Job Discussion Forums

seditiouscloud · Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Huizhou-shi, PRC

hello TEFLers of Turkey-
i'm thinking about joining you.

does anyone know anything about the Academy school of English in Diyarbakir? has any one worked there or know someone who did? anyone check out their facilities?

is it true that there is a turkish education standards committe (TSE), as well as a pay scale established by the turkish gov't?

what about diyarbakir? how does it compare to other small turkish cities? as for the politics, has the situation cooled? and for the canuks out there, is it like our FLQ crisis but with the, ehrm, ferocity of contemporary violence?

any opinions? (in-field, left-field, just give 'er)

thanks,
seditiouscloud

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

What Ghost says is true. I don't know much about the school(I have seen them advertising) I spent a few days there a few years ago and the locals are very friendly. to be honest a few days were enough. The city walls are pretty cool and the old town with its labarynth of streets is like something from the medieval times. There are quite a few mosques the best being Ulu cami. The Greek church is interesting and a nice place to hang out is the old caravan stop, Hasan Pasa Hani. I found one bar(and watched Eastenders Very Happy

) But there is very little to do. Good place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

seditiouscloud · Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Huizhou-shi, PRC

thanks for the thoughts on the city. i'm not really sure what 'conservative' means in turkey but a picture is forming in my mind. pretty but boring.

i probably won't be dating turkish girls as it isn't my preference.

any thoughts about how the SE turkish/kurdish view foreign women? from what i've read, people are friendly and for the most part, women need only be wary of the open shirt gold chain guys...is the attitude to foreigners indifferent/curious or is there growing hostility?

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

bron · Joined: 26 May 2004 Posts: 88

Ah, I wonder if there would be a difference for females? Would we be able to get away with a shake of the head and "I don't really understand politics..."? And then just ask them what their opinions are and go straight to smiling and nodding with interest. As I haven't travelled to the east of Turkey yet (dammit), this is a genuine question.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I'm interested to hear the comments of any of you girls who have been out East. I'd imagine that you would be shown the same hospitality I was given, if not more.

31 · Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 1797

''loose and easy'' I am shocked.

molly farquharson · Joined: 16 Jun 2004 Posts: 839 Location: istanbul

i just got back from eastern Turkey, my first time. I spent a day in Diyarbakir, not a lot, I realize, but enough for first impressions. I wore shorts and a sleeveless top, btw, but the looks were more because i was a foreign woman (my travelling partner was looking at the lookers). We found the people were very nice. The worst thing about it was the kids in the back streets, who would come after us "Hello! Hello! Money! Money!" Even when my friend bought them candy, they would not go away and we had to go into a shop to get away from them. However, the adults were great. We came across a courtyard where the men were taking turns singing songs in Kurdish (songs of oppression and love, evidently) and it was the high point of the trip. In the center of the city it is clear that there have been efforts to make the place nice, the parks along the walls, etc. As we left town I could see that the growing part of the city is fairly substantial. However, I would not want to live there-- I think the curiousity would be hard to take after a while and there didn't seem to be much to do, though there must be an area somewhere where more monied people go out. However, I am spoiled from living in Beyoglu and it would depend on what kind of experience you would want to have. If you wanted to be immersed in a mixed culture (Turkish and Kurdish), it would be very interesting.

I suspect that for a woman, once you were settled in somewhere that people in the neighbourhood would watch out for you (along with watching you). I have no idea where the school you mentioned is (didn't see any advertising for it), but I am sure you would not be living in the old city, as mostly poor people live there.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Just out of interest Molly. where else did you visit? Where was best?

molly farquharson · Joined: 16 Jun 2004 Posts: 839 Location: istanbul

In Diyarbakir? Just the old city. Then we had an adventurous trip to Kahta and Nemrut, then on to Malatya and back to Ist. Kahta was completely unremarkable, but we stayed in a nice hotel with a pool. the people were nice, once we got away from the sleazy tout trying to get us into his fleabitten pansyion. We went to Eski Malatya (Battalgazi), which was really nice-- not much to do, as the Ulu Cami was closed for restorations, but the people were wonderful, and of course curious about us.

In Diyarbakir I really felt like I was in a sort of familiar but different country. Same in Kahta, but Malatya was more mixed. of the three, I would say Diyarbakir was my fave. people here kept saying how dangerous it was, but I didn't feel I was ever in danger-- except of blowing my top at the annoying kids. Twisted Evil

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

saloma · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 211

Threatened how? Did he want money? Or did he just not like the look of ghost? (Now I'm doing it!)

In Istanbul, my sister and I walked passed two guys hanging around the hippodrome, they warned us "ladies" to go straight home as Sultanahmet wasn't the best area to wander at night.

They robbed the next two men who came along, two guys staying in our hotel.