Written by: Krista Baum
As
I was wandering around the main lobby at HI-Chicago, I saw a young man
on his computer, and he looked like an interesting person so I decided
to introduce myself and ask if he would like to be interviewed for
traveler spotlight. He humbly agreed, and we started talking and had a very enjoyable conversation.
Omer Aydin is from Turkey, and currently a PhD student studying Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. I
later told him that I went to the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, and that both the University of Michigan and the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were in the Big 10. Currently
at Michigan, Omer is researching cancer treatments and developing ways
to use medicine that will directly target cancer cells and not the whole
body of the individual who has cancer. What a brilliant student!
After discussing Omer’s studies, I was very curious to learn about where he has traveled. Omer
left Turkey in 2010, and went to Alabama, USA, where he enrolled at the
University of Alabama to take an English class, so he could improve his
English skills. After Alabama, he traveled north to Michigan where he could start at the University of Michigan. I asked Omer if he had a preference between Michigan or Alabama. He
said that he noticed political and religious differences between
Alabama and Michigan, and as far as the social scene, he feels that
downtown Michigan offers a lot more.
So what brought Omer to Chicago?
Omer came to Chicago for the 4th
of July Weekend with an International group of students from the
University of Michigan and was able to stay at HI-Chicago for a couple
of days. It was Omer’s first time in Chicago, and besides seeing O’Hare airport, there was so much more to see and do! As
a group they immersed themselves in Chicago, and were able to see the
Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Art Institute, the
Skydeck and Millennium Park.
As
far as cuisine goes, Omer says that he misses Turkish food, so during
this trip here to Chicago, he was able to go to a
Turkish restaurant called A La Turka and he said that it was really good place. I have never tried Turkish food before, so I think I will try that place sometime. What better way to learn more about a foreign culture than through their ethnic cuisine?
Omer’s future plans are to go back to the University of Michigan to continue his education as a PhD student!
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