Conversation classes ended 2 weeks ago so we have only been holding after-school clubs. This consists of Glee Club and Social Club. I have been going to the Social Club where we play Scrabble and talk with the students. The clubs are here so the students can practice speaking English and have conversations with us. I've noticed most students prefer to talk with us outside of class and school, so that is really where they get the most practice. On Thursday, one of the students had passed the TOEFFL exam so her summer was starting early! We celebrated by eating pudding and ordering late-night kebab. Even students' late-night food orders are so different here than in America! They also taught me how to play a card game called, Batak. Instances like this is where I get to converse with students the most, as opposed to sitting in the office and waiting for students to come and visit us.
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| Us with our Adana Durum! Late night kebab order. |
This past weekend we went to Pamukkale near Denizli, Turkey. I was most excited about this trip because before we came here I had seen a picture of the travertines on Pinterest and thought it was amazing! The terraces and hot springs were more beautiful than I expected, I had never seen anything like them. We also got fish pedicures this weekend! I had been searching for places to get them ever since our first week here! It was kind of scary at first, but the fish didn't bite, they just nibbled away the bacteria/dead skin. Then we explored the ruins at Hierapolis which was right next to Pamukkale. My favorite ruin was the theatre, I couldn't believe it was built so long ago. We took two overnight buses so when Katrina, Richie, Eric, and I got back to Ankara on Sunday morning we were all exhausted. On Sunday we just caught up on our sleep and I was able to watch the French Open. Go Rafa! This was probably my last weekend trip in Turkey, but I've loved traveling throughout Turkey and exploring the different regions within it. There are so many beautiful parts of Turkey I hope to come back and visit other regions as well.
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| Got chilly so it was the perfect time to throw on the Michigan shirt! |
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| Me and Richie getting our fish pedicures, EEEK! |
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| The theatre, no picture could capture how amazing it was! |
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| Yummiest biscuit pudding dessert! |
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| Adana kebab, probably my favorite Turkish meal! |
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I'm really glad that work is going well for you. I totally understand that the interactions outside of "class" seem much more beneficial to the students. Perhaps you could mention this and the classes could be a little less structured. Maybe more students would come if there were excursions or if they could decide the topic of the day? I'd like to know how to play Batak. Do students take the TOEFL at different times when they feel ready?
Pamukkale is absolutely stunning. I've also seen pictures on Pinterest, but had no idea where it was!! I really enjoyed your pictures, especially of the theater. It's amazing. The fish pedicures are a bit peculiar to me, but I met they worked! How do your feet feel?
Best,
Tammy