Category Archives: Uncategorized

On Tuesday, March 3rd we attended a lecture by Tuna Kuyucu.  His lecture, titled “Has Turkey Turned into a “Constructocracy?, presented three areas that have seen major changes in recent years causing Turkey, especially Istanbul, to become a site of … Continue reading →

One of Istanbul’s top tourist attractions are both the Spice and Grand Bazaar. Merchants gather to peddle their wares that range from cheap soccer jerseys to tea and Turkish delight. I visited near the end of the day when theoretically … Continue reading →

March 4th, a group of us met Sevgi Akarcesme, a columnist at Zaman Daily News and correspondent of its English counterpart, Today’s Zaman. With her quick description of the AKP coming to power and the changes she saw since 2010, she painted … Continue reading →

While riding Istanbul’s various forms of public transit (bus, light rail, subway, etc.), I noticed a disparity in male and female usage.  On all forms of public transit, the riders tended to be predominantly male. This could be a result … Continue reading →

In every restaurant and shop in Istanbul, I encountered a similar difference from U.S. culture.  In the U.S., it is typical to see women working in public, service positions such as waitresses or store clerks; this is not the case … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, Mar. 3rd, we met with the vice mayor of Zeytinburnu District in Istanbul. This district has many historical sites and mosques. They also built a cultural park in honor of a historical figure. These actions certainly attract both … Continue reading →

On March 1st Khaled Khoja met with a small portion of our group in a local coffee shop to discuss Syria’s plight. Over half of the Syrian population lives outside of Syria and militant groups such as ISIS have taken … Continue reading →

A couple years ago, news reached the United States of protests erupting in Istanbul, Turkey. It became known as the Gezi Park protests. Today, we see that the Gezi Park redevelopment issue still persists, and is especially pertinent to my … Continue reading →

There were several observations considering small and local businesses that correlate with tourism. When we first arrived on Friday, Feb. 27, the Can Restaurant beside our hotel is pretty much tourists centered. Every employee had basic ability for English listening. … Continue reading →

We arrived in Izmir on March 5th, and I fall in love with this city, its blue coast and its relaxing life style. On March 6th, we first went to an activity in memory of rape victims. This activity is … Continue reading →