BY TASNEEM AL-GHAMDI (COMD/III)
Name: Maria Rabbani
Department: (IR/II)
Country of Origin: Afghanistan
What do you like best about Turkey?
The warmth and generosity of Turkish hospitality.
Are there any similarities between your country’s culture and Turkey’s? There are many—but just off the top of my head, I’d have to say a no-brainer is the love of (and obsession with) tea.
What will you miss most about Turkey/Bilkent? I’ll miss the memories I’ve made on Bestekar Sokak.
What’s your favorite place on campus, and why?
You’ll find me between the Mecca for white girls and the tumultuous crowds of students in A Building, reading Fukuyama.
What’s your favorite Turkish food/favorite part of Turkish culture?
Künefe is probably my favorite, but you’ve got to go to the right places for that; otherwise it just tastes like crispy ramen noodles doused in syrup.
Where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now?
My cat and I will have moved out of my parents’ place by then….But aside from that, I hope I’m engaged at the domestic or international level in work that helps aid Afghanistan’s growth.
What cities have you visited in Turkey?
İzmir, Konya, Kapadokya, Denizli, Amasra, Amasya, Trabzon and İstanbul. I like Trabzon the best.