Croatian woman Branka Obradovic Martinec attended the courses of Zagreb Yunus Emre Institute and learned Turkish in order to get along with her Turkish daughter-in-law.

66 year-old mother-in-law who has been attending the Turkish courses with great interest said: “I had to make time for my family and my job. I did not have the time to learn a new language. Many people in Croatia learn Turkish thanks to Turkish TV shows. I had one more reason to learn.”

SHE DECIDED TO LEARN TURKISH EVEN THOUGH HER DAUGHTER-IN-LAW SPEAKS CROATIAN

After her daughter-in-law joined their family, Croatian mother-in-law Martinec started showing interest in Turkish language and culture. She decided to learn Turkish to talk to her daughter-in-law, even though the latter speaks Croatian.

"THE INSTITUTE STAFF ARE VERY HOSPITABLE AND KIND"

Croatian mother-in-law Martinec said: "My daughter-in-law from Istanbul and I learned by chance that Yunus Emre Institute had a branch in Zagreb. We visited Zagreb Yunus Emre Institute, the staff was very hospitable and kind. During our visit, we learned the new semester of Turkish language courses was about to start. I did not think too much about it, I decided right there to learn Turkish.”

Martinec, who had been teaching for 35 years and specialized in educational methodology, knew very few Turkish words. With Turkish language courses, she returned from being a teacher to being a student again.

"IT WAS NOT EASY BUT I DID NOT GIVE UP LEARNING TURKISH"

Regarding her process of learning Turkish, Martinec said: "Since Turkish and Croatian are not in the same language family, Turkish is a very difficult language to learn for a Croatian. It was not easy but I did not give up learning Turkish."

I APPLY THE TECHNIQUES I LEARNED IN TURKISH COURSES IN MY OWN LESSONS

Martinec stated that her Turkish tutor also has an important place in her language learning journey and said: "Our Turkish tutor is tolerant, calm and patient. She is one of the reasons I keep learning Turkish, second only to my daughter-in-law. My specialty is educational methodology. I apply the techniques I learned in Turkish courses to my students in my classes."

WE SPEAK TURKISH DURING FAMILY VISITS 

Croatian mother-in-law said: "We speak Turkish during family visits, except when I am taking care of my grandchildren. My son started attending online Turkish courses and he is slowly learning as well. When I get advanced, it will be easier to communicate.”

"ONE LANGUAGE MAKES ONE PERSON"

Martinec said that during his childhood, her father explained to her the importance of learning a foreign language. She said: "When I was a child, my father often told me, 'The more languages you speak, the more valuable you are.’ There is a Turkish equivalent to this saying: ‘One language makes one person.’” Martinec expressed that her father’s words influenced her in learning a new language. 

"Learning Turkish at Zagreb Yunus Emre Institute has contributed a lot to me. I would like to thank my Turkish daughter-in-law and Zagreb Yunus Emre Institute," Martinec said. She added that Zagreb Yunus Emre Institute had a very important role and place in her personal Turkish learning process.