The evening began with a small gathering of distinguished guests at Raindrop Turkish House for a conversation with the author and a preview of his presentation. This discussion was followed by a light repast of Turkish cuisine. The party then repaired to the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park for the evening’s main program. (April 14, 2012 Overland Park, KS)

Raindrop Turkish House provided training for teachers teaching Turkish at Raindrop branches in Texas and neighboring states. Three professionals in the field of teaching Turkish as a foreign language provided training in methods, planning and hands-on activities for use in the classroom. Turkish teachers at Raindrop benefitted from this day-long workshop.  Raindrop aims to increase the quality of language teaching in all its branches with these training workshops.

If you would like to sign up one of our classes, please apply online at http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org/turkish-language-class

The Turkish community in Houston, Texas, celebrated Ramadan feast (Turkish: Ramazan Bayrami; Arabic: Eid-ul-Fitr ),  at the Turquoise Complex. The Turkish Consulate General Honorable Selim Topcu was with the Turkish Community. People in their best clothes gathered early in the morning for the special Bayram prayer. Adults greeted and embraced one another wholeheartedly; children honored the hand-kissing custom (kissing an adult's right hand and placing it on one's forehead as a sign of love and respect), while wishing their elders Bayram greetings and being awarded by a Bayram tip in return. Breakfast was served following the prayer and greetings.

On August 18, 2012, Raindrop Turkish House hosted Annual Friendship and Engagement Dinner with the members of the Turkish-American community. This event joined together members of the community in Houston for an evening of collaboration, learning, and entertainment. The program was held in the Istanbul Conference Center Ottoman Ballroom, and featured presentations on upcoming events like the Silk Road Festival. The program started with the opening remarks by Mehmet Okumus, president and CEO of Raindrop Turkish House, who mentioned how happy he was to see Turkish-American community together for an evening of friendship. Following him, Vice Consul of Turkey, honorable Selim Topcu greeted the community with a warm welcome. The program featured speeches and presentations. Among the speakers were Dr. Adem Akinci, Erhan Uskup, Zekeriya Yaman, and Dr. Randall Burdett.

On August 16, 2012, the Houston Raindrop Turkish House hosted Annual Friendship and Engagement Dinner with the neighbors of the center. This event joined together members of the community from Southwest Houston for an evening of collaboration, learning, and entertainment. The program was held in the Istanbul Conference Center Ottoman Ballroom, and featured presentations on upcoming Turkish Raindrop House events like the Silk Road Festival. Sanya Azad from Channel 13 was the emcee of the event.