MY VACATION TO TURKIYE
Visual Essay of my favorite place to visit!!!
Little back story
Ever since me and my family moved to America in 2021, we try our best to visit Turkiye every year. In summer 2023, we went for a three-week vacation. I was super excited when we bought the tickets.
A beautiful seashore in Istanbul, Turkiye (Malkoc).
The day of the departure
The day of the flight I was super thrilled! Me and my family left the house at around 6 pm. We took two cars since we had so many suitcases. We arrived at the airport and checked in. It was actually so crazy because we had other Turkish friends who were also going to Turkiye on the same flight as us. We flew with Turkish Airlines as usual and it was awesome. It also makes a positive difference when the flight attendants are Turkish. They were so sweet and friendly. The flight to Turkiye is around thirteen hours which is a little frustrating. So most of it I usually was sleeping or watching movies. Watching movies on the plane is actually so much fun sometimes. The food was good and they served three meals. Overall as tiring as it was, it was still very fun and worth it.
Checking in to the plane. (Malkoc).
Inside of the plane. (Malkoc).
FIRST DAY IN TURKIYE
When we arrived at my house where I lived for twelve hours I got really emotional. I had so many memories with family and friends and just remembering that was upsetting. I am still very grateful that I can go to my childhood when I visit since we didn't have to sell or rent it because my grandparents live there sometimes. My grandma cooked us some homemade Turkish food but we also got ÇİĞ KÖFTE from the store. When you translate it, it translates to raw meat, which I know sounds ridiculous but it is one of my favorites.
->Çiğ köfte (pronounced as "chee kof-teh") is a traditional Turkish dish typically made with finely ground bulgur wheat, minced meat or lentils, spices, herbs, and various other ingredients. However, in the traditional recipe, meat is not used, and the dish is prepared by mixing the ingredients thoroughly.
A picture of the Cig Kofte we got on the first day. (Malkoc).
My childhood house in Turkiye. (Malkoc)
Going out with my mom
The weather was perfect and my mom decided to go out and shop for a bit. The city of Istanbul in Turkiye connects the two continents, Europe and Asia. Since our house is on the Asia side we took the ship to go to the other one and just walked around and did shopping. We got Turkish breakfast at a restaurant to pump up a little energy and we walked around the streets of Beşiktaş.
A picture of me on the ship. (Malkoc).
The ship we took. (Malkoc).
A picture I took of the Turkish breakfast. (Malkoc).
Going to my summer house in Turkiye
Of course, we didn't forget to visit our summer house in Turkiye. It was a three-hour drive from Istanbul. It is called Sakarya and it is a smaller city compared to Istanbul. I absolutely love spending time there. The beach is so fun. It isn't always clear water with white sand and sometimes there might be a lot of jellyfish but it is still the best beach for me. I love swimming with my friends and every day at 6 or 7 pm we would play beach volleyball. Even tough we do the same thing every day for a year it never gets boring.
A picture I took of the sunset. (Malkoc).
My friends
I love and miss my friends so much so here are some pictures we took together.
Pictures I took with my friends. (Malkoc)
wedding i attended
One of my older friends, she is 26 I think, got married that summer. It was so fun and the food was delicious. We danced to traditional music and dances. It was a blast!!!
Picture of us at the wedding. (Malkoc).
Coming Back To The States
Finally, after a full three weeks filled with fun, happiness, and love it was time to come back to Texas. As much as upset I was leaving my grandparents and Turkiye, I was also excited to come back and see my friends here. We had an emotional moment saying goodbye knowing that we won't see each other for months. I love Turkiye and it will always be a part of me but America is where I was born and the opportunities here can't be compared to anywhere.
Picture of us at the airport. (Malkoc).
WORKS CITED
Malkoc, Lila. A beautiful seashore in Istanbul, Turkiye. 19 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Inside of the plane. 17 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Checking in to the plane. 17 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. My childhood house in Turkiye. 18 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. A picture of the Cig Kofte we got on the first day. 18 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. The ship we took. 20 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. A picture of me on the ship. 20 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. A picture I took of the Turkish breakfast. 20 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. A picture I took of the sunset. 29 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Pictures I took with my friends. 1 Aug. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Picture of us at the wedding. 4 Aug. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Picture of us at the airport. 10 Aug. 2023. Author’s personal collection.
Reflection
Composing a visual essay differed from writing a traditional academic paper. It was so fun to create. Even though both traditional academic papers and visual essays aim to communicate ideas, visual essays offer a unique approach that combines textual analysis with visual communication to engage audiences in creative ways. It provides greater opportunities for creative expression compared to traditional academic papers. Visual essays prioritize visual communication and I love that because I love taking pictures and sharing them with others. I picked the topic I picked because I lived in Turkiye for many years and it is a very special place for me I wondered why I wouldn't share it with others. I think the pictures I took related to the topic by clearly expressing my experience. For example, I used pictures I took myself and explained them well enough. I do not have any concerns about my essay. I think it turned out well.
Visual Essay of vacation to Turkiye
Lila Malkoç
Created on February 19, 2024
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Transcript
MY VACATION TO TURKIYE
Visual Essay of my favorite place to visit!!!
Little back story
Ever since me and my family moved to America in 2021, we try our best to visit Turkiye every year. In summer 2023, we went for a three-week vacation. I was super excited when we bought the tickets.
A beautiful seashore in Istanbul, Turkiye (Malkoc).
The day of the departure
The day of the flight I was super thrilled! Me and my family left the house at around 6 pm. We took two cars since we had so many suitcases. We arrived at the airport and checked in. It was actually so crazy because we had other Turkish friends who were also going to Turkiye on the same flight as us. We flew with Turkish Airlines as usual and it was awesome. It also makes a positive difference when the flight attendants are Turkish. They were so sweet and friendly. The flight to Turkiye is around thirteen hours which is a little frustrating. So most of it I usually was sleeping or watching movies. Watching movies on the plane is actually so much fun sometimes. The food was good and they served three meals. Overall as tiring as it was, it was still very fun and worth it.
Checking in to the plane. (Malkoc).
Inside of the plane. (Malkoc).
FIRST DAY IN TURKIYE
When we arrived at my house where I lived for twelve hours I got really emotional. I had so many memories with family and friends and just remembering that was upsetting. I am still very grateful that I can go to my childhood when I visit since we didn't have to sell or rent it because my grandparents live there sometimes. My grandma cooked us some homemade Turkish food but we also got ÇİĞ KÖFTE from the store. When you translate it, it translates to raw meat, which I know sounds ridiculous but it is one of my favorites.
->Çiğ köfte (pronounced as "chee kof-teh") is a traditional Turkish dish typically made with finely ground bulgur wheat, minced meat or lentils, spices, herbs, and various other ingredients. However, in the traditional recipe, meat is not used, and the dish is prepared by mixing the ingredients thoroughly.
A picture of the Cig Kofte we got on the first day. (Malkoc).
My childhood house in Turkiye. (Malkoc)
Going out with my mom
The weather was perfect and my mom decided to go out and shop for a bit. The city of Istanbul in Turkiye connects the two continents, Europe and Asia. Since our house is on the Asia side we took the ship to go to the other one and just walked around and did shopping. We got Turkish breakfast at a restaurant to pump up a little energy and we walked around the streets of Beşiktaş.
A picture of me on the ship. (Malkoc).
The ship we took. (Malkoc).
A picture I took of the Turkish breakfast. (Malkoc).
Going to my summer house in Turkiye
Of course, we didn't forget to visit our summer house in Turkiye. It was a three-hour drive from Istanbul. It is called Sakarya and it is a smaller city compared to Istanbul. I absolutely love spending time there. The beach is so fun. It isn't always clear water with white sand and sometimes there might be a lot of jellyfish but it is still the best beach for me. I love swimming with my friends and every day at 6 or 7 pm we would play beach volleyball. Even tough we do the same thing every day for a year it never gets boring.
A picture I took of the sunset. (Malkoc).
My friends
I love and miss my friends so much so here are some pictures we took together.
Pictures I took with my friends. (Malkoc)
wedding i attended
One of my older friends, she is 26 I think, got married that summer. It was so fun and the food was delicious. We danced to traditional music and dances. It was a blast!!!
Picture of us at the wedding. (Malkoc).
Coming Back To The States
Finally, after a full three weeks filled with fun, happiness, and love it was time to come back to Texas. As much as upset I was leaving my grandparents and Turkiye, I was also excited to come back and see my friends here. We had an emotional moment saying goodbye knowing that we won't see each other for months. I love Turkiye and it will always be a part of me but America is where I was born and the opportunities here can't be compared to anywhere.
Picture of us at the airport. (Malkoc).
WORKS CITED
Malkoc, Lila. A beautiful seashore in Istanbul, Turkiye. 19 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Inside of the plane. 17 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Checking in to the plane. 17 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. My childhood house in Turkiye. 18 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. A picture of the Cig Kofte we got on the first day. 18 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. The ship we took. 20 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. A picture of me on the ship. 20 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. A picture I took of the Turkish breakfast. 20 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. A picture I took of the sunset. 29 Jul. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Pictures I took with my friends. 1 Aug. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Picture of us at the wedding. 4 Aug. 2023. Author’s personal collection. Malkoc, Lila. Picture of us at the airport. 10 Aug. 2023. Author’s personal collection.
Reflection
Composing a visual essay differed from writing a traditional academic paper. It was so fun to create. Even though both traditional academic papers and visual essays aim to communicate ideas, visual essays offer a unique approach that combines textual analysis with visual communication to engage audiences in creative ways. It provides greater opportunities for creative expression compared to traditional academic papers. Visual essays prioritize visual communication and I love that because I love taking pictures and sharing them with others. I picked the topic I picked because I lived in Turkiye for many years and it is a very special place for me I wondered why I wouldn't share it with others. I think the pictures I took related to the topic by clearly expressing my experience. For example, I used pictures I took myself and explained them well enough. I do not have any concerns about my essay. I think it turned out well.