Settling In- Kind of

Well, I don't have any exciting stories (read: miserable experience that turns into a jolly fun tale) this time. For which I am not particularly heartbroken. We needed a break from those stories. Normally I would think it would make this a shorter post, but I know from previous experience (and you do too) that just because I have nothing to say doesn't stop me from talking.

So we have settled into a schedule of sorts. Chris has started at IEU, and works from 8:30-4:30. Because the bus takes a while from our place to Balçova, he has to leave pretty early. I was scheduled to work evenings 5 days a week and then Sat AM, so Chris is also working Sat AM with me. 10-2, so not bad. However, we had some schedule changes, and now I'm working afternoons instead of evenings (awesome, I'll actually SEE my husband!) and no weekends. So now poor Chris is stuck working weekends, which he only agreed to because I had to. Ooops. We'll get him out of it somehow. So my schedule is basically 1-6:30, except for 1 late night. Not bad at all, I get to sleep in, which makes me much happier than getting up early. Less money being spent on an IV drip from Starbucks as well. So while we're settling into our new schedules, things do continually change and present new challenges.

One thing that teaching academic vocabulary to students is that my own vocabulary is becoming inundated with words I haven't used since writing papers in college! The same thing had started to happen to Chris (and when you consider what his vocabulary already was, it's a frightening prospect indeed!) but now he's teaching beginners (they know NO English coming in), which means that soon he will start pointing to his ears when he wants me to listen to him, and enunciating his words carefully, using very simple language. We're going to be quite the pair.

The weather continues to cool off, although not nearly like the kind of weather in Michigan. By cooling off, I mean it's finally comfortable to go for a walk in the afternoon, and breezy enough in the evenings to warrant a light sweater. (Darn, something else I HAVE to go shopping for. Breaks my heart, I tell you.)

I do have some very fun news though. Because he needs to have a work permit, Chris will be flying home sometime within the next month to get his paperwork. YAY! I won't be coming with him though, because as I told him, if I fly to Michigan, I'm not flying back here. Ever. So he will be coming alone, but with an empty suitcase that will be filled with goodies before he comes back. Things makeup, my two dozen pairs of winter shoes i left behind, the soft bedsheets, you know, the necessities of life. :D I'll give you all more details when I know them, but although he won't have many days in GR, some of you may get to see him. Take him out to eat good food, ok? And if anyone has a request for something from Turkey, get them in soon, and maybe his suitcase won't be so empty :)

Anyways, my next student will be here in 10 minutes and I suppose I should at least give the impression that I'm prepared. Miss you all!