The Turkish Listening Library

Hello everyone. Today's post is a bit difffernt and will be in English only. I am set to release the Intermediate Edition of The Everyday Language Learner's Guide to Getting Started and as part of that offering I'll be including a 20 Lesson audio series. This post is the introduction to tht series and will give you a taste of what's to come. To get the whole series, stop by the Everyday Language Guides site and pick up the Intermediate Edition of the Guide.

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Well, I am back after a bit of a break. I am not planning on posting every week this spring, but will shoot for two shows a month. A bit slower, but I think we have a good core of material up on the site to get everyone started with. I did want to announce that I have a new website at The Everyday Language Learner. Check it out.

Today’s podcast is of a journal I wrote just three months after getting to Turkey. You will hear that the sound quality isn’t as good as later recordings, but I think it has a lot of great elements in it. The summary goes like this: After I begin telling about listening but not being able to understand anything on the radio I write about the nice spring weather and our plans as a family to go to the seaside where we will drink tea while the kids play. If the kids play well, I will study a bit of Turkish. But if they don’t then I will enjoy playing with them anyway. And while I watch the kids, my wife will go for a run. That evening we are having our neighbors over for dinner. Consuelo is planning on making my favorite food, a Bolivian dish, so I am very excited. Our neighbors can help us learn Turkish and they are really kind and warm. It will be a fun time.

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In todays show I tell about our quest to fight the Istanbul heat a few summers back. Cold showers, ice cream at Carrefor, large plastic buckets full of cold water for the kids to play in were just some of the things we tried.

Stop by the website to download just the Turkish of the podcast.

As well, I will be taking a break from the podcast until after the New Year. See you in 2011.

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Today's show is about calling home. Or about trying to call home. This is a bit of a chore living overseas with time differences, etc, but my wife and kids came to the office I was renting space at that time to use the vonage phone. Anyway, this episode has a few glitches. First my voice is a droning nasil sound because of a cold or alergies (See my story "Am I Alergic to Turkey" at Stories for Turkey). Second there is an eternal silence right after the intro. Not sure what happened, but the show picks up and continues as normal. Sorry about that - I'm still learning.

Anyway, kolay gelsin!

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Today's podcast is a retelling of arguably one of the funniest stories I have ever heard in my entire life. Really. Squirrel Cop was part of a series called This American Life and the weeks episode was about first days on the job. Two cops in Chicago respond to a call about a noise in the attic. The ensuing mayhem will make you cry with laughter. Listen to the story first. You can find the link at the website. Then listen to the Turkish. This one is a bit different I know - but I listened to it again and lauaged so hard I thought it would be good therepy for all of you Turkish learners. Next weeks show will be back to normal. Enjoy and as always get just the Turkish audio at the website.

Squirrel Cop Link: http://vimeo.com/6442040

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In today's podcast I tell about the time that I broke my wrist working on a school project with some friends back in high school. Ouch! Find just the Turkish of the podcast at The Turkish Listening Library's Handcrafted Audio Page and be sure and leave a comment about the show here or at itunes where you can find the show by searching the itunes store for "Turkish Listening". I am still looking for the podcast's second review - it could be you! Thanks for listening and good luck on your language learning journey. Kolay Gelsin!

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In today's show, I discuss my first time sitting down at the bookstore for a few hours of great conversation. As always, visit The Turkish Listening Library to download just the Turkish audio, to find other listening materials, and to find great language learning tips and ideas. Until next week, Kolay Gelsin.

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I have to apologize to begin with for missing a week. I have tried to get these out regularly every Tuesday, but last week sort of fell apart. Anyway, here is the next podcast. Today's show is a journal I wrote about September 11th. It is mostly a recollection of what I was doing and what it seems to have meant for Americans. I hope it is enjoyable to listen to and more importantly helpful for your Turkish learning journey. Be sure and stop by the website, The Turkish Listening Library, to download just the Turkish audio.

Enjoy the show!

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In today's podcast I offer up a personal retelling in Turkish of a story a I heard that acts as a bit of a critique of the greed of Western capitalism. In the story, a western businessman vacationing on a tropical island comes across an obviously poor fisherman resting in the shade of his boat on the beach. The interaction between the two reveals some of the futility of the western businessman's quest for wealth, power and prestige. While he is working 50 - 60 hours a week so that he can enjoy one week of vacation on the beach each year, this poor fisherman works five - six hours a day so that he can buy enough food to live and spends every day relaxing on the beach. It is one of those modern parables that perhaps you have heard before. Well, now it is in Turkish too. As always, visit the Turkish Listening Library to download just the Turkish of the podcast. Then you can listen again and again.

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Episode 10 feels a bit like a milestone. It of course is not. 100 may be, but 10 is not. But today's podcast is about my going with my language helper, Mehmet, to a Galatasaray Match. We were going to go by bus, but a friend of his gave us a ride in his car instead. Before the match, we stopped in one of the local restaurants for Kokorech, my first try with this Turkish delicacy, and it wasn't too bad. After dinner, we had tea and then headed into the stadium. The place was a mad house of energy and excitement and it is hard to imagine what a Fenerbahce match might be like. The crowd filled the air with chants and cheers and we never really sat down during the entire match, which was a very exciting 2-0 win. Our first goal came on a corner kick from Lincoln to Harry Kewell. Our second goal came with some fancy footwork by Lincoln. It was a great experience and I hope I can go again some day.

As always, find just the Turkish at the Turkish Listening Library's Handcrafted Audio Podcast page. And think about leaving a comment and a rating for the show here at Podbean. It would be much appreciated. Until next episode - Kolay Gelsin.

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