Thursday, May 2, 2013

The Wait Continues


Tuesday, April 30th began the next phase of anticipation for Istanbul. We began our meeting with a Skype call from Dr. Ozturk, our Turkish professor who is awaiting our arrival. Looking around the room I could see nothing but smiles. I could sense feelings of anticipation, excitement, and apprehension in the smiles of my fellow classmates.

As we sat there and each introduced ourselves and what our interests are to Dr. Ozturk, I realized that each one of us has been given such a privileged opportunity to make a difference in Istanbul: whether that be teaching disabled children English, urban planning, or government based work.  The options are endless and we each hold the power of making a difference in the Istanbul community in the palm of our hands.

After our meeting, we ventured to the Divan Center: a welcoming Turkish community who were thrilled to teach us more about their unique culture. We ate Turkish cuisine and talked to Turkish natives about their experiences, what we can expect, and any questions we had. It was a special time filled with students, faculty, and Turkish natives joining together around one cause: learning and growing in sensitivity and comprehension of the Turkish culture. I can only imagine what it will be like when we get to Turkey, but until then we can remember our time at the Divan Center.

Turkey, here we come.