for the city of Bursa, complete with iconic landmarks we had visited and delicious foods we had tried. Finally, we went our separate ways to complete bucket list items, ranging from trying kestane şekeri (a sweet chestnut dessert famous in Bursa) to eating sunflower seeds in the park.
Thursday was one of the most important days for students as we presented our culminating projects, consisting of work done since pre-departure orientation. Each one of us picked a topic to research through a series of 6 interviews with locals, after which we prepared a presentation at least partially in Turkish. After our presentations, we had a brief orientation from our Resident Director on reentry to the U.S.
On Friday, the end started to feel real as host families and students came together for the final farewell dinner. Sharing one last meal all together, our minds rushed back to all the memories we had made, thinking back to the first time we met our host families and how close we had gotten to them since. Everyone we knew was in attendance, including our teachers and faculty from the TÖMER language center. As we took some of our last pictures, the feeling of already missing the place and people we had come to love began to set in.
As we approached our departure, we spent the last couple days and hours with our host families. Some of us revisited our favorite places in the city while others enjoyed our last döner, maraş ice cream, and ayran. This trip has touched our souls, creating the best time in many of our lives. We will truly miss this place and many of us look forward to coming back. Until then, görüşürüz!
The cohort dances along to “Atım Arap,” a famous song from Ankara.
Students pose with the dance instructor and accompanying musician.
The cohort pays a visit to the Archaeological Museum.
Stellan shows his brochure to the rest of the group.
Bill explains one aspect of his culminating project, centered around the Turkish university entrance exam.
The Resident Director recaps our past 6 weeks as part of the re-entry orientation.
Melike Hanım’s class poses for a picture in their classroom.
Barış Bey’s class at the farewell dinner.
The farewell dinner ends with a full-group picture of the cohort and their host siblings.