What it means to be Istan-BALLIN’

Our final day in Turkey started out with a detailed tour at the Sabancı Museum, which housed a special exhibition on the history of Istanbul. We then drove to the Asian side of Turkey via tour bus and explored modern Istanbul and its urban transformation. Afterwards, we headed back to Boğaziçi University and explored the campus more in-depth. In the evening, we were driven to Ortakoy, a small village outside Istanbul where we had our final dinner in Turkey.

Campus of Boğaziçi University.

After dinner, we headed back to our dorms to pack and say our final goodbyes. The night ran high of emotion. We would no longer wake up and take classes with the same people. We then proceeded with a final toast to our professors, especially to Resat Kasaba (Chair of the International Studies Department at the University of Washington) for coordinating the program in Turkey. Because of him (and the favorable exchange rate of two lira to one euro), we were able to really live large in Turkey. We were constantly treated with free snacks, lunch, and dinner. In essence, we felt like we owned the city—like a true baller.

Late evening view from the village of Ortakoy.

After a long flight that connected me from Istanbul, Turkey to Paris, France to New York City to Seattle to Yakima, I finally arrived back home in Wapato, Washington. Looking back, I got so much more than I initially expected from this study abroad program: I was able to reconnect with my peers from Lander 7 dorm of freshman year, meet new students from the UW Honors Program, take classes from top-notch faculty, feast on new and international cuisines, visit ancient monuments that date back to antiquity, and truly broaden my view of the Mediterranean culture and the world at large. We’ve all truly accomplished so much in merely five weeks.

Rocking a Taqiyah on my head.