Odds and Ends

                The exploration of a new city is one of my favourite things to do.  The sights, the smells, the delicious state of unknown.  Although we haven’t been teaching  a ton of hours, there is nothing boring about not working.  Last Tuesday, Joe and I attended a conference given by Oxford University Press about the books and how to teach.  This turned out to be a sales pitch, so we payed fairly little attention- and even less attention when the second session was given in Turkey.  Instead we passed the notepad back and forth, jaunting down thoughts that passed and conversing that way.  The flashbacks to communicating that way with friends during church sermons came rushing back.  It was given at the Hilton Hotel- new in town- but with a fabulous seating area on the 18^th floor overlooking the entirety of Malatya.  Dinner afterwards was quite tasty, but, despite being in a room full of English teachers, there were precious few people to talk to.  Tea afterwards was served on the 18^th floor, and despite being bombarded by a woman wondering what kind of English books were good to recommend for children (it’s been a long time since I read children’s books) that was a bit odd, it was quite pleasant.  One of our bosses drove us home afterwards and I think it was the first time we were in bed past 9pm since we arrived.

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The main mosque in the center of town.  The third pillar is incomplete becauses the architect died before it was completed.

                 We started actual classes on Saturday, and for the most part it was a lot of fun.  Turkish students are friendly, if a bit shy to start, and their levels are considerably lower than I was expecting, but that’s easy enough to adjust to.  One of my students told me Taylor Swift was her idol: I didn’t know how to respond.  It’s fun getting back into the swing of it, although the system is once again different than I am used to.  The Turkish teachers teach the majority of the books, and we go in to each class for one hour a day (of the three or four) and teach a section of the book, that comprises of vocabulary, speaking and ‘everyday English’- a hard sell when they don’t need to use English every day, but alas.  It means that we have no say in how the grammar is presented, and although there is communication with the teacher, I am still figuring out how best to use my time for the benefit of the students.  It may yet take a few more weeks until I can determine this: for now I will do as I’m told.

              

The second President of Turkey.  From Malatya.

                   Other than last minute lesson planning (I received my schedule for the weekend of Friday for fourteen hours worth of lessons, and my weekly schedule on Monday- if this continues there will be a discussion) I have been spending my time exploring Malatya.  The weather has cooled down a bit (particularly in the evenings) and it has been lots of fun.  I found these old stone things on one of my expeditions (they turned out to be Turkish baths from the Ottoman Empire) and have loved the feel of exploring a city with so much character.  Onder took us on a mini tour today to help us buy tickets for our upcoming trip to Istanbul, and then showed us around the open air markets where the vegetables are aligned in the brightest colours, and the smell of the fish market makes you feel like you have already eaten it.  Goat’s heads hang from wires and everywhere the vendors are yelling at you to come and buy their delicacies.  Joe and I discovered a fantastic kebab restaurant, and we tried ayran (a yogurt drink that has been watered down- I would not recommend it.)  We haven’t been doing too much cooking other than breakfast, as the late lunch we have (of a donair, typically) is the most filling food I have ever experience and will fill you up for more hours than there are in an evening.  I love learning Turkish, although I do find their verbs quite challenging to get the hang of thus far.

One of the many drinking fountains in Malatya.  It is good to drink tap water again.