As part of TurkFest 2025 at the Armory Seattle Center, I had the pleasure of representing the University of Washington’s Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (MELC) Department by leading an engaging session titled “Turkish 101.”
The session began with an introduction to the MELC Department and Turkish&Ottoman Studies and its members, highlighting our commitment to cultural exchange and language education. I then shared insights on why learning Turkish is both valuable and exciting, followed by two lively segments, “10 Facts About Türkiye” and “10 Facts About the Turkish Language.”
To make the experience interactive, participants took part in a “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”-style quiz, featuring fun and surprising questions about Türkiye’s culture, geography, and language. The atmosphere was filled with curiosity, laughter, and enthusiasm as attendees learned new expressions and discovered connections between Turkish and global cultures.
We concluded on a cheerful note with a short Turkish greetings activity, where participants practiced phrases like “Hello,” “How are you,” and “Nice to meet you” through a playful mini-dialogue between Harry Potter and an Istanbul cat.
This experience was a wonderful opportunity to share the richness of Turkish language and culture with the Seattle community while showcasing the inclusive spirit and educational mission of the MELC Department at the University of Washington.
-Cemalcan Uslu is a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant in the department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, at the University of Washington.