Having sent Esra a funny newspaper article about an inexplicably silly situation in Turkey, her response was simply "That's Turkey!" It's a perfect response to many of the complexities, ironies, and oddities I've come across while living here. Here's a few:
At the end of July I will conclude my relationship with the English language place where I've worked for the past half year. The way their system is structured all grammar lessons are taught to the students through books and listening materials. My role is only to check their homework, administer quick check tests, and then conduct a series of standardized conversation exercises. Thus the only "skill" truly required to teach with this company is to speak English natively. This I can do. However, on a number of occasions the students have persistent questions about the grammar that weren't resolved with the books. I have done my best to help them, but I've only recently been able to find clearer explanations. I've had to search for the rules using inductive reasoning and this process - an already inferior route - has been slow in coming. Frequently, I've had to explain the use of "the" among other English oddities.
In the last couple of weeks the order of my lessons has led to a comical juxtaposition of political leanings. My first student is an adamant Ataturk-loving secularist while the following pair is often considered to be the enemy of Ataturk's secular principles. In any event I enjoy both lessons. My second lesson, the pair, are former members of Turkey's Refah party. One of them was the mayor of the Uskudar district of Istanbul, the other a senior civil servant in his administration. They're "former" members because their Refah party was banned for being too religious. I've been teaching them every Saturday for the last couple of months and have gotten to really like them. They're one of my first lessons in the morning, but in spite of the earliness we always find plenty of reasons to laugh and joke around.
Esra's off to Cesme for the weekend with her coworkers while I'm left alone to fend for myself. Although we haven't been able to spend much time together due to her repeated deadlines, she's at least been in Istanbul and I get to see her a minimum of a few minutes everyday. It's been months since she's had to go to London. So what am I doing with all this time alone? I'm focusing on my Turkish, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, making myself dinner (I'm still not so advanced, but I enjoyed a delicious chicken pesto salad), and updating my portfolio. Next week I'll have the test for the sixth Turkish course, plus another exam on Saturday administered by the Turkish government. If I pass that one I'll be certified for my Turkish language skills. Not sure why I'd need this, but it seems like a nice thing to get if I can. Wish me luck!
This past year I've learned a lot about myself. Certain patterns seem to emerge, certain strengths, and more importantly certain weaknesses. Lately I've tried to be more aware of the things that I'm weak at and overcome these in one way or another (ex. keeping track of a list of things to do by memory alone doesn't work so I...). Another weakness, in spite of my best efforts, is the constant struggle to live a balanced life. As I'm getting more and more busy with my Turkish and research projects, not to mention the ongoing job search and all that entails, some things are harder to keep track of. For instance, the Vox posts. My goal has been to write 2-3 posts per week.
Istanbul, Turkey
July 9, 2008
This Warden Message is being issued to alert U.S. citizens to security concerns in Turkey. On July 9, a terrorist attack on the Turkish police guarding the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul resulted in the death of three police officers and wounding of other police personnel; there have been no reported injuries involving Consulate employees or family members. At this time, responsibility for the attack has not been assigned to a specific terrorist group.
The U.S. Consulate General will be closed for visa interviews and non-emergency U.S. citizen services on Thursday, July 10. The Consulate General is expected to reopen on July 11 and thereafter will resume its normal hours of service.
As security is increased at official U.S. facilities, terrorists may seek softer targets. These can include facilities where Americans and Westerns are known to live or congregate, especially hotels, restaurants, housing compounds, places of worship, and resort areas. U.S. citizens are urged to maintain a high level of vigilance and to maintain a low profile throughout Turkey. We reiterate Department of State advice to American citizens to take prudent steps to ensure their personal safety. Remain aware of surroundings, listen to news reports, avoid crowds and demonstrations, and vary times and routes for all travel.
We also note that a worldwide caution for American citizens remains in effect. For the latest security information, Americans living or traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department?s website, http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts can be found.
> US Consulate shootout: (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/09/turkey.usconsulate/index.html?eref=rss_topstories) Not involved and had no plans to go there in the near future, though I've been there a few times in the past. It's quite bunker-like so the only real danger would be to people as they're entering the building.
Last week was quite an adventure. In preparation for our joint interview in Dubai, I spent nearly all my time updating my portfolio and resume, getting my suit re-tailored, and helping Esra prepare her stuff. She was working crazy hours for an office deadline and so needed a bit of assistance. We flew to Dubai Tuesday night, arriving in Dubai around 2:30am. By the time we passed through customs, found our hotel shuttle, and checked in it was about 3:30am. Our interview was for the following morning at 10:30am. We got up early and each had "wardrobe malfunctions" - mine being that I forgot my cufflinks and Esra's being that she burned a hole through her new shirt while ironing. It didn't need ironing and in retrospect shouldn't have been. Despite being completely exhausted and still a bit sleepy, the interview seemed to go really well. They gave us a tour of the office, took us out to lunch, and then took us to one of their construction sites. On the return from the site, Esra started falling asleep. Luckily the director taking us around didn't notice. In the end, we feel very fortunate to be in the position we're in. The firm paid for our hotel, flights, and even gave us some daily spending money. The trip didn't cost us a cent.
> Esra: is again really busy at work with a series of deadlines culminating in a massive deadline next week Monday. She's been getting more and more responsibility though, so that's good.
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Recent Comments
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walldrug said:
But still how do you know which nouns require an article? I can give my students the correct answer for... read more
on Using "The" -
walldrug said:
Often in Turkey the sacrifices are done by a special place. They then prepare it for the customer. I've heard... read more
on Sacrifice Much? -
hannahbee said:
Sheesh! Tell them to stop asking such hard questions! The "the" isn't so bad, definite vs indefinite article...but all the... read more
on Using "The" -
hannahbee said:
That's interesting...have you seen a ritual sacrifice? If not, would you go, if invited? read more
on Sacrifice Much?
Here, this page has good definitions and examples. It does say to students that they just have to memorize some... read more
on Using "The"