Merry Christmas!

I am writing to you from my family's living room in the great old midwest of USA.  Although no snow here, there is a healthy midwest frost on the ground and ice forming on the lake.  Usually Robert College doesn't have a holiday over Christmas, we just get Christmas Day off, so I am lucky that the schedule worked out this way and I got to spend my first Christmas back home with my family.  My time back has been wonderful.  I've been able to spend time with family and friends, relax, and get some missed items to bring back to Turkey.  I've also taken advantage of shopping from home, which is very limited in Turkey and can be heavily tariffed since the items are usually shipped from abroad.  Don't ever take for granted how inexpensive and easy it is to get any kind of item online or at a megastore.  Of course, it sends many jobs overseas where labor is cheap and leaves many Americans unemployed, but let's not bring that up now.  After all, I've done my duty supporting this economy since being home.

A quick update leading up to this point.  Signs of Christmas started popping up all over Istanbul in December, which seemed kind of funny to me seeing that the 99% of Turks are Muslim.  I then learned that it was all for the New Year.  The Turks had ingeniously taken the Christian holiday, secularized it, and called it their New Years.  They have a  New Years Tree (complete with lights and ornaments) and  a Noel Baba with the splitting image of dear Santa who comes New Years Eve to give presents to the kids.

The school had a Christmas celebration for the whole faculty.  They had a wagon ride for the faculty children taking them around campus, a Santa for the kids to go up to to ask for gifts, caroling, and a large Christmas feast.  Turkish staff joined with their kids and enjoyed our traditions.  Actually, I was surprised by the number of Christmas carols they knew, sometimes more than me.  Spiced wine was aflowing, cotton candy, popcorn, candy canes were all passed around.  It was a great time for all.

I spent my weekends leading up to my departure shopping.  I went to the Covered (also called the Grand) Bazaar a few times, some local shops and spice markets.  The big presents I brought back were camel saddle bags, tavla (backgammon) boards, and Turkish towels (which I use and love!).

I flew in Saturday, December 24 and fly out tonight, December 29.  Although it's been a short trip, I have squeezed so much in I feel like it's been longer.  The highlight has been seeing and playing with my little niece Emma who is now 5 months old.  She was only a few weeks old when I left.  It was so great to see how much she has grown and developed her adorable little personality.  It's sure hard to leave her again knowing how much she will change.

I leave tonight excited to go back to my new home.  Istanbul is becoming a home to me.  But I do not look forward to the stressful job, although things are getting easier slowly.  It has also been nice getting a break from the crowds and stress the city and foreign life bring.  What helps is the knowledge that I will have a break soon and my mom will be flying out in less than a month to visit me in Istanbul, then we will take off for Egypt.  I will be sure to keep you updated on those adventures.

Almost four months in...

I must admit there have been some very overwhelming moments since my move here August 15.  My emotions can go up and down like a roller coaster.  When I wonder why that is, all I have to do is look at what I have done in less than four months and it becomes obvious.  Uprooting myself from my family and friends, moving to a foreign country with a completely different language and set of customs, a new and stressful job, all I have to say is well no kidding Lizzy, what did you expect?!  But the highs of this place make it all worth it. I have absolutely no regrets of my decision. 

My daily life goes like this.  I have about a three minute walk to the office.  I am usually there by 7:15am.  I teach 3-5 classes a day.  The schedules are insane and we have to jump around from room to room.  No day of mine is ever the same.  It isn’t unheard of for a teacher to completely miss a class because they looked at the wrong day.  I have yet to do that, but trust me every time a bell rings I study that schedule hard to make sure I am not needing to go anywhere.  Within that day are meetings, time for planning, and parent teacher conferences with of course translators.  On Mondays and Wednesdays after school, I assistant coach the boys soccer team.  Other evenings can involve a walk to town for some needed food or supplies, ordering in some food with a colleague (all restaurants around us deliver, just zip around on their motor scooter), grading and planning, or very rarely a run.  On weekends, I try to have a day of either exploration of the city or big shopping day, and Sunday is always saved for preparing for the work week.  A long run is always somewhere in there.  Sunday night is sacred.  I have met a group of male teachers here who get together for football.  They have been terrific in including me.  The first Sunday game starts at 8pm here and we all gather at the guy’s house with the big screen and the channels of Fox and ESPN America.  It has been a great tradition and really saved me from the Sunday night blues.

There are times I realize how accustomed I’m becoming to things here.  There are other times I am in shock of what I still have not been able to get used to.  For example, things I’ve become accustomed to:

• Um is never said by Turks because it means a female private part (really, think they could have chosen a different word!).  The kids are used to us Americans saying it enough that they don’t giggle, but still won’t say it.  Their um then sounds like shay, which means thing.  I have gotten so used to hearing that word thrown in, even when the kids are talking in English, but still have yet to throw it in my own vocabulary.

• Sick means the f-bomb in Turkish.  The kids then are always ill, not sick.  It was strange hearing that word all the time at first, since really we do not use ill that often in America, but now use it all the time.

• I am not as picky/particular as I used to be.  Ordering food, well, I can forget ever trying to modify a thing.  My only hope is that they understood me enough to get the food item correct.  Getting to a destination in a taksi, well anywhere close is good enough.  Buying cheeses, types of detergents, sauces, I can only guess what I am getting and hope I like it.  Of course, I can bring a dictionary, but no matter what, there are many new things here I wouldn’t have recognized anyway.

• I have gotten used to often times being in doubt.  I can ask a Turk for directions and believe I understood where I am going, but once I follow their directions realize they did not understand my original question.  No longer is that a surprise to me.  I am used to these misunderstandings.  I plan excursions to take much longer because of this.  I also have gotten very good at my miming.  Games like charades not only are great fun, but can teach you some very practical skills!

And things I am still struggling with to get used to:

• Their middle finger is making a fist and putting their thumb between their middle two fingers.  Unfortunately, that’s how I like to run.  I also walk around at times like that.  Don’t ask me why.  Definitely adjustment FAIL on this one from my end.

• This language is hard and I’m making very slow progress now!  A big reason is how busy I am and how it is low on the priority list.  I even think I have lost some Turkish words I had learned in my first few weeks here!  My language acquisition is purely out of necessity.  I can use simple nouns to ask how much, where things are, direct a taxi, read a menu, but not much else.  All my attempts to communicate are single words or very simple phrases.  Really it’s quite sad when you consider the fact I have been here for nearly four months.

I am looking forward to my return to the States in just a few weeks.  Until then, I can get into the spirit her because Santa, trees, and decorations are popping up around the city which is very comforting to see.  Might seem quite crazy to you that a Muslim society has these Christian decorations and you are quite correct.  How do they get away with it?  By calling it the New Year Tree and New Year Santa of course.  These decorations are all used to celebrate the Turkish New Year.  Many Turks have no idea what these things mean to Christians.  Despite this fact, I’m quite happy to see these familiar objects around me.

Iyi Bayramlar (Happy Holiday)!

Out in this part of the world, we are celebrating the Slaughter Holiday.  While I plan to celebrate it by resting and catching up on work, my students are going off with their families to visit relatives and slaughter some animals for a big feast.  I have been warned that Istanbul can really start to smell (as if it doesn't already) and not to be shocked if I see blood flowing down a side street (from the slaughtered animal, I presume).

Since I slightly alluded to it, I want to just talk about safety here in Istanbul.  As a single female, I have never felt nervous walking alone at night or found myself in a bad part of town.  I think there are several reasons for this. One is that people are EVERYWHERE.  This city has at least 13 million residents.  It never seems like there is a lonely alley or street.  And the city is up late!  At 9 pm on a weekday, the streets will be buzzing still and all vendors still tending their little shops.  There is also a different kind of attitude towards women.  Men will still give up their seats for women on buses.  They will also try to shelter women from the world.  For example, I am helping to coach the boys soccer team (another story in itself!)  The head coach, a huge Irishman named Graham Flemming, yelled out to the boys in his Irish accent "you boys are playing like you have no balls!"  I first off don't even know how the boys understood him because I have difficulty enough understanding what Graham is saying and this is my first language, the boys have to understand the dialect as their second language!  Well, they not only understood him, but stopped cold in their tracks.  One of the boys spoke up "but Mr. Flemming" and nodded my direction.  They were in utter shock that he would say something like that in front of a woman.  Men are just more protective of women in this culture, for better or for worse.  Although I do find that I can attract more attention just because I look different, I have never witnessed anything more than a stare or a honk of the horn.  And my guess is that if anyone ever did step out of line, others would step in to intervene.  That isn't to say that there aren't dangerous people here, or that there are not bad areas of Istanbul, but overall it really does seem like a very safe city to live in.

One of the highlights so far here has been having all my dormitory students over for dinner.  I teach Prep students and ninth graders so I had them over in two different groups.  As a class, my students can drive me bonkers.  They talk constantly.  There is no such thing as a silent class of Turks, I swear.  Their sociability is so apparent outside of school too.  I thought Americans were bad with their cell phones, but I don't think they rank to this scale.  It is not uncommon to see a table of Turks out for dinner and all of them are on their phone.  Anyways, as a teacher this is a huge frustration.  Although I think culturally it is not as rude to talk on top of each other, in American culture it is and I get very mad at how they constantly interrupt and talk over each other and myself.  Pulling these students away from this, though, I can see how unfair this assessment is.  These students are some of the most respectful and appreciate kids I know.  They were so excited to come over for dinner.  They complimented me on my mismade brownies (google translate isn't always perfect) that turned out undercooked...."but they tasted delicious Ms. Washburn!" and only laughed very respectfully over the mistake (luckily none of them got any food poisoning!).  I think everyone truly enjoyed themselves and plan to continue to have these dinners throughout the year.

I went to my first soccer match here in Istanbul and it was quite the experience!  Soccer is INSANE here.  There are three big teams in the city, and I went to see one of them: Besiktas.  The stadium is not too far from the school.  Its reputation in the city is the working class team.  The stadium was electric...that is once we got in after the cattle line and two pat downs.  The fans had these amazing cheers that went on throughout the match.  They also had this awful whistle which was their way of booing.  Whenever the other team got the ball, an awful high pitched shriek went off.  Seriously, I don't know if I have heard a worse sound in my life.  A vuvuzela would have sounded like the heaven after this.  On the other side of the stadium was a small area for the opposing fans.  It was a completely enclosed cage.  The cage was entirely for those fans' protection.  Riot police were everywhere, with their large plastic barriers to protect themselves.  For the most part, the fans behaved themselves.  The only episodes I saw was one time where they started pelting one of the guys on the other team with trash as he was throwing in the ball.  The other time was when they decided to light some flares.  The police did have some parts down to a science to avoid any troubles.  As soon as the half and game end, a huge covered walkway was rolled out so the other team could run out without feeling the fans' wrath.  There also was absolutely no alcohol.  The vendors on foot were selling chai (tea) so the fans could get hopped up on caffeine but nothing else and sunflower seeds which they spit madly when they were not happy with their team or a call.

While most of our holidays are not celebrated in Turkey, we have our own celebrations on campus with the faculty.  On Halloween, the kids of the faculty went around trick or treating to the various campus apartments.  We then all met up for a Halloween party at the end.  Thanksgiving we all will get together for a potluck to celebrate.  That will have to take place on Saturday since we have to work Thursday and Friday.  There also is a Christmas celebration where a teacher dresses up as Santa for the faculty kids, there is a sleigh ride, and party.  I will be missing this one because I am going back to Chicago!  Unlike past years where usually just Christmas Eve and Day are given off for the faculty, this year we get a whole week so I have my ticket to fly home!!

I will finish off with a list of items I plan to get and bring back from home: taco seasoning, Taco Bell hot sauce packets, Tapatio, taco shells, black beans (miss my Mexican food!), Trader Joe snacks, vanilla extract (they don't have it here), cake mix (not too many dessert mixes here), some Pale Ale (all you can get here is their local shitty Pilsener called Efes, or pay an arm and a leg for Corona or Budweiser, it's so sad!), shoes and clothes (there aren't large department stores here like in the states nor online shopping).  It's funny because as I make this list, I am now starting to think about the things I will miss here when I eventually go.  The yogurt, mini cucumbers, sweet red peppers, patlican (eggplant), figs, sour cherry juice, dolma (rice wrapped in grape leaves), red lentils, their nuts and dried cranberries, Turkish coffee, and baklava.  And I'm sure this list will grow as I continue to explore my new home.

The Turkish Hamam (Bath)

If I were to have to describe Istanbul with a word, it would be CONTRADICTION. Towering stone structures dating back to the early part of the first millennium are now overshadowed by their anchored neighboring cruise ships which have just come into port. A young woman dressed in head scarf and trench coat walks hand in hand with her best friend wearing short shorts and a ponytail. Turks who have all the time in the world to help you out or give you advice are the first to race and push in front of you to get on the bus or cut you in the bathroom or check-out line.   I found this same contradiction in the Turkish Hamam.

I got invited to go to this hamam with a Turkish colleague who goes there every weekend. For me, this was an ideal situation. I have been wanting to gain this Turkish experience, but have heard that tourist area hamams are not the real thing. Unfortunately going to a local hamam like this alone is very intimidating seeing that they would not speak English and I would be completely unknowing of the culture of a hamam.

I went early Saturday morning with my math colleague Jack and our Turkish colleague Irem. Jack and I took an early ferry over to the Asian side where her hamam was. This was a first hamam experience for both Jack and me. The hamam was built in the 1600s as a part of a larger mosque complex, as was usual for the times. Cleanliness is very important in the Muslim religion and therefore sultans saw building these hamams as an important service to the public who did not have private baths. Here is a little more on the Canili Hamam you can check out http://www.cinilihamam.com/eng/default.asp?p=homepage. You can go to the gallery of the website and get better pictures of the bath. From the outside, the hamam was honestly not much to look at. The walls were old and looking like it. There were many domes in the ceiling but the placement and size seemed randomly chosen making the general appearance of it not aesthetically pleasing.

After explaining to Jack the steps in which he should expect, we split our ways since there were two different entrances, men and women. We had gotten there early so we were the first to enter. The inside of the hamam was beautiful. The first part we entered into was the changing area. It was a two story square shaped room with the dressing rooms around the outside of both levels. We got our bowls for washing ourselves and I bought a scrubbing mitt. We then went into the changing rooms and stripped down into our underwear. Large windows without blinds were on each of the changing room doors so I realized that the function of the rooms were not so much privacy as a place to lock and keep secure our belongings. We then grabbed our towel, soap, scrubbing mitt, and bowls and headed into the bath.

Although the ancient tiles for which the hamam was named have been stolen off the walls, the bath is still stunning. When you enter, there is a large stone table in the middle where we were later scrubbed and massaged. Circling the main table were about 8 little nooks with three large sinks and taps in each. A sauna was located in there opposite the entrance. From the inside,the domes made complete sense. There was a huge one in the middle over the stone table and smaller ones over the little nooks. We settled ourselves into one of the nooks and turned on our taps. Once the water was at the right temperature, we used our bowls to pour the water on us. We then decided to go into the sauna for a bit, even though the temperature of the bath itself was already up there. After about 20 minutes of sauna and rinsing, we decided we were ready for the scrubbing and Irem went and told one of the scrubbers. This is where I encountered my first surprise.

I have gotten used to living in a more traditional culture. Although more young women don't than do cover up, there are still a large number of middle-aged women who wear the traditional garb of trenchcoat and head scarf. Therefore, I was slightly taken aback when my middle aged female scrubber came in with only a tight pair of underwear on her lower half. Not an image I was expecting here in Turkey. And as soon as I laid down on the table, she made me topless just like her. She then took the scrubbing mitt and scrubbed a layer of dirt and skin right off me. It was quite amazing to see what actually came off me. And it felt good, like a good scratch over my entire body. I then rinsed off at the sink, then she washed me with my soap and massaged me, rinsing me with warm water after. The scrub and massage mixed with the heat and hot water of the bath made this an extremely relaxing experience. Of course, this relaxation only came after a few minutes of adjusting to the small shocks of the workings of the hamam. Lying in the middle of the open bath on a stone table nearly naked as many women entered was a little disconcerting at first, but I quickly forgot about it since everyone was doing the same. Having a nearly naked woman scrub me down was also a different experience, but again the normalcy of how everyone acted about it made me quickly forget it. Afterwards, the whole day, I felt so relaxed and clean. Even writing this the morning after, my skin still feels so smooth from that scrubbing.

We left after not quite two hours and found Jack. From the sounds of it, his experience was quite similar. We finished the morning off with a leisurely Turkish breakfast nearby with fresh vegetables, eggs, and bread with various spreads. Of course, there were many cups of chai (which is their traditional tea). It was a wonderful start to the weekend and I know Jack and I will be both doing this again.

Whoa!

What just happened?! This past week has been a blur of work, emotion, grading, some sleeping, meetings, students. Occasionally I've been able to climb outside the gates of the school and go for a much needed run or grab coffee.

Teaching is HARD. I am putting in such long days and still feel like there is so much always to do. I have had some classes that have just tanked. Others have gone better. In addition to being a new teacher, I am dealing with a different culture. Students are extremely chatty. It's a social culture. For a while I thought it was me. Then I found out that one of the other new teachers has given out 14 detentions in these first few weeks. We are all dealing with this culture shock.

There are three things that are getting me through these stressful weeks. The first are my students. They are the best part of the job. I am organizing a dinner with my dormitory students and I'm just as excited as they are. The second is the idea I'm holding to with all my might that this has to get easier. I will burn out before a year is over if it isn't. Therefore it MUST. Finally, American football. 8PM here Sunday night are the kick-offs of the first games. We all meet up at one of the guys' houses where there is a game on the big screen and multiple on laptops. Nothing makes me feel more at home.

Before I go on, I realize I have left out the most important piece of my survival so far which has been the incredible support I have gotten here. All teachers have gone through this first year and for this reason have been so terrific in helping me thus far go through mine. I also am so lucky to live right next to the headmaster who has been my biggest coach. To tell you how amazing John is, I have not heard a single bad thing about him. For a boss, that is extremely rare. It means he must either be a spectacular leader or have some good spies. In John's case, I know there are no spies. Everyone really does have such a respect for him that is well-deserved.

Ever since this new job gobbled up my life, my exploration of Istanbul has really slowed down. I'm even losing some of the Turkish I've picked up! Of the four weekends I've had, two have involved parent open houses so I've found myself with a six day week. One weekend, I went with the Prep (first year) students to Istanbul Modern, an art museum here. It was a fantastic time! We also went up the tallest building in Europe, which honestly didn't seem that tall. The view from the top though was terrific.

Some of my football crew are also in this band and last weekend I went to their gig in Taksim. Taksim is THE place for nightlife. The main street is pedestrian only and it is constantly flowing with a sea of people! I went with some colleagues from the math department to a great Turkish restaurant first, then headed to the club. Most of the crowd were teachers. It was the first time seeing the transformation of many from their teacher clothes. Seeing my middle aged teaching colleagues rocking away was a blast. We fittingly ended it with a late night stop at a Turkish fast food stop. Some things transcend culture.

On Sunday, Turkish rug sellers from the Grand Bazaar came onto campus to sell rugs. They first showed off the rugs, described how to know good ones from bad ones, and Afghan rugs from Turkish ones. It was fascinating. The art of the presentation was also a sight to see. As the rugs were shown, they were placed in this beautiful mosaic on the Robert College terrace. After just one teacher pay check, I'm in no place to purchase one, but plan to in the future. They are quite the pieces of art.

I'm going to end as I always do with notes that don't particularly go with anything:

• Things start and end late here. For example, I went out to eat last night with colleagues. On the way back at 9pm, all the shops were still open and we did our produce, bread, and miscellaneous shopping. That night out in Taksim, the band didn't start until around 12am and they were the first and only group. We got home around 3:30am and when we left the place was still hopping.
• I have a cleaning lady. Although I have this little bit of guilt for having a cleaning lady at the age of 27, my love for what she does far overshadows that feeling. No longer do I have to worry about those stupid washing and drying machines downstairs which I swear don't work for me, plus it was always a guess at what setting I was leaving it on. Even better, no more ironing! My place is cleaner and more organized than I had ever had it.
• I now have a great deal more understanding to those foreigners I served at Tutta Bella who would drive all us servers nuts. They really mean nothing by it. I went out to eat with a Turk and she waved at, gave hand signals to, even tapped his shoulder when he was talking to the table beside us. These kinds of things would have been beyond rude in Seattle. My Turkish colleague is an extremely respectful person, it is just culturally acceptable here. The waiter (and there are never waitresses here) always responded positively. I have also never been to a restaurant that has presented the bill without being asked. It is quite crazy how different two cultures can be.
• Vegetarianism does not exist here in Istanbul. Meat is in so many of the dishes. There is even a popular pudding dish where chicken is used for the consistency. I am not eating vegetarian here, though I find myself often looking for those options only because I feel like I am eating too much meat. My friend and colleague Janelle on the other hand gets migraines from it so has tried to stay to a vegetarian diet which has been hard. We went to get food from a local restaurant and I felt like we made it clear we wanted yok et (without meat), only peynir ve domates (cheese and tomatoes) but of course they came out with a pizza with tomatoes, cheese and huge chunks of pepperoni like substance which we knew was not soy based (since no such thing exists here). When we pointed out that we didn't want the meat, the server took it away only to bring it back with the meat peeled off it. Unfortunately, living in a foreign country, there is nothing else you can do so Janelle sportingly ate around the obvious grease spots left from the pepperoni substance. In the restaurant's defense, I know they didn't think they had done a thing wrong by peeling it off. Janelle's students, upon finding out she didn't eat meat, peppered her with questions. One asked very seriously, what do you do for the slaughter holiday?! This is the holiday for when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son. I have been warned that on this holiday, the city, which already smells from the vast amount of people, fish and vehicles, wreaks from the many people who partake in the slaughtering aspect of the holiday. Luckily, more and more, I hear, are buying there already slaughtered meat from outside this crowded metropolis.
  

Survived Week One!!!

Man, what a week. I don't know exactly where to start. Sitting here at home at 5pm Friday with a glass of wine and my feet kicked up, I feel like I have just won a hard fought basketball game I was supposed to win. I've won, but there were some ill-advised passes, shots, and defensive errors to go with that winning play. To add to this, there really is not going to be too much time to reflect on it all because the next game is approaching quickly.

The first thing I should talk about is my students. When I think back to my week, these faces are what I see. They really are the best part about my job. My biggest "problem" my first week of classes with any student was one who did not like a proof I had shown. A group of students stayed in the classroom during break, some defending the proof and the other student trying to find another one. It really was so exciting to see. And these are ninth graders!

I already have noticed many mistakes or changes I want to make. First off, learning a new class list of names is hard. Imagine learning a roomful of students whose names you have absolutely no connection to. They are all foreign. Names have been so hard for me! And that's assuming I even got the pronunciation down in the first place. Other than that, I have to remember that although these students are very bright, they are still Preps and ninth graders. I will be telling them a new math concept, then look up and no one is writing notes. I forget they need a reminder to get out their notebooks. There have been other times that I have been surprised at their questions and have to remember where they are coming from. That's right, they must be told that, they're only 15!

Other notes on the week:

• The students are not supposed to speak Turkish in class. This can be very difficult for me to enforce, especially since I have so much respect for them for learning this all in another language. For example, I introduced today solving systems of linear equations through elimination. None of my students knew initially what this meant. When I defined elimination, a few got it and wanted to say what it was in Turkish to their neighbors (since they all had learned elimination but in Turkish) but I had to stop that although I also understand exactly why they want to speak Turkish there.
• I saw my first Prep class today. They are adorable!!! Let me just say you would NEVER see a class like this in America. Each student smiled when you said their name, would stand if you called on them to speak, and tried so incredibly hard. They also did not say a word unless called on. I think I could have stood there for ten minutes after the bell rang not speaking and they would have silently sat there looking at me. Upon leaving, they all said good-bye and smiled as they left.
• I have worked 4 straight days over 11 hours. Today was the first day I left after only 9.5, but that's only because I have to go in tomorrow to meet parents and know I can work during those breaks. It is exhausting work. Here at RC, there is a great respect for teachers (I think it's cultural). With this respect brings a great amount of responsibility which all RC teachers feel. We work hard because our students demand it. It's a beautiful system.
• Each day, the teacher part comes a little easier. The reason I know this is that I'm starting to be able to zoom out further and further and see the bigger picture of the class. If you were to ask me the first day who sat directly in the front middle (or anywhere), I would have had no idea. Much less which of my students uttered a word. If you asked me today, I could have told you that, as well as who spoke the most as well as who I found seemed the most disinterested or lost. To those who have never taught, it really is quite the skill to teach while taking in all this information. I still have a ways to go.

Well those are a few of my notes for now. Although very demanding, I could not imagine a better place to start my teaching career. These students are fantastic. My colleagues and support are just as spectacular.

Not just any kind of job training

Greetings all!

Well, it's the Friday before my first week of classes and I am (as to be expected) quite freaked out. The last week of training has involved some hurried moments, frustrating timetakers, and much appreciated helpful guidance. While I look forward to this week, I am feeling not at all prepared. I am trying to stay as calm as possible knowing that it all will, well has to, work out.

This last week has involved many things you would probably see in the States. We started with an all staff meeting, then picture. Some department meetings, more all staff meetings, LOTS of technical training, running down to the IT department for a computer update, then again because your mouse is no longer working, and 5 more staff meetings. I would put my meeting to planning ratio at about 10:1 and I believe if anything I am underrating the time I have had to myself to work. Seeing the harried teachers trying to get things done doesn't calm me down, but legitimizes my feelings of unease going into this week. We all feel like there is so much more to be done, but I know in the end, we all will get it done and be ready when the time comes.

While there have been some experiences here that all teachers I am sure have felt, some I think are truly unique to this school.

• At every RC all staff meeting, everything has to be translated because many teachers don't speak Turkish and others (for example Turkish and Turkish history teachers) don't speak English. At some meetings, they have headphones all teachers can grab. There is someone hired at these meetings to simultaneously translate the entire meeting. When a Turkish teacher talks, I have to put on my headphones to hear them in English. The translator does the same from Turkish to English. This is an extremely hard job. They have to switch the language in a split second because someone can ask a question or the next speaker can be speaking the other language without ever a pause. While this is nice because it doesn't slow down the meeting, listening to the staticy wireless headphones can get quite old quickly. Some pairs are also much worse than others and it's hard to hear the translator above the static and actual presentation going on.
• I shouldn't complain about the above because in the other staff meetings without a translator, other teachers and staff would go back and forth presenting in both languages. This doubles the time but not the material. In the state us teachers felt that we had little time for planning, this was even harder to sit though.
• The Ministry is involved in everything. Field trip, class planning, special events all have specific forms and books so they can get approved and go through. Also, all teachers need to be involved in a club and have an extra duty (again Ministry rules). Of course, we had meetings to explain this all. At 2:45pm this afternoon, the testing system opened up and all of us teachers frantically plugged in our test dates for the semester hoping they weren't already closed. Why...again the Ministry. Students can have no more than 2 tests per day. While this may sound like a fantastic idea protecting students from the evil teachers, with schedules the way they are, I can only test my kids on certain days since that's the only day I see them all. Luckily I got all my dates so no need to move things back or forward a week or two.
• We had an emergency preparedness meeting and all staff are on teams. Seriously, if there is an earthquake in Istanbul, this campus is where I want to be. They don't do this halfway. All the old buildings have all had reinforcements added. There are emergency containers throughout the grounds with food, water, and medical supplies. They are continually updated and resupplied. I am on the first aid team and we will be trained to respond to medical problems should such a disaster hit. Other teams are search and rescue, watering and supplies, damage assessment, etc.
  
• The faculty and staff is really amazing. Although everyone is stressed like I am, all have taken time to explain and patiently help me whenever I need it. It really is a spectacular staff and from what I hear, this student body outshines them.
• A major highlight of the week is finding an NFL fan base here on campus. They all share an online football package so they can watch the games whenever. I was invited over after work today to watch the kickoff Thursday night game, the only stipulation was that if I found out the score I couldn't say a word. I had a great time which is saying a lot seeing that the Packers won. But drinking beer (although it was the poor Turkish variety) and watching football on the bigscreen made me feel so happy and at home. They asked after if I could stand all the testosterone and wanted to join this NFL crew which I of course agreed. I have heard stories of this group pulling all-nighters for great games Sunday and Monday night (remember we are 8 hours ahead of Chicago). While I don't plan on doing that, especially the first part of my teaching career, I am very excited about watching the first half of the Bears game Sunday night! Go Bears!!!
  

The Sugar Holiday

The fasting during the lunar month for Ramadan is followed by a week of celebration called the Sugar Holiday. For that reason, we have had a week off in the middle of our preparations for school. It has been a great opportunity to explore more of the city, but I must say that the nerves are building and I am getting anxious to start.

On Sunday, I made my second voyage over to Asia (first was for the trip to IKEA) on a ferry with Metin, the head of IT and a fantastic tour guide. Most Turks don't like to call it Asia, but Anatolia since many people think of China when they hear Asia. Metin took me to Moda, his hometown, and Kadakoy, the bigger adjoining village. This side is a little quieter and more residential than the European side, but still filled with plenty of bustling stores. Just as on the other side, you could see many of the male storekeepers huddled together playing tavla or backgammon. If there is a national game here, that has to be it. I stopped and got some Turkish children's books and the storekeeper only got up from his game because he had to run next door for change.

On Monday, I took another day trip this time to the Prince's Islands, more specifically Burgaz Island. These islands are just a ferry away and in southern Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. The Prince's Islands are popular vacation spots for Istanbulites and I can see why. In just an hour, we were transformed to a tranquil world. I didn't realize how used to the insane driving I had gotten until I arrived there and felt so strange walking peacefully down the road. No cars except emergency vehicles or garbage trucks are allowed on the islands. Water delivery was being done on horse and buggy. I went with John and Tania, Jack-the other new math teacher, Sandra-math teacher, and Jenny-English teacher. We hiked to the highest point of the island for a spectacular view of the city. Istanbul seriously just spreads out forever, it's amazing. We also checked out a beautiful little church there. We returned for a fish meal on the seaside, a quick dip in the water, then a ferry back.

As an outsider, there are some myths that Turks follow that really seem quite funny. Traditional Turks are scared to death of drafts. You can be on a sweltering bus and see a mother close the window because she doesn't want the draft on her baby. Then you look at the baby and not a inch of him or her is showing from under the clothing because again, the fear of drafts. I heard that an American mom had her baby with her at the covered bazaar on a hot summer day and Turkish women kept trying to cover the baby up to keep her from any breeze. Additionally, any kind of perspiration or spill on you will cause immediate dire sickness and must be changed immediately. I may have told you that an American woman here had a birthday party for her son and brought out squirt guns. When the Turkish mothers saw their children had gotten wet, they rushed them home to change and won't let them come over to play any more. One I think that is particularly funny is bare feet for women is supposed to cause infertility. Although wearing shoes in the house is not customary for Turks, they will have slippers for them and their guests.

Most recent happenings

Iyi gunler (literally "good days")! The week is finally winding to an end, and I'm in major need of it. We have been kept doing some amazing things, though, so there are absolutely no complaints on this end. Wednesday evening, the school took the new staff and our sponsors (we're all paired up with a mentor faculty member to help us with the transition) on a dinner cruise. We cruised up and down the Bosphorus, had a delicious buffet dinner as well as wine and beer, and watched the sunset and landscape of Istanbul pass us. It was a terrific evening.

Yesterday, we took a ferry with Tania to Sultanahmet to visit the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. It was fascinating! Since it's a holiday for the Turks, it was actually pretty empty which was quite nice. Tania introduced us to her rug, ceramic, silver, and leather people. It's so nice because the market is a place you're supposed to negotiate, otherwise you will get ripped off. Not speaking the language is a huge disadvantage. Yet at her locations, we just supposedly have to mention her name and get the in-price. I am quite proud of myself though. I wandered off and feel like I was able to negotiate a very good price for some pillow covers. We then ventured over to the spice bazaar and picked up some spices. The smells in the market were tremendous. We also all picked up some baklava at the dessert shop locals say makes the best baklava place in Istanbul. So far, by far the best I have ever had! Overall, the entire experience was so much fun. Just seeing all the shops was a blast. Towels, ceramics, fabrics, gold, silver, leather, t-shirts, perfume, underwear, socks, shoes, rugs, it was amazing the selection of items. Name brands were all over, but I am fairly certain all were knock-offs. Merchants (again all male) are quite funny. As we walked by, they easily targeted us as Americans and greeted us in English.

Some more observances that don't really go with anything:

• Being a tall, blonde female in Istanbul has been quite the experience. I have never in my life lived in a place where I stand out. I do notice more stares than usual when walking around nearby neighborhoods (of course, in tourist locations, I am the kind of person they expect so I am excluding them). It seems like for the most part, it is just curiosity. When I speak to people and make my attempts to greet them in Turkish, I get very warm receptions. Some attention, though, is not so positive. While there are many Turkish women wearing what you would see in a California coast town, it is not exactly accepted here yet. Being an obvious American woman, me wearing that would attract much more negative attention and so I play it safe. Many times, it seems unfair with this heat. While it is completely acceptable for men and boys to go swimming in the Bosphorus in Arnavutkoy in their trunks or briefs, I've never seen a female in the water or tanning on the edge like they do. Although I'll go running along the water's edge in my running shorts, I have yet to wear anything less than capris or a knee length skirt walking around. I am okay with that as an American, but as a female I feel a bit of outrage for the inequalities I see.
  

• Boys in Turkey are coddled by their moms. It's a heart wrenching thing for them to move away or even move out of the house. It's not unusual for sons to be still living with their moms until a later age.

• The Turkish schooling system is completely reliant on tests. At the end of the students' 8th grade, they take a test to get into the high school they want. RC can only accept students based on their performance on this test. This year, all the scores are either perfect or nearly perfect. The registration takes weeks and students have to register in a certain order, starting from the top at their top choice. Today should be the end of RC registration. In the end, we will accept 99 new girls and 99 new boys into our prep program. The same happens for university acceptance. Students must take a test their senior year. This is all that gets them acceptance into the Turkish Universities. The high emphasis on testing in Turkey puts a lot of pressure on the students. It is normal for wealthy students to go from their school classes straight to an evening tutoring school. Part of RC's goal is to de-program the first years from this rote learning that is emphasized.

• The staff at RC is unbelievably big. The English department has over 30 teachers for the 1000 students at RC. There are 11 in the math department. Overall we have over 100 teachers. Outside the teaching staff, the administrative staff is tiny with around 5. The business office has an immense amount of faculty, figuring out all the intricacies of dealing with foreign staff and the many living on-campus. In fact, there is one person whose one role seems to be to use his inside connections with all the major government controls. I went with a group of teachers to get our resident permits today. The place was very similar to a DMV, many people waiting, no workers. But the 10 of us waltzed in, he went right in to the adjoining office, called us all in, we signed and 5 minutes later we were leaving that roomful of frustrated people. This same guy did the same exact thing when we went to get our tax ID numbers. I really think it's his only job.

• There will be a barber on campus on the first day of school for us teachers to send any boys who need a hair cut. As you saw in the dress code, all boys have to have hair above their ears and collar. Also, all students cannot have facial hair. A trip to the school barber is the punishment the first day. After that, students must purchase a razor from the school's canteen and shave. Male teacher's too must be clean shaven. At most, they may have a well-groomed mustache. I have met several teachers here on campus enjoying the last days of their shaving freedom, knowing they will soon have to shave off the beard. The theater teacher has a good ponytail going and I'm guessing that too will have to go. It's actually kinda crazy the things I'm starting to think as normal after being here for just two weeks.