Just another Manic Monday

Monday #2 has begun and my life here in Turkey is in full swing.   I have neglected my blog over the past few days, I guess that is because I am getting used to my new life and surroundings.  I survived my first week with my new students and things went pretty well.  I love my new Turkish family, I truly believe I wouldn't be enjoying myself as much as I have been without them.  They have 2 of the cutest children, a daughter who is 7 and little boy who is almost 3.  They fill the void of not having my family here with me.  Just thinking about them gets me a little choked up because they have really made being here enjoyable
Osman is Turkish and his wife, Nicola is from England.  They both speak Turkish and have gotten me out of a few interesting situations with my lack of the Turkish tongue.  Last weekend I apparently ordered 7 Lahmacun (a type of Turkish pizza) and 7 colas.  And just yesterday while I was shopping, the salesman hands me 5 bags with 4 pairs of shoes and a bag for a total of $370 Turkish Lira.  I had tried on 4 pairs but only wanted 2.  So of course Osman had to spend another 10-15 minutes helping me to fix the problem.  Most of the language issues happen at Sanko Park (the mall) so maybe I should stay away from the mall :)
I have my apartment looking more and more like "home".  I purchased some rugs and things this weekend.  The only thing I need now is a few lamps b/c I hate those overhead lights.  It feels like you are in a hospital.  I will pick up some pictures and trinkets here and there as I go back to the bazaar each weekend.  As of right now I feel like I have my Turkish home.  I am getting used to hanging my clothes out to dry and hopefully will carry this back to the states with me.  I found that using extra fabric softener helps with the clothes not feeling so stiff as they dry.  It's funny how little things like this feel like great discoveries when you are in a different place. 
My biggest struggle is going to get my students comfortable talking in English.  I decided today that we will start each week out with them standing up one by one and telling me what they did over the weekend.  I think I will end the week with them telling me what they plan to do over the weekend.  I am going to be working with the PE teacher (my dear lifesaver Osman) on presentations for his class so that will help to get them talking.  I have a feeling a lot of this is going to be trial and error for me until I get a good understanding on where they are in their speaking and understanding of the English language. 
I was going to use a poem project that I always use with my students back in Memphis.  They write a poem (format is given to them) and create a collage of pictures that shows me something about them.  I think it will work with 7th and 8th grade but not 6th grade.  They aren't at that level yet, so I am going to have to come up with something for them. 
Finally received my contract and Turkish residency :)  I also found out that we get paid at the beginning of each month.  That is going to take some getting used to.  I am accustomed to twice a month but I am sure I can get used to it quickly ( I don't have any choice but getting used to it)
The private school I for is owed by a family that has many many businesses and they have many international clients and they want their executives to all be able to speak English well.  I was asked by one of the administrators if I would be interested in working for 2 hours on Saturday to teach English to their executives.  I don't know why I find it funny that an English teacher is going to be teaching English to multimillion dollar executives.  If anything it will be a great addition to my resume.  It will also be interesting to see how adults learn differently from students. 
Monday and Tuesday are my easiest days at work........I only see 3 and 4 classes on these days.  I am not used to my schedule yet.  I have 3 classes Monday, 4 on Tuesday, 7 on Wednesday and Thursday, and 6 on Friday.  I can't decide if I like it better on the days when I have lots of time off or on the days when I see more classes.  The days of more classes definitely go by faster that is for sure. 
I guess I should find my way back to planning for the week.  I need to take an English test to find out my proficiency level...........I hope I can pass ;)