Obama Hoş Geldin!

Ah, Erzurum in the fall is even more beautiful when its four American residents are assured that their leader will be leading for four more years. I did not realize how stressed out I was about the election until I had my state of cheerfulness this morning to compare it to. I had given half hearted attempts to give a lesson about the elections in my classes on Monday and Tuesday but was met with blank faces. I found it close to impossible to  explain the differences between the two candidates in a way that interested my students and used only their limited vocabulary. I kept finding myself repeating the statements like “But the race is very close. We do not know who will win.” Clearly, that was where my mind was. 

Today, I rolled into Derslik 1-7 with a huge grin on my face. I think my students sensed this change in my attitude because they (my “Muhammad” class, led by five lively boys all with the same name who insist on a constant din of Turkish whispering) listened so attentively, I barely recognized them. Korey and I had been up since 4 am watching the votes come in. I should have know it was a good omen when I woke up the exact minute MSNBC called Michigan. The first call to prayer of the day began when New Hampshire went blue. And when Ohio--and the race--was called for Obama, Korey and I were jumping around my apartment. Ayşegul, my coworker who drives me to work, said playfully as she picked me up, “I hope there are other things in this life that make you this happy, Helen Marie.” Definitely, Ayşegul. This is just one of them. 

My first hour of teaching consisted of fielding questions from a newly interested class--again, I think my enthusiasm was contagious. Teacher, how is Obama different than Romney? All I was able to get across clearly is that Obama is not from Bush’s party and Romney is, to which the class nodded enthusiastically. Teacher, why was Ohio important? I was so impressed with that one that I went into a rudimentary crash course on the electoral college and was furthermore impressed with how much they seemed to understand. I told them that they now knew more about the American voting system than some Americans their age. 

My favorite question though--one I have received many times since being in Turkey--is about Obama’s religion. Teacher, Obama is a Muslim? I explain that although his name is Arabic and his father was a Muslim, he was raised by his mother and is therefore Christian. Teacher, are you sure? Maybe he just says that to get the votes, my students tell me with a smile. Sure, I say, maybe.That America’s president could be Muslim is considered so positive, I certainly don’t see the sense of arguing. And if it contributes to Obama’s positive image in this country, why deny it? 

Obama’s win seems to have been taken positively by my co-workers as well. What they were most curious about, however, is why we were so happy that he won. Well, we voted for him, we said at lunch. Yes, we voted for the party of Prime Minister Erdoğan but we are not as happy or surprised when he won, they replied. Elizabeth went on to explain that there are certain policies of Obama’s like being able to covered under our parent’s health insurance and his support of programs like Fulbright that directly effect our lives. Our co-workers (all of whom are state employees) joked that that would be like voting for Erdoğan because he promised to raise their salaries. They way they spoke about it, it did not seem like there was much hope of that transpiring in the future.

Although the election has been occupying a significant part of my brain, everything else has been going quite well in Erzurum. The weather has held out, only about 45 F, apparently much warmer than usual. We continue have l“only in Eastern Turkey” adventures. Such as my secondhand cell phone giving out but the man I bought it from giving me a new, nicer one free of charge without a receipt or even a question. Or a waiter we had one night at “Guzelyurt” (one of the fanciest restaurants in town) finding me in my office at school one day (I did not recognize him and have no idea how he found me) and asking for private English lessons. Turns out his boss, the boss’ wife and their 12-year-old daughter would like lessons too. We agreed to tutor them each for an hour each week...in exchange for free meals at Guzelyurt. Sidenote: When I say fanciest place in town, I mean it. It’s been open for 80 years and the waiters take your coat and pull out your chair before you sit down. I think we got the better end of the bargain on that one. More details to come when it pans out. 

Speaking Turkish is still a daily struggle. I was able to open a bank account and deal the aforementioned cell phone issues on my own but can still barely follow the constant chatter of my co-workers at lunch. I did, however, understand this comment from Aysel to our waiter at the cafeteria when he asked if we wanted salad for the table: Yes, please. And could you bring two? We have foreigners here, try to impress them with your service. When I called her out on it, she laughed and apologized for “using” us. Hey, happy to oblige.