International Student

I'm Shahed. I'm from Libya. I'm learning Turkish here. After doing some research online, I learned that this university had a great Turkish Language and Literature department, and also heard about Professor Başar. I was afraid about leaving my family for a new school, learning a new language and a new culture before coming to Turkey, but I was very happy to come here. I've never felt weird or alienated. Turkish is a language close to Arabic. I learned to make Turkish dishes. I was very happy to make new friends, the education system and learning about new stuff. When I was in Libya, I was learning English. I was also studying Turkish history and I think learning Turkish is learning about the world because it contains a lot of culture. I am very curious about the Ottoman period and Atatürk. I wanted to learn the language because I heard that Turkey is a very important country. I know that learning Turkish doesn't just mean learning a language. We still use words from Ottoman times. For example, in Libya, many place names are Turkish. Tripoli, for example, is the capital of Libya, most of the places there were made byTurks. I was very curious about this and decided to learn Turkish. I'm going back to Libya to teach there. Since I came to Social Sciences University of Ankara, I have changed a lot in many regards. The courses offered here are very fun and are provided for us to do research and learn. It's not just lessons, it’s quite an education. That's why I know so much about Turkey and the education provided here. I haven't had any trouble since I got here. I hope I don't have any trouble. I'm very happy with the university, the education and the professors. Because like I said, they're not just teaching, they're providing a multifaceted education. I've made Turkish friends since I came to university, and of course they've made a big difference in my life. We go out and visit places, they tell me all about history. I've learned a lot. And my Turkish language skills have come a long way. In just 6 months, I have improved my Turkish quite a bit. The longer I stay here, the more I’ll learn about Turks. And when I get back to Libya, I'm going to teach a lot of things because I've learned so much about culture, and I'm very happy about it. I've trained well. I represented our university in the debate competition and won first place. This university has given me so much. Ankara is my favorite city for education and culture. I went to other cities, but Ankara became my favorite city, because Ankara is a student-oriented city and the education is great. It's an old town, it's quite historic and there are beautiful buildings. My advice to international students is: don’t hesitate to come here and join our university. I'm very pleased and I think you'll be pleased. I was so scared before I came, but after I came, I figured I made the right choice. I wish success to the students who will come to the Social Sciences University of Ankara.