The Language of Success and Failure

As remarked upon before I hang out in a cafe in an English Language school in Istanbul and give the students lots of chances to practice. I keep to simple sentences, speaking them slowly, and occasionally I get a response. Easiest is "How are you?" This almost always gets a correct answer, though sometimes I just get, "Thank you, and you?" in reply to my inquiry.

One very energetic, purple-haired girl came up to Hasan and me, said good morning, asked how I was, and then confided in Hasan that those words were the only English she had learned in six months at the school.

The most promising student has been Apau, his English is growing steadily and he remembers a lot. He told me that next year he will be studying English at Bacheshire University and after wards he wants to learn French. Already he speaks Kurdish, Arabic, and Turkish. Maybe I'm working side by side with a future diplomat. The thought is certainly exciting.