Turkey 2011: Another Fall

Sleep with the windows open/ The rain on the balcony/ Makes soft feet

I beg pardon from all for the four month gap between blog posts. In accordance with the hopes in the last post from July, life has indeed “flipped.”

Also, and if one was wondering why I’ve been inspired to write again, today I disabled my Facebook account until further notice, so I’m attempting to channel all that one-off sharing and Facebook-stalking energy into something almost-tangible: a new blog post.

The reason for disabling my account was a discussion I had with my Sociology students today about Facebook. This consisted of me asking them such critical-thinking questions as “have you ever blocked someone?” (all their exes, apparently) and “have you ever been de-friended?” (…. silence and then “I don’t know… I have to check”) and “how long does it take to make a real friend?” (at least a year) and “how long does it take to make a Facebook friend?” (as long as it takes for them to accept your request). And so on and so forth.

So here I am, hurtling thoughts out into the universe again.

Summer was a strange succession of work and play.

After working with the Soros Open Democracy program over at Sabanci University in July I headed back stateside for four weeks, where I resisted the urge to spread myself thin and instead planted myself firmly between Cincinnati and Louisville, with a long-weekend trip to Chicago to attend a very cool eLearning/Mobile Learning conference.

It had been two years and eight months since I left the United States. The president is the same, but it seems as though everything else has changed, and yet not changed. The American psyche has definitely taken a beating in those long years, and the deflated confidence in the traditional American resilience machine seems to show more clearly each time I return; roads are fixed more slowly, parks go to the weeds.

That said, the brave are still thinking outside the box. Now more than ever.

Those who are able to tighten their belts have, and have learned not only to embrace the new economy with a certain humor, if not optimism, but more than make do. I still have great hope for our cattywampus country.

Upon returning to Turkey, I spent a lovely week doing nothing (and I mean NOTHING) and then my friends Sarah and Aaron came in from Chicago for a few weeks. We dined on meze, traipsed around Istanbul full on falafel and made our way down south along the Mediterranean coast along the Lycian way in our “K” city tour (all the more hilarious since we went to Kalamazoo – i.e. “K” college).

As we moved our way through Kalkan, Kas, Karakoy and Kabak we took in views more lovely than lovely and ate enough gozleme (Turkish stuffed crepes) to kill a small Greek/Turkish village.

Now, a month and a half later (how time flies), work has started once again and I am in the full swing of classes. Still teaching English for Academic Purposes (writing, reading, research) for Business and Sociology, but have also taken on an International Legal English Certification exam course with masters-level Law students (oh, how I wished all you Legal friends had been there the other week when they were grilling me on the difference between “a summons” and “a subpoena.”) I know now, Ok!?

And so life trudges on. Again, the plan is to return state-side next year:-) But, with the economy being what it is, I am trying to plan a landing pattern that will continue life on this spectacular, challenging, sometimes-frightening but always interesting trajectory.

Peace be with you. And also with you. Word.