Hey all,
I haven't posted on this thing for about a year. I originally came here because Wordpress was blocked in Turkey but now it is back up. If you want to see what I'm up to, then go to www.istanbullseye.wordpress.com.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Recapping the last 4 weeks
Since it's been four weeks since my last post I'll try to recap what's been going on:
1) I started grad school. For those of you who don't know, I'm doing an Ottoman History program at an English-using university, although two of my five classes are in Turkish. One of those classes is Ottoman Turkish, which is kinda like Middle English and necessary to know if you want to read old documents about Turkey.
Grad school has been challenging and awesome. It's quite a step up from undergrad: I need to read about 100-150 pages a day to keep up, and in contrast to undergrad classes where the professor basically recaps what you have read, in these classes the professor expects you to read and understand everything, then to plug that information into different frameworks.
The people in my class are cool. There are 9 Turks, 2 Germans and a British-Kurd. The age ranges are from the mid 20s to the early 30s and they are a sharp bunch. I'll be hanging out with a few of them tonight for the first time.
2) Yesterday was my birthday. Thanks to all those people who gave me the birthday shout-outs on facebook. I'll tell more about things in another post. You can even comment and I promise I won't bite!
1) I started grad school. For those of you who don't know, I'm doing an Ottoman History program at an English-using university, although two of my five classes are in Turkish. One of those classes is Ottoman Turkish, which is kinda like Middle English and necessary to know if you want to read old documents about Turkey.
Grad school has been challenging and awesome. It's quite a step up from undergrad: I need to read about 100-150 pages a day to keep up, and in contrast to undergrad classes where the professor basically recaps what you have read, in these classes the professor expects you to read and understand everything, then to plug that information into different frameworks.
The people in my class are cool. There are 9 Turks, 2 Germans and a British-Kurd. The age ranges are from the mid 20s to the early 30s and they are a sharp bunch. I'll be hanging out with a few of them tonight for the first time.
2) Yesterday was my birthday. Thanks to all those people who gave me the birthday shout-outs on facebook. I'll tell more about things in another post. You can even comment and I promise I won't bite!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
A new part-time job; a new semester
On Friday I began my new part-time, 10-hour-a-week job of English teaching. I predict this job will be fairly laid back because the school uses a system of English instruction called the Callan Method (registered trademark) which requires absolutely zero lesson planning from the teacher. Basically, my teacher's book has a slew of questions on each page that I ask the student, who then parrots back an answer to me.
For example:
Me: "Mehmet, do you enjoy traveling in your country?"
Mehmet: "Yes, I enjoy the traveling in the country."
Me: "No Mehmet, it's 'Yes, I enjoy traveling in my country.'"
Mehmet: "I am sorry, my teacher."
I like to call this method of teaching the Liturgy Method, since it's non-stop repetition. This gig won't be the most cerebral job that I've had, but it'll pay the bills and it's fairly low-maintenance.
Tomorrow I finally start classes. I'll have four grad classes that focus on various aspects on Ottoman history and culture and one undergraduate class on Ottoman Turkish (an old version of Turkish that is like King James English). The latter will be taught in Turkish, which hopefully won't be too daunting for me. But since I am one of the only native english speakers in the our English-based grad program, I guess its only fair that I take at least one class in my second language.
Classes start at 6 p.m. tomorrow. Later, gators.
For example:
Me: "Mehmet, do you enjoy traveling in your country?"
Mehmet: "Yes, I enjoy the traveling in the country."
Me: "No Mehmet, it's 'Yes, I enjoy traveling in my country.'"
Mehmet: "I am sorry, my teacher."
I like to call this method of teaching the Liturgy Method, since it's non-stop repetition. This gig won't be the most cerebral job that I've had, but it'll pay the bills and it's fairly low-maintenance.
Tomorrow I finally start classes. I'll have four grad classes that focus on various aspects on Ottoman history and culture and one undergraduate class on Ottoman Turkish (an old version of Turkish that is like King James English). The latter will be taught in Turkish, which hopefully won't be too daunting for me. But since I am one of the only native english speakers in the our English-based grad program, I guess its only fair that I take at least one class in my second language.
Classes start at 6 p.m. tomorrow. Later, gators.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Wishing we had a better solar system
I'm currently reading Dante's Divine Comedy, which was written 700 years ago and is a poem that chronicles the author's imaginary journey through heaven, hell, and purgatory. Since it was written in the late Middle Ages, people didn't know that the earth wasn't the center of the solar system, or that there was even land on the Western hemisphere. Because of this, in Dante's universe Hell is thought to be under the surface of the earth -- with worse sinners near the center and Satan at the bottom of it all. Purgatory is a giant mountain in the Western hemisphere and Heaven exists in various stages inside and outside the solar system.
I was thinking to myself that our solar system, while fairly interesting in its own rite with all of our planets, asteroids and what-not, could stand to be a bit cooler. Things would be a lot more interesting if other planets in our solar system were used as real estate for the lower parts of heaven. It would also be easier to do apologetics. (You don't think there's a God? Check out NASA Hubble Space telescope images that shows angels flying around the asteroid belt!)
This thought of mine was strengthened after reading C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, in which the different planets of our solar system are inhabited by creatures that never experienced original sin, and each planet is lead by an archangel-type creature.
But maybe we do live in the coolest of all universes. Or maybe at one time before the space program existed our solar system did house heavenly beings, but as soon as NASA got outside of earth's orbit in the 1960s they all packed up shop and moved over to the next solar system, somewhere near Alpha or Proxima Centauri. God, in his goodness, probably didn't want those jerks Buzz Aldrin or Neil Armstrong to mess with people in their glorified state. Nor did he want them to be bothered with all those Russians on the international space station.
In order to sort this all out I'll have to re-watch Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, in which Capt. Kirk has a religious experience at the center of the galaxy.
I was thinking to myself that our solar system, while fairly interesting in its own rite with all of our planets, asteroids and what-not, could stand to be a bit cooler. Things would be a lot more interesting if other planets in our solar system were used as real estate for the lower parts of heaven. It would also be easier to do apologetics. (You don't think there's a God? Check out NASA Hubble Space telescope images that shows angels flying around the asteroid belt!)
This thought of mine was strengthened after reading C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, in which the different planets of our solar system are inhabited by creatures that never experienced original sin, and each planet is lead by an archangel-type creature.
But maybe we do live in the coolest of all universes. Or maybe at one time before the space program existed our solar system did house heavenly beings, but as soon as NASA got outside of earth's orbit in the 1960s they all packed up shop and moved over to the next solar system, somewhere near Alpha or Proxima Centauri. God, in his goodness, probably didn't want those jerks Buzz Aldrin or Neil Armstrong to mess with people in their glorified state. Nor did he want them to be bothered with all those Russians on the international space station.
In order to sort this all out I'll have to re-watch Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, in which Capt. Kirk has a religious experience at the center of the galaxy.
Approaching the end of my endless vacation
It's nearly the fourth week of September and I'm still on summer vacation. Classes finally begin next Monday, which I'm looking forward to with great anticipation, not leastly because underemployment isn't as exciting or sexy as it's made out to be on MTV, the WB or the OC.
I found a part-time job with a school about 10 minutes away from my house. The most attractive feature of this school is that it pays reasonably well and it uses a system of English instructor that requires almost no lesson planning. Basically I ask the student a question, they parrot back to me the answer, and we continue this process for about an hour. I told my Catholic roommate that my new role isn't disimilar from a priest leading the liturgy, except instead of offering the Eucharist I am offering English lessons. Maybe correcting bad grammar is like hearing confession. I haven't yet figured out an analogy for last rites.
So I begin tomorrow. I think it'll be much more laid back than my first english teaching gig in Istanbul. More info to come later.
I found a part-time job with a school about 10 minutes away from my house. The most attractive feature of this school is that it pays reasonably well and it uses a system of English instructor that requires almost no lesson planning. Basically I ask the student a question, they parrot back to me the answer, and we continue this process for about an hour. I told my Catholic roommate that my new role isn't disimilar from a priest leading the liturgy, except instead of offering the Eucharist I am offering English lessons. Maybe correcting bad grammar is like hearing confession. I haven't yet figured out an analogy for last rites.
So I begin tomorrow. I think it'll be much more laid back than my first english teaching gig in Istanbul. More info to come later.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Private teacher extraordinaire
I have eight more days until grad school classes start so this week I will focus on finding people to give private English lessons. I'm not doing this because of my love of English teaching but because its the fastest, easiest way to earn money and will keep me out of poverty while I'm a grad student. I put a posting on craigslist and got some responses; tomorrow I will go to the Asian side and teach a 10-year-old for 90 minutes.
I've gotten other responses to my post that weren't such hot prospects. Last week I got a reply from an American-based company in Turkey called Gymboree, which is an early childhood development school. I thought that they wanted me to teach English to the staff, but upon arrival I discovered they wanted me to actually teach Turkish 2-6 year olds. Since Turkish kids are horrifyingly misbehaved and I have something of an Oliver Twist approach to child discipline ( my motto is that only salvation can eliminate original sin, but it can be contained by corporal punishment), I don't think it would be a good match. But I'm sure they can finding a nurturing teacher who wears denim jumpers and seasonal socks to fill their teaching post.
I've gotten other responses to my post that weren't such hot prospects. Last week I got a reply from an American-based company in Turkey called Gymboree, which is an early childhood development school. I thought that they wanted me to teach English to the staff, but upon arrival I discovered they wanted me to actually teach Turkish 2-6 year olds. Since Turkish kids are horrifyingly misbehaved and I have something of an Oliver Twist approach to child discipline ( my motto is that only salvation can eliminate original sin, but it can be contained by corporal punishment), I don't think it would be a good match. But I'm sure they can finding a nurturing teacher who wears denim jumpers and seasonal socks to fill their teaching post.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Back from the Southeast
I managed to survive, and actually thrive, one of the most interesting experiences I've ever had in Turkey. I took a week-long trip through the country's Southeast -- the poorest part of the nation and mostly populated by Kurds, an ethnic group within Turkey that has their own language and culture, but few legal rights to express them.
The trip started out in Van, located on the shore of a high-altitude lake called Lake Van. Their my roommate Andrew (who was there with me on the first leg of the trip) and I saw a 1,000-year-old church on an island. We also spent the day with a Turkish Christian family that was sweet.
The second day of the trip I went solo. Since I heard from friends that people in the Southeast are friendly, I decided to test this theory and hitchhike from city to city. Not only did I get a ride from the first person I flagged down, he even bought me some ayran from a roadside ayran stand. Before hitchhiking I put my credit card and money in my sock as a precaution, in case I was mugged, but it turned out to be totally unnecessary.
Other cities that I saw included a medieval town called Hasankefy, and Mardin, which is on a big hill that overlooks the Syrian plain. Mardin looks almost exactly what a stereotypical middle eastern village would look like. Many of the people even use donkeys to transport their goods around.
Highlights of the trip include visiting a Syrian Orthodox monastery and meeting its Metropolitan (an Orthodox version of a bishop), staying in the dingiest hotel of my entire life (if my auto mechanic father decided to convert part of his shop into a hotel it would look like this), and spending four hours trying to explain Christianity to a Muslim religious scholar who completely railroaded me in the conversation. Being talked at for several hours and interrupted whenever you try to speak is no fun, especially when it's your second language.
I haven't figured out how to post pictures on blogspot yet, but if you are on facebook then you can see my pics there. I just put up about 60 of them.
The trip started out in Van, located on the shore of a high-altitude lake called Lake Van. Their my roommate Andrew (who was there with me on the first leg of the trip) and I saw a 1,000-year-old church on an island. We also spent the day with a Turkish Christian family that was sweet.
The second day of the trip I went solo. Since I heard from friends that people in the Southeast are friendly, I decided to test this theory and hitchhike from city to city. Not only did I get a ride from the first person I flagged down, he even bought me some ayran from a roadside ayran stand. Before hitchhiking I put my credit card and money in my sock as a precaution, in case I was mugged, but it turned out to be totally unnecessary.
Other cities that I saw included a medieval town called Hasankefy, and Mardin, which is on a big hill that overlooks the Syrian plain. Mardin looks almost exactly what a stereotypical middle eastern village would look like. Many of the people even use donkeys to transport their goods around.
Highlights of the trip include visiting a Syrian Orthodox monastery and meeting its Metropolitan (an Orthodox version of a bishop), staying in the dingiest hotel of my entire life (if my auto mechanic father decided to convert part of his shop into a hotel it would look like this), and spending four hours trying to explain Christianity to a Muslim religious scholar who completely railroaded me in the conversation. Being talked at for several hours and interrupted whenever you try to speak is no fun, especially when it's your second language.
I haven't figured out how to post pictures on blogspot yet, but if you are on facebook then you can see my pics there. I just put up about 60 of them.
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