Well, to be last, but certainly not least, I can say that learning Turkish is something that I think will bond me to my cultural past even more so than simply studying about the past in school. To me, learning Turkish bears a lot of both pressure and excitement. I cannot wait to not only understand what my roommate has been saying for the past couple of years, but also, to talk back at him when he curses me under his breath :) It is fascinating to think that finally, we can bridge a 90+ year old gap that has divided our cultures...by living in Keller Hall.
However, in addition to learning more about my culture's history and what my roommate has been saying about me to his parents, taking a self-directed course in anything will help me prove to myself that if I really, truly put the time and effort, then I can succeed. And up until now, I think I have done just that. I might not have updated my Ning or replied to posts, but on the side, I can now understand the general conversations between my roommate and the other Turks on campus. Which tells me a lot about my drive towards school, and just in general what it is that I am passionate about. I want to learn more and more languages, and I think that the ones that I choose to learn will speak to me in some meta-physical way, allowing me to fully appreciate the language and especially -- the culture.
What can I say? Turkish is a beautiful language! My experience is very similar to Stephanie's: I worked with college students from Turkey at Busch Gardens Europe in the summer of 2009. I spent virtually my entire summer with them, learning about their culture and falling in love with their history, their geography and their way of life. Before that experience I knew that I wanted to focus my studies, wherever I went to college, on the Middle East, maybe Iran, perhaps Afghanistan, or possibly Lebanon, I was just kicking ideas around; by the beginning of my senior year of high school, I knew that Turkey was the place for me and I began researching it furiously.
There is no other nation like Turkey in the world; it is a geographic oddity, and the epitome of nationalistic values withstanding above all. Its history astounds me, and I hope to perhaps do fieldwork in Turkey studying Atatürk one day if I am not doing humanitarian work in the eastern-most provinces of the nation. I love the mannerisms of Turks, who remind me in an indescribable way of my own heritage, and I adore the food - who doesn't love Turkish delight?
My affinity for Turkey is in part inexplicable but in whole all-consuming, and I simply must learn the language.
I am interested in studying Swahili because I spent three weeks in Tanzania in June of 2007. I spent most of my time in the Mbeya/ Tukuyu region, and the tribal language is Nyacusa there, but a majority of people speak Swahili anyway. I want to be able to communicate with as many people as possible in Tanzania, so learning Swahili would be a good step toward doing that. It really bothered me when I couldn't communicate with the children there because I couldn't speak the language, and it seems as though children are to be seen and not heard. No one translated what the children were saying, so hopefully, knowing Swahili will allow me to talk to them, too. English is also one of the national languages, but English is only taught in secondary schools. Most people never get to go to secondary school; therefore, most people don't know English. Since I want to continue to do mission work in Tanzania, and since I want to return many times throughout my lifetime, knowing Swahili will become very helpful.
Hebrew has always been a language that fascinated me because of the cultural influence it has had on my life. Judaism and Israelites have had a great impact on my religion: Orthodox Christianity. I was baptized and raised Orthodox since birth, and to this day the traditions and values that come with it have stuck with me through all my times of questioning my beliefs. To this day, the values that have existed in my religion still impact my life. Most of these values came from Judaism, and the Old Testament. What better way to truly understand where my people came from, than to educate myself straight from the source? One of my goals in life is to really be happy with the fact that I have a strong knowledge of where I came from. I think that by learning about the cultural patterns of Israelites, I may be able to open up how I look at the world, and even myself.
My decision to try to learn Turkish was a bit of a spontaneous one, because I hadn't known that UR gave the opportunity to learn languages as an independent study course. And then when I heard that my friend was going to learn Turkish, I jumped at the opportunity because I've been intrigued by Turkey the past few years, the more I learn about it, and I would love to visit there. I'm an International Relations major, so most of what I know is political rather than cultural, and Turkey is a fascinating political case. Lying somewhere between Europe and the Middle East and not completely a part of either, Turkey's become a major regional power rising to the forefront of global issues. I think I first learned about it as a unique case from its longtime bid to join the European Union. But Turkey stands out to me most because, as opposed to its generally undemocratic, undeveloped, economically backward neighbors, Turkey is a modernizing, secular, democratic nation. And even more interesting is how the Turkish military has historically defended the country's secularism, even deposing governments that threatened the separation of religion and state, while avoiding taking power for themselves.
Anyway, from my limited observations, Turkey is on its way up, politically and economically, so I'm interested in learning more about it. Additionally, I want to learn some Turkish because of the large Turkish immigrant population in Germany. I've been learning German the whole time I've been here at university, and I'm trying to find a way to go to Germany when I graduate. I'll be an officer in the US Army for the next four years after I graduate, and then after that, I'm considering trying to work in international development or humanitarian aid with an NGO. Ideally, I'd do that in the Mediterranean region like southeastern Europe or Turkey, or else northern Africa. So based on what I want to do later in life, it makes sense to have at least a basic grounding in Turkish.
I have been interested in learning Turkish for the past four years. I started working at a theme park close by called Kings Dominion four years ago, and I became close friends with many of the international students working there. Although there were many people of many different nationalities I was friends with, the majority of my friends there were from Turkey (or at least the ones I liked most), and consequently that is what I want to focus on. I hope that if I study Turkish for the next couple of years I can become somewhat fluent, so when I go to Turkey I don't seem like that typical dumbass American who doesn't know jack about Turkey (their stereotypes for us are quite mean but unfortunatly accurate in my opinion).
The other main reason is that my major is International Studies concetrating in politics and diplomacy, and I hope to concetrate my studies, or at least get a job, living in Turkey or the Balkan region. And while these two regions seem to have nothing in common, to me the people I have meet from these two regions are very similar (at least culturally). The people I have met from Macedonia, for instance, are some of the best friends I will probably ever have, as well as those from Turkey. I hope one day to get citizenship in Macedonia, and if possible Turkey as well. There is no group of people I respect more than the Turkish and Macedonians, and consequently I am trying to start my studies in these regions as soon as possible, and since there is no Macedonian class, I am starting with Turkish. Well I could go on all day talking about these two regions, but I'll not bore you any longer. Bye!
I am interested in learning Farsi because I am an avid fan of Iranian Cinema. One of the main problems with watching any foreign film is reading the subtitles. I don't mind reading subtitles but I often wonder how accurate they are. Sometimes I feel as though I am missing out on part of the viewing experience, mainly due to the cultural aspects of the country and its language. Hopefully, one day, I will be able to experience the true meaning of a film, without having to rely on another person's experience- the subtitles.
Another reason I am interested in Farsi is because my roommate is half Persian. We have known each other for 5 years and I only know a couple of silly words, like gardener. Part of the reason is because she is not fluent in Farsi. Maybe she will have a renewed interest in the language once she has someone to practice with, which will also benefit me as well.
I first became interested in the Hebrew language when I was about nine. There was a song my parents listened to that was part Hebrew/part English that I loved, and would sing over and over to myself. Needless to say I still remember the song, and I have always enjoyed listening to Israeli/Judaic music.
As a Christian, I am fascinated by studying the Jewish origins of Christianity. Understanding Jewish culture and values helps me gain a deeper understanding of what makes up the foundation of believing in Yeshua, or Jesus, as my Messiah, or Savior. As I have realized how very entwined the two faiths are, my interest has deepened. I hope to study abroad in Israel, and it is my hope that studying Hebrew will prepare me to take full advantage of the opportunity to study Jewish culture by celebrating Biblical feasts and spending time learning from the Israelis.
Since I have attended the University of Richmond, I have focused on taking my core classes, as well as those needed for my major. This has been the first semester where I can actually pick from a variety of classes; ones that actually interest me. With both of my majors practical complete, I wanted to take a course that was very new and different for me. Herein lays the main reason that I decided to take Hebrew. To be honest, I do know anything about the Hebrew language and I do not have any Jewish friends that are able to help me. However, in the past I have studied both Spanish and Italian and have loved them both. Although I am almost positive that Hebrew does not relate to either of these languages, learning a language has always been fun for me; time consuming and at times, frustrating, but nevertheless still fun. Although I cannot say that I have always been interested in Hebrew traditions and customs, I believe it will be very exciting to learn more about them. Because I am not familiar with any of the Jewish practices, I want to devote a lot of my time to reading about their culture and the way people live.
I have attended one Bat Mitzvah. To this day, I still remember hearing my friend speak from the Torah and feeling so surprised that she was able to speak such a difficult language. Back then, Hebrew to me seemed impossible to learn, let alone to understand. However, when I saw that it was offered this semester, I did not hesitate to sign up to take it. Like I mentioned before, I have taken languages such as Italian and Spanish, but to me, these seem like standard, basic languages for college students to learn. Hebrew, on the other hand, is completely different in my eyes. It is a language not offered at many schools, and if it is, I am sure that it is not as common for students to take. I look forward to learning Hebrew and to educating myself about the Jewish traditions and ways of life.
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However, in addition to learning more about my culture's history and what my roommate has been saying about me to his parents, taking a self-directed course in anything will help me prove to myself that if I really, truly put the time and effort, then I can succeed. And up until now, I think I have done just that. I might not have updated my Ning or replied to posts, but on the side, I can now understand the general conversations between my roommate and the other Turks on campus. Which tells me a lot about my drive towards school, and just in general what it is that I am passionate about. I want to learn more and more languages, and I think that the ones that I choose to learn will speak to me in some meta-physical way, allowing me to fully appreciate the language and especially -- the culture.
There is no other nation like Turkey in the world; it is a geographic oddity, and the epitome of nationalistic values withstanding above all. Its history astounds me, and I hope to perhaps do fieldwork in Turkey studying Atatürk one day if I am not doing humanitarian work in the eastern-most provinces of the nation. I love the mannerisms of Turks, who remind me in an indescribable way of my own heritage, and I adore the food - who doesn't love Turkish delight?
My affinity for Turkey is in part inexplicable but in whole all-consuming, and I simply must learn the language.
Anyway, from my limited observations, Turkey is on its way up, politically and economically, so I'm interested in learning more about it. Additionally, I want to learn some Turkish because of the large Turkish immigrant population in Germany. I've been learning German the whole time I've been here at university, and I'm trying to find a way to go to Germany when I graduate. I'll be an officer in the US Army for the next four years after I graduate, and then after that, I'm considering trying to work in international development or humanitarian aid with an NGO. Ideally, I'd do that in the Mediterranean region like southeastern Europe or Turkey, or else northern Africa. So based on what I want to do later in life, it makes sense to have at least a basic grounding in Turkish.
The other main reason is that my major is International Studies concetrating in politics and diplomacy, and I hope to concetrate my studies, or at least get a job, living in Turkey or the Balkan region. And while these two regions seem to have nothing in common, to me the people I have meet from these two regions are very similar (at least culturally). The people I have met from Macedonia, for instance, are some of the best friends I will probably ever have, as well as those from Turkey. I hope one day to get citizenship in Macedonia, and if possible Turkey as well. There is no group of people I respect more than the Turkish and Macedonians, and consequently I am trying to start my studies in these regions as soon as possible, and since there is no Macedonian class, I am starting with Turkish. Well I could go on all day talking about these two regions, but I'll not bore you any longer. Bye!
Another reason I am interested in Farsi is because my roommate is half Persian. We have known each other for 5 years and I only know a couple of silly words, like gardener. Part of the reason is because she is not fluent in Farsi. Maybe she will have a renewed interest in the language once she has someone to practice with, which will also benefit me as well.
As a Christian, I am fascinated by studying the Jewish origins of Christianity. Understanding Jewish culture and values helps me gain a deeper understanding of what makes up the foundation of believing in Yeshua, or Jesus, as my Messiah, or Savior. As I have realized how very entwined the two faiths are, my interest has deepened. I hope to study abroad in Israel, and it is my hope that studying Hebrew will prepare me to take full advantage of the opportunity to study Jewish culture by celebrating Biblical feasts and spending time learning from the Israelis.
I have attended one Bat Mitzvah. To this day, I still remember hearing my friend speak from the Torah and feeling so surprised that she was able to speak such a difficult language. Back then, Hebrew to me seemed impossible to learn, let alone to understand. However, when I saw that it was offered this semester, I did not hesitate to sign up to take it. Like I mentioned before, I have taken languages such as Italian and Spanish, but to me, these seem like standard, basic languages for college students to learn. Hebrew, on the other hand, is completely different in my eyes. It is a language not offered at many schools, and if it is, I am sure that it is not as common for students to take. I look forward to learning Hebrew and to educating myself about the Jewish traditions and ways of life.