Izmir and Other Happenings

I am sitting in a cafe along the Aegean sea listening to Nelly and wondering how did I get to be so lucky. There are families around me enjoying a lazy Sunday and eating a traditional Turkish breakfast of olives, cheese, bread, vegetables, and tea. It definitely reminds me that my family is far away and I won't see them until January. I really miss them and I want to meet our newest addition, Isaac. I know that time will pass quickly and I will see them in January. But I must say that the honeymoon has worn off and the winter is soon to set in. I have another trip next weekend and then I will probably stay put for a bit until I go home.

I traveled to Izmir this weekend with an American colleague for a few days. We left on Saturday morning and are returning tonight (Sunday). I must say, it is really nice to be able to fly around for $100 or so. I love the ocean (or sea) and want to go there any time I can. The water relaxes me and reminds me that we live on a relatively small planet. Izmir is about 585 km southwest of Ankara. It is a warm, welcoming city that sits along the Aegean sea. There is a beautiful boardwalk with many cafes and restaurants along the sea. People seem to really enjoy life and relax, especially on the weekends.

We stayed at the Hilton Izmir, which has breathtaking views of the bay. They seem to have decent security as soon as you enter the hotel along with several people standing outside just watching. I know that the terrorism is up a bit here and I don't often think about it, but this morning I was thinking about it while I was drinking a coffee in the lobby. Although there is a metal detector and several security personnel, it still feels like a soft target and could be easily attacked. The warnings from the embassy keep running through my head about "stay away from popular tourist areas" and "stay in places with identifiable security measures in place." I know this is reality, but I can't live my life in fear. Life goes on and I need to live. So, I will move around with caution and pay attention to my surroundings. 

We visited several beautiful places here in Izmir. We had a chance to see the Clock Tower and also see the city the top of the bluffs. It was breathtaking. We visited a bazaar that had nearly everything from Islamic clothing to lingerie to food. I took a lot of pictures of the foods offered because the abundance of fresh food is just overwhelming to me. I know it seems like all I do is eat based on my pics, but I do other things too. I guess they are just not as interesting to me as the beautiful food. I was able to find beautiful cinnamon sticks and whole cloves today at the market. 

fresh seafood everywhere

fruits and nuts

cheese

Turkish delights

baklava

Clock Tower

I love getting things to drink here because they always give you some sort of delicious nibble. With my wine last night, I received mixed nuts, chickpeas, and some sort of crackers.  I ordered a latte in the hotel and I received some pastries, one with black olives and the other one with walnuts. Then, with my french press coffee today, I received a hazelnut chocolate. 

I have been on the hunt for coffee maker for the past few weeks. Everyone here seems to enjoy instant coffee, but I seriously need the real stuff. One of my friends sent me a picture of a "coffee machine" he found at one of the local stores, so I think I should have one very soon. Then, I will need to find coffee, which is harder than I thought. Coffee is available here, but it is ground really finely, so I need to find whole beans that I can grind myself. There are beans at Starbucks and I am hoping they will grind them for me. 

 I guess that is all of the adventures for now. I will have more next weekend! :)

Things I Learned - Week 5

1. The embassy is well protected.
No need to worry about people barging into the embassy because it is so well guarded and gated that no one could penetrate. I had the opportunity to pass by the embassy last weekend when I was learning the bus system. It is seriously the most fortified place I have ever seen, but I guess it has to be since there have been serious security threats. I tried to get a pic of the flag, but it is hard with all of the walls. There are also these huge, black 3' tall pillars covering the front of the embassy. It is definitely intimidating. I need to mail my election ballot, so I will attempt to go on Tuesday. I couldn't get an appointment because there were no more left, so I may be turned away. Oh well, at least I will try. I used to go to the one in Uganda for pizza and doughnuts.

2. The bus system is intricate and elaborate. 

The bus system here is impressive. Everybody takes buses into the university from the city or east campus. I live on east campus, so I take one each day. They are relatively friendly and on time. Sometimes you get a rude driver or a bus that comes late, but overall, it is a really cool system. 

One of my friends also showed me the public bus and metro system. It helps that it is really easy. I now have a car for the bus and the metro, so I can just hop on and off whenever I want. 

3. Students are delightful.

The students I have in my classes are fantastic. I always love when the school year starts because as a teacher, you feel like you have a purpose and it is the basis for my existence. I live and breathe teaching. I absolutely love teaching and I know that it is what I was designed to do as a career. I have always connected with students and being here is no exception. The students are hard working and very concerned about doing well. They know how important a good education is and they don't take it for granted. I also had my first evaluation last week and the director said my relationships with students was "admirable" which made me feel like I am doing something right. I still have two more probation observations here before the month is out, but I look forward to the challenge. 

4. Grocery delivery is the only way to buy groceries.

I love, love, love grocery delivery. I have never bought food online until here...well, other than a few things online at Amazon. This grocery delivery tops everything. It takes me forever to order things because some things are only in Turkish, but I will get the hang of it. It costs $1 for delivery, but I usually tip a few more dollars. The guy brings it all the way up three flights of stairs, which is worth its weight in gold for me. You can literally buy everything...from fresh veggies/fruit to meat to hygienic products to cleaners. The only thing they don't have is alcohol, but I just buy a few bottles of wine when I am down near the grocery store. It is absolutely amazing. 

5. The university symphony rivals professional orchestras.  

I saw the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra yesterday and it was phenomenal. The cool thing is that the tickets are only 40 TL, which is like $13...crazy cheap. I guess the idea was that everyone would have access to the arts and could afford it. I was really impressed. I went with two of my colleagues from Bilkent and we had dinner before hand. I am so interested that I want to buy the whole season. They have a variety of shows and it looks really cool.

6. Hello pumpkin spice latte!

Pumpkin spice lattes have made their way to Turkey, which reminds me so much of fall! I love pumpkin spice everything (ask my former roommates) and I need it to get me through the temperature change. So, I am very excited to have several this week. 

Okay, that is all for this week. This week was a little boring, but I will try to add more adventures next week!

Things I Have Learned - Week 4

Well, I have completed a month here, a full week of teaching, and my first observation.

1. Patios are impressive here. 
Those of you that know me know that I hate being cold. I am always cold and I absolutely hate winter. In fact, when I lived with the boys, I had a heating blanket on my bed and a heated throw that I used every day because they house was so cold all of the time. Now, that I have my own apartment, I can keep it at any temperature I want. That being said, I don't really like to be outside once the temp drops below 60. But here, everything is outside. There is a patio with every restaurant and the patio is WARM! There are heaters and electric awnings that move when it starts to rain. It is truly impressive. I guess the reason there are so many patios is because every smokes here, so they can smoke and still be in the restaurant. It is so cool.

2. Technology is also impressive.
I love technology and I have seen some cool things here. Of course, there are projectors and computers in all of the classroom. I have a Ethernet connection in my apartment and good wireless modem. We also have internet in all of our offices and WiFi mostly everywhere on campus. Wifi is also available in almost every restaurant, bar, etc. So, I am always connected, which is good and bad. I think one of the coolest things I have seen was in Decathlon, a sports store here similar to Dick's Sporting Goods. I bought a workout bag, a lock, and a few other things there last weekend. They have this bin in front of the cash register and you put all of your things in there and then the price magically appears. I was waiting for the guy to scan everything and he said something to me in Turkish and I told him I didn't understand. Then, he pointed to the total. I said, "that's it" and he said, "yes" so I paid. It electronically adds it all up, you pay, and get an itemized receipt. Technology is definitely cutting edge here.

3. Evaluations are more intense.
Evaluations at home in education are really easy. I know things are changing, but in most cases over the past 16 years, it has been explaining what I am doing, checking a box, and then see you in four years. There is rarely must constructive feedback it literally seems like just something to complete. No one has ever questioned my teaching practices or asked how I was going to accomplish my objectives. I love many things about Bilkent so far, but the evaluation process is one of my favorites. We have three observations in the first 30 days, which is considered a "probation period." Prior to these observations, you have to write a detailed lesson plan, meet prior to and after the observation. The conversation with the director of our program and my head of department before my observation was incredibly helpful. The ladies caused me to think critically about my decisions on how to accomplish certain objectives. I loved it. In fact, I need it before each lesson! I thrive on people and I often need to talk through my ideas before I execute them. It just helps me to visualize things and feedback from others helps me to see things from a different perspective.

4. Students are very polite and interested in the U.S.
I have had amazing classes over the past few years, but I have had my share of difficult students. The students here at Bilkent are like a dream. I know this is just the honeymoon phase, but they are so polite and considerate. They seem to hold their teachers in high regard. The first example I saw of this was when I got on one of the crowded buses in the evening. I take a bus from my office to home (I could walk, but I am lazy and time is of the essence right now). The bus usually takes 15-20 minutes from main to east campus. The route is hilly with lots of speed bumps. Almost all of the students get off at the dormitories, so it is usually just me and a few other people left on the bus. This time when I got on the bus, it was really full and students had been to the grocery store so they were carrying a lot of items. One of the students got up and motioned for me to sit down. Once I sat down, I heard students trying to use all of the English they could with me and asked me where I was from. I told I was American and we chatted a bit. I don't think I have ever been given a seat on a bus before. Students also have really polite behavior in the classroom. They ask to enter the classroom when they are late and they are super polite and respectful. I am so impressed with their tenacity and eagerness to speak English and learn the information for the class. They also ask me about U.S. politics. One of the students ask me today if I can still vote while I am here. I thought it was really an interesting question. I told her about absentee voting and how I needed to mail my ballot. I love their curiosity and tenacity. We are educating the next generation of engineers, chemists, scientists, etc. I look forward to each class with them.

Check out that fashion 

Can you see the helicopters?

The campus is very beautiful, but it is right in the path of a helicopter training from one of the military bases, so you see/hear helicopters fly over many times a day. It makes me a little nervous, but most people don't even blink an eye and go on with their lives. The security on campus is also good, with many cameras and security guards everywhere. There is even a security guard in the library! I am thankful for all of the security, but I feel incredibly safe here.

5. I MUST learn the language. 
Turkish lessons started this week and I desperately need them. Most of the things on campus are fine, but I need Turkish for maintenance, any services, grocery store, cell phone store, bus, etc. In fact, the lady who checked me out at the grocery store asked for something and I couldn't figure it out and the someone translated that she wanted me to hand over my basket. I especially struggle with numbers. I try to look at the terminal every time I pay, but sometimes there is just not one there. Some people write it down or use a calculator to show me. Last weekend, at a local bar, I think the guy gave me a free glass of wine because I couldn't understand him. Oh well, I call that a win-win.

6. I guess I get to see a dentist. 
So, I was chomping on some delicious pretzel bits left over from my snacks I brought from home and somehow I broke a tooth. It was a tooth that is mostly metal filling and I guess whatever is left of my tooth is just too weak to support it. Therefore, I need to see a dentist, which is going to be interesting. Sorry for the pic.

7. Mail takes two weeks!
My mom sent a trial card to me to see how long it took to receive mail. It took a little less than two weeks. So, this is a plea for mail. I have a box all to myself, so it is really fun to find mail. I would especially like photos/pics. Feel free to send mail to me...and if you would like to put a few packets of Starbucks instant Pumpkin Spice Latte or Peppermint Mocha in the letter, that would be awesome!
Jamie Lynn Cardwell
Bilkent Üniversitesi
Blok J, Daire 12 Lojmanlari
TR - 06000
Bilkent/Ankara, Turkey

8. The food here is amazing, fresh, and abundant. 
I am consistently amazed with the food here. I do miss certain things, like peanut butter, chocolate chips, etc., but the food here is so fresh and amazing, that I don't really miss it too much. Despite the delicious food, I have actually lost a few pounds and I haven't been to the gym. I think it is all of the walking. Doesn't matter, I will take it!

I guess that is all for now. I hope you are well!