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 :)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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.
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