BY NAUSHERWAN AZIZ (MAN/II)
Name: Arli Lika
Department: Management/II
Country of Origin: Albania
What do you like best about Turkey?
I really like it. It feels like home now. The people are nice to foreigners; they’re very hospitable.
Are there any similarities between Turkey and your home country?
There are many, since the Ottoman Empire ruled the area for around five hundred years and the results of the cultural assimilation process have remained up through the present.
What will you miss most about Bilkent/Turkey?
Student life, for sure. It’s a period in time that I don’t think will ever be erased from my memory. And the friends I have now I hope to have as career colleagues in the future. But that will be another setting, with stress and pressure at another level.
What’s your favorite place on campus, and why?
The fountain in front of Coffee Break. All of my friends are somehow always there, so I’m there as well.
What’s your favorite Turkish food and/or favorite part of Turkish culture?
I like almost everything. I don’t have any special favorite except for perhaps beyti kebap. About the culture, I can say that I’ve grown up with the same values and beliefs that Turkish culture has.
Where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now?
Back in Albania and hopefully, if everything goes as planned, with my own business.
What’s the hardest challenge you’ve handled in Turkey?
I think I haven’t had any challenges so far. My friends have helped me out and made everything easier.
What cities have you visited in Turkey, and which one is your favorite?
The entire northern part, if you consider Ankara as the center. I like İstanbul because life is more hectic there. If it’s not weird to say so, I think I like İstanbul because of how hectic it is.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Being a room for confession, a lock for secrets, so to speak.
What’s an interesting question or comment you hear frequently about Bilkent/Turkey?
Every time I tell people in Ankara that I’m studying at Bilkent, they all have the same reaction: “You must have money.”
Describe yourself in three words.
Easygoing. Confidant. Lazy.
If you could master any skill, which one would you choose, and why?
Singing; the money and the life that comes with it if you manage to get into the music market is just fulfilling.