CIE: International Students' Blog

Welcome to the International Students' Blog

Welcome to the International Students' Blog, the blog of students from other countries than the U.S. who are studying at Nazareth College.  Founded in 1924, Nazareth College is a co-ed college with undergraduate and graduate studies in the liberal arts and sciences, and professional programs in health and human services, education, and management. The College is located near Rochester, New York, and currently enrolls approximately 2,800 students. For more information on the College, visit www.naz.edu.

Meeting With Obama

I don't really know how to start or how to explain this wonderful experience.İt effected me deeply. But if i have to start i can say it was a big chance, really really big chance. Because before i met with  Obama, i have few ideas about him. From the moment i met him i'm sure what i think about him. He act as i expected.

Let’s begin from the start, some of people asked me questions  about how i selected how i had a chance like that.İ participated a program called "US İNSTİTUTE STUDENT LEADERS SUMMER 2007’’ I selected from hundreds people in Turkey.We were 18 students from dıfferent countries in Turkey. We spent 1,5 months in Rochester/NY. During our program we learned about American politics, American culture, leadership development etc at NAZARETH COLLEGE. İt was also a wonderful experience. American Consulates in Turkey made the selection about this program. Thats why we all still keep in touch. One day, when i was at our Office (i'm doing my law training as a law clerk) i  had a call from Adana American Consulate. So with this call, my Obama adventure started.

I went to İstanbul with 3 friends of mine from our program and 2 friends from 2008. We were all so excited and had many ideas about what we have to ask. When we arrived to İstanbul we went to a hotel which American Consulate booked for us. After that we met some of our friends from program and made a little interview about this meeting.

Now its time to talk about the big day. We got up early and after a good breakfast we went to the meeting point (Hilton Hotel). After half an hour we went to ‘Tophane-i Amire’ (there were 2 bus waiting for us) We were 100 people who were selected from different student councils or who were attended a program in US. Entering in Tophane was random. We lined up and after undergoing a personal search we entered and found a place for ourselves. The place was full of press members asking questions about what we were feeling. After one hour excited expectancy Obama came with a big smile. Maybe some of yours don't believe but i relaxed after Obama came. His warm smile, relaxed mode, exquisitely polite attitudes made me relaxed and happy. He also showed us that he cares about us and our ideas. He listened silently and answered our questıons with looking in our eyes. There were 100 students and only 6 of us had a chance to ask questıon. Thats why i feel really lucky. After the meeting Obama started to shake our hands then i realized something. İ said to myself ‘Omg I forgot to introduce myself when i was asking my question! ’When he came to shake my hand i said ‘Mr.President i forgot to introduce myself,My name’s Gizem Cakmakoglu and i'm a lawyer like you’ then he smiled and stroked my shoulder and said Congratulations! That was the moment of my life.

After this meeting i believe in Obama’s sincerity and candour. İ also believe that he can achieve all his goals. Because he believes in fresh ideas, he believes in youth. He also knows we are the FUTURE. As he said in his selection cry, he can ‘CHANGE THE WORLD’

P.S: Obama started to change my life. After this meeting i made many interviews in my country and explained what i felt and what are my ideas about Obama. Also all my friends and people in judiciary courts call me ‘Mrs. Obama’

Best regards

Gizem Cakmakoglu

After Obama : A Student Leader’s Insights on Obama’s Visit to Turkey

Tuesday, the 7th of April was such a wonderful day of my life. Meeting the head of a foreign state, especially if it is such a powerful country of the world, moreover if it is the first African- American president of USA, was something that I would not believe a month ago.

My interest in Obama began with the SUSI program I attended at Naz college during the election period. During class discussions with Dr. Kneeland, while we were reviewing American politics and the attitudes of American voters, Barack H. Obama was the star of our classes. Also I tried to pay attention to the thoughts of my American peers about the election campaign. Nearly everyone I met supported him and they were very very hopeful about his future presidency period. What I observed during interactions with American people was their tiredness of Bush presidency and their great excitement for future. I was trying to understand the reason for such a hope. In Turkey, election periods are full of discussion as it is in US and this makes it very enjoyable for voters. However, Turkish people are generally not very hopeful while electing their future leader contrary to what I observed in the eyes of American people.

So, I began asking myself: What is it that makes Obama different from other leaders around the world?

My attempts to discover this started with Obama’s inaugural speech. With my friends at Bahcesehir University, we organized a program with the support of US Consulate General in İstanbul. Students from our school and diplomats from the consulate came together, watched the inaugural address live and then analyzed the speech together (for more about the event: http://istanbul.usconsulate.gov/inauguration_bu.html). For me, the best part of the speech was Obama’s announcing that he will not make a preference between security and human rights. Both for US and Turkey, having this delicate balance is a problem and I always hope these two friends will enjoy their experiences about this to find the measure for such a balance.

Then Hillary Clinton came Turkey and in a different setting from Obama’s town hall, she met SUSI alumnus. Unfortunately, I was not there because during that weekend I was competing the Turkish national round of ILSA’s Jessup Moot Court Contest.  I was both jealous of and happy for my Turkish friends who met Clinton.

On March 30, I was called by Christina Thomlinson, diplomat from US Consulate in Istanbul , saying that maybe I can meet Obama.! Christina requested me not to tell it anyone! I was really shocked and honored at the same. I wanted to announce this to everyone I know: I would meet Obama!!! But of course, I could not make it not to disappoint Christina. Believe me, that week was full of stress and excitement for me. 

On April 3, I got the official invitation from the Consulate and I was found by Martin Fletcher of NBC television who made an interview with me as being one of the students who will meet Obama. On April 5, the video was broadcasted in the program called Nightly News of MSNBC (for the video of the interview:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#30057569). That day I gave another interview to Associated Press in English (however, I could not manage to get its video yet).    

Obama starts to go deep into heart of Turkish people:

April 5: In Prague, Obama announced his support to Turkey ’s EU accession. The first move just before his arrival in Turkey  was excellent.

April 6: Obama was in Ankara, Turkey ’s capital! He firstly visited Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of Turkey and the most important political figure for Turkish people. The words he wrote to the special book of the mausoleum showed his deep understanding of Ataturk and his foreign policy of “peace at home, peace in the world”. Again, this put Obama in a special position for Turkish people. Later that day he spoke at the National Assembly of Turkey where he touched on critical points for Turkish people such as Heybeliada Priest School, but he managed to make it in such a manner that he did not frustrate Turkish people. His speech showed that he studied on Turkish politics because he the speech was full of messages to all types of political parties and their supporters. His choice to make a visit to Turkey as being his first bilateral visit to a foreign culture gained appreciation by the Turkish. In addition, his visit’s being the end point of a tour in Europe (if we do not count Iraq which was not announced and does not seem much more than a visit of support to American military there) evaluated by the Turkish as carrying a symbolic message of Turkey’s being understood by US as a European which was ties with other Muslim majority countries. In sum, he succeeded in winning the hearts of everyone, no matter which political ideology they support.

April 7: Obama was in Istanbul. I believe that this was the day for Obama to get together with Turkish people. He started the day as a tourist of Istanbul. He continued the day by engaging with the Turkish young people. Before he left Istanbul, he went to a restaurant and ate meatball like any Turkish does. The Turkish thought that Obama was “being one of us”

The most beautiful photo of the town hall was this one in my opinion. It was published in NY Times (for the original: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/europe/08prexy.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=turkey&st=cse)

The Town Hall

I should emphasize that town hall with political leaders is not usual in Turkish political culture. Moreover a town hall with only young people has been never organized. So Obama not only honored Turkish young people by meeting them but also brought a new understanding of gathering with young people.

During the town hall, he looked into our eyes, he used excellent gestures showing his interest in us and he took all of the questions (including some odd and useless ones in my opinion). His emphasis was on Turkish-American alliance & partnership and the question of how we can renew it. Once again, taking this purpose of him into consideration, his choice of discussing this with Turkish youth was a honor for us. During the talk he was honest as always (which is his best feature as a leader in my opinion). He did not avoid mentioning the mistakes of US did before his period (for the transcript of his speech: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-Of-President-Barack-Obama-At-Student-Roundtable-In-Istanbul/)

Obama’s Message

I am a young person, not a politician. I think the message Obama gave not only to the Turkish youth but to the American youth as well as all the people interested in developing the relations between Turkey and US, was “to discover each other”. As the Turkish and the American we live so far away from each other but we have to find a way to communicate to get a real understanding of each other. Exchanges between two countries should be valued and increased. Platforms where the American and The Turkish can get to know each other should be created since this is the only way to get rid of our preconceptions. After listening Obama at the town hall, this was the lesson I took out of it. So as a group of Bahcesehir students who were at the town hall, we decided to initiate a club at our school for the promotion of the Turkish-American relations, encouraging exchange and dialogue between the nations. I believe Bahcesehir University and Nazareth College will have an exchange agreement soon.

Returning to the question I was asking to myself relating to how Obama can be this influential on people. I got my answer when I shook hands with him. He looked directly into my eyes and said nice to meet you. He created such an atmosphere at that moment that I understood that he was really sincere about meeting me. I was so impressed that I could only smile and node at him. But now, 5 days after meeting the American president, I can confess: “You, Americans are so lucky having him as your president”.

A little period of fame for me: This is a photo of the tv program on a Turkish channel that I and my other friends from Bahcesehir University attended after meeting him at the town hall. Also, we gave interviews to many Turkish newspapers.

-Ece BASARAN
Alumnus of SUSI at Naz College
Law Student at Bahcesehir University, TURKEY

We are all Hussein

It is really a revolution to see that a person who has the same name with me is the president of the United States. I met Barrack Hussein Obama, my namesake, in Istanbul at Town Hall Meeting with Turkish Students. He came to the hall with a warm smile and answered the questions sincerely. He shook our hands and he succeeded in going deep into the young hearts in the historical hall (Tophane-i Amire which is over 550 years old) on 7th April 2009.

 

Hi, My name is Hüseyin (Hussein) Gücümen. As a student leader, I studied The U.S. Institute program at Nazareth College in 2007. I am a student of linguistics and playwriting. Several days ago, my phone rang. An officer from American Consulate in Adana Town asked me on the phone “Would you like to meet American President Barrack Hussein Obama. Because He wants to meet young Turkish people.” Promptly, I answered “Sure Yes” with a surprised expression on my face… Just 5 minutes later, I said to myself in my mind “He is really serious about the change. That is why he wants to talk to young people. Because that his being a president is a revolution but the change he has been talking about is an evolution, as he needs time for a permanent change. So it is the best to start with young people to create a better future for the American Relations with other countries.

So what is this change? Why do we need a change? Why did so many people all around the world like the word “change” so much? What if some societies don’t want to change?

On 6th April 2009, after a very long time I saw peaceful pictures and titles besides the articles on the newspapers about The US, instead of war and soldier pictures. He came to Turkey on 6th April. One of the biggest Turkish Newspapers used the title “Welcome Mr. President” in English. At universities, young students started to discuss with professors about this visit. Before Mr. Obama, so many American presidents had visited Turkey. And Bill Clinton was the favorite one of all. But none of them could change the issue so much in the Turkish agenda like him. Why did this happen? What is different than before? The answer is clear. Everybody has an expectation in this life. Almost nobody finds it a good world. And everybody dreams this change come true according to their expectations.

I hope everybody’s expectation is the same or they can melt their expectations in the same pot sincerely. So by regarding the terms I need to use to express this change, isn’t it that the world has started to be a big America example where so many people from different ethnicities have to live together? Globalization asks us for a change. We should create a common way. That is why everybody is interested in the word “change”

Barrack Hussein Obama is aware of that; change may come true with the contributions of other countries and he says “America is changing, but it cannot be America alone that changes.” I have read that a new trend has started and Obama supporters take his name Hussein as their own all around the world to support him. They say “We are all Hussein”

In Turkey, Turkish young people want to believe him. But it is early to say that they believe him. That his being an Afro-American and having a Muslim name and of course his optimistic look really makes the young people think that the America is changing.

From 711 to 1492 Jews, Christians, Muslims lived in relative peace together in Spain. This period is called Convivencia. Interplay of cultural ideas between three groups and ideas of religious tolerance. Today, we need a bigger convivencia including more beliefs and ethnicities. So world needs a change to create the tolerance-full perspective of convivencia. History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies. Can Barrack Hussein Obama start a change movement and like this? That is what we wish. This is just a brief of argumentations about him here.

Lastly, De Tocqueville whose articles I studied at Nazareth College says that “The whole life of an American is passed like a game of chance, a revolutionary crisis, or a battle.” It is always easy to make the equality true if everybody in a society is weak. It is easy to make the equality true if everybody in a society is strong. The talent is to be able to make the equality true when the weak people and strong people are in the same society. World needs a change like this.

The movement of change has just started like a film. Hope the end will be happy.

Hüseyin Gücümen

Comments from Turkish Student Leaders

Hello Dr. Eisen and Nazareth Family,

On this glamorous day that Mr. Obama took the presidency formally, we would like to celebrate this event and send our greetings to Nazareth Family in general and to you as the program moderator and to our teachers in particular.

Lastly, we would like to mention that we shared the same emotions that Mahmmoud, who is a member of our great family, felt during the wild attacks to Gaza, Palestine.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity of being a member of this lovely family,

Zeyni ARTIK on behalf of Turkish Student Leaders