The hardest part is most likely what all our young men and women face when they serve and that is how do you make sure you are doing what you can do and to use your time well. We feel like we could do so much more. We would like to better fill our time with service, but every effort consumes so much wasted time in traveling because of the congestion and getting up to speed with the problems of understanding language. It is not just Turkish that is difficult. It is equally difficult to understand english with Turkish, Nigerian, Syrian, Iranian, Philippine, Russian, and and an infinite variety of accents. My ears get tired when I try to listen and understand.
Our StairMaster
Marble steps that wind up 16 floors with 16 steps per floor. A half hour routine of up and down in various combinations is about 1888 steps. Very tiring and a good workout. Gym fees 0TL (Turkish lira), however the lights are on a timer and you have to reset the switch about every other floor or you are walking in the dark. Nori carries a flashlight and I have my trusty headlamp. A little boring, but very effective. We are finally getting a little more adept.
The cast of our Christmas Nativity.
Sorry for the redeye.
We loaded on a bus and traveled about an hour from the Branch to the home of the Reynolds. That is right, home. They are probably the only member with a separate house. He is an expat for Microsoft so he lives well on the company expense.
The arrival of the three kings. Two Elders and our Nigerian member, Knowledge. That is correct, his name is Knowledge and his last name in Nigerian is also Knowledge. He said that he was type cast as a King because he is Knowledge. He is such a good man, but extremely difficult to understand with his accent.
The teachers and Father Rodolpho from the Iraqi School.
The teachers are all Syrian and speak no Turkish only New Arabic and English.
We have talked about the school on several occasions and it is currently our only active project. We have approval for educational materials with a focus on audio/ visual equipment to aid in the teaching of English, Math, Geography, and Science. We have ordered some supplies from the US and hope they will actually come. We could find no English Maps in Turkey. If anyone wanted to try to send educational DVDs that taught young children ABCs, or had learning songs and videos, it would be a nice gift to the school. You should not send large packages, only envelopes and write gift on the package. You could send it to our address but it would have to be by FedEx or DHL.
Fred and Nori Weaver
19 Mayis, Tayyareci Cemal Sok.
No: 2/39 Sisli, Istanbul 34360
Polat-Cliffciler Sisli Residence
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
For you historians St. Nicolas was Turkish. Unfortunately he is rarely found in Turkey and certainly there is absolutely no mentions of Christ. Christmas day is just another day. Schools are in session and a full work day is scheduled no stores close. New Year Day is a Holiday.
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing those details. I bet you both are getting plenty of exercise! We will send some DVDs and also keep investigating how to download YouTube videos and burn to DVD. Ethan just told me he knows how. I wonder if you are considering using Khan Academy, at least for the lessons (since you don't have internet access at the school, you could just burn the lessons onto DVD, but not use the online progress tracking component). What equipment do you have? A projector? DVD player? Does your computer have a DVD burner?
ReplyDeleteWe all love hearing about your great experiences there! We are gathering some of the materials that you need and hope to have it to you in the new year! We look forward to speaking with you both on Christmas!
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