The University

Classes started on the 27th of September. Boğaziçi University, considered Turkey’s best, is located on the hills above the Bosphorous Strait, near the ancient Rumeli Hisari fortress, built by Mehmet the Conquerer during his conquest of Constantinople, and is above one of the richest neighborhoods in Turkey, Bebek. Not only is the University regarded as the most prominent education institute in Turkey, it also has the most aesthetically attractive campus with many of the buildings built from stone. The University is a collection of four campuses: Kuzey (North) Kampüs, Güney (South) Kampüs, Uçaksavar Kampüs, and Hisar Kampüs. Originally founded as an American institution named "Robert College in 1863, Boğaziçi University was officially established on what had been the Robert College campus for over one hundred years. Boğaziçi University (Turkish: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi) has an enrollment of over 11,000 students. It has expanded both physically and academically since it's establishment. The south campus boasts a most magnificent view of the Bosphorous and Asian side and encompasses the oldest buildings of the University. 

The walk to Güney Kampüs

 The view!

 Mustafa Ataturk - the man behind Turkey's cultural, political transformation - Kuzey Kampüs

Kuzey Kampüs

I am currently taking Introduction to Sociology, Culture and Society, and Elementary Turkish for Foreigners. In addition to these classes I am also enrolled in a private Turkish class and a Research Methods Seminar that are exclusively available to Lexia International students. While I am the only Lexia exchange student who is studying here for one year, there is a girl studying here for this first semester – Jemma, from New York City. There are at least 400 other exchange students currently studying at Boğaziçi. Many are American, more are European: Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Danish and French constitute the larger part of the Europeans. And, unfortunately, the majority of them are studying here for just a semester. As was the case when I was part of a tightly knit study abroad group in Thailand, here I am finding it just as easy to get along with the other international exchange students certainly due to the fact that we all share the common interests of learning foreign culture and language, and specifically that of Turkey – an area less commonly represented in most study abroad programs. Undoubtedly, it is going to be difficult to say goodbye to friends as this semester comes to an end…