First days of class

Today I had the realization that I went from a large, public university in a small town (Illinois State University) to a small, private university in a large city (Bilkent University). I am so blessed to be able to experience both atmospheres while in college. And from my first few days of classes here at Bilkent, I can tell you that the two are different!.

My first class at Bilkent was music theory. I did not know where the classroom was in the music building, because the information was not given on my student webpage. So I left my dorm about 30 minutes early to make sure I had time to find the classroom. It is about a 10 minute walk from my dorm to the music department building. It is a lovely walk with a beautiful view of the city, but for some reason there are abnormal high winds. I think I brought them with me from central Illinois! So when I arrived at the music building, I tried to ask a few people how to find out where my class would be taught. One person said they did not speak any English. Then one of the secretaries was able to look up the information on her computer and told me which room. I still arrived 10 minutes early. Phew!


So I walk into the classroom and meet my teacher. I had emailed him earlier so he knew that there would be an international student in his class. We chatted for about 15 minutes without anyone else showing up for class. It was now about 10 minutes after class was supposed to start. So I asked him is this a preparation/planning hour for him and he said no we will start when the other students arrive. Then one more student showed up to class about 15 minutes late. Another student poked her head in and said something along the lines of she will not be in class due to a prior performance commitment. She said all of this in Turkish and it was translated by the professor to me. There are only 4 students registered for this class, and for the first day, only myself and one more student came to class. It seems that the teachers and students speak Turkish in class unless there is an international student attending the course. I think I am the first international student to come for music, so this is all very different for them. My theory professor tried to teach the whole class in English and the one Turkish student tried to answer in English, but sometimes it was easier for him to describe something in Turkish. It is a two hour class, so after the first hour we took a break. Then my teacher got a phone call from the kindergarten where his son is enrolled and he needed to leave to go meet the teacher for something, so class was over after the first hour. It is a very relaxed atmosphere.

The other student in the class then showed me around the music building and I got to see where my other music classes will be held along with the practice rooms and where I can store my instrument while in class. The practice rooms are huge! ISU take notice. Look how the piano fits in here and there is still room to have a small ensemble rehearsal without hitting the walls. And a huge mirror that is positioned correctly. Wow! And a window with a beautiful view of the city! I am going to love practicing here! And, there are at least 50 practice rooms. I will count one day, but I think every music student here could be practicing at the same time in a different practice room. Come on ISU. Let's get                                                                                       bigger, and better, practice rooms.

My second class was Ear Training. I did not get to email this professor beforehand. But I did arrive early and introduce myself. She was very surprised to hear that an international student would be at Bilkent for music. She told me that this class is only for vocal music majors. I explained to her that at my university it is required for me to take this class. We chatted a bit while other music students arrived. This class had 5 students in the class, including me. This professor spoke mainly Turkish throughout the class and only spoke English to me when I needed to know something. She went around the room with a few exercises but skipped over me as a kind gesture, because I think I looked overwhelmed to her. But she was always speaking Turkish, so I had trouble keeping up with what exactly was going on the in the class! Then we all sang a few songs together, which I did participate in and did not feel confused anymore. At the end of class, she sat down with me and said that this class will be a good fit for me and that I have a very beautiful voice. I was so touched to hear that from one of the vocal professors at this university! So now I get to learn the German solfege so that I can fully participate in the class. This class also got out about 30 minutes early. She also changed the class time, so now I have no class on Friday! More travel time!

Tuesday normally would have orchestra in the morning, but it was cancelled. Maybe these early releases and cancellations are just due to it being the first week of class, but I'm not sure. The professors are so relaxed about start times and end times. In the afternoon I had my beginning Turkish class with my instructor from orientation week, which now feels right at home for me.

That has been my week so far. I promised a photo of the music building, but it is hard to grasp with one picture, but I tried. It is 4 levels and has the beautiful tile floor with bright paint colors and that grand entry staircase. I will post a picture of the performance hall too.

The link below the name of the blog, the Shutterfly web address, is my shutterfly account, where I am trying to post pictures in addition to the blog. Check it out!