Of Joy and Solidarity: The 7th International Students Gathering

IN DIVERSITY THERE IS JOY AND SOLIDARITY. I never had realized this not until I packed my things and took that 14-hour flight to Istanbul 7 months ago. Then there it came, I met people from different countries which some I never heard before. I was like telling myself “That country exists?! I didn’t know that.” Then the realization hit me hard. I lacked the knowledge, I thought I did know. In my language class alone, there are 17 students who come from 14 different countries.

Living in a foreign country is a test: a test of personality and character, of social skills, and of flexibility. You’re not in your country. You will be subjected to different realities and unless you are faint-hearted, you’ll probably pack your things and book a ticket home. You will meet people whose character is way too different from yours probably due to different social environments you were exposed to in the past. Then your social skills will be put in a test in your attempt to create a more favorable environment. Then there is this weird weather and weird food then weird hobbits. If you are stiff as rock, you’d probably die of illness either way starve to death. The secret then is to flow as if you’re one of them then you’ll most likely survive.     

In a country which is entirely different from what I used to from food to fashion statement, from customs to social environment, it is important to foster friendship as much as possible in spite of apparent differences. In Turkey for example, thousands of students from every corner of the world have come to seek for education either through the generous scholarship offers of the Turkish government or other independent foundations. Year by year, this figure increases as many international students are attracted to study among 180 universities which 104 of them are state-funded.

In order to create a platform where international students can introduce their own country and to give Turkish people the opportunity to have a temporary close cultural immersion, the Fedaration of International Student Association (UDEF) holds yearly the International Student Gathering. UDEF is an organization that provides guidance and counseling services, education, and provides supports for social and cultural development for international students. As of the time being, 16 organizations are under the auspices of UDEF whose office is in Istanbul.   

Photo Courtesy of UDEF.

Now on its 7^th cycle, each participating country is provided with a booth where cultural items, traditional costumes, maps and flags, brochures, CDs, magazines, etc. are displayed. This year’s gathering has reached a wider audience since from 13 participating cities last year the number has increased to 20. The number of countries joining has increased too from 81 to 103. Supported by the generous sponsorship of Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı, local government units, companies, etc., this gathering runs from May 10 to 12, 2014.

“We Are One Nation” is the principal concept of this gathering. It indicates that despite differences on languages, cultures, and origins, we are after all a one nation that there is always a common ground where we can dwell in solidarity. Although finding that common ground oftentimes is a challenge, nonetheless with strong will and dedication we can reach it in no time. The 7^th International Student Gathering is a manifestation of solidarity in diversity. In Bursa, the gathering is organized by IPEKYOLU whose main mandate realigns with the UDEF’s mandate. Convened in Sehrekustu Meydani, this is the 3^rd time that Bursa held this gathering with 32 participating countries.

Meet Nadya from Indonesia

Her name is Nadya Larasati, an 18-year-old bubbly Indonesian  who will be studying Management at Uludag University. "This gathering is awesome because the foreign nationals are given the opportunity to present their countries to the locals. I feel so blessed that [I was given the opportunity] to represent my coutnry and explain to them how is Indonesia. It makes me even more proud to be an Indonesian," said she when asked about how she sees the gathering. She explained the geohraphy of her country, its population, cultures and languages, the kitchen culture and what makes an Indonesian. "I also have shown our map and mentioned that Philippines is our neighbor," she added. Arriving last September 2013, Nadya is still considered a new comer and still learning the life in Turkey. She expects to master the language soon and be able to express herself better in Turkish.

INDONESIANS and THAI. Indonesians wowed the crowd by performing one of their traditional dances during the gathering. The one on the center is from Thailand.

Jialaliding Bulibulinazi from East Turkistan plays one of Uyghur musical instrument.

 

 Some participating countries and brief infos:*

Official Name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Capital: Kabil

Independence Day: 19 August 1919

Population: 30, 419, 929 (2012)

 

Official Name: Republic of Albania

Capital: Tiran

Independence Day: 28 November 1912

Population: 3,011,405

 

Official Name: Republic of Central Africa

Capital: Bangui

Independence Day: 13 August 1960

Population: 5,217,000

 

Official Name: Republic of East Turkistan (but still part of China)

Capital: Urumchi

Independence Day: 12 November 1933, 1944

Population: 30,000,000 (approximate)

 

Official Name: Republic of Georgia

Capital: Tiflis

Independence Day: Former member of Soviet Union

Population: 4,615,807 (2009)

 

Official Name: Republic of Iraq

Capital: Baghdad

Independence Day: 3 October 1932

Population: 32,580,000

 

Official Name: Republic of Mecedonia

Capital: Uskup

Independence Day: xxx

Population: 2,114,550

 

Official Name: Kingdom of Morocco

Capital: Rabat

Independence Day: 18 November 1956

Population: 32,000,000

 

Official Name: Republic of Mozambique

Capital: Maputo

Independence Day: 25 June 2975

Population: 23,929,708

 

Official Name: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

Capital: Algeria

Independence Day: 5 July 1962

Population: 40,586,184

 

Official Name: Republic of Azerbaijan

Capital: Baku

Independence Day: 28 May 1918

Population: 8,238,672 (2009 estimate)

 

Official Name: Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Capital: Saraybosna

Independence Day: 1 March 1992

Population: 4,613,414

 

Official Name: Republic of Cibuti

Capital: Cibuti

Independence Day: 27 June 1977

Population: 912,000

 

Official Name: Hellenic Republic of Greece

Capital: Atina

Independence Day: 25 March 1821

Population: 11,028,000

 

Official Name: Republic of Kazakhstan

Capital: Astana

Independence Day: xxx

Population: 17,948,816

Official Name: Republic of Kosova

Capital: Pristina

Independence Day:17 February 2008

Population: 1,836,529

 

Official Name: Kyrgyz Republic

Capital: Bishkek

Independence Day:25 December 1991

Population: 5,776,500

 

Official Name: Republic of Sudan

Capital: Hartum

Independence Day:1 January 1956

Population: xxx

 

Official Name: Kingdom of Thailand

Capital: Bangkok

Independence Day: xxx

Population: 67,091,089

Official Name: Republic of Turkmenistan

Capital: Ashgabat

Independence Day: 27 October 1991

Population: 5,173,000

 

Official Name: Republic of Uzbekistan

Capital: Tashkent

Independence Day:8 December 1991

Population: 30,183,400

 

Official Name: Republic of Yemen

Capital: San'a

Independence Day: xxx

Population: 23,495,361

*The information is taken from "Dunyamizdan Renkler" a special edition published by UDEF for the event. The country's capital as it appears here may or may not coincide with the English name as the book is published in Turkish.

'TILL THE 8TH INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS GATHERING IN 2015!

END NOTE: Writing this made me realize that I don't have the talent, ability, or skill to become a writer or journalist in the future much more write a book. With insufficient vocabulary to efficiently describe things, wth messy presentation of ideas coupled with poor sentence structures, to write something of special quality is a fairy tale that in reality will never happen to me.. From a diary-like style of writing morphing into a somewhat news features and ending to unintelligible form, this major inconsistency killed all my hopes. Nonetheless, this frustration will be my driving force to write occasionally. :)