It Takes More Than One to Make a Thing Go Right

Thank God for my Fulbright family. The truth of my friendship with many of them has been unraveling in a revealing way. At times, I don't know how I'd be doing without them, especially the few I've grown particularly close with. We all realize we're in this together, and our situations, despite differences in geographical placement, teaching hours, responsibilities, schedules, all overlap in broad similarities.

As was openly acknowledged at the mid-year Fulbright meeting in Ankara a few weeks back, this particular group has undergone particular strains not common to a typical "Fulbright experience." We were, as unfortunate as it sounds, the "guinea pigs" of an expanded program that chose to place grantees in remote towns and villages rather than cosmopolitan urban centers. Many of our deemed hosts had little idea we were even coming, as the communication jumble between Fulbright, YOK (Turkey's sorry excuse for a Education Commission), and the individual Universities became, well, jumbled. I think we all felt a little better at the end of our mid-year meeting, having had the opportunity to breathe fire into the faces of bureaucrats wearing naive smiles and oversized suits. I may sound bitter, but I'm not. Conversely, I'm grateful for such a unique experience. I've grown, absolutely, as a person in my ability to confront and navigate tough situations. Also, I've taken advantage of my solitude, confronting and exploring who I am and who I hope to be. I remain acutely aware of how I'm feeling most of the time.

Which brings me back to my Fulbright amigos. While solitude is nice, and while it can teach you things about yourself you never imagined, it walks sometimes dangerously close to loneliness. My frequent conversations and weekend trips to the homes of welcoming faces confronting the same experiences I am is refreshing and appreciated. While we hail from diverse backgrounds, we all have enough in common to laugh about.

In a few weeks, I'll be with most of them in a beautiful place on the southern coast of Turkey: Antalya. Look it up - the pictures are nice. At this point, despite a fairly lax schedule, I could use some beach time.

My students are improving. Quiz scores are up. Keep in touch. Miss you (yea, you).