A few years ago I assigned members of my Freshman Comp class to choose a partner, interview each other, and write a profile based on the interview. I had two foreign students who did the best work. One of them was a tall girl from Russia who was here on a tennis scholarship, and the other was from Turkey. The Turkish girl had dug up so many interesting things about the Russian girl and nailed her personality perfectly, sprinkling her descriptions with humor and insight. I told her it was one of the best essays I’d every received, but she didn’t believe me. She said, “My Turkish professors say I’m a bad writer.” I told her she’s an amazing writer, and she replied, “You are wrong. I am no good.” I suppose her Turkish professors resented her delightful sense of humor and wanted something more formal from her. I found the whole episode both inspiring and frustrating.
