Monday

Happy Monday readers! There's nothing like the fresh feeling of starting a new work week. Now before I continue, you should understand that I care deeply for my students. I wish them the greatest amount of success and happiness, and long to contribute to that. With a dodgy sense of the English language, however, the gap between what's said and what's meant is often wide.

That's why, when a student today suggested I "should come to bed," I nearly lost it. The class quickly caught on, and ignited in hysterical anarchy. There was a violent volley of exuberant high-fives, heads buried in each others' arms, a loss of humanity amongst my most serious and devoted disciples. While the young men nearly foamed at the mouth, and the women choked on air, I did my best to calm them down. I believe in leading by example, and so I stood erect (too soon?), hanging onto a calm expression with all I had. And lost it again. Sometimes you've just gotta devote a hearty 10 minutes of class time to laughter. I'm justified because I make my own rules here.

I don't feel all that bad about the student and his overzealous invitation. I struggle each and every day with a language I've only been exposed to for a matter of months. I find myself combining the most unnaturally designed combinations of words, and rely way too much on certain words. For all I know, I've answered "very beautiful" to questions regarding the most heinous things. It's a wonder I'm able to convey basic ideas. It's a wonder people sometimes take me seriously.

That's all for now. The stares at the cafe I frequent are burning through me. It's not animosity, or appreciation even. It's simply that in rural Turkey, there aren't many foreigners. And by "not many," I mean that there aren't any. At all. I'm it - the village foreigner with the charming smile. Time to get back to it.

I miss you all deeply. More to come soon.