Our University hosted a group of university students from Tennessee during May 21st -27th, 2018, within the scope of the Study Abroad Program organized by the
USA Tennessee International Student Consortium
Every year hundreds of students from Tennessee travel to many different destinations around the World, under the supervision of their faculties. While these students earn credits by attending (credit) courses at the host country, they also get the chance to come together with other students and enhance their intercultural skills.
In May, we had the pleasure of accommodating American students visiting our country for three weeks, at Bahçeşehir University. During the one-week program, we had the chance to familiarize them with our university, as well as, the rich structure of Turkey emerging from the depths of its cultural heritage, its local cuisines, musical culture and the settled life we live in. Eleven of our students voluntarily accompanied the guest students all the way through the program. Activities were organized for the visiting students so that they would be able to make the most of the program.
A different activity was planned for each day of the program, to give the students the chance to learn about each other’s cultures and to practise the target language. In order to present our local cuisines and music we organized a musical concert on the terrace of our university, where the famous Turkish folk singer İbrahim Can took the stage, accompanied by special local musical instruments; the kamancha (a small 3-stringed violin) and the baglama (an instrument with 3 double strings). Apart from the specific activity programs organized at the University, tours were arranged to visit the tourist attractions in Istanbul, including the most popular historical sites such as Topkapi Palace and the Haiga Sophia Museum. The students also visited Taksim, Bebek, Ortaköy, viewed Istanbul on board a boat on the Bosphorus and took the ferry to see the Prince Islands; Büyükada and Heybeliada. They returned home, leaving us with wonderful memories and friendships.
COMMENTS from OUR STUDENTS REGARDING the PROGRAM
OĞULCAN ÖZKAN: ‘I believe that this Program has contributed greatly to our speaking skills in English.’
TUĞBA ÖZKURT: ‘We got the chance to use what we have learned at school in real life. Participating in this program has been a wonderful experience for me.’
DENİZ MERCAN: ‘The program contributed greatly not only to my English but also to my social life. Together with our foreign guests, I got the chance to visit places in İstanbul that I had never been to before.’
AYŞE YÜCEL: ‘BAU contributes a lot to me in terms of prestige, in every sense. This program has been a very nice experience that I will write in my CV.’
NİDA ÖZKAYA: ‘I would like to thank you for giving us this opportunity. In my opinion, the most beneficial and practical way to learn a language is by speaking. I would like to volunteer to work again in similar programs, in the future.’
We would like to thank all the students who have participated in and contibuted to the activites within the scope of the program organized in collaboration with the Tennessee Consortium of International Studies and we wish them all the best in their future andeavours.
For more information regarding the Program link to http://www.tncis.org
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