Making learning fun for Hazırlık students - Spelling Bee 2012-13

In 2011, Aundreta (my wife) was fascinated with the film Akeelah and the Bee that I picked up at the local D&R bookshop here in Konya.  We had watched it together at the cinema when it first came out years ago. She wanted to show it to the students, and they really enjoyed it. We had not considered that the Turkish students would have never had need of a Spelling Bee, since the wonderfully efficient Turkish system is phonetic itself. We found that it makes a great teaching tool here as well for the English as Second Language students.

Despite her temporary absence this year, the Hazırlık program continued with the Spelling Bee. The competition was fierce, and the tiered learning system was useful -- each level was only responsible for the words they had covered. It worked smoothly. 

I am proud of all the competitors, and of the champions pictured here above. Feyza Nur B. (left) and Mehmet Akif E. (center) were in my class, so I knew their strengths and abilities.

Summer, and Students, and longing for home.

We are helping with a Summer Learning Initiative at University and the students are really enjoyable. I haven't had students ASK for homework in quite some time. We are learning about a younger group of Turkish students, and we see a lot of enthusiasm. Aundreta is working on a writing project of her own, and I am working on some ideas too. I get to read more, and that is satisfying. In reference to the chess photo, (see ring - Osmanlı symbol as well as visual chess reminder) -- I was getting ready for class and one of my Cameroonian students, Parfait (an appropriate name for a wonderful young man) came in and mentioned his desire to learn chess. My board was sitting out on the desk and I showed him a vital part of it - pawn coordination. I took the major and minor pieces off of the board, handicapped myself a pawn, and invited him to try to promote a pawn. What he thought was going to be an easy challenge turned out to be quite difficult. He was completely engaged. The ideas of: breaking the board into quarters, looking at kingside and queenside advantages, and looking not just at squares occupied, but squares attacked, were never shown to him before. He was very eager to try and retry. For my part I love to see how ideas can coalesce so quickly in attentive people. That kind of thing energizes me too.

As he is aiming to be a surgeon in the future, I am encouraged by his constant focus on improvement. I told him once, "I want to be like you when I grow up" -- he smiled, but having him around me continues to remind me of the success-potential of human beings, how many fall short from inattention, and how good of an example that he is to others.

Learning by Teaching - Day by Day

 

I went outside in the cold -- yesterday (19*.01.2012 THU) went down to 19 below zero - Celcius -- and I had time to think about the academic lifestyle. I love being in an environment where everyone (well, almost everyone) is in a mindset of growing, improving.

This photo is from a post-lunch walk around the school. Behind me is Rixos Hotel, a 4-star hotel next to our campus.

Sounds on Sundays

Walking to the market, I knew it was close to the time the azan was going to make his call...I snapped this picture just as the first sounds came from the mosque in my neighborhood. What sounds are sure to make your mind travel to lofty ideas?
 

When Mevlana Celaluddin Rumi says, "Come"...

 

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."
- George Washington Carver (1864-1943), African-American Scientist, Teacher, and Inventor

There is a tradition that says, 'Mevlana (Rumi) calls people to Konya from all over the world. A person doesn't merely come to Konya, she or he is called to come.' Being here for me has been a powerful experience in knowing myself; I have met some of the most wonderful people here, people whom I hope to call friend for the rest of my life. This experience has been an irreplaceable one. In the face of negativity that my wife and I experience sometimes as outsiders, and sometimes as African-heritage people, I am comforted in the fact that Mevlana (Rumi) has called me here in the spirit of love and growth, and shown me amazing things, ideas, and people. It is less an obstacle than an opportunity; it is less a thought of 'what can Rumi do for me' and more a decision to ask 'what can I do for Rumi'?

Seeing the Familiar in Unfamiliar Places, and Finding Family stretches farther than I thought

Teaching abroad give me new eyes. That in itself is a gift. During this Ramazan season, I try to stay attentive to what is really meant by ideas we use. The word 'familiar' nests inside it the word 'family'. The modern sense, "those connected by blood", from the 1600s, according to The Online Etymology Dictionary, superseded a simpler 'members of a household'. So here is where I start.

Living in Türkiye I see the strong sense of community and the love shared with friends and strangers. In the best standard of Southern American life, my Turkish family retains its character while giving me a warm place at the table, and making its family a bit bigger for my benefit. I remember the kind faces and smiles from the family at Mantı Keyfi, my co-workers and students. People I met only once gesture to me at malls for fellowship, friends from the old neighborhood invite me to dinner like I was family, people who used to take pictures of me because I was 'so different' want me to meet their mothers, fathers, children, and light up when I remember them. How like family is this family here -- some are so sweet, some are strange, some are less-than-friendly, some only want to see me happy -- how much they remind me of my own family. That gestalt image is not strange at all! How familiar it is to me.

In this photo is the 'taksi' stop near KültürPark, near Zafer in Downtown Konya. I would love to see and hear about places that are near to you, a place you see everyday but can overlook with the haste of your schedule. Tell me what is new to your eyes, what is familiar, and what part of it makes you new again. Moreover, what part lies outside of your vision that you would love to see and talk about to others?

Listening to Türküler while watching Konya

 

Today I watched Konya as I walked around the city streets, listening to music, and while sitting 42 stories above it, watching all the motion of its people on a busy Friday afternoon. I was reminded of how much I enjoy the city, and the beauty of motion. 'Telli Turnam',by Izzet Yıldızhan, 'I Plan to Stay a Believer' by Curtis Mayfield, 'Gone Baby Don'be Long' by Erykah Badu, and 'Üflediler Söndüm' by Olgun Şimşek were some of my walking tunes, and they help shape my energy for the day. After many weeks of running hard to work, today was a good reset of my focus. Now I want to get off of this machine and practice my bağlama. What will you do to enjoy life today? --mjf 18:06 hrs Friday, Meram YeniYol.