A surprise trip for international students
Izmir University of Economics (IUE) organized a surprise trip for 43 students who came to the University as part of Erasmus and other international exchange programs. Guest students, who came to Izmir for the first time, had an unforgettable day visiting the House of Virgin Mary, the Ancient City of Ephesus, and Sirince Village.
The first stop for students, who came from 13 different countries and met at Izmir, was the House of Virgin Mary, which is visited by thousands of locals and international tourists every year. After their thorough visit of the House of Virgin Mary, their next stop was the Ancient City of Ephesus. Students had a chance to visit many historical sites such as “The Great Theatre”, “Celsus Library”, “Royal Road”, and the “Marble Road” at Ephesus which dates back to 6000 B.C. Touring Ephesus from beginning to end and taking lots of pictures, students also got information from the officials about the historical structures. Students, who came to Izmir from Germany, Denmark, France, South Korea, Holland, Spain, Lithuania, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Greece to receive education in spring semester, visited the Sirince Village, one of Izmir’s most popular villages, as their last stop. Students tasted unique flavors and local products of Sirince all day long and enjoyed themselves. Students were accompanied by IUE Vice Rector Prof. Çiğdem Kentmen.
“THEY RECHARGED THEIR BATTERIES”
Hülya İncekara, Acting Director of IUE Office of International Affairs, stated that the trip, which aimed to ease the adjustment process of international students and help them get acquainted with Izmir, had been very successful. İncekara said, “Our guests liked the trip very much. They recharged their batteries before the new academic semester started. We try to introduce our city, and share our rich history and cultural legacy with our guests through such trips. International students, who get a chance to experience life in Izmir even for a short period, are pleased with the wide variety of services offered by the University to them, and make plans to live in Izmir in future thanks to our hospitable culture. It makes us very happy to receive such positive feedback from international students and send them off to their country as cultural ambassadors. We will be organizing more events where they can make good memories, get to know our culture better and establish good friendships in our country.”