As an Egyptian born and raised in Egypt, I am familiar with Turkey, even though I’ve never visited it. Growing up, I learned about the deep historical connections between Egyptian and Turkish cultures, particularly during the Ottoman era, as well as their shared religious ties. Because of this background, both Turkish culture and history feel familiar to me; they represent a different approach to the Middle Eastern life I have always known. This understanding has shaped my expectations for my upcoming trip to Turkey, which are unique to my upbringing. I hope to gain perspective and insight into the Turkish way of life.
Understanding the Turkish approach is crucial to me as I believe I will be debunking a common misconception about the Middle East: that all the countries of the region have the exact same approach. However, growing up in Egypt, a country that is equally as diverse as it is true to its heritage and culture, is what has granted me the ability to understand the nature of Turkey, as both countries share this characteristic – just as there are similarities, there are also stark differences and a main expectation of mine, in this case, would be to understand what makes Turkish society, culture, politics and economics differ in comparison to what I already know about my country.
Furthermore, I expect that witnessing Turkey will alter my beliefs and opinions greatly, which will, in turn, alter my studies at university greatly. Throughout my first two years of university, all that I had learned about the Middle Eastern region felt minimal; getting to experience another Middle Eastern country other than my own will finally break this cycle. I’m certain that what I believe and my opinions about the region, which I have meticulously formed through what minimal information I have received throughout my studies, will be reformulated and amended immensely after I complete the trip to Turkey.
More importantly, the trip to Turkey will be extremely beneficial for my dissertation, which will focus on the Middle Eastern region. As Turkey embraces elements from both the Eastern and Western
approaches, it will be interesting to learn about how those vastly different perspectives come together to form the Turkish approach and how that affects the inner workings of the country as well as its effect on Turkish international relations and the region as a whole.
Nayera Badr