BY YAREN SAĞLIK (TRIN/IV)
Name: Shaad Sufi
Department: Physics
Country of Origin: Pakistan
What do you like best about Turkey?
Thanksgiving, hands down. Jokes aside, if we’ve survived four years in a country 3,000 km away from home, it reflects something about the environment we live in. We all have found a small home here with the people we love.
What will you miss most about Bilkent/Turkey?
Getting what you want, from food to directions to shopping, using the minimum possible words in your Turkish vocabulary. You just can’t do that in your home country.
What’s your favorite place on campus, and why?
Bilka Hill aka Teletubby Hill. That place has witnessed lifelong friendships being made. At some point, having an early a.m. coffee and staring at the landscape just gives an instant bliss. Highly recommended.
What’s your favorite Turkish food and/or favorite part of Turkish culture?
If I woke up to some baklava and kahvaltı, I’d have to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Beyti kebap’s also on the list.
Where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now?
I’m actually working on my startup BilShare, a service provided to university students for renting stuff they need at extremely cheap prices instead of buying. I hope this scales up to become a global service in a decade.
What’s the hardest challenge you’ve handled in Turkey?
Well, being an international and starting something in the Turkish entrepreneurial climate is a challenge in itself. One step at a time.
What places have you visited in Turkey, and which one is your favorite?
I’ve fallen in love with every city I’ve visited. İstanbul reminded me of my home city, Karachi, always full of life. In Alanya, a cliff divides the culture of the city, one part devoted to a peaceful experience and the other to partying. Antalya seemed like a vacation in Hollywood, Safranbolu was a peek into history, and there are many more on the list.
Describe yourself in three words.
Determined. Curious. Realist.
What’s an interesting question or comment you hear frequently about Bilkent/Turkey?
Will I have to learn Turkish, or is Google Translate enough?