Weekend in Review

Well, its Sunday night here in Antalya, and things are good. This has been a fast weekend, but lately they all seem to be flying by.

On Friday night I went out for drinks with some of the teachers at the new center, and that was a fun bonding time. In terms of culture, I think it was important to be able to spend time together outside of work. The teachers there are constantly surprising me with how much English they speak. Unfortunately, I don't think they can say the same about my Turkish, but I'm trying. Right now I can understand a lot of words, especially when they are spoken slowly, but I sometimes still have difficulty understanding the thought the words convey. I am really enjoying being at this new center. I'm still just observing, and I think I will for one more week, but then I'll find a regular routine after that. Next week I will observe more of the group classes as well as dog therapy! One of the physical therapists tried to explain to me how that works, but I think I need to see it in action. I'll let you know more when I've seen it! After next week I will find a regular routine, getting to know specific students, so that I can start to offer suggestions (hopefully helpful ones) to the teachers. So far I have observed a lot of one-on-ones, which, get this, are actually one-on-one! Most of the "one-on-ones" that I taught in the states last year were actually one(teacher)-on-two/three(students). Its been such a good experience here, that I am much more open to the thought of doing something similar in the states next fall.

Today was a day of luxury. Karn had a friend in town for the weekend, so with Ben and Verna we all went out to breakfast in Chakirlar, a small village outside of town. Chakirlar is quickly becoming one of my favorite Sunday breakfast spots. Think great Turkish breakfast in all its glory, with fresh baslama and gozleme. (Baslama is served hot, shaped like a pizza, with a ice cream scoop of butter on the top, filled with feta-like cheese. So good, and so terrible!) One of my favorite parts of the Turkish breakfast is the walnuts, which are best eaten dipped in honey, as my friend Funda showed me. The crumbly cheese, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, fig and quince jams, olives, and eggs are pretty great too. Chakirlar is full of these gozleme places, where all meals are eaten in little wooden huts, usually on stilts. Shoes are left at the door, and you sit on pillows and mats around a low table. Tea comes by the pot, with its own little home-made camp stove to keep it hot during the long breakfast. The hut we sat in today actually had a bed in it as well, perfect for the Sunday afternoon nap after a big brunch. The sun was shining brightly, and it was an absolutely perfect way to spend the morning. After wandering through the market in Chakirlar, we took the meandering drive back into town. Karn, her friend Kim, and I then went to the hamam (the Turkish bath - I've described that before, right?). I am definitely going to miss the hamam when I go home! My favorite part is being covered in soap suds - I feel like I'm floating in a cloud!

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on emails, planning my teaching for the week, and looking for jobs for the summer and next year. I know its early for schools to post job openings for next year, but I'd love to get a head start. I'm also trying to find summer employment, and trying to decide if it will be easier found in the States, or here in Turkey. I have a few possible options in Antalya, but I'm feeling like I want to be home for the summer. I know that the economy is not great, and that everyone else is looking for jobs too, but if anyone knows of a great summer job (somewhere along the teacher/counselor/nanny lines) in the Seattle-ish area, please let me know! The economy is not looking great here in Turkey either, and its taking its toll on the kreshes in Antalya, as childcare is the first thing to be cut out of budgets. The kresh that I am teaching English at is on rocky ground, and the owner is only taking things two weeks at a time because of financial stress. Please pray that she will have wisdom to make smart business decisions and be able to continue to support her family. I would appreciate it!