8:27 and I just dropped off the last teachers at the bus station to go home. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity from dawn to midnight and beyond, and now, just like that, it is all over.
The conference week went well, despite the expected technical issues. We had some interesting sessions with guest speakers; the group learned a lot from each other, which was what I was hoping for, and I got to meet some wonderful people.
I also realized something about Turkish culture. Although doing business via relationships with people can be annoyingly slow and seem like a waste of time, the previously unseen (to me) benefit is this very real web of support and help at both a personal and societal level. Every time I needed something done that I couldn't do, I realized that there was someone who picked up the slack, without question. Sometimes it was a good friend, like Feryal or Okan; sometimes, it was someone who was a stranger to me just hours or minutes before. In the U.S. we are focused on independence, and we pride ourselves on having the tools and know-how to "go it alone"; however, when that system breaks down, there is often no one to save you. When the system here breaks down (and it does) there is always someone to dust you off and take your hand. I love that about Turkey.
The second week (the camp) was great. Seven of my former students who had attended the conference last week became the teacher/counselors for the camp. They developed their own lesson plans during the conference week during our sessions, and they had a chance to carry them out this week with the kids. They did an amazing job, making this one of the best work weeks I've ever had. It's as if all of my work this year came to fruition in this week. Lots of tears were shed during the goodbyes.
40 campers showed up - most of them Access microscholarship recipients who are receiving two years of free English lessons via a State Department grant. Although they study English grammar, most had never really practiced spoken English, let alone had the chance to talk to a native speaker. Filling out the ranks were three English teachers from Izmir and about 10 volunteers from the nearby NATO/army/air force bases as well as a volunteer dance teacher from the states and a Swedish national living in Izmir. Every day we got the kids to practice their English with games and other activities. Judging by the smiles on everyone's faces and the snippets of English I heard, it was a real success.
The week before the camp, I was informed that the U.S. ambassador to Turkey would like to visit the camp. I agreed, and the planning began. I never realized how scripted an ambassadorial visit would be. It started out with me creating a minute-by-minute schedule. When his entourage arrived (security, walkie talkies, PR people, press) on Thursday morning, we did a walk-through. When he arrived, I greeted him and took him on a tour of the classrooms, invited him to participate in the hip-hop dance lesson (he declined - bad shoes), and we had a Q&A session with our kids.
The students had already drafted questions the day before. Some of them quite innocent, some very political. We opened the floor for questions, and the first student/camper shot her hand up and directly asked about America's position on the "so-called Armenian genocide". She had asked me the day before if she could ask this question, and even though I knew it could be uncomfortable, I realized that I'd rather risk awkwardness than censor their thoughts.
The rest of the questioning went well, and the students finished by singing the song, "Blowing in the Wind" for the ambassador (a song that has been used as a war protest song). The press was going crazy, recording and snapping shots (I was on Turkish news!). Ok, I know some of you who know me are thinking that this particular song was my idea. And while I admit that did approve of the song (wholeheartedly), I actually did not suggest it. One of my students who loves Joan Baez and Bob Dylan did. The choice isn't surprising; one of the first things Turks are ask me about, when they find out that I'm an American, is the war in Iraq; every one that I have talked to is believes it to be a very negative thing. I thought this was a gentle yet unmistakable way of letting their voices be heard.
And now the road ahead is clear. I have the next six weeks to myself, and I am again realizing something that I forget in times of extreme stress and busyness (last 2 months), that I will truly miss my job, my colleagues, my students, and the feeling that I make a small difference in some people's lives.
Oh yeah, and somewhere, somehow during the last year, I conquered my fear of speaking in front of groups.
