April 19th:

About a month ago, two teachers from another school came to Evergreen to talk to me about starting a global Studies program. A couple of days after we met, they wrote me about their plan to meet with their principal and staff and asked if I would answer two questions. The first was about logistics, and the second question was, "After 25 years, why are you still so excited about this program?" As I was putting together my thoughts in response, I started reading my students' reflections on assignments from the beginning of the year, through their trip reflections, and to their graduation speeches. I ended up sending them a 12-page document of student thoughts. I apologized for the length of my response, but added, "After you read this, you will see both why I could not edit down the document, and also why this program is still so exciting for me. 

Transformation is amazing to watch. I often feel that I have been blessed with the privilege of being witness to this process. It is a magical alchemy. Sometimes I try to put words to this process in a feeble attempt at explanation. But like all true magic, the words pale.

We went to visit our pen pal school today. It was fascinating watching the transformation, starting with hesitant handshakes and timid hugs, and ending with heartfelt embraces of goodbye and a flurry of energy trying to coordinate when they would meet again.

We intentionally arrange the pen-pal school visit at the beginning of our city stay so as to provide opportunities for those students who made connections to see each other again, either as a visit to their pen pal's home for dinner to time to hang out together in the old city.

 The excitement is contagious. Thinking of it just makes me smile and brings a tear to my eyes. 

 I do have the best teaching job in the world. I am blessed.

April 20th:

 At breakfast this morning I counted 10 different preparations of feta cheese and 7 different types of olives.

 Today we went to the Government agriculture research facilities, where we learned about grafting orange trees.

 Turkey grows 5 different types of avocados.

 Gray with the largest lemon in the world.

 Supposedly the Antalya region has a better environment for growing oranges than Florida or California.

 We picked oranges

 and grapefruit

 and lemons.

 Fresh squeezed orange juice 

Yesterday while the pen pals were playing games together, I hung out with the English teachers. They were very willing to talk about anything. Being not too diplomatic, I  was all too willing to broach sensitive topics. Our conversation covered everything from divorce (One of the English teachers was recently divorced. I asked if this was very common. "It is getting more common as women have more opportunities to be professional and independent," she replied. "Can a woman ask for a divorce here?" I asked. "Of course," she replied. "This is a democracy." Later the topics got more touchy as we talked about the "Kurdish issue, "   which they were all to willing to share their opinions. 

Today, as the students were drinking their orange juice, a conversation rose between myself and the agriculture scientists. this time, without any prompting on my part, they steered the conversation to the "Kurdish issue" once again, and then to the supposed "Armenian massacre" of 1915. Once again they were all too willing to share their perspectives. It was interesting for me how willing Turks are to talk about these  taboo subjects.

 Duden Falls

After our agriculture lesson, we drove to Duden falls for lunch, and the non to the school for the deaf.

 Tansule, our tour organizer, arranged for us to walk in the Children's Day parade with the students from the school for the deaf. She is a very strong supporter of this school, which only recently has been granted government disability status and thus, government funding.

 Tansule feels that for us to come all the way from the USA to walk with these students shows great support for the program. 

 We learned a Turkish song while still in Seattle, which we will sing with the deaf students in the parade. Here, we are practicing together - Evergreen students singing and the deaf students signing.

Alicia learning to sign

Some students brought frisbees to teach our new friends

 This student was so fun to watch, laughing and laughing every time he threw the frisbee, or attempted to catch it. 

Jacob playing soccer with the deaf students.

 We were taught how to make balloon animals by one of the chaperones on last year's trip to Vietnam. Here the students are watching they principal make a speech a bout children's Day. 

The students signing their national anthem at the end of the school day. 

April 15th through 18th: Goodbye and Hello

April 15th: Severance

The Global Studies Program at Evergreen School has for years provided students with the opportunity to expand their perspectives on their reality by exposed them to a variety of diverse ideas and experiences. I have had students come to me more than 20 years later, still talking about how significant this program has been in shaping their their lives.

One of the most consistent responses I have heard over the years is how difficult it is for the students to return to the US. From the parents' perspective, the students have been gone for 4 weeks and the parents are very excited to have their children back and return to their normal family routine. But for the students, they had just had a life-changing experience, and they no longer fit in the "box" that they were in before they left. Therefore, in order to ease this transition, this year the global studies program trip leaders have been much more intentional about using this program as a rite of passage. Above was our farewell ceremony at Evergreen School - honoring the students' separation from their parents.

Parents were asked to write on a slip of paper one to three things they would "let go of" to help enable the growth and independence of their child. Students were asked to write one to three responsibilities they were willing to take on, acknowledging that privilege comes with responsibility. Students and parents could volunteer to read their commitments, then burn the slips of paper in the fire. It was very powerful to hear parents and students working together to help redefine their relationship upon their return.

Parents were also asked to find an object that symbolically represented something they wanted to share with their child. This could be a wish, a lesson, or an acknowledgement of who they see their child becoming. They then took a moment to give their object to their child and explain its significance.

April 16th: Departure

Ryan and Jacob at the airport in Seattle

We all met at the airport at 10AM to do final preparations for our 1PM flight to Frankfurt, Germany.

Grace and Andrew

Eli, one of the trip leaders, on our first flight - Seattle to Frankfurt, Germany

April 17th - The Journey Continues

We arrived in Frankfurt around 9AM, then after a 4-hour layover, we caught a flight to Istanbul.

Isha, on our second flight, from Frankfurt to Istanbul

After hours on the plane and in transit, the students and chaperone are not so peppy any more.

Lara, not wanting to be photographed

At the Istanbul airport, waiting for our third flight - Istanbul to Antalya

After arriving in Istanbul at 5PM, we met our national guide Yavuz, who accompanied us on our last leg, a one-hour flight to Antalya.

26 hours after we arrived at the airport in Seattle, we landed in Antalya, in the southwest of Turkey. Even though the students ate about 7 meals on the planes, many were still hungry. So at midnight, after we checked into our hotel, we went out to eat once again. Here, Zamir is being taught how to cut the meat off of the skewer.

One group of students with their first Turkish meal - donor kabab, a traditional Turkish meat sandwich.

Another group of students at their post-midnight meal.

A Turkish man, sitting at the next table, showing our students a math trick.

April 18th: Day Two, but the First Real Day of the Trip

Students, coping with the time change (Turkey is 10 hours later), slept late, had a late breakfast, and then we held our first "class" in Turkey. Some had more difficulty staying awake than others.

Our first day of exploring was a scavenger hunt in the old city of Antalya. Here, we were invited in to a 400-year-old mosque.

Men drinking tea and playing backgammon at a street-side tea shop.

Our students will participate in the National Children's Day parade in just a few days. We will visit a school for the deaf the day before, then march in the parade with the deaf school students. Together we will sing a Turkish song before the Governor. Selma, our Turkish language teacher, spent a few days teaching the students the song. As part of the scavenger hunt, students needed to sing the song in front of an historic site, then get a "review" from a Turkish person as to how well they did.

My group today

We did not only get a review from a Turkish person, but we got him to sing the song with us. When asked how good was our performance, he replied, "A little bit good."

Hadrian's Gate was built for the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the year 130 C.E.

Rooftop of a mosque

Doug, one of the parent chaperones, with the nut seller.

Antalya's old harbor

Wikipedia says that Antalya was the third most visited city by number of international travelers in 2011, displacing New York. The city is said to have been founded in 150 BCE by Attalos II, king of Pergamon. It was a major city during the Byzantine Empire.

Pickled stuff

My fish sandwich

After a an evening group meeting of sharing the results of their scavenger hunt (we are traveling this year with 40 laptops, a mini projector, and mini speakers for presentations) and telling stories of their adventures, we went out in small groups for dinner. Here I am with my 4 students at a tea house, where I taught them the game of backgammon.