BY MAHİR HASSAN MİAN (ECON/II)
Name: Bright Manzi
Department: Physics
Country of Origin: Rwanda
What were your first impressions about Türkiye?
Türkiye is a very welcoming country. People here are very dramatic and kind.
What do you like best about Bilkent and Türkiye?
The thing I like most about Bilkent is enjoying basketball. As for Türkiye, I like the different cultures of people here.
Are there any similarities between Türkiye and your home country?
Similarities are many, but mostly people here love drinking tea and coffee, which is the same as in Rwanda.
What will you miss most about Bilkent/Türkiye?
When I leave Bilkent, I will miss most the friends that I have made here.
What’s your favorite place on campus, and why?
My favorite place on campus is the Sports Halls basketball courts. This is because I love playing basketball.
What’s your favorite Turkish food and why?
I don’t have one particular meal in mind. But there is this friend of mine that keeps telling me about her traditional food at home called “Otlu Peynir,” and though I haven’t tasted it, I would say I like it because of the friend who mentions it almost every day.
Where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now?
Unfortunately, I don’t know where I want to be in the next 10 years. I just hope to finish my undergraduate program, and whatever comes my way will be as good as I hope.
What’s one thing you learned from Turkish culture?
I’ve learned a lot of things from the Turkish culture. Turkish people value the power of families a lot. They love their families very much. You can sense that in almost all of their conversations.
What places have you visited in Türkiye, and which one is your favorite?
I haven’t visited many places yet, but I hope to visit Cappadocia one time.
What’s an interesting question or comment you hear frequently at Bilkent/in Türkiye?
The most asked questions are: What is your age? Do you have a girlfriend?
Describe yourself in three words.
Straightforward, understanding, and confident.
How is the studying experience at Bilkent?
Studying at Bilkent is more than hard. Everything is too much and at times you feel like you are losing yourself. Academic life here at Bilkent is as tough as you can imagine.
