YES-Abroad Turkey 2014-15

I am pleased to announce that I have been accepted to the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange Student (YES) scholarship program to study in Turkey for ten months. YES abroad is funded by the State department and the program in Turkey is implemented by American Councils and AFS. 64 other US students will be studying abroad in predominantly Muslim countries including, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Oman, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Macedonia, South Africa, Morocco, Ghana, Philippines, Thailand and of coarse Turkey.

Some possible cities I could go to are Aydin, Denizli, Gaziantep and Kayseri. I may be attending a public or private school were the primary language of instruction will be in Turkish. School typically runs Monday through Friday and from early September to mid June. Fortunately, Turkish language instruction will be provided during orientation and additional language instruction will be provided by Rosetta Stone program.

A variety of local cultural activities will be offered to me over the course of the year. Many activities will be focused on educational themes, such as using museums and places of worship to supplement information presented in schools and language classes. I will also have the opportunity to learn traditions and crafts such as Turkish folk dancing, paper marbling, and traditional music. Additional activities may include volunteering with organizations for children with disabilities or at orphanages and participating in extracurricular activates including sports and clubs.

Best,
Kyle