Kristy Saldana ’18
Kristy in Istanbul!
Intended Major: History
Intended Minor:Educational Studies
Hometown: Trenton, NJ
1. What SRS program were you apart of and what was the class about?
I was a part of the Istanbul SRS group and the class was Challenges of Modernity. The class was about the formation of the modern world with a focus on Turkey. We talked about the struggles between the East and the West in setting a model for the modern world and how Istanbul, in particular, was stuck in the middle of this fight between the East and the westernization of Turkey. We also talked about the Turkish political struggles in deciding between a secularist or Islamic government.
2. What was your favorite part so far about being in SRS?
My favorite part about SRS is being able to live with the people that I have class with. It is a pretty amazing experience that I would not trade for the world; getting to know students that if it wasn’t for the program I wouldn’t have met otherwise. The trip was of course a great experience as well, but what made it better was the fact that I was able to go with people that I had gotten to know for over a semester.
3. What was your experience on the trip?
The trip overall was an extraordinary experience. Even though we were jet lagged for a few days, we were able to recover and enjoy our trip filled with many tours, lectures, visits to museums, and eating lots of delicious food. Although our last day in Istanbul was a bit scary, being that a terrorist attack occurred about 10-15 minutes away from where we were staying, the people that were hosting us in Istanbul made sure that we were safe.