A week in the life of THIS English teacher in Turkey

My schedule leaves me little time to sit in front of my computer and update you all on my happenings here, but as it happens today is Republic Day in Turkey. As a result (and because H1N1 has hit Turkey) we have both today and tomorrow off from school. I'm sitting here on my third cup of strong Turkish tea, having eaten a hard-boiled egg that wasn't as hard-boiled as I thought. I find that simple tasks take on a new level of difficulty for me when I am confronted with a whole new set of stimuli. My mind seems to shut down and before I know it, I'm slicing open an egg with a nicely cooked yolk and a soft albumen inside.

Enough about eggs.

Okay, so let me take you through a day-by-day rundown of my work week.

Monday:
Up at 6:30 unless the call to prayer wakes me an hour earlier. Or unless the cat jumps on my head. Or unless I awaken in a panic because I failed to grade journals or lesson plan third period. I start making coffee and look through my closet for a pair of pants and a shirt that don't need ironing. After a shower and a quick breakfast, I head over to the English office. At 8:15, I head to the amphitheater for the Monday morning flag ceremony. My students sit in huddled groups, deceptively mellow and unawake at this hour, giving little indication of what they will be like in the classroom. We stand as the flag bearers come in and march down the stairs. The national anthem is played and the students all sing it in either a low register or monotone. I have discovered that this must be because of the key the anthem accompaniment is played in. You have to either sing it really low or really high and exposed. We listen to announcements, the flags are carried out and I run up to class.

Periods one and two with my advanced prep students (15 year olds) generally goes well. They're still waking up and haven't had their morning break yet so they aren't all hopped up on sugar. Our periods last a mere 40 minutes, which is either mercifully quick or ploddingly slow depending on my preparation and my students' behavior. We either read the novel we're working on or work in our grammar book. Third period comes and I get a break to regroup for 4th period. By this time, the students are their normal, energetic selves. They come upon me at the beginning of class, a wave of questions crashes against me and I entreat them to sit. I like my students. They have an energy that keeps me on my toes. They ask interesting questions. Their curiosity is fantastic and I find myself thinking back to try and remember if I was ever like this.

Period five is set up for parent teacher conferences - I've only done this a couple of times so mostly it's a prep hour for me. I take lunch at 6th period and check in with my fellow teachers. The lunches here are fantastic - we are spoiled: kofta, kebab, chicken, rice, salad, fresh fruit, puddings and cakes, yogurt, ayran, rich lentil soups.

After lunch, I head back to the English office to get ready to face my tenth graders. I teach two classes of tenth graders - each class is pretty unique. This group is my lively bunch. They move quickly through the material and would rather chat and draw and dance and do just about anything rather than settle down to a bit of reading. Yet once they do, they are engaged and ask some pretty insightful questions.

I get a period break then I have my other 10th grade class. This group is quieter but nevertheless just as engaged. They move through things more slowly but not because they lack the understanding or initiative. Rather, it's usually because they take more time to discuss ideas.

The best thing about walking into class each day? The students come to attention and stand by their desks until I tell them to sit (well, it takes them a bit of time to do this sometimes, but it's still pretty cool).

After class I help with the Beyond ISTA theater club.

Tuesday:
I dislike Tuesday mornings because I have two periods with each of my 10th grade classes right off the bat. I'm generally tired after teaching the same thing twice over the course of 4 periods. I get a bit of a mid-day break and then see my prep kids in the afternoon.

Wednesday:
10th graders again in the morning but only for one period with each group. Then I get a break, see my preps for two periods and then backup one of the 12th grade teachers after lunch. My afternoon is spent in a coordination meeting with two other teachers to plan the next week's lessons for 10th grade. After school, another teacher and I co-lead a radio club.

Thursday:
Prep kids in the morning, backup for 12th grade, then 10th graders late afternoon.

Friday:
I have the first two periods free (very nice, except for the fact that I've subbed for teachers 2nd period almost every week since school started). I see my 10th graders in the morning (I should mention we are reading To Kill a Mockingbird right now. My students know I'm a Mac user and in one class I came in to find, written on the board, "To Kill a Mocintosh" with an apple symbol with x'd out eyes. Very clever).

After 3rd and 4th periods, I rush over to the new building to see my preps for an hour. They are generally completely insane by this point in the week, but this is okay because I am too. I grab a super quick lunch then head back to the English building to help with the radio club's Friday lunchtime broadcast. Lately I've been bringing my iPod over to the co-op and playing jazz or lounge music for the hour. Then it's back to the new building for a lesson with the preps. 8th period on Friday is the last one of the week so I make that my SSR period with the students (I long for this period as it is generally the only block of time I have in the week for some solid reading).

We all head back to the amphitheater for the closing flag ceremony, get announcements, sing the anthem, enjoy the warmth of the sun and head out. Generally I will grab a drink and a snack with some of the Turkish and foreign faculty down by the bay.

The weeks fly by here. I'm generally overwhelmed but I've learned to ride the wave of uncertainty and enjoy the experience.

Back to school

Well, I'm on the tail end of a short first week of school. It's been overwhelming, interesting, nerve-racking, fun, inspiring, and draining all at once. I really like my Turkish students - overall they seem like a good bunch. Some will try my patience I'm sure, but overall, I like their energy. I'll share more once I get fully into my schedule.

Ephesus & Sirince

An amazing day today in Turkey. We left the lojman at 8:00 am and took a bus to Ephesus. According to Herodotos and others, Ephesus was founded by Ephos, queen of the Amazons. In Greek times, Artemis became the city's goddess of choice. Then in Roman times, she was given the name Diana. Ephesus is, of course, an important city for Christians as well because of its associations with the apostle Paul and the early Christian church. It was here that Paul started speaking at the basilica and lecture halls and was riling up the artisans. Demetrius, who made his living creating shrines to Artemis, got pissed off and thought Paul would take away all their market business by converting people to Christianity. They'd be out of the shrine and idol-making business. Part of our tour today included the amphitheater where Demetrius got everyone gathered and where they all shouted their cheers to Artemis. Paul wanted to go there and speak to the people but was dissuaded - this was a wise choice as he'd probably have been torn apart by the angry mob.

Ephesus is a great place to get a fairly clear picture of what it was like to have lived in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. This city has some of the best preserved ruins - there are homes with mosaic floors, temples to Artemis, latrines, markets, brothels, a library and two amphitheaters. One of the most remarkable parts of the tour was a look at the terrace houses that went up into the hills over the city. This was where the rich folk lived. Here you could see large reception areas, kitchens painted with frescos of birds and fish, tiled floors, and enormous bathrooms.

Through an ingenious plumbing system composed of terra cotta pipes, Ephesians could have hot and cold water, fountains, baths, and water running in the latrines to carry the waste away (along with a fresh stream that ran under the feet so one could use a sea sponge and clean up afterwards).

After our tour, we went to the nearby village of Sirince to get lunch. Gary, Rena, Becca and Sarah and I wandered up the steep roads until we found a sign for the Alis Pension Cafe and Bar. We walked down a dirt path to a wooden gate shaded by a large fig tree. Along the walk were several fruit trees - pomegranate, quince and peach - as well as olive trees. We got to a terraced area and ordered beer and mezze. A boy picked a peach and gave it to Sarah. Later the proprietor's older son picked peaches for all of us - huge, ripe, sweet peaches, the best I've tasted. Our meal consisted of a tomato cucumber salad with olive oil, fresh cheeses, small lamb kebabs, bread, olives and fresh pressed olive oil. This was the sort of meal people have on the Food Network - perfect setting, perfect company, perfect food.

On the bus ride home we made an impromptu stop along the road where a woman was selling dried chilis. Her husband invited us to pick ripe figs from the trees behind the house. We talked with the family, ate amazing figs and bought strings of dried red chili peppers.

I'll follow up with some pics for those of you who don't have Facebook.

Istanbul Trip (in a series of statements - photos without commentary follow)

-I traveled to Istanbul for a three-day orientation session.
-I discovered that airport security is not so crazy in Izmir and Istanbul as it is in the US.
-The flight to Istanbul was less than the time it takes for me to fly to Chicago from Minneapolis.
-The Taksim neighborhood on the European side of Istanbul looks very much like any other old European city (with the addition of mosques here and there).
-I discovered our hotel was close to the Pera Palace Hotel.
-Agatha Christie used to stay at the Pera Palace Hotel when she took the Orient Express.
-Pera Palace is an old school 19th century hotel with lots of marble.
-The Pera Palace is closed for renovations and restoration.
-I do not know what the lobby looks like except in pictures.
-Cats are as plentiful in Istanbul as they are in Izmir.
-People stay up late here.
-Orientation can be tiring if you are still struggling to get used to a new time schedule.
-I was not taught enough in history class about neither Constantine nor the Ottoman Empire.
-I learned a song in Turkish.
-For the most part I have Turkish pronunciation down pat.
-I need to build up a lexicon of useful words and phrases.
-The Hagia Sophia is one of the most fascinating places I've ever seen.
-The Hagia Sophia contains iconography architectural elements and calligraphy from both the Christian and Muslim religions.
-The Hagia Sophia must have been AMAZING when it was first completed and was covered in mosaic tiles.
-Mosques get their domed look from the Hagia Sophia.
-The dome of the Hagia Sophia was actually a part of the Christian-era architecture of the church.
-I kept singing Hagia Sophia to the tune of "Hava Nagila" but only in my head.
-The food here is making me put on weight again.
-There are about 50 cisterns under Istanbul.
-I toured the largest.
-These were made during the Christian era.
-The pillars used to support these structures were taken from Greek and Roman temples and are quite exquisite.
-Two carvings of the head of Medusa help prop up two pillars.
-Neither head is facing the right way.
-Jackie Chan filmed part of a film in this cistern.
-The Bosphorus is beautiful. The 4 hour cruise I took was excellent.
-I want to go back to Istanbul soon.
-I have a picture of the Blue Mosque below.
-I did not get to see the inside of the Blue Mosque.
-The pictures below are in no particular order.

On Strays, Backgammon and Nargile

Strays:

There are tons of cats and dogs wandering the streets of Izmir. We have about three cats that hang out by the lojman (faculty housing) and there are three or four more that loiter at the south gate. They look a bit like the cats in Grey Gardens - small, with tongues hanging out and lethargic. The dogs are even more lazy, finding a shady spot and parking it for the day. The interesting thing about all of these strays is the way the community takes care of them. As I was leaving the school lunchroom a couple days ago, a guard approached me. I was about to drop off my tray when he gestured to the chicken bones on my plate. He then indicated with a nod that he'd like to add my chicken bones to the tray he was collecting. "For dogs," he said. After this, I noticed in the evenings after dinner, walking along the streets, these small squares of newspapers upon which sat leftovers - köfte, lamb, bones and rice all sitting in glops. Whilst walking down to the bay, I interrupted a cat in the middle of a dinner of fava beans by a streetlamp.

Backgammon:

I'd not known that backgammon is such a popular game here, but walk down to the bars any evening and you'll see men and women young and old sitting over a table playing backgammon - others sit and play a game that looks like mahjong. I love backgammon so I'm gonna have to get me a board and play a few games with the locals. The thing people like to do while playing backgammon besides having a drink is to smoke the Nargile.

Nargile is the Turkish counterpart to the Hindu hookah. I've smoked a nargile twice since coming here. Both times at the Garden Cafe. Our ever-friendly waiter suggested we try cappuccino flavored tobacco, so we did. After a bit, friendly waiter arrives with the glass water pipe puffing away at the end of it to get it going. He then sets it down and throws a few wrapped plastic spigots or mouthpieces on the table and we go to it. It's a pretty social event, this water pipe smoking. The mouthpiece gets passed around and the heady smoke fills the evening air. Every few minutes happy waiter came through puffing on another pipe as he brought it to the table. Quite the enjoyable occupational hazard.

We hit Ikea today to get a bunch of stuff for our apartments. Tomorrow? We're off to Istanbul for three days. I'm hoping to get to see the hotel Agatha Christie used to stay in there. Apparently it's pretty chichi.

My first post from Izmir

Well, I've decided to keep my old blog url since most people know it. The title of the blog has changed, tho (I'm still looking for a better title, but this will have to do until then - Molly and Kristin came up with a great list but I don't think many of those will work). Back at the end of January I was attending an overseas teaching job fair. There I accepted a position teaching at a high school in Izmir, Turkey. Since that time, I pretty much led my normal everyday life with the exception of having to get a few ducks in order - passport, application for Turkish work visa, trip to Chicago to get said visa stamped into my passport, packing, flying out.

Now that I'm here, I can't believe how quickly my summer in Minnesota passed. But anyway, I'll talk about all that's been happening since I got here.

Sunday, August 16th -
I arrived in Izmir at about 3:30 pm and promptly realized that I'd failed to exchange some money before arriving. This made getting a one euro trolly to haul my luggage difficult. I asked about an ATM but it was apparently on the other side of customs. I was reduced to begging a euro off of a fellow passenger. Once I got all that sorted out and got my luggage, I whizzed through customs without the officials even taking one look at my bags, then met Chris (our school's administrator) and Vide (a fellow English teacher). They helped me get my luggage in the van and we headed over to the Lojman, or faculty housing (I like the sound of that word, lojman. I think I'm going to use it for all subsequent residences). They asked if I wanted to sleep or head out and see the neighborhood. Neighborhood, definitely.

We walked around - oh, wait! here's a series of photos I patched together to show my apartment - it's kind of hard to see, but you get the idea. It's huge! I could fit three of my Japartment in this place (tho' I'll always miss the heated toilet seat and deep tub in that place).


- the neighborhood and Chris pointed out various places I'd need to familiarize myself with - where to buy good fruit, a bakery, the post office, a convenience store, the bank, etc. Then we walked over to the Kordon - this is the area on the bay where there is a big walkway and tons of little outdoor bars and cafes. Apparently someone back in the day had come up with the idea of building a major highway along the coast here which would have ruined the area. Thankfully, aesthetic heads prevailed and the project was abandoned. It was hot and I was a might parched so Chris and Vide took me to a bar where we had a couple of beers. As we sat there, several convertibles sped by (there's still a road along the coast, just not a view inhibiting, elevated highway), with men beating drums and boys seated up high on the back seat wearing dress clothes and flowing capes. We saw about 7 or 8 in the course of an hour. The boys were smiling and waving. Chris explained that this bit of pomp was to celebrate when a 9-year-old boy was going to be circumcised. The boy is obviously smiling because he hasn't had the procedure done yet.

After beers, we went to a local restaurant where I had a lamb and eggplant kebab with ayran (a kind of salted yogurt drink) and ended with Turkish coffee. That night I unpacked and slept only a few hours.

Monday - Wednesday
These days have been spent doing a lot of walking, taking trips to the store to get things for my place, exploring the neighborhood, greeting other arriving teachers and getting to know the campus. They have quite an orientation set up for us - trips to Ikea and local shopping malls, three days in Istanbul, departmental meetings, planning sessions, etc. We'll be very prepared by the time our students arrive.

I wanted to post a ton of pictures of the Kordon, the school and the exterior of my apartment, but I cannot get the pictures to load. I Think once I get my DSL hooked up it will be quicker. Right now I'm just piggy-backing off of my neighbor's wireless - thanks Michelle!

More to come.

Seen and Overheard at the Ecopolitan

I just got back from a great dinner with Liz, Bevin, and Christina at Ecopolitan, Minneapolis' raw foods/vegan restaurant. The meal was great, the company, scintillating and the people-watching was ... in a word, interesting. Across the room from us sat a couple. Just a seemingly normal middle-aged couple having a quiet conversation. Behind Liz sat a table of two women and a man celebrating one of their birthdays. There were others in the adjoining room but I don't remember much about them.

We sat, enjoying our silly conversations when above the din a woman's voice rose and said something to the effect of, "Don't call me Barbara, whenever I'm in here I must only be referred to as Liz." (I can't remember if Barbara was the first name, but you get the idea - it was a WEIRD thing to say. I thought it was odd and after the people behind Liz left, I leaned over to Christina and asked, "What did that Liz woman say they weren't supposed to call her?" Christina laughed and replied, "I don't remember and she's still here." It was apparently woman who made up half of the middle-aged couple who'd made the loud, strange remark. Luckily she hadn't heard me and we continued with our own conversations.

A bit later, as we were eating our food, I happened to look behind Bevin to the corner where the couple sat. The middle-aged man, while the woman was talking to him, picked up his empty plate AND BEGAN LICKING HIS PLATE!!!! Not just a single lick, but several, sweeping licks! This man made a production of licking his plate clean.

Come on! Who licks their plate in a restaurant?!