We spent yesterday on a boat, cruising the Mediterranean. Sounds great, and it was, except for the fact that for the first time in my life... I was seasick. (Benim hastam.)
The views were very pretty, and luckily I took a few pictures before I resorted to spending the rest of the cruise lying prone, hoping my dramamine would kick in soon. This just confirms my suspicion that cruise vacations are not for me.
Our boat would periodically stop, and we'd all jump off and into the salty (tuzlu) water. That was my favorite part. Wherever we travel from Alanya, the entire group of nine students goes, plus our director, our teachers, the school's staff, and an assortment of Turkish students. Called peer leaders, these young Turks get paid to hang out with us, help us practice Turkish, and assist us in other basic tasks, like buying a cell phone or finding our way through the city. If only my next job had such a program, and upon my arrival in DC, I would be greeted by six or seven, eager helpers ready to get me to my apartment, help me buy a new work wardrobe etc... While it is sort of hilarious to be so well taken care of here, even to the point of having my social needs met, I really appreciate how well-organized and managed this program is.
We practiced our Turkish all day yesterday, and I used the words I've learned. When faced with a situation where I don't know the word in Turkish, I'll sometimes just say it in English (but in pig Latin) That way, I still feel like I'm using a foreign language, but everyone pretty much still gets the gist of my message. Still learning ...
3 comments:
I insist that we don't get paid :p Even if we do, I was not informed about it when I "volunteered" for this job. Even if they are going to pay us for this, I didn't get the job for that matter. So don't just see me as a paid peer leader, I'd like it if you rather see me as a friend of yours (:
You are my friend gokhan! And I am 100 percent in favor of you accepting payments if the opportunity arises. :)
Yeah, so we can eat ice-cream till we're full at Çamlıca and go to movies more often :p
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