It’s been a while, so I will attempt to blitz-recap the past
few months, via the major holidays:
THANKSGIVING
Ironically enough, this Thanksgiving was probably one of my
favorites to date despite the fact that I was celebrating it as an expat. It
started with a very complicated attempt to make apple pie to share with my
adult night class and Turkish colleagues.
The crust was rolled out with a jar and it was deep-deep
dish given that the only round pan in the house was a bread pan, but it was a
hit nonetheless. It in fact sparked a tradition within my night class of someone bringing food to share each week.
.jpg) |
| Çok ekmek in true Turkish style |
We also traveled to Afyon (a small town in central-western
Turkey, literally named "Opium" until the official name was changed to
Afyonkarahisar or “Opium Black Fortress” in 2004— which I still find hilarious)
to get together and celebrate with the Fulbrighters in western Turkey. There
were about 30 ETAs, Turkish friends, and one cat crammed into the
Afyon group’s apartment, as you can see in this adorable family photo… There
was even a turkey, bussed all the way in from Bursa, where a Fulbrighter had a
student whose family farmed the birds.
CHRISTMAS
 |
| Valuable English vocabulary |
Christmas in Balıkesir was nice and relatively uneventful. I made my university students listen to (and sing) Christmas carols each week of December— the perfect English comprehension lesson, sure, but really just an entertaining excuse to hear a roomful of adolescent Turkish males impersonate Frank Sinatra. Hilarious. I had to say goodbye to my classes for the rest of the year, surprisingly sad for as sassy as they are. My A1 class wanted a group picture:
Christmas Eve was the night of my last class with my adult speaking class, so
as per tradition we had lots of food. And several even brought me gifts! They are my extended Turkish family. :)
I found a dusty, vintage ’70s cookie press in the back of our
apartment and some good ole American green food dye from a box of mysterious St.
Patrick’s Day paraphernalia (repurposed as Christmas decorations), so I made a massive batch of my family’s traditional
Christmas cookies.
Christmas Day was especially chill, I went for a run, then
spent the rest of the day watching Elf, sipping peppermint mochas, and skyping
friends and family.
NEW YEARS
After our last exam we all headed to Istanbul, where we met
up with other Fulbright friends. We used the extended time to expand our
Istanbul experience from the typical coffee-Mango-and-Shake-Shake haunts to
include the usual touristy circuit. Istanbul definitely lives up to the hype as
one of the most amazing cities in the world.
 |
| The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) |
We were there through New Years, then parted ways for
another month of adventures.
TATİLER
Our university had no classes between exams in
December and the beginning of February, so for my tatil (or holiday) I spent some time in Ankara, and then
went to Israel for a week. It was a much needed break from our everyday school
schedule, and I even studied some Turkish (çok inanılmaz!).
 |
| View of Jerusalem Old City from the Mount of Olives |
The week in Israel
was a whirlwind and surprisingly far too short a time for such a tiny country.
Apart from a few security fiascos in the airport (apparently living in a
predominantly Muslim country raises red flags there... who knew?), the trip was
incredibly smooth. I had a blast catching up with some Pepperdine friends who
live in Tel Aviv, exploring Jerusalem, making new hotel friends, and attempting
to absorb an overwhelming amount of sights of historical, spiritual, racial,
and political importance. By far my favorite part of the trip was traveling to
the West Bank, where I was completely floored by the injustices I saw and also inspired
by the Palestinians I met and the stories they told.
EVDE
Now,
I am evde (at home) and slowly trying to get back into the swing of things with our
new university schedule, exciting new gym down the street (stories to come...
be excited...), and the scary spectre of future job applications on the
horizon.
More
updates to come.
Görüşürüz!
