As I looked through the extensive list of classes offered as general electives for the College of Arts and Sciences during my Honors Contract drafting, one course piqued my interest immediately, “Turkish Culture”. While I was born in Hungary (a somewhat close neighbor to Turkey) both of my parents were from Turkey, and consequently my entire family from both parents’ side had a direct link to the Turkish culture. My family’s immigration to the United States in 2006, inarguably a life-changing decision for both my brother and I, had the unfortunate side-effect of prohibiting my personal cultivation of a relationship with this culture or the intricate history of the country. However, by virtue of growing up in a household that still actively communicated with their family abroad, I have picked up on fragments of the Turkish culture that has kept me interested in rekindling an in-depth exploration into as many aspects of Turkey as possible, which I believe I can begin in my Turkish Culture class.

First, I would like to reflect upon and record some facts and subtleties that I have picked up in the 20 years I have had speaking with my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and one cousin concerning the state of Turkey and what characteristics define the country. After moving to the United States, the constant reminder that I was not wholeheartedly American, apart from my parents speaking in Turkish (which really make angry conversations with your name in it especially frightening when you don’t recall the language), was the traditional food that my mother often prepared for dinner. Of the dishes that I know the name of, my favorites consisted of kofta, dolma (after I transitioned out of my picky phase), baklava, and palacsinta (which is technically a Hungarian dish but complemented well with a hearty Turkish dinner beforehand). Specifically, kofta, which is essentially a meatball, was the most cooked item out of my mother’s culinary arsenal, and I distinctly remember the extraordinary pairing of the meat with countless styles of fragrant lentil, noodle, and chicken stews and soups. Interestingly, I find my acquired taste of dolma (bell peppers that are stuffed with meat, rice, and other ingredients and then cooked in an oven) to be analogous to my growth as a person and my renewed willingness to investigate my family’s culture as an adult that has surpassed the close-minded and picky nature of my adolescence. One comical experience I remember with the food culture of Turkey was actually one my family’s visits to the farm of my grandparents in the rural areas of Turkey. There was one night where my parents and grandparents were being deliberately deceptive with the ingredients of the meat stew, and as my brother and I tentatively ate our meals, we were met with an invitation to look at the animal enclosures outside, which specifically included a display of the most pristine white rabbits. Fortunately for me, I was still too young to notice the sly hinting of my parents. If I had noticed, I would most likely had been sick to my stomach, as my childhood take on food was still limited to the chicken, beef, and pork dishes of the world. Looking back, I find it funny that my parents had to pull such a ploy against my brother and I to enjoy the traditional heartfelt cooking of my grandmother, but it encourages me to continue finding hidden gems of Turkey that I have not yet had the chance to experience for myself.

Delving past the irresistible topic of food, I have also gained a unique perspective on some traditional events and cultural practices of Turkey through my visits to Turkey, and my interactions with both my parents and grandparents. The one cultural practice that my family continues to this day is called Bayram, which is a celebratory event where younger members of the family show their respect and appreciation for their elders, meaning parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. Since I have been with my parents for most Bayram celebrations, the day consists of kissing the back of the hand of your elder, raising it to your forehead, and saying “Bayramınız Mübarek olsun”. It means “May your festival be blessed” and is essentially a well-wishing for the upcoming future of a family member, which can be celebrated as either a secular or religious occasion. I have not had the chance to visit Turkey for several years, so my family and I simply say the line wishing a good “feast” for our family abroad, and have a good conversation about what we have planned and how everyone is doing. Importantly, this has allowed me to remain connected to the culture of my family, and has also given me ample opportunities to continue checking in with the family members that I so rarely get to see. Furthermore, beyond Bayram celebrations, I was witness to some of the religious practices of the rural areas of Turkey when I last visited my grandparents, during which I was around 12 (important in how I viewed everything I experienced during my visit). To my surprise, the weekends did not consist of my parents waking up to start the day, but instead loud intercoms that blared through the town with religious speech and music. As a young male whose introduction into the American culture at the age of 7 was extremely intensive and character-defining, it was a slightly uncomfortable shock to have religious music played disregarding the activities and opinions of everyone that lived in the vicinity. Having read into our assigned introductory material for the course, I now understand that President Erdoğan’s emphasis on educating the youth about Islam and integrating Islamic curriculum into the coursework of students is meant to match the values of a sizable population of Turkey that sees religions as a crucial part of their lives. Finally, the aspect of Turkish culture that I found most different from my first several years in America, which may not hold true for all Turkish people as I only had experience with a limited number of people and unique locations, was the outward friendliness and sense of community. The most profound and encouraging experience I had was actually a solo venture into the town surrounding my grandparent’s small farm. I was told that I could take the family bike and go into town to buy groceries, which seemed daunting at the time because I was anxious about not having the ability to speak Turkish with local members of the town. However, my grandparent’s presence in the community must have been strong, since everyone I encountered was extremely open to helping me with their minimal knowledge of English, and allowed me to ride around the town feeling safe to do as I pleased as a 12-year-old. Additionally, my family’s trip to the local city was met with a similar acceptance of store clerks, strangers, and old friends my parents ran into coincidentally. Having learned extensive historical accounts of many countries and cultures throughout my academic career, I am not naïve enough to believe the whole of Turkey shares the hospitability that I experienced, but as a foreigner, I also cannot ignore the fact that almost everyone I shared a conversation with was refreshingly amicable.

Although I may have had more of an introduction to the Turkish culture than others who may be starting their cultural education through classes such as Turkish 2241, there are still many things that I know I can learn, and have learned through the initial burst of material in our first week. The very first cultural phenomena that I was surprised by was the ethnic diversity that shaped the development process of Turkey, as well as defines the country to this day. I had taken history classes that mentioned the Ottomans and their dominant path through Asia and Europe , but I never seemed to make the connection that the settlements made in Anatolia and Constantinople by the Ottomans was crucial in the building of such a strong modern-day country. Furthermore, I was also unaware of the ethnic and religious persecution that seemed to be copiously dispersed throughout times of these dominant Ottomans, which unfortunately persisted to almost the end of the 20^th century. During my visits to Turkey, I never realized the ethnic diversity nor any differential treatment of certain groups of people, and it impacts my future-planning to this day, as I would like to see Turkey through the critical eyes of an adult with information about the region and the amazing breadth of sub-cultures that coexist in Turkey. Also, even though I had slightly heard about military pressures during communist Russian dominance in the end of the 20^th century from my parents, I was surprised to learn during the reading that the Turkish military is still viewed with a distaste that is attributed to their general harshness towards citizens, and continuing archaic torturing sessions of civilians that are suspected to be criminals. Another section that resounded with my interests was the economics discussion in the reading, since I am a business minor with a passion for the business, economic, and even political side of many issues. As such, the discussion about the GDP breakdown of Turkey, as well as their stable membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development was fun to read about. Moreover, I had never known the governmental structure of Turkey, so learning about the 10 parties, although only 4 dominate, was a nice change of pace from a lot of historical and geographical material. The referendum mentioned in the reading, in its abolishment of the prime minister position and granting executive power to the president that had previously been relatively powerless, allowed me to connect a name I had heard before (President Erdoğan) to a relevant political development in Turkey. All of the new information that I was able to absorb from our initial material was meaningful to me, as it established a base of knowledge that I can build up to better understand my familial culture. However, I look forward to diving into the topics set up for the upcoming semester, as I am hungry to continue expanding my awareness of something so near to me. Priority-wise, my relatively low exposure to the state of Turkey as a global entity, in terms of economy, country development, relevant news, government, religious and education reform, and ethnic diversity acceptance influences my desire to dive straight into the depths of each topic. But I also want to accentuate my current factual sway over cuisine, art and architecture, music, geography, nationwide holidays, and topics relevant to my collegiate Turkish counterparts. Thus, I am most looking forward to our class conversations with the students in Turkey, as it provides a direct link to the opinions and experiences of people actively living within the range of topics that we are only studying about. Personally, I am looking forward to the potential that people will question my name and invite conversations with me, as my name is a relatively common Turkish name and will most likely come as a surprise as the name of an American student. Furthermore, I would like to challenge my current knowledge of different aspects of Turkey, and maybe have them educate me about specific places I have been to and unique experiences that I have had, so that I can better grasp the intricacies of my life in Turkey. To conclude, I am inspired as a member of both the Turkish and American cultures to finally receive the necessary knowledge to be able to realize drastic differences (not necessarily bad) that characterize both entities. However, I am even more excited to draw my own conclusions about the subtle overlaps that can be noticed in both cultures and can be used to possibly visualize the effects that the globalization and sharing of different cultures has had on the development of unique fusions of cultures within different countries. To be able to acquire such perspectives, I truly believe that I have made the right decision to dive into Turkish 2241 and learn what it truly means to be Turkish.

Throughout the summer before my senior year of high school, including the entirety of my senior year, I volunteered at the Ahuja Medical Center and the Geauga Medical Center, which are University Hospitals locations in Northeast Ohio. As a part of the Age Well Be Well program, I was tasked with providing informational lectures on the basics of the internet, which included the following concepts: devising search terms, using the search bar, creating and accessing an email account, avoiding spam or scam emails, discerning viable online threats, and gaining access to technology and ultimately the internet. My role was that of the primary lecturer, so while other volunteers would peruse the room and help senior patients through the current objective, for example searching their favorite animal, I would communicate the information in a way that delivered the information in a manner that was clear and did not berate the limited knowledge of the patients. Having to teach an audience the basic structure of a resource that people of my generation use (sometimes exploit) with relative ease was an eye-opening opportunity to become aware of the necessity to consider the backgrounds and experiences of different people when interacting with them in a professional setting. As such, the enriching feeling of providing aid, in any form, to a collective that requires my specific take or knowledge of a certain topic or procedure was repeatedly fulfilling, and I look forward to continuing my ventures into volunteer opportunities that allow me to lighten the confusion or struggles of diverse groups of people. Appropriately, the patient-professional relationships is vital in the dental field, and I accordingly place great value in creating meaningful bonds with people now so that I can foster the development of myself in a way that best prepares for amicable and respectful interactions with patients.

The attached link leads to a video that a group of Arts and Sciences Honors students and I completed for our freshman survey class. Tasked with creating a short commercial that outlined the general information pertaining to a specific resource on campus, our group devised the provided short commercial skit that provides the audience with an introduction on The Ohio State University’s Disability Services.

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