{"id":10027,"date":"2026-01-27T16:24:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/?p=10027"},"modified":"2026-01-28T10:07:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:07:24","slug":"the-international-chronicles-79","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/?p=10027","title":{"rendered":"The International Chronicles\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Name: <\/strong>Fatima Vazirova             <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Department:<\/strong> IR\/I <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Country of Origin:<\/strong> Azerbaijan <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were your first impressions about T\u00fcrkiye?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I moved to T\u00fcrkiye with my family two to three months before I joined Bilkent. My first impression, from \u0130zmir, was of good weather and a crystal-clear turquoise sea where you could see the base of the Aegean. I really liked how the people were so chill and laid back. People actually living their lives. My first impression of Bilkent was of its nature, it felt like a forest. It\u2019s untouched and beautiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you like best about Bilkent and T\u00fcrkiye?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like the variety of sports. One day you can play tennis or squash, another day you can do something calm, like yoga.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there any similarities between T\u00fcrkiye and your home country?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like that the languages are similar, so I don\u2019t face a big language barrier. What I really love is having a similar cuisine, dishes like dolma and pilav that remind me of home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will you miss most about Bilkent and T\u00fcrkiye?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will miss the people and the friends I have made here. I see them almost every day, but I don\u2019t know how this will work when we\u2019re far away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your favorite place on campus, and why?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite place is the A buildings\u2019 couches and the yard. I especially like the hammocks outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your favorite Turkish food and why? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite Turkish food is bal\u0131k ekmek. I love its fresh, slightly salty flavor, especially when mixed with nar ek\u015fisi (pomegranate sause). The combination creates this perfect balance of salty and sour-sweet taste that I really like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am a simple person with simple needs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see myself somewhere where I belong and feel happy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s one thing you learned from Turkish culture?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it\u2019s the hospitality and kindness. Especially the way \u00d6zlem Hocam, my Turkish teacher, cares about me even when I face the slightest inconvenience or motivates me when I’m feeling low. I have learned to be a better person through experiencing this kindness from others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What places have you visited in T\u00fcrkiye, and which one is your favorite?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have been to \u0130stanbul, Antalya, Bursa and \u0130zmir. I think my favorite place is \u0130zmir. I like the seaside there and how transparent the sea is. I love it more so because I get to see my family.))  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s an interesting question or comment you hear frequently at Bilkent\/in T\u00fcrkiye?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYax\u015f\u0131san?,\u201d \u201cBilkent \u00e7ok zor,\u201d \u201cHow did your midterms go?,\u201d \u201cAre you the one that speaks Russian in class?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe yourself in three words. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determined, curious, spontaneous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is the studying experience at Bilkent?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not bad. If you study consistently, it\u2019s manageable. If you just read with your eyes, it\u2019s hard, but if you engage with your mind and truly understand the material, I think it becomes much easier. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name: Fatima Vazirova              Department: IR\/I  Country of Origin: Azerbaijan  What were your first impressions about T\u00fcrkiye?   I moved to T\u00fcrkiye with my family two to three months before I joined Bilkent. My first impression, from \u0130zmir, was of good weather and a crystal-clear turquoise sea where you could see the base of the Aegean. I really liked how the people[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[208,83,193],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10027"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10027"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10064,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10027\/revisions\/10064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}