And finally, last but certainly not least, I decided to share details on the last of the spring break/mid-semester module trips with my amazing experience in Turkey! Approx. 35 of my fellow GBSers and I embarked on a 10 day trip through Turkey, including Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara.
Before we left, we all had to prepare either a pre-report on an assigned topic or were a designated “expert” on a particular company or site we were visiting. After the trip, we also are required to post another topic of our choosing – these will definitely be interesting! You can check out our blog here: http://goizuetaturkey2010.blogspot.com/
Our first and longest stop was Istanbul. Some of the historical highlights were Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia, and the Basilica Cisterns. Many of us also took boat tours along the Bosphorus River.
Daniel Graham (2nd year, FT program) with our fearless captain on our Bosphorus River tour
In addition to the rich history that Istanbul has to offer, we also took advantage of the vibrant nightlife. Taksim Square/Istiklal Street was a popular destination after hours, with frequent stops at the many nargile shops (water pipes with flavored tobaccos) that also offered needed pick-me-ups in the offerings of Turkish coffee and tea so that we could keep up with the locals. There were many dance clubs to choose from in Istanbul, but they didn’t start hoppin’ until about 1am, and stayed open until 5am. Thankfully, street vendors were easy to find to keep us nourished with doner kebaps, with our choice of grilled “chicken or meat” (there wasn’t a distinction made between beef or lamb, just “meat”).
Our next stop was Izmir, which is a beautiful city and a popular vacation destination. The major highlight of this visit was actually outside of Izmir when we went to Ephesus (ancient Greek city).
All of us in front of the famous library at Ephesus
Our last days together were in Ankara, where we visited the Turkish Central Bank and had guests speak to us from the IMF and World Bank. We also visited Ataturk’s (founder of modern Turkey) mausoleum and museum. One of our GBS alums met us for dinner, and he very graciously had one of his friends open up his karaoke bar for us for our enjoyment!
While our Turkey trip had come to a close, many of us decided to continue travelling together on to Cairo. We visited the famous Giza pyramids, the Sphinx, Saqqara pyramids/tombs, and some fun and interesting times along the Nile and in the bazaars.
All in all, this was a fabulous experience. Not only did I learn a great deal, but it made me appreciate even more the GBS family that I love. The bonds I have created with my classmates will be life-long, and I can’t imagine having taken this trip without them. A special thanks to our group organizers, Professor Patrick Noonan and Lee Pasackow (business librarian) who made this amazing experience not only possible but enjoyable.
Read the full article: Turkey!!