BY ADA KILIÇARSLAN (ECON/IV)
Name: Ayan Hamidova
Department: Molecular Biology and Genetics
Country of Origin: Azerbaijan
What do you like best about Turkey?
How welcoming and friendly everyone is here.
Are there any similarities between Turkey and your home country?
Yes, there’s a lot in common. Although not as much as people might think.
What will you miss most about Bilkent/Turkey?
The Turkish food has never disappointed me.
What’s your favorite place on campus, and why?
Inside my room. It’s very warm and cozy.
What’s your favorite Turkish food and/or favorite part of Turkish culture?
Çiğ köfte and künefe.
Where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now?
I hope to see myself still being friends with the people I met here and hopefully working in a lab without mice and rats.
What’s the hardest challenge you’ve handled in Turkey?
Explaining to people why I don’t speak Turkish.
What places have you visited in Turkey, and which one is your favorite?
İzmir, İstanbul, Kuşadası, Fethiye, Bodrum, Antalya, Eskişehir and, well, Ankara. My favorite was definitely Fethiye.
What’s an interesting question or comment you hear frequently about Bilkent/Turkey?
That Bilkent is nothing like the rest of Turkey and that it’s very European.
Describe yourself in three words.
Tired, exhausted, sleepless.