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.
