{"id":9131,"date":"2025-09-23T12:42:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T09:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/?p=9131"},"modified":"2025-09-23T14:56:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T11:56:18","slug":"the-international-chronicles-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/?p=9131","title":{"rendered":"The International Chronicles\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Name:<\/strong> Anastasia Denisenko          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Department<\/strong>: COMD\/II <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

Unlike many other Russians, I didn\u2019t get my first taste of T\u00fcrkiye on a casual vacation in an all-inclusive hotel in Antalya. In fact, I first came here as an exchange student in 2021. I remember taking a taxi from the airport to ODT\u00dc Campus where my Erasmus+ programme took place. The city seemed all beige and full of mosques\u2014it was an unusual landscape that I couldn\u2019t see back home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

In T\u00fcrkiye, I can quickly switch between my routine in the big city to the relaxed mode of resting at some resort on the coast. To compare, in Russia, the largest country in the world, it is not so easy to travel domestically and spontaneously go to the seaside for a weekend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Both Russia and T\u00fcrkiye are kind of bridges from the East to the West in terms of location and culture. We share similar values, such as family, traditions and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

I will probably miss the routine I\u2019ve built here. In contrast to my life back in Moscow, I take my time in Ankara, enjoying the benefits of slow living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The area around the football field, which is full of colorful flowers in the spring. For me, it is a beautifully melancholic place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

I like kazandibi because it is not too sweet and tastes somewhat \u201cmilky.\u201d Among the main courses I would opt for lahmacun, simple and delicious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

I hope to find myself in a similar situation, living a balanced, happy life with no rush. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

It may sound like a clich\u00e9, but the locals are really helpful. Even those who can\u2019t speak English were willing to help me navigate.  <\/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

It is easier to tell which places I haven\u2019t visited. I\u2019ve been to the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts, \u0130stanbul and central T\u00fcrkiye. Among all the places I have the chance to see, Mu\u011fla is my favorite. I love its tiny white houses on the hills, cobblestone streets and Pinterest-like atmosphere. <\/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

I often hear that it\u2019s hard to study at Bilkent. I think the programme here is actually quite light, compared to the one I had in Russia where students would take up to 15 courses each semester, most of which were mandatory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Cheerful, energetic, romantic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Due to a flexible programme, I manage to maintain a work-life balance here. I love this beautiful harmony of studying, socializing and exploring new destinations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name: Anastasia Denisenko           Department: COMD\/II  Country of Origin: Russia  What were your first impressions about T\u00fcrkiye?   Unlike many other Russians, I didn\u2019t get my first taste of T\u00fcrkiye on a casual vacation in an all-inclusive hotel in Antalya. In fact, I first came here as an exchange student in 2021.[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[195,83,193],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9131"}],"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=9131"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9155,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9131\/revisions\/9155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}