Staying Late

Today and yesterday I stayed late at school.  I still take a little school bus but it leaves at 6 p.m.  At this time of the day Istanbul traffic is awful…..so it takes an hour to get home.  I try to make the most of it by noticing new things or listening to people.  Sometimes I even get in a conversation with a student that loves to speak English (and loves the adult attention).  Kids don't apologize like adults do about not knowing a lot of English.  And I feel like I don't have to apologize to them, either.  They are okay with it and just keep talking, interpreting and teaching me new Turkish words.

One day, a week ago, I had to stay late, too.  A little girl about 7,  named Elif,  talked to me the entire way.  We talked about her pets (she conveniently had pictures of them on her i-phone).  Her pets were two cats, both girls.  She explained in quite a sophisticated tone of voice what cats really are like.  She said dogs could never be like cats.  She gets mad when people say dogs are their best friend.  She told me cats just know when they are bored and won't sit there any longer.  They love to be close to you and let you hold them, but when they've had enough they leave.  They're smart she pointed out.  You can't even imagine how cute this dialog is in her Turkish accent with a little bit of a British accent in her English.  This led to a discussion about people who mistreat animals.  She had no room in her mind for understanding humans who would hurt an animal.  Her dad and her adopt street animals a lot and feed them and give them water.  

She talked about her aunt who is British.  She said that's why her English is so good.  Her aunt keeps her talking English.  (I don't think she realizes how much her parents pay to send her to Eyuboglu so she can have a LOT of English every day) 

Yesterday another young girl sat by me.  She was about 11 years old.  She had a mouth full of braces and was pleased she could fill me in on her family.  But, first she asked me what my favorite animal was, why I like Istanbul, why I wasn't in America…..She had natural social skills.  I didn't know what animal to say so I said, "Horse", it was the right answer.  She started telling me about her neighbor friend, "Her family has four horses, they are very, very rich. Not that we aren't very rich, too. But, her family puts their richness into their horses.  She's been riding horses for 6 years and wins trophies and everything."  I said, "It takes a lot of work to have horses.  They need brushing and exercise…" she cut me off and said,  "They don't do those things, they pay people to take care of their horses."  I said, "Well, then their horses aren't as close to them as they would be if they took care of them and spent time with them."  She just smiled like she knew what to say to her friend the next time she brags about her horses.

She asked me if my husband was Turkish.  I said, "No, he is American Indian, he died a few years ago."  She got big tears in her eyes and said, "I never would have asked you that if I had known."  It was so sweet. She was glad he wasn't the kind of Indian that put their dead bodies out for the birds to eat.  She was so disgusted at the thought of it she quickly changed the subject.  We talked about cancer and she said her dad quit smoking a few years ago because he knew all about the bad things about cancer.  She said it took "self-strength" to quit, too. "It's very difficult to quit smoking," she said proud of her dad.  "In Turkish we have a word,  içinde gücü, that means the power of self.  If we tell ourselves we can do something, no matter how hard, we can do it."   The love for her dad just radiated from her eyes.  I sensed he probably talked to her a lot and gave her the "Dad" attention she needs.

The cool thing about talking to children is they don't try to impress you or get the scoop on you.  They really are genuinely interested and curious.  Another cool thing is, they know most of the people on the bus don't have any idea what we are talking about in English so it's a private conversation.  It makes me feel special that kids feel comfortable talking to me.  Although, I have to say, over here a teacher is highly respected.  Being an öğretmen is up there with being a brain surgeon or a rocket-scientist (if there is such a profession).  I'm glad I've had to chance to experience that kind of respect.  I can see why Doctor Hamel kept practicing in a small town like St. Ignace,  with much less pay.  The respect is an excellent perk.  And with respect comes great responsibility.

This is a nice blog of Istanbul Elizabeth sent to me and I want to pass on to you.  http://52suburbs.com/suburb/istanbul/