Hello Faithful Readers,
With my course being so ...Turkish word... intense, we haven't had much time for sightseeing. Today we decided to go to Miniaturk and see the miniature (go figure!) models of famous architecture that is around Turkey. http://www.miniaturk.com.tr/en/index.php
Unfortunately, we went to the bazaar first, which meant we spent hours wandering around, shoving through crowds, gawking at everything from fancy, no-longer-in-style replicas of Ottoman clothing, to leeches which are supposed to cure some illness or other. Maria spent two weeks of allowance in a single five minute period, then immediately started planning her next shopping adventure. Honestly, what is it with girls and shopping?
Then Maria had a stomach ache, so we stepped into the mosque so she could lay on the clean carpet. After getting run out by a woman who wouldn't stop begging, we met a friend and hopped a ferry. Spent a nice couple hours wandering around the scenic walkway at Kadikoy. Had another protein-less meal, but made up for it by eating an entire bag of chestnuts by myself. I guess there had to have been some protein in there somewhere because I felt better after eating them.
My goal for the weekend was to finish my two big assignments and my lesson plan. As it was, I got through one assignment and had a serious think about my lesson plan. I guess I'll have a little chance to work on it tomorrow sometime, hopefully during the day.
Today was the landlord's son's wedding. We were invited, but I decided it would be too late in the evening, yet here I am, still up. Guess that means it's bedtime for me. I should be trying to get more sleep because my cough is still with me. It's been a week now.
Off to bed.
Thanks for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
More Adventures in Turkey
Hello, All!
I am still residing in Turkey, although it is hard to tell sometimes, since I spend all my time inside an English-only building, interacting with American, Canadian, British, and other English-speakers. My lessons are going along swimmingly, and I am thoroughly enjoying the course. After the initial agony of the dismal failure of my first lesson passed and I was again able to look the world in the eye, things got a lot better. The success of my second lesson gave me some impetus and propelled me forcefully into the thick of the program.
Amid frantic morning copy-machine craziness and dashing off to find Maria in the evening, I learn a lot from my tutors, my fellow classmates, and my own failures and successes. My students like me, my classmates respect me, and my tutors are confident that I can succeed.
Today was the last class period teaching upper-intermediates. After today, we will be moving on to the next level, which is actually the next level back. I'll be teaching grammar for the first time on Friday. So far, everyone in the group has gone horribly astray in one way or another while attempting to teach a grammar lesson. I hope that I have learned from all of their mistakes and will therefore come off looking brilliantly super-human. Failing that, I hope to at least pass.
Last night I realized with some chagrin that I had somehow miscalculated the number of days left until my assignment, and that it was due today. At the same time, our landlord, who has been planning to take Maria to the mall to ride the roller coasters, decided that it would be a good day for him to do that. So we all went to the mall instead of me doing my assignment like a good student. When we got home, I worked like mad on my lesson plan, which was due this morning, since I was teaching first. I finished that, but decided that a good night's sleep would be more useful that trying to stay up until 2 again to work on the other assignment. I estimated that it would only take about three or four hours, and that I could therefore finish it in time tonight. Fortunately, we got out of class early today, and I was able to work for about an hour before going to get Maria. After wasting three hours getting home, shopping for breakfast food, eating dinner and getting Maria into bed, I finally sat down at 9 and started my assignment. With three hours until midnight, I was lucky that my estimate had been fairly accurate. I finished the assignment and squeaked it in just at the deadline. Even though it was a rush job, it wasn't that big of a paper, and I think I did well on it.
I just realized I have spent a long paragraph talking about my assignment, which is probably not that interesting to most of you. Hmm. Next assignment, think about relevancy to audience...
Thank you all for reading, even though I haven't been so faithful in writing since I started this course. I appreciate your readership.
This is me, signing off...
I am still residing in Turkey, although it is hard to tell sometimes, since I spend all my time inside an English-only building, interacting with American, Canadian, British, and other English-speakers. My lessons are going along swimmingly, and I am thoroughly enjoying the course. After the initial agony of the dismal failure of my first lesson passed and I was again able to look the world in the eye, things got a lot better. The success of my second lesson gave me some impetus and propelled me forcefully into the thick of the program.
Amid frantic morning copy-machine craziness and dashing off to find Maria in the evening, I learn a lot from my tutors, my fellow classmates, and my own failures and successes. My students like me, my classmates respect me, and my tutors are confident that I can succeed.
Today was the last class period teaching upper-intermediates. After today, we will be moving on to the next level, which is actually the next level back. I'll be teaching grammar for the first time on Friday. So far, everyone in the group has gone horribly astray in one way or another while attempting to teach a grammar lesson. I hope that I have learned from all of their mistakes and will therefore come off looking brilliantly super-human. Failing that, I hope to at least pass.
Last night I realized with some chagrin that I had somehow miscalculated the number of days left until my assignment, and that it was due today. At the same time, our landlord, who has been planning to take Maria to the mall to ride the roller coasters, decided that it would be a good day for him to do that. So we all went to the mall instead of me doing my assignment like a good student. When we got home, I worked like mad on my lesson plan, which was due this morning, since I was teaching first. I finished that, but decided that a good night's sleep would be more useful that trying to stay up until 2 again to work on the other assignment. I estimated that it would only take about three or four hours, and that I could therefore finish it in time tonight. Fortunately, we got out of class early today, and I was able to work for about an hour before going to get Maria. After wasting three hours getting home, shopping for breakfast food, eating dinner and getting Maria into bed, I finally sat down at 9 and started my assignment. With three hours until midnight, I was lucky that my estimate had been fairly accurate. I finished the assignment and squeaked it in just at the deadline. Even though it was a rush job, it wasn't that big of a paper, and I think I did well on it.
I just realized I have spent a long paragraph talking about my assignment, which is probably not that interesting to most of you. Hmm. Next assignment, think about relevancy to audience...
Thank you all for reading, even though I haven't been so faithful in writing since I started this course. I appreciate your readership.
This is me, signing off...
Friday, September 21, 2012
Success!
Hello everyone,
I taught my second lesson today. I wasn't nervous for some reason and was able to focus on some of my personal goals. The lesson was almost perfect, but I messed something up on the last exercise and so lost my perfect score. This weekend I have two big projects and another lesson to plan. Week one is finished now. Three more to go, then vacation. I'm enjoying the course and learning a lot from it.
It's 1 am again somehow, so I'm going to bed. Hope to sleep in in the morning. Maria needs more sleep too.
This is me, signing off!
I taught my second lesson today. I wasn't nervous for some reason and was able to focus on some of my personal goals. The lesson was almost perfect, but I messed something up on the last exercise and so lost my perfect score. This weekend I have two big projects and another lesson to plan. Week one is finished now. Three more to go, then vacation. I'm enjoying the course and learning a lot from it.
It's 1 am again somehow, so I'm going to bed. Hope to sleep in in the morning. Maria needs more sleep too.
This is me, signing off!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Verdiğim Ders
Merhabalar,
Çok fazla ödevlerim olduğu için bugünkü yazma kısa olacak.
Dün gece saat 2:30'a kadar ödev çalıştım. Kahvaltı yapmadan bugün ilk dersimi verdim. O kadar korktum ki panik olup ders verdikten sonra ağlamaya başladım, duramadım ve çok utandım. Neyse, hocam çok kötü olmadığını söyledi, ve en azından derste kalmadım daha.
Cuma günü yine ders vereceğim. İnşallah hazırlamak için daha çok zaman ayırabilirim de bugün kadar stres olmayayım.
Okuduğunuz için teşekkür ediyorum!
İmzalayıp çıkıyorum...
Hello All!
I have too much homework today, so this will be short.
I spent all evening working on homework and didn't get to bed until 2:30. I didn't get a chance to have breakfast this morning, and so I taught my fist class on empty. I was so nervous and scared that I panicked and started crying during feedback. I was really embarrassed and couldn't stop crying. Anyway, the teacher said it wasn't bad, and I passed at least.
I'll be teaching again on Friday. Hopefully I'll have more time to study and won't be as nervous.
Thanks for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Çok fazla ödevlerim olduğu için bugünkü yazma kısa olacak.
Dün gece saat 2:30'a kadar ödev çalıştım. Kahvaltı yapmadan bugün ilk dersimi verdim. O kadar korktum ki panik olup ders verdikten sonra ağlamaya başladım, duramadım ve çok utandım. Neyse, hocam çok kötü olmadığını söyledi, ve en azından derste kalmadım daha.
Cuma günü yine ders vereceğim. İnşallah hazırlamak için daha çok zaman ayırabilirim de bugün kadar stres olmayayım.
Okuduğunuz için teşekkür ediyorum!
İmzalayıp çıkıyorum...
Hello All!
I have too much homework today, so this will be short.
I spent all evening working on homework and didn't get to bed until 2:30. I didn't get a chance to have breakfast this morning, and so I taught my fist class on empty. I was so nervous and scared that I panicked and started crying during feedback. I was really embarrassed and couldn't stop crying. Anyway, the teacher said it wasn't bad, and I passed at least.
I'll be teaching again on Friday. Hopefully I'll have more time to study and won't be as nervous.
Thanks for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Monday, September 17, 2012
First Day of Class!
Dear Readers,
Today was an exciting first day of school!
Slept badly last night, then lost track of time in the morning and Maria almost missed her school bus, then I almost got to school late. Didn't have my money because I didn't want to waste any more time finding an ATM after already being late.
This is going to be an intensive class. They say if you have a social life, family, kids, dogs, etc. that they will be lonely for a month because all you are going to do is study. I guess it can't be as bad as my last semester of my Master's when I was taking several classes. Anyway, it's only for a month. Our group of 18 students was split into three groups of six, and we will be working in the same group for the rest of the month. I like the people in my group and am determined to put aside my shyness and make some friends before this is over! I had lunch with most of the group today, putting me on the way to achieving my goal.
We had and hour and a half of introductions and lessons about different kinds of ice breakers and a summary of what the semester is going to look like, then an hour and a half of observing some professional teachers teaching, then lunch. We went to a little restaurant on Istiklal Caddesi (street) and I had lentil soup and gozleme (tortilla with stuff inside, grilled). After lunch, back to class, where we discussed the different parts of the lesson that had just been taught, how each piece was useful, and the outline for what our lessons should look like. I discovered that I haven't finished signing in to the Moodle, which means I have more homework tonight than anyone else in the group. At least I am not teaching in the morning, like three of the people in my group. I'll be teaching a 40 minute class on Wednesday.
We got out of school at 5:30 or so, then I ran back to the metro, which I took all the way north to Maria's daycare center on the other side of town. Then I failed to cross the street at the right place and ended up walking a half mile out of my way to the walking bridge. I have discovered the secret to crossing the streets here: Find a Turk who looks confident, get right behind him, and follow his stride. A car may run over one stupid pedestrian, but not three.
I got Maria, went to the ATM, withdrew the daily limit, paid the school, then walked down to the bakery where we ate the other day. We had a nice little snack, then took the metrobus to our neighborhood. It took a bit of asking around, since I hadn't taken the metrobus before.
By the time we got home it was 8:00. I checked my e-mail and typed Maria's blog while she ate and dictated, and then got her to bed. Now it's time for me to do my homework. I expect I'll be up late trying to get it all together. Hopefully tomorrow morning I will be a little more organized, and hopefully I'll have a chance throughout the day to do a bit of typing on my projects as well.
Thank you all for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Today was an exciting first day of school!
Slept badly last night, then lost track of time in the morning and Maria almost missed her school bus, then I almost got to school late. Didn't have my money because I didn't want to waste any more time finding an ATM after already being late.
This is going to be an intensive class. They say if you have a social life, family, kids, dogs, etc. that they will be lonely for a month because all you are going to do is study. I guess it can't be as bad as my last semester of my Master's when I was taking several classes. Anyway, it's only for a month. Our group of 18 students was split into three groups of six, and we will be working in the same group for the rest of the month. I like the people in my group and am determined to put aside my shyness and make some friends before this is over! I had lunch with most of the group today, putting me on the way to achieving my goal.
We had and hour and a half of introductions and lessons about different kinds of ice breakers and a summary of what the semester is going to look like, then an hour and a half of observing some professional teachers teaching, then lunch. We went to a little restaurant on Istiklal Caddesi (street) and I had lentil soup and gozleme (tortilla with stuff inside, grilled). After lunch, back to class, where we discussed the different parts of the lesson that had just been taught, how each piece was useful, and the outline for what our lessons should look like. I discovered that I haven't finished signing in to the Moodle, which means I have more homework tonight than anyone else in the group. At least I am not teaching in the morning, like three of the people in my group. I'll be teaching a 40 minute class on Wednesday.
We got out of school at 5:30 or so, then I ran back to the metro, which I took all the way north to Maria's daycare center on the other side of town. Then I failed to cross the street at the right place and ended up walking a half mile out of my way to the walking bridge. I have discovered the secret to crossing the streets here: Find a Turk who looks confident, get right behind him, and follow his stride. A car may run over one stupid pedestrian, but not three.
I got Maria, went to the ATM, withdrew the daily limit, paid the school, then walked down to the bakery where we ate the other day. We had a nice little snack, then took the metrobus to our neighborhood. It took a bit of asking around, since I hadn't taken the metrobus before.
By the time we got home it was 8:00. I checked my e-mail and typed Maria's blog while she ate and dictated, and then got her to bed. Now it's time for me to do my homework. I expect I'll be up late trying to get it all together. Hopefully tomorrow morning I will be a little more organized, and hopefully I'll have a chance throughout the day to do a bit of typing on my projects as well.
Thank you all for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Technology Problem Solved! Maybe...
Hello Patient Readers!
After two days of struggling to keep contact with the world via my slow Kindle browser after my laptop battery died (from not having a working adaptor to plug it into the wall), I remedied the problem (at least temporarily) and am now back in the 21'st Century.
Yesterday Maria and I went to Topkapi Palace with a friend and wandered around there most of the afternoon. I had been there before on my last trip to Turkey, but Maria hadn't. She really liked looking at all the stuff in the treasury, and especially liked the 86 (?) karat diamond. This diamond is huge! The story is that someone found it in a garbage heap. My favorite thing there is the Harem. Last time I went, it was closing time, and I had to literally run through in order to see everything, so getting to stroll through with a good hour before closing was a lot better of an experience. Maria wanted to take pictures of absolutely everything (she has a new camera), so we spent a lot of time posing in front of--everything. If it's possible, I think she actually takes more pictures than I do. Good thing her camera has an 8 gig card!
After Topkapi we wandered down to the pier, eating watermelon and chatting, and enjoying the really nice breeze after the hot day. We took a ferry to Kadikoy, mostly for the breeze, and watched a nice sunset as an extra bonus. Back at the pier, my friend got us some chestnuts. Maria didn't like them, but I did. I had never had them before and thought they tasted a bit like sort of raw sweet potatoes. I'm not sure if they are supposed to be sweet or if they are like that because they put sugar on them...
Our friend treated us in true Turkish style, feeding us every couple hours, and making sure we had everything we needed or wanted during the day. (Thanks!) It was a really great day, and I was so happy to be spending it with someone I know!
Today was a good day too. It started off with hearing a wandering musician playing his accordion in the street. We threw some coins down to him, but they landed in the bush. After his wife spent a while searching the bush, we threw a second packet of money down. Then the host and Maria felt sorry for them and went to retrieve the packet, so they actually got paid twice. After breakfast we took the bus down to Eminonu and wandered around the Spice Bazaar most of the afternoon. I enjoy the Spice Bazaar more than the Grand Bazaar because of all the smells. They sell other stuff too, but the spices, soap, tea, coffee, etc. really rule there. The highlight of my walk was hearing the song "Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım," http://www.timsah.com/Doga-icin-Cal-Uzun-Ince-Bir-Yoldayim/n0PVM6MOULP which I heard, enjoyed, and memorized during my short stay at an intesive Turkish class this summer. Maria likes the song too, and was singing along as we walked down the street, until well after the song had stopped playing. Her pronunciation is pretty amazing!
At lunch time we had pide (sort of like long skinny pizza). I asked for peynirli (with cheese) and got yumurtali (with egg) instead (is my Turkish really that bad?!). The pide was good, and filling, so no complaints. Maria spent all her allowance money at once, then wished she had money to buy everything else she saw for the rest of the day. She got some nice presents for her friends back at school, and is already planning what she is going to buy with her allowance for the next two weeks. She asked me not to take her shopping again for two weeks so she can save her money and buy something bigger next time.
After walking in the sun all day we were pretty hot, so we got on a ferry and rode up the Bosporus and back again, just to feel the breeze. After disembarking, we took the tram the wrong way and ended up back where we were yesterday, near Topkapi Palace. I was going to take Maria into the Blue Mosque, but decided against it, since I figured if we got lost again, we wouldn't be home until after dark. We made the other connections with no trouble, though, and took the metro the right way up the hill to our house instead of across town. One scenario is just as likely as the other, I guess!
Back in our own neighborhood, I felt confident enough to go beg for an adaptor at the mall. I made interesting sign language at the nice attendant, and he finally understood what I meant, then shouted across the whole store, "We want an OUT OF COUNTRY adaptor for this FOREIGNER!" Everyone turned around, of course, because who can resist looking at a humiliated foreigner =). Anyway, they didn't have one, so I went to another store down the hill. I told them what the other guy had said, but they still laughed at me. Anyway, I got what I needed, and hopefully, despite the humming and overheating, it will work enough to stay connected with the world for the next three months.
After my success at finding an adaptor, I decided to go shopping for some food items, then go home and make dinner. Once we got home, I realized I hadn't withdrawn the money for Maria's bus driver, or for my school, both of which I need tomorrow morning. We walked back up the hill, only to find that apparently, in Turkey, one is not allowed to withdraw a sum of money that would actually be useful. I got enough for the bus driver, but I think my school is going to have to let me make payments over several days...Oh, well.
Once we got home, I started preparing to make dinner while Maria worked on her blog for a bit, but I was interrupted by our host, who said that it would be too much work for me to cook, and that we should order pizza instead. He got some pizza, and then I cooked anyway, because it had meat on it. Maria enjoyed it though. I had eggs, which tasted really, really good with actual, non-GMO tomatoes. After dinner Maria and the host spent some time practicing recorders, drums and plastic eggs filled with rice.
Sorry, even though I carried my camera around all day today, I completely forgot to take any pictures. I guess there'll be another chance to take pictures of the bazaar some other day...
Now that Maria is asleep, I guess I'll go to bed too. Long day of classes tomorrow!
Thank you all for reading!
This is me, signing off...
After two days of struggling to keep contact with the world via my slow Kindle browser after my laptop battery died (from not having a working adaptor to plug it into the wall), I remedied the problem (at least temporarily) and am now back in the 21'st Century.
Yesterday Maria and I went to Topkapi Palace with a friend and wandered around there most of the afternoon. I had been there before on my last trip to Turkey, but Maria hadn't. She really liked looking at all the stuff in the treasury, and especially liked the 86 (?) karat diamond. This diamond is huge! The story is that someone found it in a garbage heap. My favorite thing there is the Harem. Last time I went, it was closing time, and I had to literally run through in order to see everything, so getting to stroll through with a good hour before closing was a lot better of an experience. Maria wanted to take pictures of absolutely everything (she has a new camera), so we spent a lot of time posing in front of--everything. If it's possible, I think she actually takes more pictures than I do. Good thing her camera has an 8 gig card!
Zuzu the cat at dawn on our first morning here. Now I know what cats do at dawn!
Maria, waiting for our friend at the pool near the Blue Mosque and Ayasofya.
Rose and Maria near a scenic garbage can at Topkapi Palace Harem.
Inside the Harem, Topkapi Palace.
Maria on the balcony above the swimming pool (Galata Tower in the background) Harem, Topkapi Palace.
A balcony in the Harem at Topkapi Palace.
I wish I could read this!
Sunset on the Bosporus.
Today was a good day too. It started off with hearing a wandering musician playing his accordion in the street. We threw some coins down to him, but they landed in the bush. After his wife spent a while searching the bush, we threw a second packet of money down. Then the host and Maria felt sorry for them and went to retrieve the packet, so they actually got paid twice. After breakfast we took the bus down to Eminonu and wandered around the Spice Bazaar most of the afternoon. I enjoy the Spice Bazaar more than the Grand Bazaar because of all the smells. They sell other stuff too, but the spices, soap, tea, coffee, etc. really rule there. The highlight of my walk was hearing the song "Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım," http://www.timsah.com/Doga-icin-Cal-Uzun-Ince-Bir-Yoldayim/n0PVM6MOULP which I heard, enjoyed, and memorized during my short stay at an intesive Turkish class this summer. Maria likes the song too, and was singing along as we walked down the street, until well after the song had stopped playing. Her pronunciation is pretty amazing!
At lunch time we had pide (sort of like long skinny pizza). I asked for peynirli (with cheese) and got yumurtali (with egg) instead (is my Turkish really that bad?!). The pide was good, and filling, so no complaints. Maria spent all her allowance money at once, then wished she had money to buy everything else she saw for the rest of the day. She got some nice presents for her friends back at school, and is already planning what she is going to buy with her allowance for the next two weeks. She asked me not to take her shopping again for two weeks so she can save her money and buy something bigger next time.
After walking in the sun all day we were pretty hot, so we got on a ferry and rode up the Bosporus and back again, just to feel the breeze. After disembarking, we took the tram the wrong way and ended up back where we were yesterday, near Topkapi Palace. I was going to take Maria into the Blue Mosque, but decided against it, since I figured if we got lost again, we wouldn't be home until after dark. We made the other connections with no trouble, though, and took the metro the right way up the hill to our house instead of across town. One scenario is just as likely as the other, I guess!
Back in our own neighborhood, I felt confident enough to go beg for an adaptor at the mall. I made interesting sign language at the nice attendant, and he finally understood what I meant, then shouted across the whole store, "We want an OUT OF COUNTRY adaptor for this FOREIGNER!" Everyone turned around, of course, because who can resist looking at a humiliated foreigner =). Anyway, they didn't have one, so I went to another store down the hill. I told them what the other guy had said, but they still laughed at me. Anyway, I got what I needed, and hopefully, despite the humming and overheating, it will work enough to stay connected with the world for the next three months.
After my success at finding an adaptor, I decided to go shopping for some food items, then go home and make dinner. Once we got home, I realized I hadn't withdrawn the money for Maria's bus driver, or for my school, both of which I need tomorrow morning. We walked back up the hill, only to find that apparently, in Turkey, one is not allowed to withdraw a sum of money that would actually be useful. I got enough for the bus driver, but I think my school is going to have to let me make payments over several days...Oh, well.
Once we got home, I started preparing to make dinner while Maria worked on her blog for a bit, but I was interrupted by our host, who said that it would be too much work for me to cook, and that we should order pizza instead. He got some pizza, and then I cooked anyway, because it had meat on it. Maria enjoyed it though. I had eggs, which tasted really, really good with actual, non-GMO tomatoes. After dinner Maria and the host spent some time practicing recorders, drums and plastic eggs filled with rice.
Sorry, even though I carried my camera around all day today, I completely forgot to take any pictures. I guess there'll be another chance to take pictures of the bazaar some other day...
Now that Maria is asleep, I guess I'll go to bed too. Long day of classes tomorrow!
Thank you all for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Friday, September 14, 2012
İstanbul'un Caddelerindeyken...(in two languages!)
Merhabalar!
Çok dolu ve eğlenceli gün geçtik. Bugün derslerime, Maria'nın okuluna kayıt yaptırmak için son gündü. Genelde derse yürümek istediğim için, bugün de her yere yaya gitmek istedim. Maria 'jet lag' dan çok geç kaldıktan sonra dayreden (Şişli Mh.'sinden) yürüyerek çıkıp hemen kaybolduk. Yarım saat yürüyüş yaptıktan sonra yolu yeniden buldum, ve başka sorun çıkmadan okula (Zincirlikuyu Mh.'sine) vardık. Param olmadığı halde diğer yapmam gerektiklerini yapabildim. Maalesef okuyacağım yer değişmiş. Yeni okulum Taksim'de olacak...Seden Hanım Maria'nın okulu ve servisi halledip oraya yürüyerek gitmeye çalıştık. Yeniden kaybolduk, bu sefer de farkına varmadan Ortaköy'e kadar yürüdük. Sonra da yol o kadar uzun geldi ki taksi'ye binip öyle gittik. Maria'nın okulu çok güzel, bahçeli bir yer ve bütün öğretmenler İngilizce biliyorlar. İkimiz türden çok beğendik ve Maria Pazartesi günü servisle gitmek için hazır olduğunu düşünüyorum.
Ondan sonra tekrar yürüyüşe çıktık. Yoldayken fırından çok güzel ekmekleri alıp yedik. Ondan sonra tekrar kayboldukten, uzun zaman yürüdükten sonra sonunda Taksim'i, yeni okulumu bulduk. Ondan sonra telefonumu çalıştırıp, metro kartı alıp, metroyla dayreye dönmeye planladığıma rağmen, öyle olmadı. Maalesef telefonu çalıştırabileceğim yer Pazartesine kadar kapalıymış, ve metro kartı alablilecek yerde çok uzun kuyruk olduğu için, almadım. Otobüse binmeye çalıştım ama bilet almamıştığım için, o da olmadı. Geçen yıl Ankara'dayken bozuk parayla binebildiğimiz için, burada da öyle olduğunu zanediyordum ama öyle değilmiş. Neyse, yürümeye devam ettik, ve sonunda mahallemize ulaştık...yeniden kaybolduktan sonra manavdan yardım isteyip, birkaç kilo meyve alıp, eve sonunda geldik. İkimiz evden tekrar çıkmak istemediğimiz için, akşam yemeğimizde sadece meyve ve ekmek yedik ama yeterli bence. Maria buradaki armutların dünyada en lezetli armut olduğunu söyledi. Ben de taze incirleri sevdim.
Bugün Türkçem bozuk olduğuna, birkaç kere kaybolduğumuza rağmen, İstanbul'un güzel sokaklarından doya doya tadını çıkabildiğimiz için çok mutluyum. Yarın da çok güzel bir macera bizi bekliyor. Topkapı Sarayı'nda vs. gezeceğiz.
Bugün birkaç resim çektik ama bilgisayar'ın pili bitmek üzere ve adaptörüm yok şu anda...
Türkçe konuşanlara okuduğunuz için teşekkür ederim.
İmzalayıp çıkıyorum...
And now, in English...
We had a really fun and full day. This was the last day to finish signing up for my classes, and to get Maria's school taken care of. Since I will usually want to walk to classes, I decided to walk today, too. Maria had jet lag and slept in quite a bit, but we finally got going. As soon as we left our neighborhood (Şişli), we got lost. After walking a half hour or so, we found our way again, and got the rest of the way to my school in Zincirlikuyu with no trouble. Since I didn't have any money, I wasn't able to finish paying for classes, but I got my books. I also found out that I won't be taking classes from that school, but rather from one down at Taksim Square instead...Seden took care of arranging Maria's daycare center and the school bus she will use, and we set out walking to do a tour of the school. We got lost again, and after walking all the way to Ortaköy without realizing we were on the wrong road, I decided to get a taxi. We had a nice tour of the school, which is a quiet international preschool whose teachers all speak English. It has a nice garden as well, and someone will help Maria do her schoolwork at some time during the day too.
After our tour, we took off again walking, and stopped at a bakery for some delicious bread which we ate for lunch. We got lost again and this time it took quite a while to get re-oriented. Anyone that knows me at all, knows my sense of direction isn't the best...We eventually found my school in Taksim, so now I know where to go on Monday. Yay! I had planned to get a metro card and get my phone registered in Taksim, but the line for the metro card was really, really long, and by the time I found the phone place, I discovered that the place I have to go to register is closed until Monday. I guess I'll have to go there on my lunch break or something. By the time we had walked as far as the phone place, we were pretty tired. In Ankara we paid cash when we got on the bus, so I imagined it was the same here...Wrong! The guy said I needed a ticket. I guess I have to figure out the bus system before we can use it...So we kept walking, found our neighborhood, then got lost again. I stopped and asked a fruit seller for directions, and then bought a bunch of fruit from him. We found our way the rest of the way home, then, since we were both too tired of walking, decided to just eat the fruit and bread for dinner. I think it was enough, and Maria said the pears here are the best in the world. I especially liked the fresh figs.
Even though my Turkish was mostly broken today and we got lost several times, I'm happy that we were able to really enjoy Istanbul's beautiful streets and scenery today. Tomorrow we are going to Topkapı Palace, which will be another great adventure!
We took a few pictures today, but since my laptop battery is about dead and I still don't have an adaptor that works, that will have to wait.
Thank you for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Çok dolu ve eğlenceli gün geçtik. Bugün derslerime, Maria'nın okuluna kayıt yaptırmak için son gündü. Genelde derse yürümek istediğim için, bugün de her yere yaya gitmek istedim. Maria 'jet lag' dan çok geç kaldıktan sonra dayreden (Şişli Mh.'sinden) yürüyerek çıkıp hemen kaybolduk. Yarım saat yürüyüş yaptıktan sonra yolu yeniden buldum, ve başka sorun çıkmadan okula (Zincirlikuyu Mh.'sine) vardık. Param olmadığı halde diğer yapmam gerektiklerini yapabildim. Maalesef okuyacağım yer değişmiş. Yeni okulum Taksim'de olacak...Seden Hanım Maria'nın okulu ve servisi halledip oraya yürüyerek gitmeye çalıştık. Yeniden kaybolduk, bu sefer de farkına varmadan Ortaköy'e kadar yürüdük. Sonra da yol o kadar uzun geldi ki taksi'ye binip öyle gittik. Maria'nın okulu çok güzel, bahçeli bir yer ve bütün öğretmenler İngilizce biliyorlar. İkimiz türden çok beğendik ve Maria Pazartesi günü servisle gitmek için hazır olduğunu düşünüyorum.
Ondan sonra tekrar yürüyüşe çıktık. Yoldayken fırından çok güzel ekmekleri alıp yedik. Ondan sonra tekrar kayboldukten, uzun zaman yürüdükten sonra sonunda Taksim'i, yeni okulumu bulduk. Ondan sonra telefonumu çalıştırıp, metro kartı alıp, metroyla dayreye dönmeye planladığıma rağmen, öyle olmadı. Maalesef telefonu çalıştırabileceğim yer Pazartesine kadar kapalıymış, ve metro kartı alablilecek yerde çok uzun kuyruk olduğu için, almadım. Otobüse binmeye çalıştım ama bilet almamıştığım için, o da olmadı. Geçen yıl Ankara'dayken bozuk parayla binebildiğimiz için, burada da öyle olduğunu zanediyordum ama öyle değilmiş. Neyse, yürümeye devam ettik, ve sonunda mahallemize ulaştık...yeniden kaybolduktan sonra manavdan yardım isteyip, birkaç kilo meyve alıp, eve sonunda geldik. İkimiz evden tekrar çıkmak istemediğimiz için, akşam yemeğimizde sadece meyve ve ekmek yedik ama yeterli bence. Maria buradaki armutların dünyada en lezetli armut olduğunu söyledi. Ben de taze incirleri sevdim.
Bugün Türkçem bozuk olduğuna, birkaç kere kaybolduğumuza rağmen, İstanbul'un güzel sokaklarından doya doya tadını çıkabildiğimiz için çok mutluyum. Yarın da çok güzel bir macera bizi bekliyor. Topkapı Sarayı'nda vs. gezeceğiz.
Bugün birkaç resim çektik ama bilgisayar'ın pili bitmek üzere ve adaptörüm yok şu anda...
Türkçe konuşanlara okuduğunuz için teşekkür ederim.
İmzalayıp çıkıyorum...
And now, in English...
We had a really fun and full day. This was the last day to finish signing up for my classes, and to get Maria's school taken care of. Since I will usually want to walk to classes, I decided to walk today, too. Maria had jet lag and slept in quite a bit, but we finally got going. As soon as we left our neighborhood (Şişli), we got lost. After walking a half hour or so, we found our way again, and got the rest of the way to my school in Zincirlikuyu with no trouble. Since I didn't have any money, I wasn't able to finish paying for classes, but I got my books. I also found out that I won't be taking classes from that school, but rather from one down at Taksim Square instead...Seden took care of arranging Maria's daycare center and the school bus she will use, and we set out walking to do a tour of the school. We got lost again, and after walking all the way to Ortaköy without realizing we were on the wrong road, I decided to get a taxi. We had a nice tour of the school, which is a quiet international preschool whose teachers all speak English. It has a nice garden as well, and someone will help Maria do her schoolwork at some time during the day too.
After our tour, we took off again walking, and stopped at a bakery for some delicious bread which we ate for lunch. We got lost again and this time it took quite a while to get re-oriented. Anyone that knows me at all, knows my sense of direction isn't the best...We eventually found my school in Taksim, so now I know where to go on Monday. Yay! I had planned to get a metro card and get my phone registered in Taksim, but the line for the metro card was really, really long, and by the time I found the phone place, I discovered that the place I have to go to register is closed until Monday. I guess I'll have to go there on my lunch break or something. By the time we had walked as far as the phone place, we were pretty tired. In Ankara we paid cash when we got on the bus, so I imagined it was the same here...Wrong! The guy said I needed a ticket. I guess I have to figure out the bus system before we can use it...So we kept walking, found our neighborhood, then got lost again. I stopped and asked a fruit seller for directions, and then bought a bunch of fruit from him. We found our way the rest of the way home, then, since we were both too tired of walking, decided to just eat the fruit and bread for dinner. I think it was enough, and Maria said the pears here are the best in the world. I especially liked the fresh figs.
Even though my Turkish was mostly broken today and we got lost several times, I'm happy that we were able to really enjoy Istanbul's beautiful streets and scenery today. Tomorrow we are going to Topkapı Palace, which will be another great adventure!
We took a few pictures today, but since my laptop battery is about dead and I still don't have an adaptor that works, that will have to wait.
Thank you for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Hoşbulduk!
Here's a little post for the English speakers...
Dear Readers,
After leaving home around 4:00 on Wednesday, we had a really uneventful flight, during which we alternately slept and tried to sleep. Maria enjoyed the novelty of playing with the seatback TV/entertainment unit, and was thrilled when we finally got close enough to the ground so she could see Istanbul for the first time. After the customary two hours in visa, passport and customs lines, we found our shuttle fairly easily, and then proceeded to sit in Istanbul traffic for nearly three hours. Even though we spent quite a bit of time literally parked in the street (drivers were out smoking and chatting with each other while waiting), I spent the time enoying the nice views and fresh breeze from the Bosphorous. I was really glad we hadn't tried to take a taxi, since I'm sure their prices would have inflated dramatically while they stood around smoking and chatting in the traffic jam. Our driver was great, and actually managed to find our unmarked apartment on an unmarked, winding and parked-car congested narrow street after dark, in a part of town he had apparently never been to before.
Our apartment is in a nice neighborhood with surprisingly little noise, considering it is only a couple blocks of one of the busiest areas in Istanbul.
When we arrived, our host's father-in-law met us, and spent the remainder of the evening entertaining Maria by playing various musical instruments with her, making us dinner and chatting.
Given that I lost a day traveling, and that usually nothing really remarkable happens between airports, flights and hotels, I'd say we had a pretty good day. Tomorrow I am set to take care of the remaining paperwork, and hopefully Saturday we'll get out to do a bit of sight seeing.
I'm planning on Topkapı Sarayı and surrounds, even though I have seen it before, because it will be easy to find (a huge plus on the first day in a foreign country) and we can just walk around all day without doing too much thinking or wading through crowds.
After all that waiting, I still can't believe I'm finally back in Istanbul again! I really missed it, and felt at home again immediately as soon as we drove out into traffic. I am anxious to explore the neighborhood, walk along the Bosphorous, meet people, improve my Turkish, and learn as much about this area as I can while we're here. I haven't decided yet whether it would be better to take the bus or try to walk to school. Walking is an option, but I might end up back at my 18-yr-old weight if I do, since it is uphill both ways, in the snow. Wait...
And now, I must shove the ZuZu Cat off my bed so I can sleep.
I'll probably post some pictures tomorrow. I'm just too exhausted to do it now.
Thank you all for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Dear Readers,
After leaving home around 4:00 on Wednesday, we had a really uneventful flight, during which we alternately slept and tried to sleep. Maria enjoyed the novelty of playing with the seatback TV/entertainment unit, and was thrilled when we finally got close enough to the ground so she could see Istanbul for the first time. After the customary two hours in visa, passport and customs lines, we found our shuttle fairly easily, and then proceeded to sit in Istanbul traffic for nearly three hours. Even though we spent quite a bit of time literally parked in the street (drivers were out smoking and chatting with each other while waiting), I spent the time enoying the nice views and fresh breeze from the Bosphorous. I was really glad we hadn't tried to take a taxi, since I'm sure their prices would have inflated dramatically while they stood around smoking and chatting in the traffic jam. Our driver was great, and actually managed to find our unmarked apartment on an unmarked, winding and parked-car congested narrow street after dark, in a part of town he had apparently never been to before.
Our apartment is in a nice neighborhood with surprisingly little noise, considering it is only a couple blocks of one of the busiest areas in Istanbul.
When we arrived, our host's father-in-law met us, and spent the remainder of the evening entertaining Maria by playing various musical instruments with her, making us dinner and chatting.
Given that I lost a day traveling, and that usually nothing really remarkable happens between airports, flights and hotels, I'd say we had a pretty good day. Tomorrow I am set to take care of the remaining paperwork, and hopefully Saturday we'll get out to do a bit of sight seeing.
I'm planning on Topkapı Sarayı and surrounds, even though I have seen it before, because it will be easy to find (a huge plus on the first day in a foreign country) and we can just walk around all day without doing too much thinking or wading through crowds.
After all that waiting, I still can't believe I'm finally back in Istanbul again! I really missed it, and felt at home again immediately as soon as we drove out into traffic. I am anxious to explore the neighborhood, walk along the Bosphorous, meet people, improve my Turkish, and learn as much about this area as I can while we're here. I haven't decided yet whether it would be better to take the bus or try to walk to school. Walking is an option, but I might end up back at my 18-yr-old weight if I do, since it is uphill both ways, in the snow. Wait...
And now, I must shove the ZuZu Cat off my bed so I can sleep.
I'll probably post some pictures tomorrow. I'm just too exhausted to do it now.
Thank you all for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Mis Ultimas Preparaciones
Buenas tardes amigos y familiares,
Disculpen la falta de acentos, que no los he podido encontrar en el teclado. Tambien disculpen la falta de gramatica, que han pasado varios años desde que no use el Español...
Hoy es mi ultimo dia aqui en los EEUU. Escribo este blog mientras espero a que salgan de la escuela los niños. En la mañana sali a copiar a los pasaportes y a notificar a todos los bancos que voy a viajar para que no me bloqueen cuando intente usar mis tarjetas de credito en varios paises. Todas las preparaciones estan completas y ahora, al esperar, me siento demasiada lista para salir y empezar el viaje. Desde salir de la casa, tardaremos mas o menos 17 horas en llegar a nuestro apartamento en Istanbul. Ojala que mi hija no se aburre durante tan largo viaje. Tambien espero que no nos de demasiado "jet lag."
Le agradezco a mi buen amigo de la Turkia, que me dio un monton de informacion acerca de mi apartamento y la vecindad. Parece que el tambien ha quedado en ese mismo apartamento con la chica que ahora me lo renta a mi. Le gusto mucho el hogar y tambien los dueños. Ahora se cuales autobuses debo usar y aproximadamente cuanto tiempo durare en caminar del apartamento al autobus y a la escuela. Todavia estoy esperando a que me den el nombre de la guarderia donde se quedara Maria durante mis clases. Ya que tengo mas informacion me siento mas comoda y relajada.
Espero llegar cansada y feliz a mi nuevo hogar (temporaneo). Ya empeze a planear nuestras escursiones a los lugares historicos. La primera escursion probablemente se realizara durante nuestro primer fin de semana en Istanbul. Tengo en mente un lugar increible que ya visite y podre visitar otra vez facilmente mientras ande como zombi por no haber descansado durante los ultimos dias. Cada vez que estoy a punto de salir del pais me pasa lo mismo. Me siento tan emocionada que no puedo ni dormir, a veces ni comer. Empaco y vuelvo a empacar mis maletas, y gasto mucho tiempo en imaginar como sera el viaje. Mi esposo me dice que siempre experimento la vida por mirar hacia adelante, sin disfrutar al presente, pero para mi, la vida es compuesta por disfrutar en el momento las maravillas que estan a punto de descubrirse. Asi disfruto de la vida dos veces, una vez al anticipar y la segunda vez al cumplirse mis deseos.
Agradecida por su amable atencion...Me despido...
Disculpen la falta de acentos, que no los he podido encontrar en el teclado. Tambien disculpen la falta de gramatica, que han pasado varios años desde que no use el Español...
Hoy es mi ultimo dia aqui en los EEUU. Escribo este blog mientras espero a que salgan de la escuela los niños. En la mañana sali a copiar a los pasaportes y a notificar a todos los bancos que voy a viajar para que no me bloqueen cuando intente usar mis tarjetas de credito en varios paises. Todas las preparaciones estan completas y ahora, al esperar, me siento demasiada lista para salir y empezar el viaje. Desde salir de la casa, tardaremos mas o menos 17 horas en llegar a nuestro apartamento en Istanbul. Ojala que mi hija no se aburre durante tan largo viaje. Tambien espero que no nos de demasiado "jet lag."
Le agradezco a mi buen amigo de la Turkia, que me dio un monton de informacion acerca de mi apartamento y la vecindad. Parece que el tambien ha quedado en ese mismo apartamento con la chica que ahora me lo renta a mi. Le gusto mucho el hogar y tambien los dueños. Ahora se cuales autobuses debo usar y aproximadamente cuanto tiempo durare en caminar del apartamento al autobus y a la escuela. Todavia estoy esperando a que me den el nombre de la guarderia donde se quedara Maria durante mis clases. Ya que tengo mas informacion me siento mas comoda y relajada.
Espero llegar cansada y feliz a mi nuevo hogar (temporaneo). Ya empeze a planear nuestras escursiones a los lugares historicos. La primera escursion probablemente se realizara durante nuestro primer fin de semana en Istanbul. Tengo en mente un lugar increible que ya visite y podre visitar otra vez facilmente mientras ande como zombi por no haber descansado durante los ultimos dias. Cada vez que estoy a punto de salir del pais me pasa lo mismo. Me siento tan emocionada que no puedo ni dormir, a veces ni comer. Empaco y vuelvo a empacar mis maletas, y gasto mucho tiempo en imaginar como sera el viaje. Mi esposo me dice que siempre experimento la vida por mirar hacia adelante, sin disfrutar al presente, pero para mi, la vida es compuesta por disfrutar en el momento las maravillas que estan a punto de descubrirse. Asi disfruto de la vida dos veces, una vez al anticipar y la segunda vez al cumplirse mis deseos.
Agradecida por su amable atencion...Me despido...
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Bir Gün Kaldı--Heyecanla Bekliyorum!
Merhaba Arkadaşlar!
Gitmemize sadece bir gün kaldı. Çok heyecanlıyım! Bavullarımız hazır, kızım hazır, ben de hazırım. Gidip bu yeni maceraya başlamak istiyorum artık ama bir gün daha beklemem gerekiyor.
Bu sabah birkaç Türk arkadaşımla buluşup güzel bir kahvaltı yaptıktan sonra, özel Türkçe ders verip yürüyüşe çıkıp, Urbana'nın güzel ormanda biraz hava aldım. Bu arada hava çok güzel. Geçen aylarki sıcaklığını yaşamıyoruz artık. Maalesef, ormanın renklerinin değiştireceğini bu yıl göremeyeceğim ama iyi ki bu sonbaharın tadını İstanbul'da çıkarabilirim. Geçen yıl gittiğimde de sonbahardı, ve gerçekten çok güzel bir mevsim. Bu üç haftadır, yolculuğuma çıkmaya beklerken, yeniden 'İstanbul'da Sonbahar' şarkısından çok zevk alıyorum. Bu sitede bulunur: http://www.timsah.com/Teoman-istanbulda-sonbahar-Aksama-Dogru/nTPMV0TbL_r Bu kere İstanbul'dayken sevdiğim kızım benimle olacağından çok mutluyum!
Yarın çocuklar okuldan çıktıktan sonra hep beraber arabayla Chicago'nun büyük havaalanına gideceğiz. Eşim bizi bırakacağına çok mutluyum. Bırakmasaydı bütün gün tren, metroyla uğraşmamız gerekecekti. Tek başıma problem değil ama çocuklarla öyle yapmak zor. Uçuşumuz gece geç saatte kalkıp, direk İstanbul'a gidip, akşam'da varacağız inşallah. Dayre'ye gittikten sonra biraz yemek yiyip uyuyacağız galiba.
Sonraki gün okuluma uğraşıp derslere kaldığı kağıtları hazırlayacağım ve Maria'nın okuluna da gidip öğretmenleriyle tanışmak istiyorum. Sonra da telefon alıp metro sistemini anlamaya çalışacağım. Hafta sonunda, sonunda biraz gezebileceğimizi sanıyorum. Nereye gideceğimizi belli olmadı daha ama çok ilginç ve güzel bir gezme olacağını bekliyorum.
Okuduğunuz için çok teşekkür ediyorum!
İmzalayıp çıkıyorum...
Gitmemize sadece bir gün kaldı. Çok heyecanlıyım! Bavullarımız hazır, kızım hazır, ben de hazırım. Gidip bu yeni maceraya başlamak istiyorum artık ama bir gün daha beklemem gerekiyor.
Bu sabah birkaç Türk arkadaşımla buluşup güzel bir kahvaltı yaptıktan sonra, özel Türkçe ders verip yürüyüşe çıkıp, Urbana'nın güzel ormanda biraz hava aldım. Bu arada hava çok güzel. Geçen aylarki sıcaklığını yaşamıyoruz artık. Maalesef, ormanın renklerinin değiştireceğini bu yıl göremeyeceğim ama iyi ki bu sonbaharın tadını İstanbul'da çıkarabilirim. Geçen yıl gittiğimde de sonbahardı, ve gerçekten çok güzel bir mevsim. Bu üç haftadır, yolculuğuma çıkmaya beklerken, yeniden 'İstanbul'da Sonbahar' şarkısından çok zevk alıyorum. Bu sitede bulunur: http://www.timsah.com/Teoman-istanbulda-sonbahar-Aksama-Dogru/nTPMV0TbL_r Bu kere İstanbul'dayken sevdiğim kızım benimle olacağından çok mutluyum!
Yarın çocuklar okuldan çıktıktan sonra hep beraber arabayla Chicago'nun büyük havaalanına gideceğiz. Eşim bizi bırakacağına çok mutluyum. Bırakmasaydı bütün gün tren, metroyla uğraşmamız gerekecekti. Tek başıma problem değil ama çocuklarla öyle yapmak zor. Uçuşumuz gece geç saatte kalkıp, direk İstanbul'a gidip, akşam'da varacağız inşallah. Dayre'ye gittikten sonra biraz yemek yiyip uyuyacağız galiba.
Sonraki gün okuluma uğraşıp derslere kaldığı kağıtları hazırlayacağım ve Maria'nın okuluna da gidip öğretmenleriyle tanışmak istiyorum. Sonra da telefon alıp metro sistemini anlamaya çalışacağım. Hafta sonunda, sonunda biraz gezebileceğimizi sanıyorum. Nereye gideceğimizi belli olmadı daha ama çok ilginç ve güzel bir gezme olacağını bekliyorum.
Okuduğunuz için çok teşekkür ediyorum!
İmzalayıp çıkıyorum...
Saturday, September 8, 2012
"Wayfarer in China..." Book Review
Hello, Faithful Readers,
Once again I am being lazy and writing in English instead of Turkish or Spanish. Since the book I am about to comment on was in English, and it is too early on a Saturday morning, I will excuse myself...I really must get to practicing Turkish at some point--but then I guess since I will be leaving in less than a week, whatever Turkish I haven't practiced enough for the last several weeks is about to bite me anyway, so I guess I'll enjoy my last few days of being able to communicate unhampered. Hmm. That word always makes me think of the piles of laundry I still haven't done...But I digress.
This post is about a book I recently "read." I say "read," because my eyes didn't actually read it. I once again let the nifty text-to-speech feature of my Kindle do all the hard work, while I sat back and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the rolling Kansas hills. My family made a brief trip to Kansas last weekend, where we all congregated at a convenient mid-point between Illinois and Colorado. I don't know when we'll have a chance to see everyone again, since my intrepid sister is taking off today for a little hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro, followed by some months in Antarctica and who knows where after that...
Did I say this post was about a book? Oh, yes...
The book, A Wayfarer in China: Impressions of a Trip Across West China and Mongolia, by Elizabeth Kendall, can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Wayfarer-In-China-Impressions-Mongolia/dp/1164102591
So, my favorite thing about my Kindle is the awesomeness of the incredible number of free books available in the public domain, which Kindle offers on their devices (and all of which include text-to-speech), allowing me to read the classic books I love at a fraction of the cost. Is $0 a fraction? My math isn't so good...Recently, I went on a Kindle-loading spree and downloaded about a thousand free books, in case I get bored exploring Turkey...yeah. Like that's going to happen.
Anyway, one of the treasures I found was this little book about a bold and fearless adventurer who appears to have had the travel bug as much as (or more than) I do, and wrote about wandering around China and Mongolia in 1911. This was back when travel was dangerous, and people had to actually take their food with them and worry about things like finding banks, and robbers attacking the caravans. Also, she was a woman, traveling alone (with her load of servants, chair-carriers, cook, interpreter, and the occasional soldier), when everyone told her she couldn't do it. It appears that this simple statement did more to motivate her than anything else...
She traveled from West to East across China as far as Peking, then cut northwest into Mongolia almost to the border of Russia. Her vivid and sometimes humorous descriptions of local dress, eating habits, customs, and especially scenery made the story come alive and did a lot to spark an interest in learning more about China. I especially liked that she didn't use flowery speech, as a lot of writers of her time did, she just told it how it was and moved on.
Aside from learning a bit about how China and its people used to be, the thing that most attracted me about the book was something that was I'm sure wholly unintentional on the part of the author: what her writing reveals about the stereotypes, norms, attitudes and ingrained prejudices of her day. Although she was eager to explore and genuinely wanted to learn as much about the people and their culture as possible, she at the same time belies her belief that her Western ideals and ways of life are superior to those of the people she encountered on her journey. These attitudes and prejudices seemed to be mostly subconscious, making them all the more interesting to me.
Noticing how her culture and attitudes shaped her view of the people she met made me consider how my own ways of thinking may be affecting my interactions with people I meet, especially those in cultures somewhat different from my own. On a philosophical note, is it possible for a person to get past their subconscious ideas about the world and truly see another culture for what it is? I suppose not. One's culture, upbringing, personal history and education are sure to influence one's view of others, no matter the context...Sigh.
Today is Saturday. A sunny, bright day after a heavy rain. It's the perfect time for a stroll and picnic in Allerton Park. This is the last weekend I get to enjoy with my family before I head off to strange lands, so I'd better get to it.
Thanks to everyone dedicated enough to keep reading my little experimental blog! Stay tuned for more (and hopefully better) writing in the following weeks.
This is me, signing off...
Once again I am being lazy and writing in English instead of Turkish or Spanish. Since the book I am about to comment on was in English, and it is too early on a Saturday morning, I will excuse myself...I really must get to practicing Turkish at some point--but then I guess since I will be leaving in less than a week, whatever Turkish I haven't practiced enough for the last several weeks is about to bite me anyway, so I guess I'll enjoy my last few days of being able to communicate unhampered. Hmm. That word always makes me think of the piles of laundry I still haven't done...But I digress.
This post is about a book I recently "read." I say "read," because my eyes didn't actually read it. I once again let the nifty text-to-speech feature of my Kindle do all the hard work, while I sat back and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the rolling Kansas hills. My family made a brief trip to Kansas last weekend, where we all congregated at a convenient mid-point between Illinois and Colorado. I don't know when we'll have a chance to see everyone again, since my intrepid sister is taking off today for a little hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro, followed by some months in Antarctica and who knows where after that...
Did I say this post was about a book? Oh, yes...
The book, A Wayfarer in China: Impressions of a Trip Across West China and Mongolia, by Elizabeth Kendall, can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Wayfarer-In-China-Impressions-Mongolia/dp/1164102591
So, my favorite thing about my Kindle is the awesomeness of the incredible number of free books available in the public domain, which Kindle offers on their devices (and all of which include text-to-speech), allowing me to read the classic books I love at a fraction of the cost. Is $0 a fraction? My math isn't so good...Recently, I went on a Kindle-loading spree and downloaded about a thousand free books, in case I get bored exploring Turkey...yeah. Like that's going to happen.
Anyway, one of the treasures I found was this little book about a bold and fearless adventurer who appears to have had the travel bug as much as (or more than) I do, and wrote about wandering around China and Mongolia in 1911. This was back when travel was dangerous, and people had to actually take their food with them and worry about things like finding banks, and robbers attacking the caravans. Also, she was a woman, traveling alone (with her load of servants, chair-carriers, cook, interpreter, and the occasional soldier), when everyone told her she couldn't do it. It appears that this simple statement did more to motivate her than anything else...
She traveled from West to East across China as far as Peking, then cut northwest into Mongolia almost to the border of Russia. Her vivid and sometimes humorous descriptions of local dress, eating habits, customs, and especially scenery made the story come alive and did a lot to spark an interest in learning more about China. I especially liked that she didn't use flowery speech, as a lot of writers of her time did, she just told it how it was and moved on.
Aside from learning a bit about how China and its people used to be, the thing that most attracted me about the book was something that was I'm sure wholly unintentional on the part of the author: what her writing reveals about the stereotypes, norms, attitudes and ingrained prejudices of her day. Although she was eager to explore and genuinely wanted to learn as much about the people and their culture as possible, she at the same time belies her belief that her Western ideals and ways of life are superior to those of the people she encountered on her journey. These attitudes and prejudices seemed to be mostly subconscious, making them all the more interesting to me.
Noticing how her culture and attitudes shaped her view of the people she met made me consider how my own ways of thinking may be affecting my interactions with people I meet, especially those in cultures somewhat different from my own. On a philosophical note, is it possible for a person to get past their subconscious ideas about the world and truly see another culture for what it is? I suppose not. One's culture, upbringing, personal history and education are sure to influence one's view of others, no matter the context...Sigh.
Today is Saturday. A sunny, bright day after a heavy rain. It's the perfect time for a stroll and picnic in Allerton Park. This is the last weekend I get to enjoy with my family before I head off to strange lands, so I'd better get to it.
Thanks to everyone dedicated enough to keep reading my little experimental blog! Stay tuned for more (and hopefully better) writing in the following weeks.
This is me, signing off...
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Heyecanlık ve Tatil
Merhaba arkadaşlar!
Çok heyecanlıyım! Bugün büyük macerama çıkmaya hazırlıyorum. Gitmeme sadece altı gün kaldı. Zaman nasıl bu kadar hızlı geçtiğini anlayamıyorum. Dün, sadece bir hafta kaldığını fark edip şaşırdım.
Hâlâ ders için okumam gerekeceğini kitapların hepsini okuyamadım. Valizlerimi henüz hazırlayamadım. Saçlarımı daha kestiremedim...Fakat altı gün sonra ne olursa olsun (inşallah) kızımla beraber uçağa binip Türkiye'ye gideceğim.
Geçen hafta sonu annem, babam, ablamla beraber çok güzel bir tatil geçtik. Kansas'a gidip, KS City'nin güzel parkları keşfedip, lezetli yemekleri yiyip, eğlendik. Pazar günü da ablamın kayın pederinin gölüne gidip, kamp ettik. Sadece bir gün kalabildiğimize rağmen gölde yüzüp, şeker (marshmallows) ateşte pişirdik.
Uff! Uzun haftalar Türkçe yazmadığım için, ifade edmeye çok zorlanıyorum. İnşallah bundan sonra bu kadar zor olmaz. Okuyabileceklere, yanlışlarıma bakmayın deyince...
İmzalayıp çıkıyorum...
Çok heyecanlıyım! Bugün büyük macerama çıkmaya hazırlıyorum. Gitmeme sadece altı gün kaldı. Zaman nasıl bu kadar hızlı geçtiğini anlayamıyorum. Dün, sadece bir hafta kaldığını fark edip şaşırdım.
Hâlâ ders için okumam gerekeceğini kitapların hepsini okuyamadım. Valizlerimi henüz hazırlayamadım. Saçlarımı daha kestiremedim...Fakat altı gün sonra ne olursa olsun (inşallah) kızımla beraber uçağa binip Türkiye'ye gideceğim.
Geçen hafta sonu annem, babam, ablamla beraber çok güzel bir tatil geçtik. Kansas'a gidip, KS City'nin güzel parkları keşfedip, lezetli yemekleri yiyip, eğlendik. Pazar günü da ablamın kayın pederinin gölüne gidip, kamp ettik. Sadece bir gün kalabildiğimize rağmen gölde yüzüp, şeker (marshmallows) ateşte pişirdik.
Uff! Uzun haftalar Türkçe yazmadığım için, ifade edmeye çok zorlanıyorum. İnşallah bundan sonra bu kadar zor olmaz. Okuyabileceklere, yanlışlarıma bakmayın deyince...
İmzalayıp çıkıyorum...
Monday, September 3, 2012
Experiences in Language Learning (Part Three)
Here is the final installment of the "Experiences in Language Learning" set...
At this point, I began considering all my failed attempts at language learning and the methods I had employed. I was increasingly frustrated that although I had studied many languages, some for months or years, I still could really only speak English and Spanish. I decided it was time to focus exclusively on one language until I reached near-fluency, but was not content with how I had gone about learning languages in the past. I wondered if creating an immersion-like environment for myself would give me success closer to what I had experienced in learning Spanish. With this idea in mind, I began thinking of all the ways I could create an immersion-like experience while studying independently. I wrote a list of all the activities I could think of which would help me immerse myself in the language, and determined to use them.
I plan to further test my ideas about language learning when I start taking Russian again in the spring.
Please feel free to comment and share your language learning experiences, especially the methods that have worked best for you. Stay tuned for a review of an interesting book I have been listening to this weekend about a woman traveling in China and Mongolia...
Thanks for reading!
This is me, signing off...
At this point, I began considering all my failed attempts at language learning and the methods I had employed. I was increasingly frustrated that although I had studied many languages, some for months or years, I still could really only speak English and Spanish. I decided it was time to focus exclusively on one language until I reached near-fluency, but was not content with how I had gone about learning languages in the past. I wondered if creating an immersion-like environment for myself would give me success closer to what I had experienced in learning Spanish. With this idea in mind, I began thinking of all the ways I could create an immersion-like experience while studying independently. I wrote a list of all the activities I could think of which would help me immerse myself in the language, and determined to use them.
I started studying Turkish on my own in October of 2009. The
resources I used in the first two months were online radio and TV, Turkish
music from www.youtube.com , a good
dictionary, a workbook, a web page with an explanation of grammar issues, online
newspapers, www.livemocha.com exercises,
two good online conversation partners willing to correct my mistakes, www.byki.com ‘s free flashcards with
pronunciation and pictures, and Pimsleur’s CDs, which helped a lot with
pronunciation practice.
I spent every minute studying, memorizing vocabulary,
intently listening to the TV and radio and trying to hear words I knew. I
practiced my pronunciation, tried to work out the complicated grammar, and
tested sentences on my conversation partners; I frequently had the TV or radio
on in the background, even after the kids came home from school, just to get
used to hearing the intonation and stress patterns in the speech.
I went looking for Turks in the community, and found
several. I made friends with one woman who had just arrived with her family and
who didn’t speak any English at all. I went to her house several times a week
and we started out with a picture dictionary, pointing at things and copying
each other’s speech. I worked on verb conjugations until I had memorized the
most important 20-30 verbs, and kept practicing making sentences with them and
having my friend correct them. About two months into this, we were able to
understand each other fairly well, and were both extremely motivated to keep
learning, because we had become good friends.
After I had been studying about six months, another friend
suggested I audit the class offered at the university in my town. I had been
unaware that Turkish was offered, or that I could audit classes there, but was
thrilled to discover the opportunity to more formally expand my knowledge of
the grammatical structures. I decided the best way to maximize my exposure to
the language was to enroll in all three levels at the same time. I figured I
could breeze through the beginner material, struggle a bit in intermediate
because I didn’t have all the prerequisite grammar structures, and just listen
to the discussions in the advanced class. The same teacher taught all three
classes, and when I showed up the first day with my audit paper, he looked a
bit confused about my wanting taking all three classes, but signed the form and
welcomed me to participate as much as I was able in all the classes.
Around this time I started a Masters course, and so had a
lot less time to devote to Turkish, but continued to follow my schedule as much
as possible, and having formal classes helped me stay on track. The first year
I studied beginner, intermediate and advanced, and continued using the other
methods that had worked so well for me in the beginning. My Turkish friends
also gave me a nice selection of good quality workbooks and grammar explanation
books, most of which I worked through right away. In the winter of that year,
my good friend moved away and I was left searching for someone to take her
place, but found no one. The second year of my formal study I continued taking
intermediate and advanced classes, and in the second semester of that year I
finally found a good study partner who was as enthusiastic about Turkish as I
was. We could only work one day a week since he lived in another town, but I
learned a lot from him during our time together.
I have been thrilled with the results of my efforts, and
seem to have finally discovered how study in such a way that my brain can
retain what I learn about new languages. I feel confident in my Turkish and
know that it is a language that I won’t easily forget, as long as I keep
listening to the radio and talking to friends. This year, I am excited about
the opportunity to expand my Turkish in a real immersion environment during my
three months in Turkey. I have set a goal of attaining an ‘advanced high’ or
‘superior’ rating (on the OPI scale) by the time I return home. I plan to further test my ideas about language learning when I start taking Russian again in the spring.
Please feel free to comment and share your language learning experiences, especially the methods that have worked best for you. Stay tuned for a review of an interesting book I have been listening to this weekend about a woman traveling in China and Mongolia...
Thanks for reading!
This is me, signing off...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)