Partnership is the form DEN’s work has always taken. Across a decade, our students and staff have travelled to and welcomed colleagues from Westminster International University in Tashkent, Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Hanoi University, Istanbul University, and Further Education Colleges in London, building friendships that have produced joint conferences, jointly edited books, shared classroom projects and continuing conversations. These pages document the visits, exchanges and outreach activities that bring DEN’s network to life beyond the screen: trips to partner institutions led by students, hosting of international guests at Westminster, engagement with further education colleges across London, and the wider community work that grows from those relationships. Each visit returns something to the network: new ideas, new contributors, new questions for the next conference and the next volume. If you are an institution or community group interested in working with DEN, this is the place to start.
Having travelled to Istanbul before, this trip showed me a different side to Türkiye. The diaspora in the UK and in the West tend to be very patriotic about being Turkish, and this is the case in Türkiye, too. The streets are filled with pictures of Ataturk, the founder of Türkiye. However, lecturers from Beykoz...
I recently went on a field trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, with the University of Westminster. This was my first time travelling abroad, and it was a fantastic experience. As soon as we stepped off the plane and out of the airport, I was struck by Hanoi’s intense heat and humidity. It was a far cry...
My name is Trinh. I am a third-year student at Hanoi University in Vietnam. It was a great honour for me to have an opportunity to support the students from the University of Westminster when they conducted their field trip in Vietnam. However, before their arrival, I was anxious about how I would help the...
Having been to a South-East Asian country before and a country ruled under communism, I had presupposed views on what Vietnam was going to be. The second we touched down in Hanoi, however, I realised Vietnam was different from any country I had visited before. The people were lovely and welcoming, although the traffic and...
Encompassing many cultures and ethnicities, Istanbul is a unique metropolis representing its unique identity. During this trip, I had the pleasure of meeting people from different backgrounds: Turkish, Kurdish, Levantine, Armenian, Greek and the list continues. Despite how some Western viewers portray Turkey as a typical post-colonial Islamic state, I found out how, on the...
The field trip to Istanbul was amazing and gave me much more to learn and experience than I had expected. The first thing that struck me most was the number of homeless people in the city. However, I knew from the news and articles that Istanbul’s economic situation could have been better. Seeing so many...
Firstly, the field trip to Istanbul allowed me to make new, amazing friends with people I have been on the same course with for two years but have rarely, if ever, spoken to. Unlike other trips I have attended, I went to Turkey without any close friends to spend time or share a room with...
Visiting Turkey was a fantastic experience, from the sites we saw to the people we met and learned so much about. Before visiting the country, my knowledge surrounding the social and economic position was very surface level, only knowing about the issues within Turkey from media outlets and conversations. The entire trip was memorable as...
For me, in the first place Vietnam was not just a field trip but more than that. I want to call it “school”, not just because it contributed unforgettable memories to my life but, above all, to my personality. As a keen international relations student, one of my dearest fantasies has always been about experiencing...
I’m a psychology student; I had the opportunity to choose this module as my optional module. At first, I was scared and unsure of choosing it, as the description mentioned that it involved going abroad to another country. However, this module challenged me as I had to experience a different environment, come out of my...
As soon as we approached Vietnam, we could start seeing Vietnam’s cities. It was my first time in Asia. I also got my first stamp on my passport. The first impression was alright because it did not surprise me. Of course, I was shocked to be there and hear the loud beeping, but I had...
This trip to Vietnam was nothing less than spectacular and transformative. It was one of the best trips and experiences of my life. A unique group of people attended the trip, all from diverse backgrounds, all incredibly different. Yet we found common ground and similarities, creating a very different bond you can’t make with your...