Arriving in Istanbul

I've been in Istanbul for 3 days now. The CELTA class began on Tuesday and my eyes are now opened. I now know what a terrible teacher I am. Fortunately, I also know that there is hope for me.

We have played a number of learning games and the purpose of these games, plus how to make them work. The focus this week is on classroom management which I'm really terrible at. Now I know why I'm so terrible. I also have a clue as to how to use the dialogues, vocabulary, and other exercises on sites such as English Baby and Breaking News English and after a few more days of this, I might even be able to use a textbook effectively.

It's not like Korea was a total waste. I had some things to learn about motivating myself and not being too stubborn in the face of some crazy situations that were totally beyond my control. I think that I'm even learning not to be so stubborn with God. It's a little easier when I realize that when I have to give in to a situation, or give up a posession, or even give up on a dream or relationship that I was really treasuring, means that I make room for God to bring something new into my life. So now that I am in Istanbul, I am trying to make room in my life for homework that needs done. It's awful because I am completely jet-lagged!