BY EHSAN SHAREEF (CTIS/III)
Name: Jalal Gahramanov
Department: CTIS/II
Country of Origin: Azerbaijan
What were your first impressions about Türkiye?
The moment I stepped off the plane, something funny happened: I did not feel like a stranger at all, I felt like I had simply come home. The streets sounded familiar, the warmth in people’s eyes felt like something I already knew and right there in that comforting feeling, I found my first international friends.
What do you like best about Bilkent and Türkiye?
Bilkent feels like its own little universe, holding a hundred different countries inside it. You can hear five languages before you even reach your classroom door. And beyond campus, on the Türkiye side, you can feel a strong history just walking down the street.
Are there any similarities between Türkiye and your home country?
Almost everything feels similar: our culture, our history, even the way people think and carry themselves. We come from the same roots in many ways.
What will you miss most about Bilkent/Türkiye?
I miss my friends most of all, the ones who fill up every quiet corner of my day here. And strangely enough, I miss something much smaller too, the smell of my roommate’s cooking drifting through our room in the evenings.
What’s your favorite place on campus, and why?
If you ever want to find me on campus, just follow the sound of laughter to Bilka. That is where my friends always are, and the moment I walk through the door, I am home again.
What’s your favorite Turkish food and why?
Baklava, for sure. Ours back home is a little different, but the Turkish version has won me over completely, especially with a warm cup of tea beside it.
Where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now?
I like to dream big here. Some days I imagine myself as Minister of Defense back in Azerbaijan, and other days as a multi-billionaire businessman.
What’s one thing you learned from Turkish culture?
One little phrase taught me more about Turkish culture than anything else: “tatlı yiyelim, tatlı konuşalım,” (let us eat something sweet and speak sweetly too). I remember hearing it for the first time and smiling, because such a small sentence carries the beautiful idea that kindness and sweetness should go hand in hand.
What places have you visited in Türkiye, and which one is your favorite?
Türkiye has taken me on some unforgettable walks through history. In İstanbul, I wandered through Topkapı Sarayı, where every hallway seemed to whisper stories of sultans. I have stood in Konya too and walked the quieter streets of Ankara. If you ask me to choose just one place, I will always say İstanbul.
What’s an interesting question or comment you hear frequently at Bilkent/in Türkiye?
“Kanka”—people say it to me constantly. It basically means buddy or bro, and once you notice it, you hear it absolutely everywhere.
Describe yourself in three words.
Intelligent, philanthropist, Google Developer Group on Campus President.
How is the studying experience at Bilkent?
It has been such an interesting experience, surrounded by like-minded people who want to study and build things together. Bilkent hands us so many resources to make the most of that. It’s hard to keep up, but manageable, especially when you balance it with something like karate to clear your head. That energy is what pushed me to start Google Developer Group on Campus; I wanted a space where people who dream of building things could find each other.
