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Turkey, A Memory Worth Sharing

A Chinar, Chenar, Tree
A Chinar, Chenar, Tree

At the completion of my first semester at Al Akhawayn University (AUI) as an assistant professor, I boarded a plane May 19th with two colleagues, Dr. John Shoup and Dr. Eric Ross, and several AUI students (Moroccan and exchange students from the United States) bound for an educational opportunity in Istanbul, Bursa, Iznik, and Edirne–The Imperial Cities of Turkey.

Auditing the International Field Seminar class, even during  my first semester in Morocco, was not a mistake.  The course presented me with my first but not my last trip to this Eurasian country.

Though I attended the presentation given by His Excellency Tunç Ügdül, Ambassador of Turkey to Morocco who came to our campus and shared perspectives on Modern Istanbul; visited several of Dr. Shoup’s classes; listened to guest lectures; and read several of the assigned readings, including Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul: Memories and the City, which compelled me to experience the Bosphorus during an enchanting ferry ride on this treasured Turkish icon,

Turkey-in person was a living text.

The mere experience of walking the streets of Turkey, visiting its cultural and historical sites, and meeting its delightful people were the compelling victors for solidifying my appreciation for this thriving unique country.  The Moroccan Muse, the portrait of my May memories, will show you exactly what I mean.

Enjoy,
Avis
P.S.  The tree above may live some 800 years.  One was often found in or near the courtyard of the mosques in Turkey. Just imagine if these trees could talk.  You will understand such a comment when you explore the Moroccan Muse page and see a glimmer of what I observed and discovered.

By Avis Winifred Rupert, Ph.D.

Dr. Rupert has a 20-year teaching/leadership track-record in education. She is a native of Texas but has relocated to the East Coast where she is the Associate Dean of Arts & Humanities at Bristol Community College. Her background includes both teaching and administrative positions in the university and community college, international contexts, and secondary and dual credit experience in both the rural and urban high school setting. Rupert has traveled to 21 countries to-date, partnered with populations from diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds; and achieved an 8-year management career complemented by four levels of management with the largest retailer in the world. Dr. Rupert’s education is complementary to her professional and personal growth and interests. She has a BBA in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing, an MA in Composition Studies, an MA in Organizational Management with an International Focus, a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing, and she is presently working on an MA in Biblical Studies and Theology. Rupert’s profile gives her a unique way of at looking at opportunities in education and beyond that often escape others. She contributes her success to self-awareness, an unparalleled drive to grow and develop in varying ways, and a tenacity for leadership. Finally, her dissertation which required the exploration of ethnography requires mention, for it too has added to her unique perspectives and accomplishments.

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