The time with Turkish Teachers to discuss life in Turkey provided a much appreciated perspective, which I am grateful for.

The study tour of Turkey is truly life changing. TCF takes excellent care of its teachers. This is a once in a life time opportunity not to be missed!

It’s hard to put into words exactly how incredible this experience was from the hotels we stayed in, to the food we ate, the sites we saw, to our magnificent guide, Orhan, everything was great. My high expectations were all surpassed. Thank you, TCF.

The TCF Study Tour gave me experiences that will greatly impact my classroom and colleagues, and others. I have a much better understadning at the vast history of Turkey and how it has shaped the country today. The first hand experiences from being immersed in Turkish culture and politics have opened my eyes to how important Turkey is in world affairs.

Turkey is rich and dynamic culture with many historical influences. This tour brought aspects of the multi-dimensioned country to life.

The TCF’s Teacher Study Tour to Turkey is unbelievable. We saw so much and learned even more. The information was always being tied together from past sites which helped immensely. I will encourage all my colleagues to apply for this amazing opportunity.

Prior to coming to Turkey, my knowledge base about the country was fairly low. I have done other teacher study tours, but I am positive I learned more on this trip than on previous ones. It’s my goal and hope to be share this knowledge and passion about Turkey and pass it on to others in my community.

Turkey is a wonderful complex and dynamic country. It cannot be summarized neatly in one sentence. To understand Turkey you must take into account its long history, the role of Ataturk, the relationship between secular and religious beliefs and then you may come to understand the view that Turkey has of itself and its place in the world today.

The modern nation-state of Turkey is one that is steeped in history and diversity thanks to its location, Southwest Asia and its foothold in Europe, though it is so much more than the crossroads between the two continents. It is a modern nation with extensive manufacturing that balances its modern culture without sacrificing its past.

If you want to get a real authentic taste of Turkey attend this amazing two week learning adventure through TCF.

This was a remarkable tour. I have learned so much from this experience about Turkish history, life and culture.

The study tour through Turkey was absolutely awe inspiring. I fell in love with Turkey’s beautifully complex mix of east and west ancient and modern country. I look forward to sharing my journey with my family, colleagues, and community.

I have traveled fairly extensively, but this tour was the most amazing travel experience I have had. I had very high expectatios from talking to past participants, and the trip lived up to or surpassed them all!

Learning takes time, like cooking a good meal. These past two weeks I have been in the Turkish kitchen. With TCF, I have tasted, stirred, simmered, and baked a great deal of knowledge. I have feasted on Turkish culture and I am so excited to go back home and cook all this knowledge for my students, co-workers, friends, and family.

I am so grateful to the Turkish Cultural Foundation for this trip. These past two weeks have been extremely valuable in highlighting various time periods of Turkish history and rich culture, and getting to meet representatives from Turkish NGO’s and learn more about Turkey’s present challenges and realitites. I feel much more prepared to incorporate Turkish culture into my curriculum, and I will encourage students to visit this gorgeous and fascinating country to experience it for themselves.

A once in a lifetime opportunity to experience an insider’s perspective of Turkey. Thank you TCF for sponsoring this fantastic trip! TCF staff has such a heart! They are passionate about sharing the complex ins and outs (this and that!) of Turkey. I saw so many facets of this incredible country. I made friends with Turks-the most important part of our trip! GO! Don’t hestitate to take advantage of this other-worldly opportunity!

This was an eye opening experience to see that Turkey is more than just the crossroads of trade as portrayed in textbooks. Turkey is a truly unique mix of modern and traditional culture built upon a rich heritage.

The TCF Teacher Study Tour will stay with me throughout my life. I learned so much about myself and Turkish history and culture. I even discovered my family has roots in Edirne-a Western region in Turkey. Not only is there much to take back to the classroom-both in knowledge and material objects-but there is much I take back in my heart. From breathtaking views from a hot air balloon soaring over Cappadocia to smiling children at Atakoy Primary School in Geyre, the experiences I enjoyed on the TCF Teacher Study Tour will remain in my heart forever.

Turkey is an amazing country filled with history-culture-diversity-and beauty. Thank you TCF! The memories will be treasured and shared.

We are all interconnected by the people and land. Turkey exemplifies this sentiment from ancient times to modern and brings it alive today for us all to share.

This tour was really amazing. I learned a tremendous amount of information about Turkey and visited some incredible places. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

It’s been a come and see! Amazing and inspiring. Not only were teachers fascinated by the exquisite architectural edifices, the beautiful colorful designs, but also the marvelous archaeological findings, beautiful decorative gift shops, luscious hotels and very tasty food.

The Turkish Cultural Foundation study tour was both an exhausting and exhilarating trip at the same time. Thousands of years of history and culture were experienced. All materials, tours, experiences, and guides were professional, personable and knowledgeable. This once in a lifetime opportunity was a blessing and honor – thank you for the experience.

Çok, güzel, mükemmel: There are no words to describe the feeling one gets when seeing certain sites where certain people have lived in harmony for thousands of years. This should inspire us of the present to do better. The language, the beauty, and the people are unique, however all live together. Thank You!

This study tour was so much more than a study tour. We participated in a spiritual, cultural, and historical feast in a most magnificent and mysterious setting.

This tour was inspiring in so many ways. It was more than an educational experience. At each step, I was amazed and motivated to share all I have learned and experienced with my students. I will forever see the world anew because of my time in Turkey.

This tour is an enormous gift: a gift of engaging information, changing perspectives, gorgeous sights and sounds, cultural richness and valuable friendships. Thank you so much for an experience I’ll never forget and knowledge I’ll always appreciate.

This two week whirlwind immersion into the culture and history of Turkey has given me a perspective that I would not have otherwise had. I am coming away with a lot to reflect upon and feel I’ve gained a much deeper understanding of the people, culture, and history of Turkey. Thank you TCF!

Imagine a place where each day is filled with sites, places, and people who have ruled empires. A place where Christianity began, ancient civilizations thrived and traditions and customs were formed. Multiply all of your expectations by 10; now you have seen Turkey! The most fascinating tour I’ve ever taken.

This is more than a tour of Turkey. The Turkish Cultural Foundation Teacher Study Tour program provides a clear and deep examination of Turkish culture and history because it provides highly qualified bi-lingual staff to interpret all aspects of Turkish life and land. Traveling or studying independently would require years of time to equal what TCF does in two weeks.

The tour was exceptionally well done. The planning and logistics made it easy to simply concentrate on taking in all the wonderful aspects of Turkey’s people and culture.

This study tour opened my eyes to the vast cultural treasures of Turkey, with its numerous layers of great civilizations and its contributions to western civilization. It gets far less credit than it’s due! We visited sites dating back 10,000 years to Neolithic men, to the Hellenistic period, the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods. My students may be surprised to learn that many literary giants are from this land we now know as Turkey.

A crash course in Turkey that is both enlightening and enjoyable. My understanding of both historic and current events in visiting Turkey and this region have significantly improved because of my attendance.

This trip to Turkey has broadened my horizons more than any other experience in my life. Turkey is a diverse society in cultural, historical and modern ways and truly represents much of the world. I have gained new insights and ideas that will make my classroom and life more interesting and engaging for all who know me.

This enriching experience has flooded my mind with exciting ideas for lessons. I was prepared for the richness of culture – it was exceeded! I was prepared about the warmth of the Turkish people (also exceeded), but I was not prepared for how at home I felt. I aspire to return to this wonderful country, my new friends and share my experiences with others within my own family and community in the US.

This Turkish Cultural Foundation Teacher Study Tour was amazing! I was provided a rich amount of knowledge on the ancient history and culture of Turkey, as well as the current state of the country. The experience of traveling through Turkey with 22 other U.S. Teachers and two Turkish teachers turned us into a small family! It is an opportunity that I will never forget, it was definitely life changing! I can’t wait to share my new found knowledge with my students! Thank you so much TCF and Orhan!

The Teacher Study Tour to Turkey was a truly amazing experience! The Turkish Cultural Foundation did a fantastic job of keeping our days filled with experiencing Turkey first hand. From the major tourist “must do’s,” to visiting local artists, eating at traditional restaurants and seeing live performances we truly experienced the beauty and complexity of Turkey. I know I will never forget my time here and will spread what I have learned to my students, family, and friends for years to come.

What an incredible experience! This two week immersion in the art history and culture of Turkey was eye opening. The beautiful memorial at Gallipoli, the cave dwellings, the ruins, the arts, the rich history – my mind is exploding. I’m looking forward to reviewing my photos and reliving each moment. This has been a fascinating trip on so many levels! I can’t wait to come back and see and learn more!

The depth of knowledge and hilarious wit of our tour guide Orhan made this learning experience an enjoyable adventure. Hats off to the Turkish Cultural Foundation for providing a forum where teachers can connect with peers from around the United States to enrich our ideas about teaching and learning while gaining new insights into the rich history and culture of Turkey. It’s one thing to learn about Turkey from books, lectures, films, and the news. It’s quite another to be immersed in the culture, meet the people, see the landscape in all its beautiful diversity, and be actually present in the sites where Hittites, Romans, ottomans, and modern day Turks have all lived. Being here really gave me a sense of the layers of history in a way that will help me bring it to life for my students.

My Native American students will be very excited to hear of ancient pots so like theirs, carpet designs with the same designs and spirits as theirs, Cappadocia so like our Tent Rocks. I am grateful that I can be the means of their being introduced to the rich Turkish Culture which has so much to resonate with them.

Traveling through Turkey on TCF’s Teacher Study Tour has awakened a passion to learn so much more about this country of spectacular beauty, hospitality and culture. The tour was a perfect balance of historical venues and briefings on Turkey’s role in the modern world. This was accomplished in the company of curious, intelligent teachers and the superb leaders of TCF. Nothing could have prepared me for the emotions of experiencing this journey.