Foreign nationals who married Turks and settled in the country are learning Turkish at the Public Education Center in the Menemen district of Izmir. Besides learning the language, the students are also taught about Turkish culture. One of the students Darina Çoban, 37, who came to Türkiye 10 years ago from Russia and married here, thanked the course for helping her improve her Turkish since enrolling last year.

Foreigners from countries like Russia, Algeria, Morocco and Belarus who settled in Izmir have started learning Turkish at the Public Education Center. The course usually takes about 160 hours to complete over the course of the academic year and there are 42 students currently enrolled, of which 29 are women.

Murat Yavan, director of Menemen Public Education Center, said: "Foreigners benefit from our courses free of charge. Most of them are those who came here because they got married. There are those who came here temporarily after the Ukraine-Russia war or from Arab countries, Iran and surroundings and settle here. Our course offers them a way to adapt to life here."

Çayan Arıkan, a linguist at the center, said the course consists of two levels, A1 and A2. "The A1 program lasts for four months and the students are given a certificate (only if they pass the exam). Later, we start the A2 course and follow the same procedure. We don't just teach the Turkish language but we also try to convey Turkish culture and history, too. There are people from about seven different countries. Sometimes we hang out and teach the language by participating in social activities together. In the beginning, we teach them simple daily conversation. Then we teach them how to introduce themselves and interact in public," Arıkan explained.

Some of the trainees shared their stories and thanked the public center. Among them, 37-year-old Darina Çoban said she came to Türkiye 10 years ago from Russia and got married here but couldn't speak the language. She said used to communicate using hand gestures before the course but now she can communicate properly. In her words, "She loves Türkiye."

For her part, student Ludmila Znatnova Çal, 44, said that she met her Turkish husband in Russia where he was working at the time. They later got married and decided to settle in Türkiye. "My husband does not speak Russian. So, I am learning Turkish quickly. Now, I speak Turkish at home, I love Türkiye. I feel very happy to be here," she said.

Sara Mouchrit, a mother of one who moved to Türkiye from Morocco and settled in Izmir where she married, said that although she still has difficulties speaking Turkish, she improves day by day thanks to the course.

Anna Kayan, 39, who came to Türkiye from Russia five years ago also got married in Türkiye. "I was speaking Russian with my husband. The children also speak Russian. So I reinforce Turkish here," she explained.

Eighteen-year-old Oumaima Tamzarti came to Türkiye from Morocco after getting married about four months ago and began living in Izmir. She stated that she has managed to improve the Turkish she learned by herself, albeit a little, thanks to the free course she is taking.