While on Erasmus in Turkey, I took midterms, i.e. mid-semester exams. At the same time, I experienced something else that we don’t have in the Czech Republic: a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck in the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul, and we have been experiencing weaker tremors every day since then. At least five other Erasmus students have ended their stay due to the threat of a bigger earthquake.
In Turkey, the possibility of an earthquake this year is a well-known fact, but it still caught me off guard. On 23 March, Turkey’s National Sovereignty Day, it was sunny. Some people walked in the park in the afternoon, some sat in cafés, and others took the ferry across the Bosphorus. Those on the ferry or in the underground trains didn’t notice the tremors much. Those in cafés, older buildings or on higher floors felt it more strongly – and I was one of them. It went like this: I woke up to a lot of rocking and shaking. I was pretty confused, but I quickly scrambled out of bed to see what had happened. When I realised that only a face cream had fallen off the shelf, I went out into the hallway to see what my roommates were doing.
Although the earthquake was not particularly severe, around two hundred people injured themselves by jumping out of windows or otherwise fleeing in panic, possibly due to the trauma of previous major earthquakes. For the rest of the day, people sat together in parks where they felt safe or left the city. Istanbul was downright empty the day after.
Some Erasmus students also left the city for Izmir, where they agreed to cancel their Erasmus stays. Some did so because their parents were concerned, others because they were living in unsafe locations and finding alternative accommodation would be too difficult. However, my neighbourhood of Şişli should be safer as it is not close to the epicentre and is located on a hill.
There are also ongoing protests in the country, which are being suppressed by the government. For us foreigners, this means that we are constantly missing classes or getting nowhere, as transport hubs and squares where people could meet and protest are closed.
I am lucky that my family came to visit me for nine days, supporting me through a difficult period and exploring the many sights with me. Until now, I’ve been taking my exploration of Istanbul slowly because I’m here to study, not to sightsee.
In recent years, tourists passing through Istanbul have been struck by the high admission prices for various museums and monuments. Unfortunately, these have almost doubled in price due to inflation. For example, it now costs 45 euros to visit the famous Topkapi Palace and 30 euros to visit the Galata Tower. However, as a Turkish university student, I was able to visit these attractions at a much lower cost. All I had to do was purchase a museum card for 18 CZK.
Of course, I only have access to these benefits because I am a student. Apart from absences due to illness, I attend my classes regularly. Unlike at MU, attendance is compulsory here, even at normal lectures which resemble smaller seminars. I studied hard for the midterms, but I know they were not as challenging as the final exams will be. The questions were more thought-provoking; we had to write our own opinions, and I could digress slightly from the main topic in the essays, which made it easier to recall the concepts from memory.
I was surprised by how cold it was in Istanbul, even at the beginning of May – it was colder than in the Czech Republic. Last week, the temperature was around eleven degrees Celsius. Since I arrived in February, winds have been blowing in from Siberia, so I haven’t been able to take off my warm leather jacket and scarf yet. Before I have even had the chance to enjoy the summer sunshine, my time here will be over.
But until then, I still have lots of plans for what I want to do in Istanbul. I want to visit more museums, explore the more remote areas of the city and attend more events with international and Turkish students.