Turkey is a beautiful, tantalizing nation filled with figs and honey, pomegranates, spice markets and passionate people. The culture is rich with emotional memories, a desire for change and innovative ideas. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to travel across this great land with the Turkish Cultural Foundation. This trip was the most significant experience of my life. Thank you TCF.

I was excited about traveling to Turkey but I had no idea that I would fall in love with its people and culture. The tour provided us all with a broad Turkish experience, but also a desire to learn much, much more about this rich & beautiful country.

This was by far one of the most well rounded educational experiences in my life. There was so much that is applicable to every discipline— art, history, literature, science, mathematics— in a meaningful way. Turkey, in addition to being a country with enormous strategic importance, is a warm, wonderful place filled with warm wonderful people.

Turkey is a land of remarkable depth and generosity. The TCF tour was a wonderful opportunity to explore Turkey in all of its richness. It’s a trip I’ll carry with me forever. Thank you!

I have admired Turkey & its history for many years but now I am a lover of Turkey, its culture, and its people. The doors opened to teachers by TCF in Turkey are invaluable. They provide access to people and experiences that cannot be obtained as a casual tourist.

This study tour was first-class in every way. The tour leaders, sights, and itinerary were all amazing. Thanks so much to the TCF for making this study tour great in every way! Wow!

The last two weeks have been surreal. I am so happy. Thank you!

This tour was a wake-up call of amazing visual imagery that resonated in color, texture, and culture. Turkey has ignited a quest for history, understanding and connections. Thank you TCF.

For the past two weeks I’ve been immersed in the history, geography, music, literature, art, politics and food of this most layered and complex country. But more importantly, I’ve encountered and befriended such gracious and genuine Turkish people everyday and these encounters have changed my life for the better. I look forward to coming back to Turkey someday with my whole family.

Before this study tour, I worried that I might not be able to incorporate enough about Turkey into my curriculum to make TCF’s investment in me worthwhile. Now my problem will be making sure I cover the rest of my curriculum. When I have taught about ancient Greeks & Romans, for instance, I have always managed to relate ancient times to their modern cultures. Anatolian history was just an adjunct to other topics with no mention of present day Turkey. Never again!! I plan to be a TCF ambassador to my students from now on.

How to describe this incredible experience? Every teacher should apply for this program! What a marvelous opportunity to experience this fascinating, multi-layered culture. Thank you TCF – this was an adventure I will never forget.

Enjoy the Wisdom Today.

Having gone on several teacher study tours, I can say unequivocally that this has been my favorite trip. Turkey is a stunning, modern, multi-layered nation replete with delectable food, welcoming people, beautiful vistas and rich history. You will have an indelible experience on this 14-day whirlwind and will have copious stories to relay to your students. From the Hittites to the Persians, from the Greeks to the Romans and from the Ottomans to the Turks, you will be astonished at the multitude of contributions to world history that have been made on this treasured piece of land.

I know TCF primarily organized this trip to help teachers have more ideas and materials to bring to our schools, trust me that objective was achieved. Most importantly, this trip has made me a better global citizen. From here on, I will be more attentive to current events in Turkey and be sure to share not only with my school community, but with my personal community as well.

TCF has provided a rich understanding of the history and culture and the arts of Turkey. I also learned a great deal from my travel mates, who offered diverse backgrounds and perceptions, which helped augment my awareness. I am looking forward to sharing this experience in Turkey with my school, students, and community. Teşekkür ederim TCF!

Turkey is a physically gorgeous country, but it’s the friendly, hard-working and sincere people that have captured my heart.

Everyday I went to sleep thinking, “things cant get any better than today!” and then the next day I was surprised to be feeling the same – wondering just how many ways I could be surprised, inspired, delighted, or otherwise impressed by Turkey.

Before coming on this trip, I knew very little about Turkey, which is why I wanted to come. Through this experience, I feel like I have a solid foundation to bring to my students and colleagues. Not only is my mind bursting with ideas about how I can incorporate lessons about Turkish culture into my own classroom, but I also have so many ideas for how teachers of other subject matters, from art and music, to health and science, can bring Turkey into their classes. I have developed a deeper interest in modern Turkey, not just its history, and the current issues being faced by the people of Turkey. I am excited to teach my students about the modernity of Turkey so they can tackle the stereotypes of Turks and see the present of Turkey, not just envision it as an ancient land.

It’s hard to put into words what I am feeling – but I will try. I am feeling very humbled and the perspective that I have gained from this tour of Turkey is shaping my inner knowledge, which must be lived in my heart and mind. Turkey will forever be in my heart and I will share the kindness, hospitality, generosity, and humor of this wonderful country’s people and rich culture – “what I wonderful mosaic of richness.” Thank you! “SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER.” You are all an inspiration and give me strength – through your love of country and fellow citizen.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation’s Teacher Study Tour is a wonderful “Turkish Delight” that has enriched my personal and professional life. I have been blessed/fortunate to participate in eight teacher study tours in my teaching career and the TCF adventure superseded each of these – each day held amazing and educational experiences.

This Study tour is a must for every teacher. If you see the application, take the opportunity to apply and then watch the enjoyment begin.

This was an amazing experience! Turkey is fascinating. Getting to see important places—both old and new—with people who know the country and culture was unforgettable! Thank you TCF for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

For Hagia Sophia, I am not sure words will suffice. Inside – the equivalent of fifteen stories – golden and glittering and imposing and stained glass and lamps and mosaics and balustrades and and and!! I just put my hand over my heart and tried to keep myself together as I entered that sacred space. So, Troy, I almost don’t know what to say. Everyone warned me not to expect too much because the ruins are in bad shape, but I was not going ‘to see the ruins.’ I was going ‘to be in the place,’ to be part of the story. The stonewalls that Priam touched, I touched; the battlement that Hector stood on, I stood on; the plain that Helen surveyed, I surveyed. It was absolutely wonderful moment. The Iliad was no longer a story on paper, but written in stone.

This experience was incredible. It opened my eyes to the wonderful and complex history of this beautiful country and its caring people. This will transfer into my curriculum units and enhance the understanding, and hopefully debunk stereotypes, of Turkey. It is a crucial country in global affairs and our students need to understand this role to help bring this world closer. Thank you!!!

The study tour to Turkey has inspired me in so many ways! As a teacher I see a multitude of opportunities to use what I learned in the classroom. The geography and history of Turkey are unimaginably rich! As a lifelong learner, I was rejuvenated in my desire to learn about other cultures and as a woman I was offered new opportunities to learn from and find common ground with sisters from around the world. I am so excited to share what I have learned with the people in my community, my friends and family as well as my students and colleagues. Many thanks to TCF and their fantastic program!

My experiences in Turkey as a guest of the Turkish Cultural Foundation far exceeded any possible expectations I may have imagined. The natural beauty, historical significance, welcoming culture and the food were all amazing. As a history teacher I understood Turkey's place in history, today I understand more than just its place, I understand is global impact over time and its importance in the modern delicate balance that is our world. I additionally came to understand and appreciate the phenomenal achievement of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as the voice of the people during the creation of the Republic of Turkey. Turkey has successfully created the secular government and open society that many Americans cannot fully appreciate or understand. I am now charged with the responsibility of communicating this gift of understanding and knowledge to my students so that in the future they will look upon Turkey not with skepticism and doubt but with astonishment and respect. Thank you Turkish Cultural Foundation from the bottom of my heart.

Touring Turkey with TCF is tremendously thrilling and tantalizing, even for a timid traveler. Through our travels, I learned that Turkey and Turks are tenacious, tolerant, and oh so talented. The food is tempting and terrificly tasty, so don’t expect to stay thin through this trip. Touring Turkey with TCF is something for which to be very, very, very thankful.

I feel extremely fortunate to have been a part of the TCF Study Tour. I enjoyed the food, the sites, and especially the people. Turkey is a country of rich culture and diversity. I am excited to share my experience and all that I have learned with my students and my community.

TCF was overly generous in providing this tour for educators. It opened my eyes to the treasure that Turkey was, is and will continue to be. I was so blessed to be able to see, smell, touch and experience things and places that I had only read about in books or seen on TV. The beauty of the people and the country can hardly be expressed through words alone because it is the full immersion that one needs to experience in order to know how much history and how much culture are located in one place. Thank you TCF for this life-changing experience, which will allow us teachers to share your culture, history and natural beauty with our students, community, friends and as many people as we can talk to about it!

There are few words to describe the emotions, sights, cultural and knowledge of Turkey I have experienced on the study tour. Being selected for the Teachers Study Tour was amazing and an honor, but the experience was priceless. My experience of Turkey was so unexpected because I did not know what was waiting for me, only what was in my history books and current news media. The vision I had of Turkey and its people of today prior to this tour was narrow and stereotypical of most peoples view. Now, because of this amazing study tour, it has changed my understanding of this vital part of the world (Turkey). Just its geographical location is amazing. I am packing my bag and moving to Turkey! So much history, so much passion by it people to take their place in the world. It is so refreshing to see a people care so much for their heritage and culture and the passion for shaping it’s future and its place in the global future. I have never experience such a wonderful place. Taking this strength and passion for Turkey back and being able to portray the true meaning of this country is so inspiring and FUN. Can’t wait to tell everyone!!!!!!

Land of Antiquity and Modernity - The Republic of Turkey and her citizens have truly preserved its natural beauty and traditions while embracing westernization. Being able to hear the stories of the land and its people, and to see and touch history "up-close" is unbelievable! Catalhoyuk, Ephesus, Ancient City of Troy were places that I've only read about in textbooks but to explore these sites brings a new perspective and meaning in my classroom. The visits to Hagia Sophia, Suleiman’s Mosque, and the Anatolian Civilizations Museum captured the essence of the Turkish peoples' appreciation of its cultural arts. Hearing the language spoken, also taught me how to enunciate Turkish words effectively. The stories and perspectives shared by our travel guide, Orhan, and TCF coordinator, Zeynep, provided us with a richer and clearer lens about this place in history and modern times. Our visits to both private and public schools were very both informative and precious, too! Thank you TCF- for giving me a gift of a lifetime!

Whether we visited a mosque, a museum, a Neolithic site, or a bazaar, the mystic spirit and love for Turkey filled me up. The breadth of knowledge I gained is phenomenal; moreover, the heartfelt feeling of welcome and happiness still rests within me. I am ever grateful for TCF, WACA, and my home PAAC for this opportunity. I see many lesson plan ideas coming into fruition that share and exhibit my experiences in Turkey. I hope to convey the richness and wealth of history and culture to the children and my community here in Hawaii.

To be in a place with so much historical and cultural tradition was mesmerizing. All the behind-the-scenes cultural encounters were memorable not on only a personal level, but will also inform all the teaching I do about Turkey in the classroom in the future. From an American perspective, it was fascinating to encounter the cultural diversity that has been preserved in the rich tapestry of modern Turkey. This summer’s trip will help me engage my students in a dialogue about an increasingly globalized world and our shared values of civilization.

The trip enabled me to see the progress Turkey has made in the last 40 years and to meet wonderful American and Turkish people. I especially liked Hagia Sophia and Ephesus because I am Christian.

The Turkish Cultural Exchange Teacher Study Tour was truly a life changing experience. It is impossible to put in to words the feeling of seeing the magnificent sites I have taught about for years. However, I was more inspired by the things I would not have thought to include in my classroom, like the different art and performance pieces that are so unique to Turkey. TFC allowed me access to things I would not otherwise been exposed to had I planned a trip on my own. As a teacher, it was extremely beneficial to be able to spend that time with 26 other American teachers, along with Turkish teachers and various Turkish experts. It helped to engage my mind in an academic way throughout the trip and to be able to constantly bounce curriculum ideas off one another. The study tour was not just a gift for me, but for my students as well. Because of this trip, I have a deeper understanding and more complete knowledge base of Turkish history and the Turkish people. Not only will I benefit from this more profound understanding of another culture, but I can more accurately teach my students as well.

I did not know what to expect on this trip but the Turkish Cultural Foundation really outdid themselves from the moment we won the trip to the very last minute we were in Turkey. I could not believe how many cultural and historic sites we were able to visit with the help of Zeynep, Orhan, and his fantastic team. My favorite place was Ephesus, the architecture is beautiful. My favorite moment was flying in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia to see the sunrise. I cannot fully describe how fantastic this trip was and you will just have to see it for yourself!

The 2013 Teacher Study Tour was a total mind-altering experience. Simply put, it felt like stepping into History. My experience about Turkey’s History, Ancient Civilization, Art, Architecture, its people and cuisine will forever be remembered. I have already started sharing my experience in an interview with the Laurel Gazette newspaper and can’t wait to share with my school and community.

TCF provided a mind expanding experience. My perspectives on Turkey have been altered in so many wonderful ways. By far, the most delightful part of the trip remains the warm, welcoming, generous people of Turkey. Every moment shared with them has provided insight on Turkish culture, past and present. Thank you TCF for this opportunity, it was Turkish Delightful!

Hauntingly beautiful landscapes, hospitable, welcoming people, knowledgeable and personally engaging tour guides and leaders, stunning archaeological sites, inspirational religious shrines and ceremonies, and exquisite culinary treats. Add in the good friends made on this excursion and you have the ingredients for a "trip of a lifetime" - one that I will not soon forget. Turkey has certainly left an indelible mark on me. Though I plan to share her beauty and treasures with students this fall (and for years to come), I am already looking forward to a return trip to experience more of what she has to offer - hopefully as soon as next summer. Thank you TCF for orchestrating such a rich, eye-opening learning experience.

The tour of Turkey changed my life! It has provided me with a greater sense of self as I had never before traveled out of the country. Also, being able to leave two small children behind to do something to better myself was a great feat. I was discouraged not to go as many people shared what came to be their misconceptions of Turkey. What I found was a country full of very generous, kind and friendly people. I am still in amazement of all that I saw and the historic significance of all of the sites. Turkey is truly a gateway to the world and how it’s developed. The tour provided me with an insight that could never be gained from a book or a movie; it was an amazing experience to walk, touch and taste Turkey’s rich culture, as I – like many in our group would say - shopped my way through this beautiful country.

I was surprised to learn how much Turkey had to offer in the classroom. You could teach all of the units in Human Geography using only Turkey as your case study and cover everything. You could also teach the entire course of World History using only Turkey and cover everything. Yet, we barely mention Turkey in our classrooms in the US. It’s a shame because the country has so much to offer our students. Turkey is complex, multi layered, complicated, and confusing. She is full of beautiful stories, religion, architecture, food, music and people. It’s the perfect country to introduce to your classroom because it represents everything that makes this world interesting. I am so grateful to TCF for introducing me to this beautiful place. I know my students will benefit from my experience on this study tour. I can’t wait to introduce them to Turkey.

It will be with ease and joy to share with my students and everyone I know about my travels to Turkey. Simply because to share my travels to Turkey is to now share a new part of me. The fifteen days in this beautiful country was more than a memory because of all this country beholds. The priceless, ever changing landscape is one that can never be replicated on any postcard. From the mosque to the churches, no photograph can invoke the emotions that you feel standing within these walls. No quote can summarize the love and respect the people have for their history, founder and country. It must be seen with the admiration in their eyes as they say the name "Ataturk". But most of all, it is the people of Turkey that change you. They are people that reflect their country. One of true beauty within. Their hearts are open and their voices are strong and to know them will make you a better person. This trip has meant the world to me. It will never be forgotten. For remembering it, is as if remembering a new love I have found.

As educators we strive to provide as rich and multi-faceted experience as possible to our students in order for them to strive for life long meaning and scholarship. TCF spared no expense in sharing this same ideology in which we truly experienced several weeks of continual life changing moments that feel as if we were enrolled in a graduate seminar of a historical narrative of Anatolia from pre-history through the contemporary social construct. It will take a lifetime to go through the contextual specificity of our shared journey, and upon arrival in Istanbul we truly hit the proverbial ground running. The tour was a marathon of awe-inspiring and evocative moments, each day seemingly surpassing the previous day's agenda. Sadly, upon arriving in Ankara and realizing that although the travel phase of our journey was over and each of our lives were so drastically changed but another phase was about to begin, to serve as interlocutors and try to inexplicably describe the brilliance that is Turkey to our: students, friends, family, neighbors, to anybody. Turkey is such an amazing place and I will long yearn for the friendships, knowledge, culture, hospitality, and overall feeling of being at home that it provided. Words can not truly convey the amount of gratitude that I owe TCF, Zeynep, Orhan, Guler, Sebnem, Asli and to the warm citizens of Turkey. You will always have a deep place in my heart, mind, and will always have my friendship.

It is hard to express in mere words my gratitude to the Turkish Cultural Foundation, and the amazing people who organized the study tour. Awesome, enriching, edifying, and mind-expanding barely scratch the surface of the two-week experience. I come away feeling like I will be a better teacher, not only because I am better informed about Turkey, but also because of all the great ideas and insights that were shared by the other teachers. After such a thorough emersion in the culture, arts, and history of such a fascinating country I will be able to give my students a much more comprehensive understanding of the importance of Turkey as a major player on the world stage both in the past and the present.

The journey home, like the whole trip, was flawless. I am still ready to wake up and go at 3AM. My mind is full of memories, and I have spent most of my hours on the computer filling in facts about what we saw. In other words, I am still over-stimulated and loving the learning. It was the best-planned trip imaginable. I started by making a huge time-line of Turkish history of my own, personalized with what we saw from each period. Turkish history is quite overwhelming. Now, how can I explain it all to my students? I cannot thank you and your extraordinary staff enough - it was just great.

I can’t thank TCF enough for giving me the opportunity to experience the architecture, culture and historical events that I’ve spent years teaching about. Each day was another amazing journey that increased my respect and admiration for modern Turkish culture and its rich history. The team at TCF did a fantastic job planning an itinerary bursting with all the wonders that Turkey has to offer. Before I left for Turkey I referred to it as the “Trip of a Lifetime”, little did I know that title wouldn’t come close to doing it justice when describing this incredible adventure.