Hello all,
Last week was the final week of my internship at Bilkent, which I primarily spent compiling literature reviews. I enjoyed my time at Bilkent, I was a little sad to leave because I know I will probably never see any of the people that I worked with again.
The weekend after my internship ended, I went to a town on the Black Sea called Akçakoca. It was a nice little town, but nothing too exciting going on there. The sea was nice, less saltier than the other seas but much more rough and rocky. I swam near some tiny jellyfish. Now that my internship is finished, I am preparing for the GRE which I will take when I return home in a few weeks. I plan to spend the rest of my time in Ankara and 1 of my weekends in Bodrum with some friends.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog. I will try to post some pictures when I finally have the chance to upload them. Thank you!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Bilkent Week 7 and 8
Hi all
This week and the week before, I have been doing pretty much the same thing at work. I have already collected articles for research and now I am compiling literature reviews of the articles. I always get excited when I see a UM faculty member cited in the articles.
Last weekend, I went to Istanbul for a wedding, which was cool to see. It was actually quite similar to an American wedding (they were wed at a court which was followed by a reception), but I am assuming that is because the family is not an extremely traditional Turkish family. But, one major difference is that rather than giving the bride and groom a card with a check, the guests bring gold as a gift. The wedding was also neat for me because there were a few UM alum there (mostly Turkish but 1 other American). This weekend I will stay in Ankara and relax, I will not really do anything exciting.
The weather in Turkey this summer is rather unusual because it rains frequently, which is uncommon in June and July. Despite this, it is still warm but I guess it is generally really hot at this time of year.
This week and the week before, I have been doing pretty much the same thing at work. I have already collected articles for research and now I am compiling literature reviews of the articles. I always get excited when I see a UM faculty member cited in the articles.
Last weekend, I went to Istanbul for a wedding, which was cool to see. It was actually quite similar to an American wedding (they were wed at a court which was followed by a reception), but I am assuming that is because the family is not an extremely traditional Turkish family. But, one major difference is that rather than giving the bride and groom a card with a check, the guests bring gold as a gift. The wedding was also neat for me because there were a few UM alum there (mostly Turkish but 1 other American). This weekend I will stay in Ankara and relax, I will not really do anything exciting.
The weather in Turkey this summer is rather unusual because it rains frequently, which is uncommon in June and July. Despite this, it is still warm but I guess it is generally really hot at this time of year.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Bilkent Week 6
Hello
This past week at work I finally started to do some research. I am mainly gathering current literature on the professors subject of transformational leadership and teams. I will start writing literature reviews for the articles when I am finished collecting them. I have also been working on other accreditation stuff for the professor, which is fine. I am really enjoying my semi private turkish lessons with 2 other students from Russia and Bosnia, however, my classes end today. Our Turkish instructor was really great- I wish the classes were longer--mainly because I really enjoy the people.
Besides that, my aunt/best friend came to visit last week and we had an awesome time. I showed her around Ankara and then we spent the weekend in Kuşadası which is a super touristy town in the region of Izmir. From here, we visited Ephesus which is a large ancient city. It was a nice weekend- I will post pictures once I actually upload them. This weekend, my friend and I will go to Istanbul for our friends wedding (a UM alum), which I am looking forward to. I think the wedding will be a good cultural experience since there are many different Turkish wedding traditions.
Thats about it for now! I should probably get back to work :)
This past week at work I finally started to do some research. I am mainly gathering current literature on the professors subject of transformational leadership and teams. I will start writing literature reviews for the articles when I am finished collecting them. I have also been working on other accreditation stuff for the professor, which is fine. I am really enjoying my semi private turkish lessons with 2 other students from Russia and Bosnia, however, my classes end today. Our Turkish instructor was really great- I wish the classes were longer--mainly because I really enjoy the people.
Besides that, my aunt/best friend came to visit last week and we had an awesome time. I showed her around Ankara and then we spent the weekend in Kuşadası which is a super touristy town in the region of Izmir. From here, we visited Ephesus which is a large ancient city. It was a nice weekend- I will post pictures once I actually upload them. This weekend, my friend and I will go to Istanbul for our friends wedding (a UM alum), which I am looking forward to. I think the wedding will be a good cultural experience since there are many different Turkish wedding traditions.
Thats about it for now! I should probably get back to work :)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Week 5 at Bilkent
This past week has been pretty routine. I have been attending Turkish classes for 3 hours in the mornings after which I have lunch and do some work. I am enjoying most of the work I do, but what I find more interesting are the differences between the university system here and universities back at home (mainly UM.) I like to observe the seemingly subtle differences that actually have a great impact on how things function. Besides that, this week I started to work on research with the professor and her research partner, they are both really nice. The professor I work for was actually a visiting scholar to the UM Psychology Dept (my concentration) while she was working on her PhD. It was neat to hear about her experience at Michigan.
Outside of work, I have made some friends, so sometimes I meet with them or I relax or study. I am really enjoying the food (both the home cooked Turkish meals I have most nights and the restaurants).
The family I stay with took me to a nearby city called Beypazarı this past weekend. Its an old city that has many old style Ottoman houses--they also grow alot of carrots there I guess. On Wednesday, my aunt (also my closest friend) will arrive in Ankara and on Friday we will visit Kuşadası/Efes together. I will post pictures of the university, Beypazarı, and my trip this coming weekend soon.
Outside of work, I have made some friends, so sometimes I meet with them or I relax or study. I am really enjoying the food (both the home cooked Turkish meals I have most nights and the restaurants).
The family I stay with took me to a nearby city called Beypazarı this past weekend. Its an old city that has many old style Ottoman houses--they also grow alot of carrots there I guess. On Wednesday, my aunt (also my closest friend) will arrive in Ankara and on Friday we will visit Kuşadası/Efes together. I will post pictures of the university, Beypazarı, and my trip this coming weekend soon.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Entry 5: Week 4 at Bilkent
Hello,
This past week at Bilkent has been alright. The work I am doing right now is not very engaging. I have not yet started research since the professor asked me to input the written comments on the students peer evaluations, which is taking me some time. On the bright side, I am staying busy with that. I also have not been able to help the MBA coordinator with admissions because we are still awaiting approval that I am actually allowed to assist (because of the confidentiality of the paperwork). However, this past week has been great because I did indeed start Turkish classes. There is only 1 other student in the class, a girl aroung my age from Russia so we hung out this weekend which was nice. A phd student who has an office near mine also introduced herself to me and we went to lunch. She introduced me to an American girl who works in higher education in Ankara. I enjoyed meeting her because I could relate to her and she had alot to share about her experiences through her work higher education. I am very happy I was able to make some friends this past week and to begin improving my turkish. Besides that, I had a fun and relaxing weekend despite the fact that the weather wasnt always so pleasant.
This past week at Bilkent has been alright. The work I am doing right now is not very engaging. I have not yet started research since the professor asked me to input the written comments on the students peer evaluations, which is taking me some time. On the bright side, I am staying busy with that. I also have not been able to help the MBA coordinator with admissions because we are still awaiting approval that I am actually allowed to assist (because of the confidentiality of the paperwork). However, this past week has been great because I did indeed start Turkish classes. There is only 1 other student in the class, a girl aroung my age from Russia so we hung out this weekend which was nice. A phd student who has an office near mine also introduced herself to me and we went to lunch. She introduced me to an American girl who works in higher education in Ankara. I enjoyed meeting her because I could relate to her and she had alot to share about her experiences through her work higher education. I am very happy I was able to make some friends this past week and to begin improving my turkish. Besides that, I had a fun and relaxing weekend despite the fact that the weather wasnt always so pleasant.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Entry 4: Week 3 at Bilkent
Hi all,
This past week at Bilkent has been pretty standard and similar to the first two weeks. I continued to input grades for the research professor and I also helped the MBA coordinator with admissions stuff. Inputting grades is rather monotonous, but I do not mind it. I am enjoying learning about the admissions process, but I am also looking forward to doing some research work that should start next week. When the research professor and the MBA coordinator do not have work for me, I help the dean with different stuff as well. I may or may not be starting Turkish classes this week (it depends if enough people signed up to take them).
Outside of work, I have been studying for the GRE and relaxing. This past weekend, I went to see the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra which was nice. I also got my haircut but I had a friend communicate with the stylist for me. Finally, on Sunday, I went to a Catholic mass at the Vatican Embassy here in Ankara. Since Turkey is mainly a Muslim country, there are a ton of mosques here and very few churches, but I managed to find a few in Ankara. It was a neat experience to attend church here.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
This past week at Bilkent has been pretty standard and similar to the first two weeks. I continued to input grades for the research professor and I also helped the MBA coordinator with admissions stuff. Inputting grades is rather monotonous, but I do not mind it. I am enjoying learning about the admissions process, but I am also looking forward to doing some research work that should start next week. When the research professor and the MBA coordinator do not have work for me, I help the dean with different stuff as well. I may or may not be starting Turkish classes this week (it depends if enough people signed up to take them).
Outside of work, I have been studying for the GRE and relaxing. This past weekend, I went to see the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra which was nice. I also got my haircut but I had a friend communicate with the stylist for me. Finally, on Sunday, I went to a Catholic mass at the Vatican Embassy here in Ankara. Since Turkey is mainly a Muslim country, there are a ton of mosques here and very few churches, but I managed to find a few in Ankara. It was a neat experience to attend church here.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Entry 3: Week 2 at Bilkent
Hello all,
Things are just moving along here. The professor I will be doing research for arrived last week and I have been helping her with inputting grades since it is the end of the semester here. I will start research this week or something. I am also doing some work for the dean and for other staff. This week I will help out with admissions for the business graduate programs. So, since I am doing work for a few different people, I am definitely staying busy. I am enjoying the work that I am doing because I am learning a little bit about everything within higher education, which is providing me with a different perspective on the field overall. I am looking forward to my work this week to learn more about the admissions process and to start research.
Besides that, I am pretty comfortable with transportation and getting around, but I need to work on speaking the language. There are Turkish classes that start next week and I would like to go to them because it is hard for me to order food and say basic stuff, and I would like to be able to communicate better with others who do not speak any English. I also would like to make some friends but it is hard because I work alone in my own office and the students are done with school (plus my work does not involve them).
But, this past weekend, I went to Istanbul and met up with some UM friends that were studying abroad in Europe as well as some Turkish UM alum. We had a great time. Istanbul is a beautiful city with tons to do, but it takes a long time to get anywhere so we spent alot of the weekend just trying to get to where we wanted to go.
That's about it for now. Let me know if you have any questions.
Things are just moving along here. The professor I will be doing research for arrived last week and I have been helping her with inputting grades since it is the end of the semester here. I will start research this week or something. I am also doing some work for the dean and for other staff. This week I will help out with admissions for the business graduate programs. So, since I am doing work for a few different people, I am definitely staying busy. I am enjoying the work that I am doing because I am learning a little bit about everything within higher education, which is providing me with a different perspective on the field overall. I am looking forward to my work this week to learn more about the admissions process and to start research.
Besides that, I am pretty comfortable with transportation and getting around, but I need to work on speaking the language. There are Turkish classes that start next week and I would like to go to them because it is hard for me to order food and say basic stuff, and I would like to be able to communicate better with others who do not speak any English. I also would like to make some friends but it is hard because I work alone in my own office and the students are done with school (plus my work does not involve them).
But, this past weekend, I went to Istanbul and met up with some UM friends that were studying abroad in Europe as well as some Turkish UM alum. We had a great time. Istanbul is a beautiful city with tons to do, but it takes a long time to get anywhere so we spent alot of the weekend just trying to get to where we wanted to go.
That's about it for now. Let me know if you have any questions.
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