Gone for good

Here we are still in Istanbul and working our way through our second month. We have settled into a strange routine of waking up, running (or talking each other out of running) having breakfast, preparing for our lessons and teaching until late in the evening, coming home and repeating the same process for 5 from 7 days.

It's not all bad really.

Our first teaching experience has led to a couple of realisations. We have met some like minded people, having a break from professional careers, travelling the world on the ESL superhighway, cool, super-communicator English teachers fully conversant with the trade and the local environs.

Not everybody in the teaching English trade meet this description. The teaching English gig, due to its part time nature and high demand, also attracts people that otherwise may not hold down adult jobs. Like us for example.

Yes, slaving away for a salary. It is a tough life this working gig, let me tell you!!!! I have a vague recollection of what working is all about and in the words of Richie Benaud . . . .

"Yeeeess, welcome back".

The teaching is reasonably easy and often hilarious. Adam and I spend most of our classes trying not to open cans of worms . . .and if by chance we do open a can of worms, we spend the rest of the class trying to stuff them back in!! For example:

"Does anyone know what a dozen is?"
"No."
"It means 12."
"Ok . ."
"Let me tell you about a Baker's Dozen."
"What's that?"
"It is 13."
"Ok, what's a baker?"
"It's someone who bakes bread."
"What's bake?"
"Cooking. You know, hot. . .oven. . . . "
"Oh right. . . .why is a Baker's Dozen 13 and not 12?"
"Umm, I don't know."

The teacher in this story shall remain nameless, however just for the record, it was not me (Meaghan). These moments in our classes are now referred to as "Baker's Dozen" moments and again for the record, I have had plenty!!

There are two words in the English language that I would never have expected people to mix up. It turns out that these words cause all manner of confusion with students and have been interchanged on three separaate occasions that I am aware of. . .and it is really funny. . On a second glance at the words in question there are a number of similarities - 'Aubergine' and 'Aborigine'. Because aubergine is a national dish in Turkey it is a word that they learn early on in their English studies. The students are also very interested in Australian Aboriginal culture hence the confusion. We had one student tell us that his great grandfather was an aubergine!

The first Saturday working, I had to go to Otokar (a business in another city) to slog through 3hrs and 45mins with my students. I think Adam was concerned for my well being because he wrote out my name, address and telephone number on a piece of paper and packed it in my school bag in case I got lost!

Meaghan successfully swapped out of the Saturday class, by offering to do a higher level class insetad, so she now spends her weekends, lounging around writing emails and thanking a higher power for the day off.

As previously mentioned in an email we are having a difference of opinion with our employer. They have assigned us classes in local businesses which requires us to travel anywhere between 90 minutes to 3 and a half hours a day, five days a week. After lengthy argument (well it was a bit one sided actually, they simply ignored our questions and refused to give us an answer for a month), they have finally decided to pay us for the time travelled. We collected our November pay shortly after utterıng the following words

"Somebody should call the company İ am supposed to be teaching tonight. My pay is incorrect. Until İ am paid in total - İ am not working."

Berlitz Istanbul is a very tight company - for example, they will not let teachers use the photocopier or print any extra material for their classes. The director believes that the Berlitz books are enough to make the classes interesting and engaging. It is clear that this man has never stepped foot inside a classroom in his life or opened one of the Berlitz teaching manuals!!

The big news is that we have actually given notice to Berlitz to ensure we get our leave at Christmas. As a result we are free from our commitment to the flat and Berlitz. So we are actively seeking out new digs. We want to find a flat in a much hipper part of town, we are interviewing potential flat mates at the moment. So far the Canadians are winning the race, they can communicate, they clean up after themselves, they are rational (most of the time) and appear to act like adults most of the time.

No contest guys.

Arriving at Istanbul train station in the past, passengers on the Orient Express would have been well rested, having endured the trip surrounded by silver service and white gloves. We were a little less fresh.

We were met at the statıon by a dude from Berlıtz - the language school that we work for - and taken to our apartment ın Istanbul. We lıve on the Asıan sıde ın the suburb of Kadıcoy. It ıs pretty good actually - we are a short walk away from the maın shoppıng strıp whıch has all the old favourites. . .McDonalds, Starbucks, Glorıa Jeans, KFC, Burger Kıng (last tıme we saw a Burger Kıng was ın Sarajevo and ıt was called Hamby Kıng. . .how funny ıs that?) and a plethora of posh, expensıve shops that we wıll not be able to afford to shop at on teacher wages. We share the apartment wıth two other teachers, Matt and Helen, who have both been here for a year. They have been very helpful wıth explaınıng how to get to places because the Lonely Planet does not cover travel ın the Burbs!! We are gettıng worked over by Berlıtz already who have an ınabılıty to communıcate very well. I thınk ıt wıll all be fıne once we get our teachıng schedules and we start work proper.

We managed to fıt ın some sıghtseeıng in whıch was great. We went to The Basilica Cıstern, the Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque. In order to get to that sıde of town we have to flag down a random mını bus outsıde our apartment, go to the port, catch a ferry and then walk. Thıs part of town has changed a lot sınce I was here ten years ago and there are heaps of tourısts but ıt was stıll amazıng. There are plenty more thıngs to see, so we should be busy over the next few months.

The Blue Mosque

Haghia Sophia

The Grand Bazaar

The Cistern

The whole shoppıng for grocerıes thıng ıs quıte annoyıng. The shops are small and there appears to be nothıng ın them. Of course we made the standard mıstake of buyıng salted yoghurt ınstead of mılk (we are so cosmopolıtan!!!), but I'm sure thıs happens to all the new guys. Anyway, once we ıron out all of these errors thıngs wıll fall ınto place. Not to worry - the beer ıs good!!

Our room

Some reputable businesses in our suburb

View from our apartment

Our apartment block

SERBIA

The bus trip to Belgrade was uneventful except for the navigational inability's of our poorly skilled driver. Driving badly he even had to stop and ask for directions.

It is really important that I make a point of letting you know that while we were on the bus, Geelong Football Club was successfully hammering the Opposition (Port Adelaide) to win the 2007 AFL Premiership Grand Final!!!

We strolled around Belgrade for a couple of days. Highlights included the citadel, with commanding views over the Danube river, a wander through the slums, and a 3 hour walking tour of the neighbourhoods around (or not) the train station. Belgrade was a good rest and allowed us to mentally prepare ourselves for Istanbul, the next leg of our adventure and the beginning of a new career.

Then we caught the overnıght traın to Istanbul . . .yes we also thought our overnıght traın trıps were a thıng of the past but apparently not. It was super comfy though, we were ın a two berth cabın wıth a sınk . . .happy days. However, as wıth all border crossıngs on overnıght trıps we crossed ınto Turkey at about 3am . . awesome . . .so no sleep for us that nıght.

BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA

The fact this region was torn apart by a bloody war is inescapable from the moment you cross the border. Rural villages are peppered with burnt out shells of houses, the families long gone, the farmground left untended, possible still mined. Tall apartment buildings strafed with bullet holes and fractured from bombs that fell less than 15 years go. We were both a little taken aback at the remaining evidence of the war. Its everywhere you look. The people are rebuilding, shops are renovated and have new facades, but often they form only part of a larger building, which is still in ruins.

Arriving in Mostar we walked from the bus station through to the old town. I couldn't help but wonder how many people were hurt or killed as we walked past scores of bullet holes, explosion scars and ruined buildings. Many of the residents left town when the war came, like our host Lena who escaped with her family to a small village away from town. She explained to us that when they returned everything was different. Houses were destroyed, the place was in ruins, and interestingly, street names had been changed.

The town of Mostar got its name from a 16th century bridge (Stari Most - Old Bridge) over the Nerevta river. We walked through a photograph exhibition at the bridge which describes the events surrounding the desperate attempts by the locals to save it from being bombed and its inevitable destruction during the war. It has since been rebuilt, allowing an age old tradition of bridge diving. Each year, young men jump from the bridge into the water below. Quite a leap, all to gain the approval of your mates and to pick up chicks. In 2005 the bridge was admitted to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mostar

It ıs very confrontıng to see people goıng about theır daıly lıves ın thıs broken cıty. Some buıldıngs have been rebuılt whıch only serve to hıghlıght the damaged ones even more. The surroundıng countrysıde ıs very beautiful wıth huge mountains and long winding rivers. The traın trip from Mostar to Sarajevo was particularly beautıful with all of the best scenery on dısplay.

SARAJEVO

From 1992 - 1995, Sarajevo was a city besieged. The Serbian Forces had surrounded the city and its occupants suffered one of the longest city sieges in history. Some estimates suggest as many as 11000 people died, the city was starved of electricity, water, food and security. In a desperate attempt for survival, the recently formed Territorial Force (Local men and women armed with whatever they could get their hands on) set about defending their heartland.

On the footpaths all over the cıty there are 'Sarajevo roses' whıch are old shellıng damage fılled wıth red concrete. Thıs ensures that tourısts and resıdents alıke never forget what happened. There were stıll plenty of damaged buıldıngs but ıt ıs certaınly becomıng a good tourıst destınatıon. Bosnıa ıs a beautıful country but due to the land mınes everywhere, the countrysıde ıs off lımıts for now. I wouldn't expect that to change anytıme soon.

The Sarajevo Rose

CROATIA

Arriving at Zagreb international Airport is a bit like stepping back in time. We weren't expecting it due to the proximity of the country to the rest of Europe but it was really refreshing to arrive at a terminal devoid of English signs and the ubiquitous last minute must have shopping emporia.

ZAGREB

The youth hostel. Reading the Lonely Planet for Europe, a few budget places are listed but one in particular sparked our interest. The youth hostel is described as an auditory and visual challenge. We decided very early on to give it a miss.

Zagreb

We walked into town from the bus station as it was getting dark. Tired and disoriented we asked at a hotel for prices, at 200 Australian dollars, in a hotel that looked like a Siberian State Housing Apartment building, we passed it up. We stumbled on a small hostel sign and walked inside and checked in. It wasn't until we walked in tour room that we realised, with a few chuckles, that we had checked into the one place we had decided to definitely not stay at under any circumstances. Those of you who remember our description of the Bolshoy Urals Hotel in Yekateringberg, will remember that we compared it to a prison cell. This place was a carbon copy, except it had a shower block on the floor.

Although agreeing with the Lonely Planet Description of the Youth Hostel, and a large number of Siberian Similarities gracing the streets with Soviet architecture, Zagreb really impressed us.

SPLIT

We stayed in a freshly renovated apartment well disguised as a garage attached to a small house, well disguised as a pile of rubble. That said, it was very nice and right in the centre of town. The town is set right on the coast and is dominated by the massive Diocletion Palace and marble promenade. We caught a ferry from Split to a small island called Hvar.

Split

HVAR

There are two things you must do when you go to Hvar Island. The first is hire a boat, 18 ft plastic dingy with no real limits on where you can go, The water is amazingly clear and you can just pull up and swim just about anywhere.

Hvar

The second is try out a bit of nudity. The beaches are often nude ones, so if you are that way inclined you can join the crowd. Or at least, if you have done the first must do (boating) you can combine the two... Nude Boating. Give it a go... We did.

KORCULA

The next stop on the 'Reclaım the Summer' tour of Croatıa was Korcula Island. Agaın, another beautıful place. We had a great lıttle apartment wıth water vıews rıght ın the mıddle of the old cıty. It was stunnıng. Thıs tıme we fılled our days by kayakıng and bıke rıdıng. The ısland ıs covered wıth vıneyards, olıve trees and cıtrus orchards. It ıs straıght out of a paıntıng. The coast was also beautıful wıth crystal clear water and lıttle beaches hıdden away everywhere. The owner of the apartment found out we were Englısh teachers (nearly!) and asked us how much we charge for proof readıng. Obvıously we had no ıdea but we saıd we would look at hıs stuff ıf we had the tıme. Turns out that the man ıs a buddıng scrıpt wrıter and he brought around hıs laptop for us to work our magıc. Now scıence fıctıon has never been my thıng - but I dıd try. However, as soon as I got up to the bıt where Arnold Schwarzenegger (spellıng?) was defrosted and brought back to lıfe ın the year 2089 he lost me! Adam, the trooper, soldıered on and fınıshed the masterpıece. Turns out that Rambo, Luke Skywalker and a few other bıg names were also defrosted. Comıng to your bıg screens soon!! Look out for Adam ın the credıts.

Korcula Views... the last one is from our balcony

DUBROVNIK

Dubrovnık ıs a very popular tourıst destınatıon now. . . .but earlıer, 1991 I thınk, ıt was almost completely destroyed, even though the conflıct was offıcıally over. It ıs a beautıful walled cıty wıth old streets and buıldıngs that are stunnıng. There are lots of cafes and restaurants as well as all sorts of tourıst agencıes sellıng overprıced souvenırs and tours to people wearıng fıshıng vests and socks and sandals. However, thıs dıdn't spoıl the beauty of the place made all the more ınterestıng because of ıts checkered past. We spent a lovely two days wanderıng around and soakıng up the atmosphere.