I am the old lady in an office full of young, Turkish teachers (pictured here at a recent henna–engagement–party).

It’s full summer here in Istanbul. On the magnolia tree outside our apartment waxy white flowers open like beckoning hands. Rose-ringed parakeets flutter in the treetops. Plump stray dogs nap on sidewalks, and cats curl up in tiny patches of shade. The air is perfumed, but heavier by the day, presaging the sweltering months of July and August.

Today, June 20, will mark a year since I arrived in Turkey. That prompts me to think back on what I’ve learned and how things have turned out here. I had several goals when I arrived, among them getting a blog off the ground, finding some kind of job, and learning Turkish. I realized early on that these goals weren’t completely in my control, and I vowed to try and stay flexible.

Sue’s Turkish Adventures has been fun. I love the kind of short writing it demands. There’s a treasure trove of material here, and I’ve received some generous compliments on my postings. All is well.

I started teaching English at a university in January. This was a huge adjustment—both physically and emotionally. Although the information was clearly printed on my resume, I’m not sure if those who hired me realized that I hadn’t worked full-time since 1987. Each morning getting out of bed, I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into. And facing students day after day was relentless. I am afraid I was not a brilliant teacher during my first 8-week module. But I’ve had the chance to do it again –and again –and one does improve with experience. I love connecting with Turkish students. This “baby boom” generation here is upending old traditions and will inherit an economic and political powerhouse.

My progress with Turkish seemed to languish since January due to a lack of time. But just recently it has dawned on me that something related to language happening in my head. I am finding that ever so often a complete sentence or two of Turkish comes through to me as clear as a bell. And at the same time, I have the brainspace to say to myself, “hmm, she used the first person plural there.”  I don’t quite know how this is happening, but comprehending a language that was once foreign is every bit as thrilling as it was back when I was 22 years old in Puerto Rico and heard my first real, spoken Spanish. I try to convey to my students that one of the greatest joys in my life has been communicating with people in other languages.

What else? Well, here in Istanbul, much that was unfamiliar has become familiar. I am delighted over and over by the care shown to us by Turks, for whom tenderness and good relationships are all-important. Quiet and peacefulness reign in this crowded city. Life here is congenial and organized.

An unexpected joy has been entertaining friends from home. They come to Istanbul not knowing quite what to expect, but return to the States eager to sing the city’s praises. We love showing them around, and building commonalites.

We have felt sneakily lucky to sit out the U.S. recession in a country whose GDP has tripled since 2002.  I know friends at home often think I’m in the middle of a war zone here, risking my life on a daily basis. Well, the misinformation flow goes both ways: the longer I’m away from the U.S., dependent on magazines and newspapers to keep me informed, the more I find myself thinking my country is slipping into abject poverty.

Which brings me to something else. We are here in Turkey because of 3M and we will leave  Turkey because of 3M, but since we are at the end of our careers, Sankar and I sometimes wonder what it would be like to stay on for awhile. I have a good job here; will I be able to find one back home? With an abundance of energy (the mornings have gotten a lot better) I don’t know if I want to retire in my mid-fifties. I miss home, especially Angela, who will be studying in Minnesota for four more years, but leaving here is going to feel like a significant ending. I find myself playing a role I never, ever thought I would play as an American: I have become an economic immigrant, leaving my home country for better opportunities abroad.

Most of all this year, I have discovered that even in middle age, I can learn a lot of new things all at once. I can adapt to a new and unfamilar Mac computer when my comfortable PC proves too virus prone. I can learn how to operate European household appliances. I can find my way home when I venture out in hilly, labyrinth-like urban terrain. I can learn to communicate in a strange new language. I can stand up in front of a class of Turkish students day after day even though I have never taught ESL before. Many times this year I’ve been so fatigued that I’ve exclaimed, “Nothing new today!” But looking back, I am pleased to report that there has been quite an accrual of new masteries.