Midterms will be waiting for you after the Bayram break. In
addition, you have lots of notes that need to be checked, tutorials that need to be
organized, friends you've promised to go out with, etc. During this "rush hour"
of your term, do you even have time to be aware of what's going on around you? Here are a
few tidbits from the world beyond our campus...
As mentioned in a previous article, Toplumsal Duyarlılık Projeleri (TDP) has a new
project that involves working with the visually impaired. The Görme Engelliler E?itim
Projesi (GÖREP) started on November 6. Fifteen TDP members have volunteered to give
mathematics, Turkish, geography and history lessons to the visually impaired students at
the Namık Kemal İlköğretim Okulu in Kızılay.
If you think that you don't have the skills or knowledge to teach these students,
observing the Bilkent volunteers at work would make your preconceptions disappear. An
inservice training program that will give participating volunteers additional information
on the education of visually impaired students is scheduled for the week after the
holiday.
As GÖREP's coordinator Kerem Can Yılmaz (IE/II) remarked to Bilnews, "You can shine
a light into their darkness." If you would like to be part of this worthwhile
project, you can contact Kerem at ext. 4934 or kcyilmaz@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
Buses will leave from the bus stop in front of dormitory 76 every Saturday
at 9:30 a.m. to take volunteers to Kızılay. The program at the school
starts at 10 a.m. and finishes at 3 p.m. In addition to
the four subject areas mentioned above, the day's schedule includes an additional hour for
social activities and personal guidance.
Speaking of worthwhile endeavors, there is a cafe between Kızılay and Sıhhiye called
the Café Down. What is special about it is the waiters, who have Down Syndrome. In
addition to their work as waiters, they have also produced the artwork exhibited in the
cafe. Next time you walk from Kızılay to Sıhhiye on Meşrutiyet Street, do stop in at
this café!
And on a final note, one more bit of Ankara life worth experiencing can be found after
dark near Mülkiyeliler Evi. This is a florist's shop that can't close because there isn't
enough room inside for all the flowers! In the late hours of the night, this shop attracts
passers-by to pause and enjoy the lovely colors and fragrances.
So, after a happy holiday with your family, get the second half of the term off to a good
start by doing something a little bit different and special, whether it's volunteering to
help others or enjoying life's small pleasures by visiting a cafe or a florist!
Aslıhan
Yılmaz (IR/I)
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