"Turkish Summer School" organized by Yunus Emre Enstitüsü for the 8^th time this year, ended. 700 students from 57 countries came to Turkey to improve their Turkish language skills, and to learn about Turkey, Turkish cultural heritage and people, and were hosted by 23 universities in 22 different cities of Turkey. After completing the training and excursions, they gathered for activities held in Istanbul for a week. Students who did not want to leave Turkey and their friends from different countries, could not hold their tears as they said goodbye to Turkey.

Yunus Emre Enstitüsü brought 700 students from 57 countries to Turkey this year for Turkish Summer School, one of the activities exceeding one thousand organized throughout the year. The students who participated in the program in groups, held in 22 different cities of Turkey and hosted by 23 universities, got the opportunity to improve their Turkish skills, and to learn more about Turkish culture and people for 4 weeks.

Students who met for the first time at Turkish airports, communicated in their common language Turkish from the first moment; thanks to the Turkish language they define as " language of love" they mingled in a short time. An average of 30 students were hosted in each country and throughout Turkish Summer School in Turkey, students who participated from the same countries, spoke in Turkish with each other instead of their mother tongues in order to further improve their Turkish.

Separated in 23 Groups in 22 Cities

Students who learn Turkish in Yunus Emre Enstitüsü centres and Turcology departments of universities in their respective countries, were hosted by a total of 23 universities in 22 cities,  and continued their education in universities they were hosted. The students also participated in recreational activities focused on Turkish culture and customs which had been planned months ahead, in 22 cities from Çanakkale to Erzurum and Karaman to Samsun. Students who picked tea leaves, learned to cook Turkish dishes, observed Turkish coffee preparation, attended weddings and danced to halay and horon (Turkish group folk dances) and participated in Turkish handicraft courses, improved their command of Turkish language by speaking Turkish with Turkish people everywhere they visited. Students who listened to Turkish songs during excursions and recreational activities, memorized tens of Turkish songs and folk songs as well as traditional dances.

700 students met for the first time under the same roof in Turkish Summer School Closing Event held under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex, honoured by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Minister of Culture and Tourism Numan Kurtulmuş. After learning through fun in cities they stayed and visited with the slogan "Have fun-Learn-Discover" and discovering Turkey, they embarked for Istanbul to make new discoveries. Their last stop before Istanbul where they were going to spend a week, was Abant Lake in Bolu where they had a picnic.

Fascinated with Istanbul

Students who spent the last week of Turkish Summer School in Istanbul, had a busy schedule prepared also by contributions of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Guests' journey in Turkey, who visited Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, Panorama 1453 History Museum, Taksim Square, Istiklal Avenue, Saint Antoine Church, Galata, Dolmabahçe Palace, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, History of Islamic Science and Technology Museum and the Miniatürk ended with a Bosporus tour and Büyükada program. Students from around the world expressed that they had never seen a city like Istanbul, and that the city boasts a great treasure.

An Unforgettable Goodbye!

Students informed by Yunus Emre Enstitüsü centres in their respective countries before coming to Turkey for Turkish Summer School, competed on social media to share their experiences with Turkish culture, art, history and language and the natural, historical and cultural riches of Turkey. The winners of the contest with the theme “Turkey through the Eyes of Students” held in article, photography and video categories, received their prizes in the farewell dinner. The winners were announced during the dinner organized on the last night before students left Turkey and received their prizes from Yunus Emre Enstitüsü President Prof. Dr. Şeref Ateş. Palestinian Muhammad Horoub, one of the participants who shared their observations via their social media accounts with the hashtag #RotamTurkiye, came in first in video category with “Turkey Promotional Video” featuring images he filmed throughout the summer school, and was presented with a laptop. Serbian Mariana Markovic was placed first in photography category with her photograph themed “Evening in Cappadocia” and Iranian Akbar Paşayi won the first place in article category. Paşayi said that he lost his mobile phone during activities in Rize and he was very pleased with the mobile phone awarded to him.

Certificates of participation were presented to the students and guide teachers who accompanied them in various cities in the farewell dinner.

Kirghiz students Aygerim Nizamova and Arzımat Tacıbaev performed Kirghiz National Dance in the farewell event, and American students Monique Isabella Ocanas, Hassan Ryan Rassmy, Abdalla Husain, Alexandria Green and Italian Maira Cristina Pelosi sang Turkish songs. Finalist in “X Factor Georgia” competition Sophiko Saakashvili and finalist in “O Ses Azerbaijan” competition Kamran Ahmedov performed Turkish songs who were equally good as professional vocalists.

They left in tears

The students who stated that they had the best days of their lives in Turkey during the one month period and that they made great friendships, could not hold their tears as they said goodbye to their friends from both Turkey and 57 countries. The students who did not leave their friends until the last minute, had emotional hours.

They came from 57 countries and Coloured up 22 Turkish cities

Countries that participated in the 2017 Turkish Summer School are: Jordan (Amman), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Kazakhstan (Astana), Azerbaijan (Baku), Serbia (Belgrade), Lebanon (Beirut), Hungary (Budapest), Romania (Bucharest) , Algeria, Qatar (Doha), Bosnia-Herzegovina (Sarajevo), (Fojnica), (Mostar), Sudan (Khartoum), Kosovo (Pec), (Pristina), (Prizren), Egypt (Alexandria), (Cairo), Albania (Tirana), (Shkoder), South Africa (Johannesburg), Afghanistan (Kabul), Ukraine (Kiev), Moldova (Komrat), Germany (Cologne), Romania (Constanta), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Palestine (Jerusalem), TRNC (Nicosia), England (London), Manas (Kirghizia), the United States of America (Maryland Somalia (Mogadishu),  Pakistan, France (Paris), Montenegro (Podgorica), Morocco (Rabat), Italy (Rome), Senegal, Seoul (South Korea), Iran (Tehran), Georgia (Tbilisi), Japan (Tokyo), Tunisia, Macedonia (Skopje), Poland (Warsaw), Austria (Vienna), Croatia (Zagreb).

2017 Turkish Summer School was organized in the following universities: Ege University (İzmir), Hacettepe University (Ankara), Atatürk University (Erzurum), Giresun University (Giresun), Afyon Kocatepe University (Afyon), On Sekiz Mart University (Çanakkale) Sakarya University (Sakarya), Gazi University (Ankara), Osmangazi University (Eskişehir), Adnan Menderes University (Aydın), Dumlupınar University (Kütahya), Abant İzzet Baysal University (Bolu), Süleyman Demirel University (Isparta), Cumhuriyet University (Sivas), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University (Rize), Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University (Nevşehir), Selçuk University (Konya), Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey University (Karaman), Istanbul University (Istanbul), Balıkesir University (Balıkesir), Ankara University (TÖMER Bursa Branch) On Dokuz Mayıs University (Samsun), Karabük University (Karabük).