Exploring the Local Environs

Six weeks in and my weeks still can’t be described as routine. I know what to expect from work at t

his point, and I do experience a certain amount of dread for my six-hour workdays, but even lesson plans I repeat ten times in a row include variety in retrospect, thanks to the many characters that make up my classes. Today, for example, I learned where you can pay 25 YTL for a beer (very expensive!) and was asked on a date. In fact, my students would be the perfect subjects of a research project. I can ask them all the questions I want, and they have to respond. Some days I feel more like I’m the student in a class on Turkish culture than the teacher. This is, however, my version of teaching after a nap, a giant cup of coffee, and a few pieces of chocolate. If anyone had asked me how I liked it yesterday I may have melted into a puddle and refused to give any response other than a weak and pathetic moan. There is a direct correlation between how much I enjoy teaching and how much energy I have.

But after only two days of teaching, I’m halfway through my workweek and the weekend is already in sight. My eventful weekends more than make up for the many peaks and valleys I experience Tuesday through Friday. Last weekend, for ex

ample, began with my first taste of Iskendaar Kebab. Some friends and I went to what is apparently one of the best restaurants in the city for this local specialty, which is essentially a plate of bread cubes covered in sheets of lamb, drizzled with a thin tomato sauce and topped off with boiling butter. And, of course, it wouldn’t be Turkish if there weren’t a pile of yogurt on the side. Long gone are my days of vegetarianism (for now). It was actually quite good, and certainly filling. The night progressed in its typical fashion with a trip to a bar and a dance club, and ended with a very tired Emily.

Saturday was nice and relaxing, with a BBQ as the main event. Sunday, on the other hand, was a day of exploration. After a group breakfast of pancakes grace à Aisha, Kim, Charlie, Christa and I hopped on a bus to Ulus, an older section of the city complete with a castle and bazaars. For three hours we walked our feet off as we searched for photo opportunities, met children who insisted on showing us sketchy ways up narrow alleys, and generally enjoyed a different perspective of Ankara. At first we somehow ended up i

n a very residential area within the castle walls, complete with sagging rooftops and children playing soccer in the streets. Eventually, however, we found our way to the more historic area, where shop windows were bursting with beautiful jewelry and sparkling water pipes. Christa and Kim both bought some jewelry at fairly reasonable prices; I somehow resisted and walked away with nothing more than a free cup of tea. We also happened upon a food bazaar, where you could find everything from honeycomb to cheese to fruit and fish. I have great plans of going back and loading up on all the wonderful foods. It should be good practice for my Turkish numbers as well.

The day did not end here, however. At 5:00 I was due to meet five of my students for coffee in a different area of the city. All four of us ended up going, which actually thrilled the students. We met at a coffee shop called Khave Duneyesi, or Coffee World. It was delightful. It had Turkish and European coffee drinks and an endless supply of beautiful chocolates. I had Turkish coffee and shared in some chocolate fondue. The students were much happier to talk than they normally are in class, and one even read my fortune from the coffee grounds in the bottom of my cup. No bad predictions, thank goodness, only difficult decisions and a turbulent love life. I would expect nothing less.

From there, we voyaged on toward dinner at a cheap restaurant that serves kokarech, a special type of kebab made of sheep intestines. I had tasted it before and opted instead for some mussel dolmas. They were essentially mussel shells stuffed with spice rice, with the mussel meat piled on top. Delicious. I think they may be my new favorite Turkish food.

Monday involved a trip to the campus library, where I found two good Arabic textbooks, a nice long run, and a potluck dinner to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Then it was back to work. I did make an exciting plane ticket purchase for a trip to Van at the end of October. Van is in the far east of the country, and is considered the Kurdish capitol of Turkey. I have a feeling October is going to fly by. September certainly did!