Precious White Slip of Paper & Angels at the Airport

 

   Thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope once the start of school settles in and I'm finished getting groceries, bank accounts, Turkish SIM cards, etc.  I will write more often.      

September 7, 2020                                                                               4 Days in Turkey

 I am here.  Istanbul, Turkey.  And I am teaching.  Boy am I teaching.  Lots of work. But I'm doing whata teachers all over the world are doing.  This on line teaching is tough.  Yet, I'm loving it.  Really.  

          The plane trip was uneventful.  I flew out of Chicago to Istanbul.  Direct.  I was so exhausted from teaching on line at 1:00 AM in the morning the past week, that I actually slept.  Which is why I missed the little white slip of paper deposited on my tray during the night.  I saw it at one point, in the darkness, and put it in the seat pocket, thinking I'll figure that out later.  So, when I get to customs I present my passport with the precious visa attached and I am asked for the paper I got on the plane.  Then I remembered.   The language barrier kicked in right away.  I was waved to a young man at the desk.  I tried to explain I was missing a white piece of paper I was given on the plane, but I did not know what it was!  He waved me to another desk.  They were closing.  And...you got it.  I was waved to another desk.  The young lady there tried to find the paper.  She at least tried.  Before she waved me off. (Think about how many Americans respond to foreigners who don't speak English!  Especially when  busy)  I go back to the passport check to beg them to help.  The first young man now seemed to understand.  He waved me to a table in the opposite direction stacked with the precious white paper that asked me all about my health and any exposures to Covid  

With relief, I proceeded through to baggage claim  Oh, and while all this is happening, I am trying to get Wifi connection to tell the representative from the school why I was delayed. Then, I met a young man with a cart at the bottom of the escalator.  Did I need help with my bags?  You betcha!  He was an angel. He got me connected to Wifi.  Helped me load my 3 heavy bags and we walked out the door and there was another angel, Zeynep.  She works in the Human Resources at Enka School.  The first angel helped me to the car and off he went.  But, before leaving he told Zeynep I was "nice."  

I've left the airport and was on to my adventure.  Teaching in Turkey!