And the turkiness of it alll starts to sink in...
So, wow. I actually live here. The classic 2 week honeymoon period has officially ended and now comes the true hard work of learning a new life with new people, new customs, new expectations, new schedules and new challenges. I had another "shadow" teaching day today at the second family's house ( a new house for me). Seems easy right? I just have to show up, hang out and watch another person teach, get fed lunch, and then go home... somehow that seemed really difficult today.
I was aiming to arrive at the apartment somewhere between 9:15-9:30 am. There was a bus coming at 8:50 am that should in theory take me all the way to the area they live in. This gets a little complicated but- I live in between the city and the outer village and both of these families that I teach for are located further out in the village. One more to the right and the other more to the left. Anyways- all that to say- the bus I was waiting for was late- so I took a chance on a different one that I thought would go the same place. Well this particular choice was seeming to work out until the bus ran out of gas... oh yes- it did. So I, knowing no little to no turkish that would be usable in this situation and having no idea how long it would take- got off the bus and walked up to the next stop about 15 minutes away. Once I got there I stood for 10 more minutes- watched the same bus pass me and caught the bus I should have taken in the first place : ) And that was just my morning....
Then at the end of the day I waited for about 20 minutes watching about 4 of the wrong buses go by only to absentmindedly wave the right bus past thinking that it was the wrong bus. After that I caught a bus that was not a city bus but a "Gulgen" bus that runs around the village picking people up and dropping them off at the grocery store Gulgen which is right next to my apartment... haha! On the upside- I know the area a little better now and I made it home. Also not mentioning my bike adventure to the first house I'm teaching at and how I got lost on the back roads in farmland, greenhouse, gypsies, and tiny windy dirt roads going through villagers tiny concrete houses and backyards.... it was a beautiful inner look into the village that I never would have gotten if I hadn't been lost or strayed from the main road.... I suppose now that I'm safe and everything has worked out I can see the silver lining.... I got some very nonconventional opportunities to see the greater village area : ) and all the hidden beauty to be seen within it.
Speaking of beauty and silver linings... here are some of my favorite sunset pics of the mountains from acrossed the water in the city.
I was aiming to arrive at the apartment somewhere between 9:15-9:30 am. There was a bus coming at 8:50 am that should in theory take me all the way to the area they live in. This gets a little complicated but- I live in between the city and the outer village and both of these families that I teach for are located further out in the village. One more to the right and the other more to the left. Anyways- all that to say- the bus I was waiting for was late- so I took a chance on a different one that I thought would go the same place. Well this particular choice was seeming to work out until the bus ran out of gas... oh yes- it did. So I, knowing no little to no turkish that would be usable in this situation and having no idea how long it would take- got off the bus and walked up to the next stop about 15 minutes away. Once I got there I stood for 10 more minutes- watched the same bus pass me and caught the bus I should have taken in the first place : ) And that was just my morning....
Then at the end of the day I waited for about 20 minutes watching about 4 of the wrong buses go by only to absentmindedly wave the right bus past thinking that it was the wrong bus. After that I caught a bus that was not a city bus but a "Gulgen" bus that runs around the village picking people up and dropping them off at the grocery store Gulgen which is right next to my apartment... haha! On the upside- I know the area a little better now and I made it home. Also not mentioning my bike adventure to the first house I'm teaching at and how I got lost on the back roads in farmland, greenhouse, gypsies, and tiny windy dirt roads going through villagers tiny concrete houses and backyards.... it was a beautiful inner look into the village that I never would have gotten if I hadn't been lost or strayed from the main road.... I suppose now that I'm safe and everything has worked out I can see the silver lining.... I got some very nonconventional opportunities to see the greater village area : ) and all the hidden beauty to be seen within it.
Speaking of beauty and silver linings... here are some of my favorite sunset pics of the mountains from acrossed the water in the city.
posted by Ashley at 1:46 PM
1 Comments:
Hang in there. I know how difficult it can be to adjust to such a different culture. My first few weeks in Greece were very similar to what you have described. Just know that it will get much better and you really will begin to see the beauty and wonder that another culture so different than our own can have within it. Take care of yourself and cherish every moment, because believe it or not, your time will have gone by too fast when it is time to go.
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