A Language Journey in the Shadow of History: The Turkish Speaking Club Visits Bursa

On the Bursa trip organized on December 12, 2025 as part of the Turkish Speaking Club’s "Walk and Talk: Step by Step Turkish" project, international students had the opportunity to practice Turkish while getting to know the ancient Ottoman capital firsthand. Held with the participation of 40 students, this cultural route took language learning beyond the classroom and turned it into an unforgettable experience.

The Üsküdar University Turkish Speaking Club chose Bursa, with its captivating historical fabric, as the next stop of its "Walk and Talk: Step by Step Turkish" series, which aims to help international students develop their language skills in a social setting. Held on December 12, 2025, this special trip was organized to enable students to connect with Turkish not only in the classroom but in the midst of everyday life.

The event, organized in partnership with the Üsküdar University International Student Office (ISS Office), brought together 40 international students from different parts of the world. Exploring the historic streets of Bursa on December 12, 2025, the students enriched their cultural knowledge by examining the architectural heritage of the Ottoman Empire on site. Turkish conversation practice held at every stop combined the academic purpose of the event with a social setting.

Visiting landmarks that have become symbols of Bursa, such as the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami), Tophane and the historic bazaars, the student group had the chance to improve their language skills by interacting with local people. Guided by its "Step by Step Turkish" vision, the club enriched the students’ vocabulary while also conveying Türkiye’s cultural depth to young minds. On this route of December 12, 2025, the guide’s commentary reinforced the use of Turkish in different contexts with concrete examples.

The friendships formed and the warm atmosphere of conversation throughout the event also made a great contribution to international students’ adaptation to university life. Students who joined the trip said they greatly enjoyed hearing the stories of historic sites through the richness of the Turkish language and that events like this accelerate their language learning. Turkish Speaking Club officials emphasized that this day spent in the shadow of architectural heritage was not just a trip for the students but a living language workshop.

At the end of the program, it was announced that this activity, organized with the mission of introducing Türkiye and the Turkish language as a whole, will continue with similar cultural trips. Carried out under the Directorate of Health, Culture and Sports (HCS), this event went on record as a productive initiative that supports Üsküdar University’s multicultural structure and crowns academic development with social projects.