Why Turkey?

“Why Turkey?”…the basic question that I’ve been asked nearly every day that I’ve been here (and definitely each time I meet someone new). “Why did you choose to do your Master’s here? Everyone wants to go to the States for that.”

My answer always boils down to perspective and location. Being an international relations student, I study many things about the international community. And while I have learned much from my undergraduate studies both in the US and Europe, I’ve realized that something is lacking.

Perspective.

Though I do have a developed understanding in my area of study, my education has always been through a Western lens. As I branch out and read more and more articles about war, negotiation, migration, and general international politics, I realize how much that I don’t know.

Perspective is something that can explain or give a better understanding as to why certain things happen in this world. That’s why international relations students study theory in general. But the type of perspectives you gain by living outside of your culture opens up an understanding of an entirely different side of events happening in our world.

The importance of perspective seems to be pretty underrated in my opinion. There are so many strategic reasons as to why countries act the way that they do in the international community. It’s kind of fascinating once you put yourself in a different country, learn the history and the culture, and begin to truly understand events from another perspective.

My thought (and maybe I’m wrong) is that if more of the worlds leaders were to put themselves in the place of the other–to make an effort to understand the needs, insecurities, strengths, and histories of the other–there might be more peace in the world.

Second, being that my area of interest in international relations is migration, I chose Turkey in light of the recent refugee crises (both in Syria and in Afghanistan). Being that Turkey shares a border with Syria, the largest number of Syrian refugees are currently within Turkey. The number is somewhere roughly around 3.3 million, though most studies conducted have only noted about 2.5 million.

Studying in Ankara has meant that I am able to work more closely with the refugee crises and refugees themselves. Being that there are so many Syrian refugees in Turkey, public policy hasn’t been able to help all of them with integration or basic education in some cases. There are a few local volunteer groups who work specifically with refugee children in order to educate them in both English and Turkish, as well as teaching them basic math and science skills. In the coming months, I look forward to working with refugees, as well as sharing more of my experiences of life in Turkey on this blog.

This experience is unlike any other, and nothing that I could’ve imagined experiencing in my own community back in the States. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to go outside of my comfort zone, learn, and grow in my abilities and perspectives.