I have got to start bringing my camera around with me! My parents have been in Adana for the last week, and its been great to have them around. Its a much different visit from the last time they were here. Their last visit was a very romantic view of our lives here, including a trip to Istanbul, Cappadocia, Adana, Antioch, Tarsus, castles, the Mediterannean Sea, all in about two weeks. This visit has been more of a real glimpse into our lives, trips to the grocery store, coming to the university and coming to my classes, walking around the neighborhoods and parks near our house, sitting at home holding a new baby. Its been really fun having them around, I just hope they aren't too disappointed by our very un-eventful lives!
Two days ago, though, my mom and I headed to the hamam (Turkish Bath) to relax and experience a well-preserved Turkish tradition. There are many more modern sauna-type Turkish Baths I could have brought her to, but I prefer the real experience, in the old part of town, near the blacksmith shops and salvar makers (traditional pants.) We had a wonderful time, with only a one extremely uncomfortable situation for my mom. She handled it very gracefully, though, just going along with the flow. I loved experiencing the hamam with her, and I think it should become a tradition. Hopefully mom will agree to go back there next time! :)
Friday, March 21, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
I'm back!
Finally, my roommates and I are hooked up to internet again! I haven't been able to blog for the past few months because of our lack of internet, but hopefully I'll be able to start up again. Look for some posts soon...
Monday, November 19, 2007
Craft Project #2
Here is another project I was working on this fall. I made two blankets for a friend's cousins last weekend. I've also been having a lot of fun teaching some younger girls (ages 11-12) how to make blankets like this. We've been having a lot of fun together, talking about Hannah Montana and High School Musical!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Curiosity Killed the Class
Something that can frustrate me sometimes is people's curiosity at inopportune times. Minnesota is pretty infamous for this. I especially notice this during rush hour. A car accident is never the sole problem for stopping traffic. The real problem is when people slow down to see who probably hit whom, how bad the accident is, etc.
Since arriving in Turkey, I've seen my fair share of situations requiring an ambulance. Mostly, these situations involve car accidents, motorcyclists getting hit, etc. An interesting phenomenon that usually happens when an ambulance is called, is that people come out of the cracks to stand around the ambulance watching. Never once have I seen these people actually helping. They simply form a semi-circle around the back door of the ambulance, straining to see inside, waiting for a glimpse of what? I don't know, until the ambulance doors close and it drives away.
Yesterday during class, an ambulance pulled up right next to the window of our classroom. I had noticed it but didn't draw attention to it, knowing the interruption that it would cause for the class. A group of ten students had already formed outside our window, behind the ambulance. In the middle of an activity, the students realized something was happening outside, and all ran to the window to see what was going on. I tried to get them to sit down and continue working, but at all times, at least three people were at the window giving a play-by-play. By this time, at least fifty students were all huddled around the ambulance outside. I asked my students over and over to sit down. One girl finally said to me, "Aren't you curious? Aren't you worried that it is someone you know?" "If it is," I said, "I'll find out later!" She looked at me like I was the coldest, most heartless person she had ever met.
The class would not relax until the ambulance was out of sight and the crowd outside our window was gone. My class was ruined, my students thought me heartless, and we found out nothing about the accident by watching out the window. Whether it was my impatience with my students or impatience with this curiosity at inopportune times that upset me so much, I don't know. Either way, I guess I need more patience!
Since arriving in Turkey, I've seen my fair share of situations requiring an ambulance. Mostly, these situations involve car accidents, motorcyclists getting hit, etc. An interesting phenomenon that usually happens when an ambulance is called, is that people come out of the cracks to stand around the ambulance watching. Never once have I seen these people actually helping. They simply form a semi-circle around the back door of the ambulance, straining to see inside, waiting for a glimpse of what? I don't know, until the ambulance doors close and it drives away.
Yesterday during class, an ambulance pulled up right next to the window of our classroom. I had noticed it but didn't draw attention to it, knowing the interruption that it would cause for the class. A group of ten students had already formed outside our window, behind the ambulance. In the middle of an activity, the students realized something was happening outside, and all ran to the window to see what was going on. I tried to get them to sit down and continue working, but at all times, at least three people were at the window giving a play-by-play. By this time, at least fifty students were all huddled around the ambulance outside. I asked my students over and over to sit down. One girl finally said to me, "Aren't you curious? Aren't you worried that it is someone you know?" "If it is," I said, "I'll find out later!" She looked at me like I was the coldest, most heartless person she had ever met.
The class would not relax until the ambulance was out of sight and the crowd outside our window was gone. My class was ruined, my students thought me heartless, and we found out nothing about the accident by watching out the window. Whether it was my impatience with my students or impatience with this curiosity at inopportune times that upset me so much, I don't know. Either way, I guess I need more patience!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Turkish Home Remedies
I haven't been writing very regularly so far this semester. It is definitely not due to a lack of topics! It has been such a busy time and its taken me awhile to adjust to a new schedule. Hopefully I can share more with you about life in Adana in the coming weeks.
There is one story I've been dying to share. The other day, a friend and I were walking through a side street in Gazipasa (a nice neighborhood in Adana,) and we saw a man who was washing his car. As we approached him, I saw he was rubbing something on his car as if it were wax. At the same time, there was an overwhelming smell of gasoline. I said to my friend, "What is that man putting on his car?" "Gas, I guess," he said. "Do you mean wax or oil or something?" I asked. "No. Gas," he said. Let me tell you, it was no small amount of gas, either. I couldn't believe this guy was cleaning his vehicle using gasoline! Gas? Seriously??? We walked away discussing all of the normal, daily circumstances that could send that car up in flames!
I asked my friend if he had ever witnessed anything like that. I was glad to hear that he has never seen or heard of anyone else cleaning a car that way. I guess it was just one of those special Turkish home remedies.
There is one story I've been dying to share. The other day, a friend and I were walking through a side street in Gazipasa (a nice neighborhood in Adana,) and we saw a man who was washing his car. As we approached him, I saw he was rubbing something on his car as if it were wax. At the same time, there was an overwhelming smell of gasoline. I said to my friend, "What is that man putting on his car?" "Gas, I guess," he said. "Do you mean wax or oil or something?" I asked. "No. Gas," he said. Let me tell you, it was no small amount of gas, either. I couldn't believe this guy was cleaning his vehicle using gasoline! Gas? Seriously??? We walked away discussing all of the normal, daily circumstances that could send that car up in flames!
I asked my friend if he had ever witnessed anything like that. I was glad to hear that he has never seen or heard of anyone else cleaning a car that way. I guess it was just one of those special Turkish home remedies.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
University Cultural Difference 101
I have been teaching at Cag University for three years now and upon arriving my first year, there were a few things about the school that shocked me. Okay, let's not say a few things; let's say many things. Many things about this particular Turkish, private university shocked me. Things such as not bringing a pencil, dictionary, notebook, or course book to class; respecting the teacher; respecting other students; commonplace cheating; these things still shock me at a university level. Sadly I'm learning to accept these things, and in time I'm learning how to deal with each one individually. But there is one that frustrates me to no end.
The amount of time students are allowed to skip in a year is ghastly. During their prep year at Cag, my students are allowed to skip 100 hours of classes. 100 HOURS! What a great help for those students who maybe get a terminal illness during the school year, but besides terminal illness, my American audience might wonder how a student could possibly skip that much time. Here's the shocking part. In two years, most of my students skip their allotted amount of time, usually up to 95-99 hours. I've had students at 90 hours by the semester break, and I have had at least ten students fail the prep year because they skipped more than 100 hours.
Coming from an American university, this is seriously unbelievable. My Turkish sister-in-law, who I would imagine was an excellent student who really cared about her classes, told me tonight that every year, she would skip as many hours as she was allowed! I can honestly say that in my four years at Bethel, I possibly skipped ten hours. Possibly. If I did, it would have been because of pretty serious illness. For the most part, I really enjoyed my classes and professors, and I really hated getting behind and missing class. I've told this to Turkish friends before, but they find it unbelievable. As incredible it is to me that they can skip 100 hours in a year, so is it incredible to them that I only skipped ten hours in four years.
This is just one example of a university cultural difference that I have been dealing with and trying to understand for the last two years. I have found my own ways of dealing with skipping, but it's still a hard mentality for me to grasp.
The amount of time students are allowed to skip in a year is ghastly. During their prep year at Cag, my students are allowed to skip 100 hours of classes. 100 HOURS! What a great help for those students who maybe get a terminal illness during the school year, but besides terminal illness, my American audience might wonder how a student could possibly skip that much time. Here's the shocking part. In two years, most of my students skip their allotted amount of time, usually up to 95-99 hours. I've had students at 90 hours by the semester break, and I have had at least ten students fail the prep year because they skipped more than 100 hours.
Coming from an American university, this is seriously unbelievable. My Turkish sister-in-law, who I would imagine was an excellent student who really cared about her classes, told me tonight that every year, she would skip as many hours as she was allowed! I can honestly say that in my four years at Bethel, I possibly skipped ten hours. Possibly. If I did, it would have been because of pretty serious illness. For the most part, I really enjoyed my classes and professors, and I really hated getting behind and missing class. I've told this to Turkish friends before, but they find it unbelievable. As incredible it is to me that they can skip 100 hours in a year, so is it incredible to them that I only skipped ten hours in four years.
This is just one example of a university cultural difference that I have been dealing with and trying to understand for the last two years. I have found my own ways of dealing with skipping, but it's still a hard mentality for me to grasp.
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