Open Learning Network

We were very sad to say goodbye to Engin Kursun, one of our OLnet fellows, who was with us from August 2009 to January 2010, but look forward to meeting up again at OER10 where he is presenting a paper with Tina Wilson and Patrick McAndrew.  Engin has returned to continue with his PhD studies at the Middle East Technical University, Turkey.

One of the great things for me about the fellowship scheme and the international makeup of the OLnet team is the opportunity for cultural exchange. We have our translation board to at least know how say hello and goodbye to each other.

(Pic: Liam Green-Hughes left. Engin Kursun right).

I learnt a lot about Turkish culture from Engin, who was great ambassador for his country. For example I learnt that giving a Turk a coffee holds great significance. This is Engin's explanation of a Turkish saying: "the person who offers the coffee is to be respected and remembered for a long time for the sake of his offering":

It is well-known that the Turks brought coffee to Europe, first to Austria when their army surrounded Vienna in 1683. Actually, the Ottoman Turks got coffee from Yemen by the late 15th century in the period of Suleiman the Magnificent and opened the first coffeehouses in Istanbul. This is the beginning of Turkish coffee tradition.

At that time, Turkish coffee (“Türk Kahvesi”) was drunk after breakfast, which explains the roots of the Turkish word for breakfast, kahvalt? meaning "before coffee" (kahve 'coffee' alt? 'under'). Turkish coffee has been an important part of Turkish culture. There is even an old saying about it: "Bir fincan kahvenin k?rk y?l hat?r? vard?r." (“A cup of Turkish coffee will be remembered for forty years.”) It means that the person who offers the coffee is to be respected and remembered for a long time for the sake of his offering. For many people, the most enjoyable side of Turkish coffee is when another person reads the coffee grains, which is a kind of fortune telling.

However, in recent times, there has been a change in the coffee habits of Turkish people. They drink more and more instant coffee. For instance, if you order a coffee in a restaurant, you will get instant coffee like Nescafe or Jacobs. Actually, Nescafe has become the name of the instant coffee in general, so if you order Nescafe, you will get an instant coffee of any brand.

More information about history of coffee
http://www.realcoffee.co.uk/Article.asp?Cat=history&page=3
http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/Genel/BelgeGoster.aspx?17A16AE30572D313A79D6F5E6C1B43FF48EAC6BEB7ADF984
http://www.lexiophiles.com/english/coffee-drinking-habits-in-turkey

But Engin is really a tea drinker, and made a great cuppa. When asked if he had some special blend, the answer was just PG Tips.The secret as we all know is in letting it brew and using a pot. He kindly left the team a gift of a teapot and cup selection, lest we forget!

Engin's presention to the team of his "OLnet journey" is here: http://olnet.org/node/195