The personal frustrations and difficulties of an American political science professor who spent a year as a Fulbright lecturer at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara are described. Keeping busy helped. He spent much time merely surviving; for example, shopping for enough food became a daily affair because of the lack of supermarkets. Language was another problem. The official language of instruction at METU was English. However, most of the students didn't speak English, and he didn't speak much Turkish. Another frustration was the politicization of the students. The student organizations (METU was a leftist bastion) were very powerful. Students often boycotted exams or disrupted classes. Personal observations are also made concerning: the difficulty for Turkish faculty to be promoted (they had to take exams and write another dissertation); business practices (the Turks lacked good business sense); television (those who had it watched it all the time); and smog (the burning of low-grade coal caused terrific pollution). (RM)