Culture and Customs of Turkish Event

What? What did you see/hear/do/feel/at this event? (Include a brief description of the even and why you chose to attend it.)

I am glad that I participated in this event since I discovered lots of new facts about Turkey. For instance, I once read that the country’s lifestyle and leisure are primarily shaped by values placed on family bonds (Abazov 165). I chose this event because I have never had a chance to travel there and wanted to understand how lifestyle and leisure can be influenced by family relations. The host of the event had a well-organized PowerPoint which helped in the presentation of the country’s culture, traditions, dressing, eating habits, and so on. The event gave us a chance to ask questions on issues that we needed to be clarified.  

So What?: How did the event support, challenge, or make you aware of your own attitudes or biases?

This event challenged my biases toward the country’s pseudo-urban culture based in the most populous metropolitan area, Istanbul (Kandiyoti and Ayşe 87). From this event, I realized that a country’s culture is not defined by one class of people rather every community domiciled there. Though not directly, this event was an eye-opener that I should not only look into the negatives of culture rather I should look into both negatives and positives which can be attributed to that culture. Most of the people in the country are Muslims hence there was so much to learn about food and clothing of this highly conservative religion.

Now What?: In what ways might this experience change me personally, academically, civically, and/or professionally?

Learning new things about the world is always good since it increases my knowledge base and cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence enables one to engage in a set of behaviors that use qualities and skills tuned to the cultural attitudes of the people with whom one interacts (Peterson 43). In my line of career, the gained cultural intelligence will enable me to interact smoothly, understand, and learn more about people from this kind of a cultural setting. The presenter also inspired me in a way, I learned a few tips on making a professional yet friendly presentation and to keep the audience entertained.