Days 3 & 4: Politics, economics, and culture... oh my!

(Pic #1 - our neighborhood in Ankara)

OK, it's story time!

Wednesday was a really full day. We went to visit Bilkent University, a private school establish only about 20 years ago, but boy - did they roll out the red carpet for us. We were first treated to a short film (promotional, of course, but hey?) about the school - whose instructional language is English, by the way... as are most universities in the area. Then we listened to a fascinating lecture by an Economics professor about the current economic crisis and its effect on Turkey, questioning whether Turkey's problems are coming from outside (US) or "homemade." It was an incredible lecture, and I felt as if I learned more about what happened on Wall Street here than I have at home. Turkey seems to be experiencing some of the same issues concerning a clear "diagnosis" of the problem and proactive response as we are...

After a tour of the library, ANOTHER delicious four-course meal, and great conversation with employees of the university, we were back to the hotel for two more lectures on art and education. Here are some interesting facts about Turkey's schools/demographics:

• compulsory education goes through 8th grade
• enrollment for secondary ed in 2008-09 is 58.52% for males, 56.30% for females
• high school students sit for a national exam - the Student Selection Exam - to qualify for college entrance; only 1/3 of those who take it, and the colleges accept according to where they rank
• overall literacy rate is 88.1%
• literacy rate gender breakown: 4% of men, 19.36% women
• life expectancy: 71.2 yrs - women, 61.6 yrs - men
• per capita income: $5,723 in 2008.
• 18.56% population live below the poverty line
• unemployment rate in Feb 2009 - 16.1%
• proportion of national budget to education - 10.3%

This may paint a bleak picture, but our presenter spoke at length about curricular reform, and I spoke to her about teacher education. It seems that many are at odds between what we would identify as "best practices" - instructional strategies, and what is a very traditional, state-mandated curriculum. We came away from that lecture again with a sense of how complex this country is.

Wednesday evening we were treated to a very special dinner with the director of the Turkish Fulbright Commission, and it was really a lovely affair! Check out these food pictures and the dining "al fresco." (I don't think I've eaten meal inside yet.) This dinner took over 3 1/2 hours... they follow that European model of many courses and lengthy conversation. Our reservations were for 7:30, and we were just leaving at 11!

The most moving event of these past two days was out visit to a women's center for literacy and vocational training. The director and program participants met us with - what else? -

food and tea. Next a woman performed a song and then a poem she had written. Although we couldn't understand the language, we were moved t

o tears as she recited her poem with such emotion. Afterward we learned that her poem was in the voice of a woman who, once she learned how to read and write, composed a letter to her husband to tell him how she felt.

This center first and formost trains women to have skills that can put them to work, such as embroidering fabric, hairdressing, wood painting, and so on - but it also serves as a center to assist women in transitioning out of the home. While many women are still married (and learning how to both work outside the home and deal with husbands who may not support this change), some are in really terrible circumstances. I met one woman (standing behind the musician) who had been put out of her home by her husband after 19 years of marriage, and she couldn't read, write,

or market a skill to work. This center has done some amazing work, and I am getting a copy of an award-winning documentary that portrays their experiences. After meeting the women, we were taken to their shop where we quickly bought as many arts and crafts as we could in order to support their center.

This is what you don't get from the cruise director, folk

s - the real learning. Stay tuned!