Why Do I Bother?

After all my complaining about my job here, I discovered this week that my university is not the only problem.

Yesterday, the chair of the School of Foreign Languages called me to his office. He needed even more information from me for my job application. I guess my application has reached the national Ministry of Education, so hopefully I will know soon whether or not I am gainfully employed.

While I was there, I ran into two employees of the American embassy in Ankara. I was very surprised to see them. They had come because the ambassador was coming the next day to officially open the American Corner. Not only did I not know about the visit and the opening ceremony, but they had moved the American Corner two days before to another building . . . without telling me. This move was particularly distressing because I have been working so hard to get the American Corner going, including scheduling some of my classes there in two weeks. To be left out of loop really hurt.

Despite the obvious snub, I decided to attend the opening ceremony today. I came and waited and waited. The ambassador arrived an hour late with a huge entourage. The embassy crew saw me but said nothing to me.

In fact, the only people who paid any attention to me were the ambassador's Turkish police escort. I spent the entire event talking to them. They noticed, immediately, that I was not local. They asked me where I was from. When I told them I was American, they fetched the ambassador to meet a foreign exchange student.

I assured the ambassador that I was not a student, that I am a professional teacher, that I am an ELF. All he said was how glad he is that the students have someone their own age, a peer, to practice their English with. He clearly assumed I was a recently graduated Fulbright ETA. No, no, no!

After my brief discussion, I spent the rest of the time with the security folks. They practiced their English, laughed about their (and the ambassador's) first visit to Erzurum, told me how beautiful I am (oh, how I have missed Turkish men and their empty compliments), and then were shocked when I told them I am married. Then they told me it was my responsibility to have a Turkish baby immediately. Good grief.

Actually, I really enjoyed the cops, but I was quite disillusioned by the embassy crew. I have lost what drive I had to work with and improve the American Corner.