BY EHSAN SHAREEF (CTIS/II)
Name: Zuzanna Helena Morawek
Department: Archeology Erasmus +
University: University of Wrocław
Country of Origin: Poland
What were your first impressions about Türkiye?
My strongest first impression of Türkiye came from a trip I took a year before coming to Bilkent. I was amazed by the colors, the changing landscapes and how kind people were. In one region, I saw green, rainy forests in the north, a wide steppe in the middle, almost empty land in the east and busy tourist places in the west.
What do you like best about Bilkent and Türkiye?
What I like best about Bilkent is the real campus life. In Poland, my university buildings are spread around the city, but here everything is together: library, classrooms, dorms and cafeteria. It feels a bit like the “American campus” I’ve seen in movies, but in a Turkish way. I also love how kind people are to Erasmus students. The support from staff, professors and Turkish friends makes me feel very welcome. In Türkiye in general, I love the food and the traditions around eating together.
Are there any similarities between Türkiye and your home country?
At first look, Poland and Türkiye seem like two opposite worlds, but I see some deep similarities. In both countries, big family meals are very important. In Poland, Sunday lunch with family or grandparents is a special time; here, many people talk about huge Turkish breakfasts or family gatherings in the same warm way. In both places, people like to sit around a crowded table and talk for a long time. This feeling of “togetherness” makes me feel at home in Ankara almost as much as in Poland.
What will you miss most about Bilkent and Türkiye?
When I think about leaving, I imagine myself on the plane asking, “Was this experience even real?” It feels so different from my life in Poland. I will miss the friends I made here, my professors and even the campus cats that everyone feeds and loves. I will also miss how quickly I felt part of something. In Türkiye, people greet each other in a warm, sometimes very physical way, and even as a foreigner, I felt included in the group. In Poland, we are more reserved, so this feeling of being “adopted” into a community is something special I will carry with me. I even missed this during my ten-day winter break. When I arrived back at the dormitories, the first thing I did was text my Erasmus friends, “I’m here, vicious, I’m here for long.” They were so involved, asking about my roommate, the cats and my plans for the coming semester. But I missed everything, I even missed classes.
I missed the routine, chatting with friends, the life essence of this place, the busyness and the cats outside my door again.
What’s your favorite place on campus, and why?
This has actually changed! It used to be the yemekhane. Around 12:30, when classes end, everyone goes there, so it becomes the main meeting point of the day. I can see friends from many different departments, stand in line with them, gossip, complain about exams and laugh. I love the loud sound of voices, the long lines we “suffer” through together and the small random moments, like when someone starts playing the old piano, and suddenly the whole room listens or even sings. But my favorite place has become my dorm room. I was so glad that I didn’t have to take all of my things and put them somewhere else during the winter break. I just came back to my place, and it was so awesome. It brought me comfort, you know? What makes it special is that it’s where I hung out with my friends before they left at the end of last semester.
What’s your favorite Turkish food and why?
Choosing only one is hard, but right now my favorite is Trileçe. It is a soft, light cake soaked in three kinds of milk, so fluffy that you feel you could easily eat ten pieces. I first tried it here, and I loved how it still feels rich and special but not too heavy, which makes it the perfect sweet ending after a long day of classes. I also like Salep; it is a warm, thick winter drink made from orchid flour, usually with cinnamon on top, and I tried it when it was cold outside. It feels cozy and soft, and its cinnamon smell reminds me of Christmastime in Poland, with warm drinks and sweet spices. Because of that, it connects my Turkish winter with my childhood memories from home, and that is why I love it too.
Where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now?
In ten years, when I am about 33, I hope to live near the sea. I picture myself in a small coastal town, not even sure which country, drinking coffee or tea, feeling peaceful and finally feeling that I belong somewhere I chose myself. I want to be a scholar with a PhD rather than a classic school teacher, to study ancient languages, travel for research, read old texts and meet inspiring people who know a lot. I’d love to understand how people in the past made sense of the world through their beliefs and religions. Learning and exploring ideas are what makes me feel most alive.
What’s one thing you learned from Turkish culture?
One thing I really love is the “kolonya” and scent culture, the way fragrance is used as a gesture of hospitality and care. It’s such a small thing, but it makes you feel welcomed immediately and looked after.
What places have you visited in Türkiye, and which one is your favorite?
During my time here and before my exchange, I have visited many places on trips and archaeology excursions, including Antalya, Konya, Cappadocia, Hattusa, Amasya, Trabzon, Erzurum, Ani, Doğubeyazıt, Van Lake, Akdamar Island, Mardin, Urfa/Şanlıurfa and many others. My favorites are definitely Amasya, with its Ottoman houses, tulips and ancient tombs, and Ani, right on the border with Armenia, with its haunting ruined churches and endless hills. Those places made Türkiye feel like another world.
What’s an interesting question or comment you hear frequently at Bilkent/in Türkiye?
One line I hear all the time is, “We’ll see after the midterms.”
Describe yourself in three words.
Resourceful, hopeful, warm.
How is the studying experience at Bilkent?
Studying at Bilkent has been an absolutely amazing experience, and I’m honestly a bit annoyed I only discovered it during my masters because I would love to stay longer. It’s intense and demanding, but that’s exactly what makes you want to read more, experience more and feel inspired. What makes Bilkent stand out most is the professors. They don’t simply lecture; they share real academic experience, create space to question and grow and somehow make even finals feel survivable. In classes such as Ancient Greek with Nathan Leidholm or Archaeology with Thomas Zimmermann, even exam periods feel calmer thanks to their warmth and passion, while courses like mythologies with İlgi Gerçek foster a welcoming and engaging academic atmosphere where learning is a collaborative process. Although the workload is heavy, the evaluation system is fair and well-structured. Knowing that my grade did not depend on a single final exam, and that my main goal was to pass and genuinely learn rather than chase a perfect GPA took a lot of weight off my shoulders. Living and studying on campus added another powerful dimension to the experience. As the semester ended, the campus slowly emptied, suitcases appeared, dorms grew quiet and friends left one by one. It felt like watching a summer camp slowly close or even people boarding lifeboats from a sinking Titanic! Staying long enough to observe this process, leave and then return to a campus full of new faces made Bilkent student life especially tangible. After a winter break in Poland, I realized how much of Türkiye I’d taken with me. I caught myself using Turkish catchphrases that confused my family, and suddenly understanding every loud conversation felt strange after weeks of treating a foreign language as background noise. It felt like I was living in two worlds at once. Coming back to Ankara felt surprisingly natural. With more experience, familiarity and a few “cheat codes” on how to survive at Bilkent, I no longer feel like a new Erasmus student but more like a veteran who knows the ins and outs of this student life and can simply pick up where they left off.
