Jessica Öğretmen (teacher) is now in Turkey: Week 1 Teaching in Istanbul

Merhaba (hello) and kiss, kiss on each online cheek! xx

Got picked up right off the 10hr plane ride by Teachers in Turkey, whisked to the downtown office for paperwork, and was set off into the world by afternoon. A friend from Canada helped me get in contact with her friend, so I had a couch to crash on for my first few days until I found an apartment. I was taken out for some Turkish coffee at a beautiful café on the Bosphorus. Turkish coffee comes in a baby coffee cup (size of a shot glass), 2/3 filled with coffee and 1/3 coffee-grind mush; on a beautiful silver tray with a little biscuit or Turkish delight bite. On the weekend I wandered around Taksim, the major downtown nightlife district, and we had an incredible Turkish meal: a meat assortment, tzatziki, hummus, beets, a tomato and seasonings dip, and of course some seasoned bread and pita :) We drank some Raki (local liquor), and a sip of Ayran (a regular-as-pop drink, highly salted yogurt that got one sip and a YUCK from me), and did some nightlife in Taksim at the bars. Kebabs, kebabs, kebabs galore on every street corner!



Lots and lots of crafts for the kindergartens

I woke up on my first day at 5:00am to what I could only describe as a loud mix of crying out and moaning coming from outside...then I began to hear some music to the voice, and eventually understood: I woke up to the (5x daily) Muslim call to prayer. I can't understand the language or meaning, but for 2-3 minutes I feel there's comfort and beauty to the voice calling to the neighbourhood over its loudspeakers. I was already whizzing around on buses and metro's alone that day (with varying levels of success).



Assuming this is who they sing the school-wide National Anthem to

Turkish children are WILD! And I'm in a fundamental Islamic school that personally chooses its students (or so my English head says proudly). We wear white labcoats over our loose, long and non-revealing clothes. But my Turkish teachers warned me right away, "these children are crazy, very hard to control!" I vow to take a video of what happens when each 40 minute period is over...the kids SPRINT through the halls in a stampede, falling over and bumping into each other. It's a mad house. But it's my mad house now! Honestly, I teach much less hours than in Korea, going from 9:50-3:20 everyday, but some days I finish even earlier. The school provides a great Turkish salad bar (cooked beans, garden salads, beets mixes, chickpea mixes), soup, buns, a main dish, and dessert! I teach kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2 at Fatih Koleji, so I've got the youngest of the bunch. The rascals in grade 1 will run, eat, hide under desks, hit each other, run up and hug you (or more likely grab chalk from you), and they understand less than 20 English words. I've got about 15-20 kids in each class, so it's a bit of a challenge for me who's used to Korea's 2-10 kids. Turkish kids (and adults) are very affectionate. Boys and girls at my school run up and hug me in the halls or as I say goodbye, sometimes the girls kiss me and hold my hands.

Jessica Öğretmen in her official labcoat...it shows I'm a real professor

The Turkish teachers are divided into women and men's staffrooms, so I haven't actually talked to any males besides Esat (my head English teacher). The women are incredible. Most have very little English, but everyone is so friendly and always ask about how our day's are going, how our classes are, and if we need anything. It makes me smile to see all of them wear their headscarves and skirts to their ankles, but then whip out their smart phones to message and play Candy Crush. Like in Korea, I found myself thrown into a classroom after a couple hours of somewhat observation on Friday and was teaching Monday. Although I know the unit I'm on in each class, the pages I'm supposed to be doing and the speed - who knows? Very little planning communication happens between the Turkish and 3 foreign teachers. But way less hours than in Korea...and Friday's I'm out by 1:50pm! Ready to explore the metro's and buses, and explore this beautiful city that's my new home. xx

Final Thoughts on Korea: The Good and the Bad

What I'll miss

Kimchi & Seaweed: I could go on and on for an entire blog about Korean food. Kimchi is the uniquely Korean pickled cabbage. It comes in so many different flavors, textures and sizes that there's an entire museum devoted to it. It also has it's own festival. Dried seaweed's popularity has given it pretty much it's own section in the grocery store, and over my year I slowly taste-tested my way through these delicious snacks. They were my healthy chip replacement, and had the slight salty goodness to make it seem like a treat.

Community Dinners: eating out in Korea is a community event. At Korean bbq or one of the many meat buffets, the only real food chosen for the table is the meat and how many portions. Beef or pork are most common, spicy or not, and then immediately the table is flooded with a sides combo of dried seaweed, soups, kimchi, garlic, peppers, egg, beans, and lettuce leaves for the wraps. Your group often cooks it themselves at the table and shares it all :) Sides unlimited! Soju and beer cheap and optional (but really yes).

Jimjabong: a couple hours in a Korean spa treats you to a relaxing naked lounge in the many cool and hot baths with your fellow ladies. If you're into some close bonding you can take turns with your friends scrubbing each other's dead skin cells off 'till you're shiny and red. Then it's into moisturizers and hairdryers, comfy PJ-type track suits, and the unisex floor. Here you can go through bamboo rooms, Turkish rooms, Dream rooms, and others of all different scents and temperatures. There's a TV room, computer room, and healthy snack bars to renew your energy. All this for about 6-10$. A MUST-BRING TO CANADA!

Beauty abounds: the Korean emphasis on beauty and beauty products is both mesmerizing and scary. So many funky products from nail stick-on designs to LED earrings, hair masks to snail mucus masks, and hundreds of adorably designed socks! It's hard to decide what to try first. Buuut this leads to an unhealthy emphasis on beauty and appearance that makes high schoolers #1 graduation gift plastic surgery :(

'24 hour': I can barely ever remember walking more than 10 minutes any direction to find a  24 hour convenience store. This is great for water, snacks, alcoholic drinks, or any hygeine products in an emergency. 24 hour restaurants, noraebongs, coffee shops, study rooms, DVD rooms, and many more make for a lively nightlife culture.

Quick & easy transportation: For about $6.00 in Korea I can get a taxi to the different downtowns and friends houses (pretty cheap), or even a bus up to the great city of Seoul!

Noraebong: finishing a solid night out at bars by belting out some karaoke and dancing in your own private room is both embarrassing and a blast.

Baseball games: Korean patriotism is witnessed frequently in the forms of marches, protests, and community events. But my favorite is a baseball game. The skill level may be low compared to North American, but it's made up for in enthusiasm. The stadium is full of Koreans in their teams colors and shirts, screaming and singing, dancing and chanting to the many cheers they all seem to know by heart. There's a man whose sole job is to stand on a stage with his beautiful Korean baseball ladies and dance and pump up the crowd!

Soju: available 24hrs in convenience stores, which means pretty much a 10 minute walk from anywhere, makes this liquor dangerous enough. Add in that the price for a full bottle (enough for a gooood buzz)  is about $2.00 and we've got a winner. It mixes well with anything from beer to coffee to orange juice, so people rarely get tired of it's endless combo's.

Couple Culture: pro or con is up to the person, but all the Koreans I know are barely single for long. Dating in Korea means couple shirts, couple hats, couple rings, couple sunglasses...hilarious and took some getting used to.

Affection among friends: from young to old, Koreans sure do like to show their affection for their friends. Girls as well as older ladies are often seen holding hands or linking arms while they walk, and conversations involve lots of smiling and touching. Boys can be seen linking arms, sitting on each others laps, and touching a lot as teasing as well. I've got to say seeing the old men after a few soju's  stumbling down the streets arm in arm, laughing together, is something else. Personal favorite was 3 couples all holding hands, and waltzing down the center of the road together.

What I'll be happily saying au revoir to

Trash: in an effort to lesson waste a couple years ago, the government decided what better way to get rid of garbage than to get rid of the garbage cans! Then garbage will follow suit right? That or trash will grossly build up in piles on every street corner. It's the latter.

Lack of decent coffee: Korean coffee and dessert shops have popped up like crazy, and are very popular. But it's difficult to find a good cup of strong coffee, even more so at a low price. Tim Hortons, my heart still lies with you.

Sweet, sweet, sweet: salty is not a real flavor in Korea. It is, but sweet just takes over. Much to expat chagrin, pizza usually comes in the form of sweet dough with corn sprinkled on top.

Empty Gyms: gyms exist in Korea, but very few are equipped with classes and good, clean equipment. They're nearly empty, and the only people I know that go to gyms are expats.

Bathroom/ Shower combo: unfortunately, there is no distinction between bathroom and shower. The shower head just sprays right into the center of your bathroom. With no floor decline, it means a wet bathroom floor for a solid 30 minutes afterward.

Overworked kids: these Korean kids are seriously exhausted by the time they come to English school. Most go to normal school, then follow with English school, piano or violin school, tae kwon doe school, and then a combo of math and Korean tutors as well! They get home to do homework for all those classes, sleep late at night, and do it all over again.

Korea: it's been a whirlwind romance of fun and excitement, lying private schools, and hard working days... but it was a grand adventure I'll always look back on fondly. So many unforgettable people. Sarang hae (<3)

Eat, Pray, Scooter in Bali, Indonesia

The ultimate romantic honeymoon location, the paradise in Eat, Pray, Love, the country that everyone's heard of but not many North American's make it to...Bali, Indonesia. A week is nowhere near enough time to cover Bali, but that's what I had. I finished work on Friday night and immediately went up to Seoul where I brilliantly thought I could spend my night in the Jimjabong (spa house) in Incheon Airport's basement. After catching the last subway with my coworker Tasha (meeting her Japanese friend the next day), we learnt that indeed everyone had this plan. Totally booked up, we weren't fazed from our vacation high until about 2:30am, when the slumber party all-nighter seemed less appealing. Parked it on some benches and spent all Saturday flying on my wee budget. Finally dragged myself into Granny's Hostel in the legendary Kuta Beach are at 11:30pm (haggling my taxi driver even ijn my sleep deprived state), was heartily given a Bintang local beer and was given an introduction to the party of hostelers and reggae staff...Bali had begun.

 

 Our Granny's staff playing music on the beach by night

 Attracted a huge crowd of foreigners and locals alike, danced around candelight to the island beats <3

 

 Our favorite fruit lady with exotic ones like snake fruit, passion fruit, star fruits

The hostel had incredibly friendly beachin' staff that manned the bar by night, and switched between playing music and surfing in their local hotspot we quickly settled into during the day. The dorm rooms had colored mosquito net tents, so bugs were no problem. The local beer is called Bintang, and for liquor there's nothing like Arak Attackto really feel like you're in Bali. A rough, petrol-tasting clear liquid, mixed with a splash of lemon (if you're lucky). Kuta beach and it's hopping downtown is definitely tourist central, but still great to start out with. I spent my first two hot days lounging beachside with a group of new friends from the hostel, singing and playing some guitar and drums with our Reggae staff. We shopped around a bit and I got my first ever massage: $5.00 for a 1-hr full body massage!! Gotta say it was a little piece of heaven getting oiled down and listening to Balinese music while a young Balinese girl worked magic on me. Indonesian food is incredible, and dirt cheap if you want it to be. Usually a mix of noodles or rice, maybe some veggies in a delicious spicy sauce, and usually some chicken satay. Sitting with friends at a little local place, it's worth it to order 5 or 6 different plates and do it buffet style: each plate is about 0.50 - $1.50. I discovered my new favorite restaurant: Sushi Tei. It's a 5 star looking venue, with incredibly quick service, mouth watering picture books of all the sushi and seafoods imaginable, and easily still making the budget!

By evening we would get ready at the hostel and usually head to downtown Kuta for the nightlife. Reggae Bar is a popular spot for live bands, cheap drinks, and a friendly crowd of all ages swaying to "Don't Worry." By the wee hours we were ready for Sky Garden, a giant 5-story club with different music on every level. Taxi drivers were trying to rip us off, but we didnt cave. Instead my new friend and I approached the young Balinese guy whistling at us and got a cheap skooter ride home (though not without a solid bruise from cutting the McDonalds drive thru a little too tightly). In those two days I met a blonde German girl at the hostel, Johanna, and my Indonesian kindred spirit was discovered. Two days in Kuta was enough, and we began a two day tour up to the top of Bali and back down.

For only $55.00 each, we had a private driver take us on a two day guided tour, letting us cut and create to make it our own. On the first day we toured a spice farm, a gold and silver factory (never complaining about how boring my job can be), and after driving through the art district of Ubud we went through an incredible art gallery of works made by the locals. We went through some outdoor temples and watched a famous Barong and Kris performance at one. This classic Balinese story is a colorful dance about the eternal battle between good and evil. One of my most unforgettable experiences was washing away my sins with the locals and giving the traditional bamboo art offering to the Hindi gods at the Pura Tirta Empul temple. A natural hot spring feeds this religious temple, where people bathe under 12 fountains in a cool holy pool. As I'm not Indonesian, I rented a sarong, offered to the Hindi gods, then was told to pray and wish well for those who need it: friends, family, the world. I walked up to each fountain to wash my face three times and head once. Each fountain has a different representation (forgiveness, arguments, a good future...) to think about as you go up. We drove up through the rice paddies and through the mountain villages, where the more untouched Balinese culture came out. We ended the day at a delicious buffet dinner outside overlooking the active volcano and Mouth Kintomani, and settled into an artist/home stay for the night.

 

 

These offerings are outside each store front, temple, grocery store, house - you name it

What better way to begin your day than by lavishing under some natural hot springs in the middle of a rainforest? After waking up with the locals there, we went trekking through the wilderness to a giant hidden waterfall. Drove through beautiful little towns and rice fields again on our way down the mountain and got a tour of a coffee plantation. The Balinese are famous for creating the world's most expensive coffee: Kopi Luwok (feces coffee). A civet is a weasel-like animal known to be a picky eater, that roams the plantation and swallows only the best red coffee beans whole, then poops them out - and there's our coffee! The mix of stomach enzymes and the animal's pickiness makes this an insanely expensive delicacy to the rich folk of the world, so I drank a cup ($5.00 was a steal). I'd say it was strong and some darn good coffee...but wouldn't join the elite few spending hundreds on it. We ended our day at one of Bali's most famous temples, Tanah Lot, for sunset. When the tide comes in this becomes an island temple; and as the sun sets each night, hundreds of little birds (believed to be dead spirits) all fly away from the cliff together. We went to a local bar in Ubud for some live Balinese bands playing, drinks, and some Balinese hookah!

Cat poop coffee - and got to sample 8 different other kinds too

Indonesian buffet dinner overlooking Mount Kintimani

Natural Hot Springs wake up

For our last two days in Ubud, the artsy and more laid back area, we rented scooters and drove out to explore some famous rice fields about 45 min away. I was a bit shaky on stop and starting, but I SCOOTERED in the main streets of Bali! We wandered Ubud market where haggling at lower than 50% of store owners offers is the norm - I tell you it works up an appetite all this good-natured bargaining, but they're always so darn friendly and happy at the end of every deal. A group of us went through one of my top things to do in Bali: the sacred Monkey Forest, a mix of temples, shrines and sanctuaries in a rainforest where the monkeys roam wild and free. At first we had trouble coaxing them towards us, but once we bought some banana's the buggers went for the attack! We had them in our purses, reaching into pockets, and I got my hair checked for bugs before it was bitten when I tried to shake him off. At least we were prepped. Others lost their sunglasses, earrings, lighters, and more.

The absolute best thing I did though wasn't planned. A village near Ubud was having a cremation ceremony for a dead man, and so we bought sarongs to fit in on a little side street and made our way to the parade. An enormous cow/bull elegantly decorated and made out of paper mache, was paraded down the street first, with about a third of the village men carrying it with a bamboo base they created. Next was a tall staircase, followed by a giant white and ornately colored shrine with two village leaders on top and the dead man's picture and body. The women and children walk touching a colored rope in between. Everyone is cordial, laughing and joking around, as the parade continues for about 30 minutes. At the temple, the thirty or so men carrying the bull suddenly began running around, turning it like a top three times as fast as they could, before running to the center. The process involved costumes, the body and village offerings being put inside the bull, and then the entire thing was doused in flame and exploded in fire. I mean exploded. We sat nearby and jumped up at the heat, moving back several feet, and then several more after that from the enormous bonfire. As we watched, there was a malfunction. The body didn't drop straight down, so the men were hooting with laughter as they used bamboo sticks to shove the dead man's legs into the bonfire with the rest of his body. We learnt from a boy that funerals are incredibly festive events with all their costumes, customs, food shared and life celebrated. Best cultural thing I did there.