Up and Away

Emma Goldman in Istanbul?

The past three weeks has found me with my nose to the grindstone during the week, and out of Konya on the weekend.  In the classroom, I'm getting into a rhythm and the students are too.  The weekly routine, especially in the Hazırlık classes, has definitely lowered my stress level here, though not much has actually changed.  We still have yet to be paid, and are still living in the Erasmus Sarayı.


In addition to feeling more comfortable with the classroom routine, and getting familiar with what is expected of me in the classroom, getting out of town on the weekends has helped me slough through the week.  I returned to Istanbul Oct 15-17th, and had a wonderful time!  Highlights included:

• Returning to the scene of a very happy semester abroad
• Chora church and Asitane 
• Hagia Sophia
• The Bosporus
• The Archaeology Museum (still haven't seen the whole thing, after 6 visits now)
• Reconnecting with some fellow Fulbrighters in town for the marathon
• Delicious food and real drinks
• New friends
• Playing frisbee with my old club team, Türk Kası

Marathon runners in Eminonu

I had a lovely time, and although the weather was miserable, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.  My trip definitely helped me recenter myself and remember why I wanted to return to Turkey in the first place.  Additionally, talking to other Fulbrighters has assured me that although in many way our situation in Konya is isolating, the unhappiness stems not from being in Turkey, but just from Konya and its (not so) hospitable residents.

Last weekend I travelled to Ankara for a frisbee tournament, and again I was reminded of how much I love Turkey.  Everyone I met was so hospitable, and it was wonderful to reconnect with many of my friends and teammates from my semester abroad.  Türk Kası didn't always play well, though we did go 4-2.  Most importantly though, it was great to get back on the field and to hang out with some really amazing people.  Having friends is great-- too bad only a handful of them live in Konya!  This upcoming weekend, I am taking an overnight bus down to Gaziantep to visit some other Fulbrighters and see a city I've been trying to get to since I first visited Turkey.  I'm looking forward to Gaziantep's famous baklava, the mosaics museum, and a soccer match: Gaziantepspor v Trabzonspor.  I'm also looking forward to seeing how these other Fulbrighters are living and how they've adjusted to their life abroad.  This will be my first trip to see other Fulbrighters in their home environments!

Blue Mosque from Hagia Sofia

Right now at Selcuk there is an English language teaching specialist here so things are very busy.  We have conferences/seminars twice a day, though I often am teaching and cannot attend.  However, I did get to go on Monday, and it was very interesting to hear what some of the other teachers in the department have to say about the Turkish education system and the university's approach to ELT.  Up until now, no one here has really been interested in talking to us in the office-- most other Fulbrighters have been able to make friends, or at least inroads, with their colleagues.  However, even though we're not making friends with our colleagues, we are getting to hear their perspectives on ELT in Turkey now. We have heard how the other teachers rant against the test-based evaluation system and inflexibility of ELT here.  We've also gotten to meet some teachers we haven't seen yet, since there are almost 100 in the department!  The visiting specialist, who knows Zühal Hanım from her PhD class (an online course) is from UMBC, and has already proven to be a valuable resource to us since we met her on Monday.  She'll be here until the Bayram, and while she is here, a number of US Embassy officials will be coming through town.  Hopefully this will ensure we'll get paid and maybe even help us find a real place to live.

Turk Kasi in Ankara

Finally, the earthquake which struck Van and southeastern Turkey this weekend has been on everyone's mind and has devastated an already poor area.  To those of you who contacted me to make sure I'm safe, thank you very much!  Luckily I am located safely in central Anatolia and am personally unaffected.  Keep the victims in your thoughts  please.  And check out this article my friend and Türk Kası teammate Julia wrote for the Guardian!

That's it for now-- hope to have some fun pictures from my trip to Gaziantep soon!