A WPI visitor and a surpise in Taksim

It seems that WPI faculty and staff like to pass through İstanbul. Since I moved here almost 6 months ago I've been visited by a small handful of WPI folk, mainly those involved in the international programs in one way or another.

This time it was Tom Thomsen, international student director, co-director of the Denmark project site at which I completed a project, and simply one of the nicest people you can meet at WPI. He was just passing through for a day, representing WPI at a college fair. One of his former students, Erçin, came by to help him at the booth, a major advantage over most of the other colleges there since she could speak Turkish with the recruits. I showed up about half-way through the event, right at a moment when a student had come by interested in learning about the aerospace program. I enjoyed chatting with students about my alma mater, and also learning from Tom (he insists that I no longer call him Mr. Tomsen, though the temptation is annoyingly powerful) about things that have changed there.

About an hour later, my friend Pınar came by and the four of us went for a beer. Tom raised his glass and uttered an old familiar Danish word, "skol!" I recounted some of my experiences in Denmark years ago, and we all proceeded converse on many topics. I was still getting over the shock of sitting across from Tom in İstanbul (I get this feeling every time someone visits me here), when it was time for him to go. I'll definitely miss Tom and his Danish accent, but perhaps he'll be back next year and I'll still be here. Either way, I'm sure I'll see him again before not too long.

Pınar and I then left for nearby Taksim. We got some food and then went to a place I like for some beer. There we were joined by an old familiar face and, in my book, a rather peculiar character, Jeremy. I met him at Vassar almost a year ago while visiting for a day, and he struck me as odd because he is an American named Jeremy and he speaks Turkish. It was a strange experience then, and when I saw him last night, it was less strange. His first remark once we had sat down was exactly what I was thinking. "It seems so much more natural to see you here, than back at Vassar."

Jeremy came to İstanbul to do a semester or two at Boğaziçi University. I had so many questions for him about his experiences since getting here just a couple weeks ago. I could relate to many of the things he described. Like me, his approach to this city is not as a tourist but as someone who wants to integrate and establish a deeper connection. His knowledge of İstanbul is quite vast, and he has a keen eye for its subtle riches.

I can say that Saturday was an interesting day. I can also say that I very much enjoyed seeing familiar face and even meeting some new ones. I wish the best to Tom and I hope to see Tom, Erçin, Jeremy and Pınar as time allows.