Today
is the last day of orientation! Woo!
I
enjoyed the my last breakfast at the Niza Park Otel, knowing that this luxury
would soon be taken from me. Everyone hurried to the final 9am call—the waiters
actually rang a bell every day at 9am sharp to remind us to go downstairs to
the conference room. Some waiters were more effective than others.
There
was already a sad tone to the day. Something was coming to an end. As
exhausting as orientation was, it was a really great bonding activity for all of us,
and in many ways, brought us closer together. We are the 2015-2016
Fulbright Turkey cohort, and there’s something special about affiliation to a
common experience. Everyone’s experience in their host city will be unique, but
we will all leave a mark in Turkey during these next 9 months as the 2015-2016
Fulbright Turkey cohort.
Mevlude
Hanim ("Hanim" means "Ms." while "Bey" means "Mr."), the woman behind the entire orientation program, and our beloved “Mama”,
kicked off the last day of orientation with a “Past Experiences: Things You
Should Do and Not Do”. The presentation was quite entertaining. There were
anecdotes of real stories, good and bad, that happened to Fulbrighters in the
past. The anecdotes were written out like a story on a slide, followed by
another slide with a Do and Do Not commentary. Mevlude Hanim showcased that the
Fulbright experience has brought out the best and the worst in grantees. While
some have taken advantage of the program by organizing theatrical plays at
their schools, becoming fluent in Turkish, getting involved in the community,
and breaking down stereotypes about America, others spoiled their experience by
not following school rules and Commission regulations especially regarding
travel, skipping classes to travel, conducting malicious acts towards their
roommates, and getting involved with the legal system.
After
our last coffee break, we took a survey and provided feedback on speakers and
the presentations. They wanted honest feedback to improve the program for future years. There was Turkish folk music playing so as grantees
completed their survey, they joined the crowd in the front and participated in
celebratory dancing.
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With Prof. Dr. Ersel and Ms. Seher |
My
favorite part of the last day was “Final Words” by Professor Dr. Ersel Aydini.
Dr. Ersel’s academic background combined with his life experiences make him a
wise and humble human being. This was apparent in his speech.
Dr.
Ersel wore his executive director of the Turkish Fulbright Commission hat for
the first of the speech, noting that preparation was critical for our
experiences and that the Commission has given us that through the intense
orientation program. Orientation was critical to help connect all the actors
behind the program—Turkish Fulbright Commission, U.S. State Department, ETAs,
participating universities—so that there is a network of support always there
for us. “Now it’s up to you,” he said, “to make or break your experiences.” He
reminded us that this is “development program”, that the universities where we
will be teaching are developing
state/public schools. “You’ll see imperfections,” he said. The Fulbright
program is giving a little push to the large Turkish government initiative to
build universities across the country. Be gentle with your criticism and
propose constructive feedback, he said.
Dr.
Ersel, who has taught at the Harvard Kennedy School, then wore his academic hat
and advised us to keep in perspective that Turkey is undergoing a huge
transformation, that it’s a huge opportunity for us to be here during this
critical time. “Most things are in metamorphosis,” he said. “Everything is in
hybrid form—civil society, education system, democratic process.” Turkey’s rich
history makes it an interesting place to be, and we should make real
observations about what’s happening around us. In that sense, “don’t waste your
year,” he advised. “Don’t go back the way you came in. Because maybe in 20-35
years, you won’t be able to find this type of country, not even in Turkey.”
He
warned us against a small trap: The White Man’s Burden. “It’s fake and looks
ridiculous,” he said. Don’t fall victim to the trap that it is your job to come
in and “save Turkey” because people will notice it. This is not a place for
that type of colonialism. “Problems are universal,” he said, “but they come in
different clothes and faces.” They look different because of the different
geography and culture. We are all familiar with radicalism, racism, police
brutality—we have seen these things in the United States and we shouldn’t be
shocked if we see them in Turkey.
Dr.
Ersel ended his speech by saying that we should view our experience as a
supermarket in which we are entering as a shopper. “Make the most of it, and
don’t waste it,” he said. All actors are ready to help and support us 24/7. We
should leave Turkey by experiencing to the common values of humanity. “Add to
the bucket, fill it with your pebble, so that when the pebbles are dropped in
an ocean, the ripple effect is larger,” he said. “Be a part of something
bigger.”
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