International Day
The Altınbaş University School of Foreign Languages' traditional International Day event, which has now become a tradition, brought together hundreds of students from 105 countries this year.
An International Day event was organized at the Altınbaş University School of Foreign Languages. The event brought together hundreds of students from 105 different countries who are attending preparatory classes, fostering connections and reinforcing their English skills by getting to know different cultures. The event resembled a festival with traditional costumes, foods, songs, folk dances, and, most importantly, enjoyable conversations.
Dr. Merve Selçuk, the Director of the Altınbaş University School of Foreign Languages, mentioned that the International Day event was the third content and second activity organized by the School of Foreign Languages as part of Altınbaş University's centennial celebrations. She stated, "A total of 47 classes and 1948 students from Turkish, German, and English preparatory programs participated in the International Day event. Students from all around the world introduced their countries, cultures, dances, traditional clothing, languages, foods, and other distinctive features."
Merve Selçuk highlighted that during the process, students not only interacted with each other, experiencing a sense of collaboration but also developed their creative skills. She added, "While our previous conference aimed at the academic aspect of internationalization, with this event, we believe that we contributed to our goal with our students."
Deputy Director of the Altınbaş University School of Foreign Languages, Kevser Yılmaz, expressed that they contribute to students becoming more sensitive and understanding global citizens. She stated, "In the context of their preparatory education, students gain the language skills to describe and introduce their own countries from the early weeks."
Aybike Aşkın, the Head of the Basic English Department at the Altınbaş University School of Foreign Languages, emphasized the importance of the International Day event in providing students with the opportunity to share information and speak in front of an audience.
She said, "The event also gave students the chance, in line with the goals of preparatory education, to represent a country, understand different cultures, and build empathy by getting to know the world they live in and being aware of different cultures."
Altınbaş University students also shared their thoughts on the event.
Saba Alaeddin Mohamed Abuhafes from Libya, who will continue his studies in the Faculty of Pharmacy next year, described the day as surprising and interesting. He emphasized the importance of making memories, learning about Ireland, and trying various foods from different cultures together.
Tala Kaddoura from Palestine, who will study Interior Architecture and Environmental Design next year, explained that "International Day" means learning about different cultures for her. Being part of the team that introduced Ireland during the event, she said, "Working together was a great experience for me. Trying new things and noticing new cultures taught us a lot. It emphasized the importance of working together as a team and being united."
Ibrahim Mohammed Ali Al-Esayi from Syria, who has been living in Turkey for two years and will continue his education in Software Engineering next year, expressed that he had a fantastic and wonderful day beyond his expectations. He mentioned that they started by gathering cultural information to prepare for the day and had a lot of fun when it came to cooking.
Eylül Ekin Karasu, who will continue her studies in Computer Engineering, described the event as interactive, social, and very enjoyable. She emphasized that making friends from different cities and countries was the most important gain for her.
Helen Gücel, a preparatory class student continuing to study International Relations, and Hilal Kaya, who will continue her education in the Faculty of Medicine, shared how they formed close friendships with students from countries they never dreamed of visiting. They discussed breaking their prejudices and how they believe everyone will have much closer contact in the future.