NSLI-Y 2025 Turkey – Week 3
This week’s blog post was again prepared by our student Norah, who has a keen interest in journalism:
The advent of our third week came with a somewhat new schedule: because of the Democracy and National Unity Day holiday on Tuesday, class was extended for an hour each day for the rest of the week. Although one extra hour might not seem like much, to a student wrapped up in the throes of the Turkish language, it was noticeable. In the classic fashion of screen-obsessed teenagers, the photo collection of cohort members catching some quick shut-eye during breaks increased daily. Once again, caffeine from nearby cafés and stores was greatly appreciated, though much to the horror of multiple students, the BIM across the way stopped carrying canned Nescafé. Let it calm you, dear reader, that ample Nescafé of classic and enchantingly-untasted flavors was located at another close-by supermarket.
Of course, the extension of classes wasn’t wholly a burden—in many ways it was much
enjoyed, lending extra learning time to students eager to absorb more knowledge of
Turkish. Classes continued to work with present tense grammar, and with topics like time and location. With vocabularies that are slowly but surely expanding, students are
increasingly participating with life in Bursa. Could many of us, upon arrival to the Turkish city, have ordered coffee or ice cream, excused ourselves while exiting crowded buses, or asked simple questions to friends and host family members? Perhaps not. But now, those smaller interactions are built into a daily routine and carried out with confidence.
Outside of class instruction, some students utilize afternoon “office hours” to read Turkish children’ s books, finish homework, and discuss various topics. Some days we are focused: papers out; pencils and pens scribbling, decoding the ciphers that are textbook instructions; piping up only to ask language-relevant questions. Other days, we truly enjoy each other’s company: discussing whatever ethical or philosophical meanderings are on our minds (can we excuse the environmental ramifications of AI? Are people too “sensitive” nowadays), listening to music we enjoy (and sometimes loudly singing along), and making plans to further explore the city.
On Thursday, following language partner discussions, much of the group (both American and Turkish) headed to Sur Yapi, a shopping mall accessible by metro with an astounding variety at their food court. What was originally planned to be an opportunity for everyone to try Korean food (or at least Turkish-style Korean food), turned into an evening of diverse food picks, but very fun nonetheless.
Home visits continue! These are a chance for Resident Director Dane and Overseas Partner Nalan to visit the home of each student and their host family, bringing with them lots of animated conversation, largely in Turkish.
Early Saturday morning, we departed for Iznik, a lake town about an hour outside Bursa. There we spent the day learning about the abundant history of the town: visiting the Roman Theater, Lefke Gate, and the former church (now mosque) that was the site of the 7th Ecumenical Council (also known as the Second Council of Nicaea), painting ceramics in traditional Ottoman style (with the assistance of a practiced tile-painter who directed us on color placement and technique), and diving into the perfectly cool lake, splashing around for hours. After the time in the water had concluded, our adventurous group (composed of students and host siblings) explored the beach area, finding ice cream and assorted refreshments and seeing more of the city’s walls, intact behind empty lots and gardens.
Our fourth week will be filled with much more. From working on culminating projects to learning more Turkish in class and spending time with friends, the forthcoming activities, bring palpable excitement.
As you can tell from the Norah’s entry, week three didn’t fail to bring new opportunities to explore and experience all that Türkiye has to offer. We’re now officially half-way through the program, but there is plenty more to do and see as we head into week four. See you on the other side!
Andrew completes a textbook activity about people and places
Puru greets Yakamoz before school
Hankyu takes advantage of the July 15 holiday to visit the sea with his host family
Kahina works with language partner Asel
Kaitlyn gets help from language partner Beren
Some of the students enjoy a cold beverage to beat the heat after class
Following a host family visit with Nalan and Dane, Norah chats with her host brother Berkay on the front stoop in the evening cool
Sanya shows Christian, Berkay, and Nalan the various sites we visited during our Iznik tour
Henley enjoys the ceramic painting workshop in Iznik
Saira puts the finishing touches on her ceramic plate
Some of our students and host siblings dancing their way into week four