Volunteering at the Center

Well, things got off to a slow start at the center, mostly because we needed to observe in all the classes, and see what they are currently doing. Then there was Bayram, so everything took a break. Now, we have had an in-depth conversation (with translation, thank you Linda!) with the manager and the prinicpal-figure of the center, which resulted in what will be a regular routine. We are at the center three days a week. We decided to spend our mornings rotating back and forth between two classrooms. This way, we will not overwhelm the small class (usually between 3 and 6 students) with both of us, but we will still be able to talk through the day and brainstorm together, about the same groups of students. Without realizing it, we chose to work with two different teachers who happen to be married to each other!

This is one of the classes. The students are about 8 and 9 years old, with varying ranges of ability. There are usually 2 assistant teachers to help the teacher, so there is a pretty good student/teacher ratio, especially once Alli or I are in the class, though we can't do a whole lot just yet. All the teachers and assistants wear white lab coats, and some of the students wear uniforms (though some don't). With this class, I get to lead lots of songs. They sing "Where is Thumbkin?" in Turkish, and I sing along in English. So far, I know about 2 lines of the song in Turkish. All the kids are super cute, and have such good hearts, and of course, the usual amount of mischief! =)

In the afternoons I work with individual therapists, working with students with autism and other disabilities. I'm trying to rotate between 3 therapists, so that I can get to know the students that come at particular times, and can give ideas that pertain to those students. In working with these students, I realized how much I rely on the adapted materials and classroom components that we have in the states. At home, we rely on positive reinforcement, and the idea that we as teachers need to make the learning activity interesting enough to hold the student's attention. I believe I need to give the student a good reason to complete a task, other than the fact that I as an authority figure have commanded it. This doesn't seem to be the mindset here, so using reinforcement as a tool is a new concept, which I find very hard to explain with so few words. (Darn language barrier! We have started Turkish lessons though, and I am learning to conjugate verbs, so hopefully this problem will not exist for long!) Aside from educational concepts, there are all kinds of things I would love to have here - like kid-sized cube chairs, chewies, lots of toys at my disposal, visual timers, a sensory table, etc. I am trying to think creatively about what I could do instead, that would help the student in the same way. There are students here who are really stumping me - this is where my lack of classroom experience causes problems. I have lots of theory, and some practical application, but I just haven't been around the business long enough to know everything. I guess that's what the rest of my career is for!

In the classes, the students spend most of their time copying or tracing words in a notebook. The teachers spend most of their time writing out the words for students to trace in their notebooks. The focus is on learning to write the letters and words, as well as working on fine motor through repetition. I am stretching to find ideas that I can bring to the classroom, without completly overthrowing their whole system, which is completely unlike what I am used to. Part of it is that I work with preschoolers, who wouldn't be doing this kind of work anyway. Alli and I are hoping to visit a regular ed, public school, just for a day, so that we have something to which we can compare Turkish special education. So much to think about! In general though, I would say things are going well. I am starting to have ideas for particular students, and I am definitely feeling like a regular in the classroom. The other teachers are really fun, and we have made definite friends. The other day Alli and I played volleyball at lunch with the physical therapists!

I don't think you understand...

I know that as a non-coffee-drinker, I am an anomaly in Seattle. Apparently, I am even more so here in Antalya! Frequently, I have been offered coffee, and when I turn it down on the basis of the fact that I don't like the way coffee tastes, I have been scoffed at, and once (or thrice!) again offered the coffee. More often than not, Nescafe has been the coffee drink of choice, and somehow, my hosts seem to think that changes whether or not I will want to drink some coffee.

Today, the conversation went like this (you'll have to imagine the appropriate hand motions, sound effects, and volume control): "Would you like some coffee?" "No thank you, I don't drink coffee." "Haha, yes, you should have some coffee." "No, thank you, really, I don't like the taste, it makes me go "blech"." "Well, you should really have some coffee - I don't think you understand, it's Nescafe." "No really, I don't like coffee at all (wild hand motions)." "No - its NESCAFE, you know, NESCAFE? Not Turkish coffee, I'll just add a little of the Nescafe, so it won't be so strong. It's NESCAFE, you will have some." "Sigh. Alright."

I felt a little like the scene from Big Fat Greek Wedding, when the mother finds out the fiance doesn't eat meat, so she decides to make lamb. Nescafe is apparently better than just plain coffee, even in a whole different category, and therefore, I should have some.

Ebru and Olympos

We have become friends with a woman named Ebru, who is absolutely wonderful. She speaks quite a bit of English, and would like to learn more, and we of course, want to learn Turkish. Because I know just about no Turkish. Since being here, we have picked up a lot of vocabulary, lots of nouns, but I don't know any verbs, so I speak like Tarzan - very ineffective. She is an opera singer, and a couple weeks ago we went to an outdoor concert to hear her friends sing. It was wonderful! In November she is in Fiddler on the Roof, and we get to go see it! I am so excited!

This week we went to her house, and she taught us how to make kisir, which was tons of fun! Its kind of like couscous, but with all sorts of tomatos and onions and other good stuff in it. It was so great to learn how to make a traditional Turkish dish, with a Turkish friend! We ate on her balcony, which overlooks a fairly busy street near the water. Such fun! I'm hoping that we will get to have many such meals with her, and that we will also be able to teach her some of the recipes that we know and love from home. It's hard though, because everything is so different here, food-wise, and things that I am used to buying in the grocery store are not available. Things I am missing: peanut butter, peanut sauce and saltine crackers. Interesting.

This week we went to Olympos, where we stayed in a treehouse (which shook everytime I rolled over), and saw the stuff of Greek legends. Literally. One night we took a tour of Chimaera, the natural gas fires that burn constantly out of little holes in the mountain. We went rafting one day, and spent another day being lazy on the beach. It was a great vacation! (Schools were closed to celebrate Bayram, the holiday at the end of Ramadan.) Tomorrow we will start teaching English at the kresh, and hopefully this week we will have a translated conversation, so that we can get the ball rolling at the center as well. Its a little scary that we have been here for just about a month, and I feel like we haven't actually done anything yet other than observe. But now that Bayram is over, things will be on a more normal schedule. Here we go!!

Spot the Foreigner

On countless occasions, walking through the streets, on the bus, at the grocery store, we have been instantly identified as tourists. Without words, we somehow stand out as very non-Turkish, and more to the point, are also correctly identified as Americans - all without us even speaking!! What is it about me or Alli that states this so clearly? I have tried to pick out people in crowds that seem to be less Turksh to me, only to walk closer and hear them speaking fluent Turkish. I thought for a while that it was hair color, but both Alli and I have dark hair. We don't wear clothes that are more or less conservative that everyone else. We don't wear American flags on our backs. The only detail that I can come up with, is that we wear fewer sequins than Turkish woman. We are less sparkly. Honostly - most of the women here in Antalya wear lots of sparkly jewelry, sequins on shirts and pants, and large fake sparkly stones in their shoes. Alli and I also wear a lot less makeup than most folks here. I was not expecting to be less formally dressed than everyone else here - complete surprise.