Her Campus American University: Introduce yourself!
McCall James: Greetings world! I am a junior studying international studies and I have been exploring in Istanbul for the past five months! I love platypuses, I am the unofficial mascot for Utah and one day I hope to go to Pluto, because I believe in its planet-hood.
HCAU: Tell us about what you’ve been doing in Turkey for the past five months.
MJ: For three months this summer I worked at Koç Üniversitesi in Istanbul teaching English to ten-year-old Turkish kids. It was amazing and I fell in love with Turkey and Istanbul. I am now studying at Kadir Has Üniversitesi through AU, studying international relations and working as a research assistant for a professor here, looking at gender and politics in Turkey.
HCAU: What have been some of the differences between being abroad for a traditional study abroad program and working abroad?
MJ: Studying abroad, you learn how a country works generally, but the program focuses on being a foreigner and relying on the exchange of cultures. This is wonderful and has taught me to be appreciative of international perspectives and also cherish cultural exchanges. Working abroad, from my experience, shows the nuances of a culture. You learn the slang from the kids, colloquial phrases not taught in school; working makes you feel a part of a society and not just an outsider looking in.
HCAU: What have you learned about yourself or gained from studying abroad?
MJ: Living in a foreign country for five months has given me a whole new outlook. People here say hi on the street to everyone they pass; I’ve learned to honor relationships, even ones with strangers. Gathering around a cup of tea at the end of a day is common; I’ve realized the importance of appreciating the peaceful moments.
HCAU: What have been some of the more difficult parts of studying abroad?
MJ: Of course I miss my family and friends back home and don’t speak the language fluently, but to speak frankly it was difficult to adjust to a culture so different than my own. Difference does not mean wrong or bad, but it means adjusting and assimilating to new experiences, people and places. I had to learn that being heckled at by shop owners or cafe waiters wasn’t a mean thing, it was their way of being welcoming. Yet looking back on my time so far, learning these subtleties have been some of the best parts. Realistically, nothing was hard (I think I am lucky because I have staying in the honeymoon part of culture shock for five months now).
HCAU: Why did you choose Turkey for your study abroad location?
MJ: I chose Turkey because why not? It is the perfect culmination of civilization, religion, language, culture. On every corner there is a Roman ruin and then a mosque built by the Ottomans and then a Starbucks next to it. It sounds completely cliche but I wanted to experience the world and Istanbul is the focal point for a lot of it.
HCAU: What advice do you have to students who are considering going abroad?
MJ: There is a lot more to a country than what Western media has to say about it. If I had listened to the negative stereotypes about this beautiful culture and country I would have missed out on the best time of my life.
Photo courtesy of McCall James