Still March 21, 1999
I have been having a strange day today. Earlier tonight, Ann and I were playing Scrabble. I played the word 'chimp' and then I laughed hysterically. I mean, I cried. I have no idea why the word 'chimp' set me off into fits of laughter.
I had a good afternoon with my student Gulsen. Her mother wsa very sweet - and short. She insisted that I wear slippers in their home. I think she was afraid my feet would get cold (this was a common Turk-ism - prompting me to buy and carry with me at all times, my own set of slippers - ed).
The problem was that her family - all members including male ones - were petite. My feet are not. My feet have caused me misery with shoe shopping since I was about 15 and my exasperated father announced that we'd have to go to 'special' shoe stores from now on... I finally crammed my boats into an old pair of Gulsen's father's. I insisted they fit perfectly and I was comfortable. I had to, otherwise I was afraid that her mother would have tried to fashion something together from the hats hanging in the closet.
Gulsen's mother came back later to stroke my hair and tell me that she liked me.
But she's probably not going to like me too much after she realizes that I busted the seams in the slippers.
Gulsen and I had a nice talk. She's a real estate lawyer and a spokesperson for a democratic organization. I guess I probably won't have too much use for her lawyerly skills seeing as how I'm not looking into buying any real estate any time soon. Good day nonetheless.
So yesterday I'm at school doing my usual thing. I get there early in case my newest student needs any help. He doesn't. He's smart as a whip. And I notice something odd. Quite a few of my students are there early - and they're grinning at me.
Okaaaaaay. I go into the Kantin to get a bottle of water. Ali, the brightest student I have, was in there, nonchalantly buying 15 bottles of pop.
"Are you thirsty?" I ask him.
"Oh yes!" he replies, with that grin.
A couple of students then bounded into the Kantin to help Ali with the pop. And they grin at me too.
Like I didn't know what was going on. It was the last day I had with them before my birthday - which falls in the middle of the Bayram break. I pretend not to know what's going on - even when my photographer student (who is perpetually late) shows up early and is kicking himself for forgetting his camera. Yasemin is sent forth to procure one by calling her aunt, causing me to wonder how many Kodak moments we normally had in Level 2 English?
I continued to play along, and acted all surprised when I entered the second Kantin where they sprung their 'surprise'. There was a cake, pop, and they got me some really sweet presents, including a watch and a picture frame. Yasemin got me a little stuffed dog whom I've named Elvis.
They all sang Happy Birthday, but the only words they knew were 'happy' 'birthday'. 'to' and 'you'. I couldn't believe they did all of that for me! That was my 5-7's. I almost felt bad for springing that surprise Comparative/Superlative quiz on them. There was still my 7-10 class, and just when I thought they couldn't do anything more elaborate - I'd be wrong!
