The day started on the wrong foot for me.
I went to have a shower, I love the early morning shower, it is refreshing, I can wash away the garbage of the previous day and night, as I stand under the warm stream of water, imagining the trash disappearing down the plug.
No water. Oh Poo Poo.
I went to catch the ferry. No ferry. Again, Oh Poo Poo.
I was late. No translator. Oh Poo Poo.
I need Mustapha, Fred, Antonio to help me here. I need the strength physically and mentally to keep that state that says I am confident, I am in control, I am that expert that will see the participants and staff through the twelve hours a day for nine days.
I put Mustapha in place and start the courses, yes there are many levels of students, Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced, and levels between these levels, all in the same room we call the NLP room.
The NLP room has no chairs, only cushions to relax into, the lights are dimmed. A good relaxing atmosphere.
NLPGrup training rooms in Kadikoy, IstanbulAfter the introductions, I tell them about my friend Robyn and myself.
Robyn was a top Rugby Football player in the UK, playing for Nottingham and The Three Counties, a very fit man. If he did not leave the field with no injuries, his ear hanging half off, or his nose broken, it had not been a good game.
We would every Sunday get up early at 7am, and book a squash court at the local sports center. We would play hard, we were good. Sometimes I would win the game, sometimes Robyn.
Because it was early Sunday morning, other squash players were still sleeping, so we could continue into the next session free of charge.
We were good.
During this time I worked for the computer manufacturer NCR, and they started a squash league or ladder, and I was asked to join. Well of cause I was too good to join the ladder, after all, I had my own racket. After three weeks of being asked, pleaded with to join, I succumbed, and joined.
After a few games, I ended up at the bottom of the ladder. Perhaps I was not as good as I thought.
The only game of squash I knew prior to joining the ladder was that of Robyn and myself, we reached a high standard of the game for each other. I knew that if Robyn hit the ball in a certain way, I would have to be in a certain place on the court to hit the ball back, and visa versa for Robyn.
It is only when we have exposure to other people that we can enrich our learnings, to add more to our knowledge base.
I know that I have days when I will not be available to work with the participants, and the same applies to the teachers, so I know the participants will enrich their language skills by learning from others.
I know that as they listen to me, they are learning, as all exposure to anything we do, will have a lasting effect on our inner mind, neural pathways will be lain down.
Perhaps as they listen, some may not know that they do not know English. Before coming to Turkey, before visiting many countries, Italy, China, Arabia, Malaysia, India, I did not know of their languages, the only thing I knew about Turkey was Turkish Delight and Belly Dancers.
As they become consciously aware of the fact that they do not know the English Language, frustration can creep in, perhaps this frustration may lead to them stopping the learning, they must push on.
They soon become aware of the fact that they are learning English, but again they may get frustration in the little that they do know. They must push on.
There comes a time when at a subconscious level they know English, they do not have to try, it becomes implicit, automatic to speak the English Language.
My job is to see them through this process.