My Turkish Family

If you read my previous posts on this blog you would probably remember how unhappy I was about staying in a local family with people I’ve never met in my life. I was stressed and disappointed. To say the least … But you know, sometimes bad beginnings turn into amazing adventures. And that was exactly the case. It took me a while to get back to this blog and to write this post as a tribute to my very best Turkish family 🙂
I remember that night in the car, when we were driving to my new home and I was imagining all the bad stuff that would happen to me. I thought of some strange and unknown people I would have to share the roof with and I really didn’t like that outlook. I thought that I would be so constrained and bounded, that I would never feel free at this place and would have to adjust all my behavior to be as invisible as possible… I thought about my long working hours and the stressful way home… and how sad it would be to come back every night and not being able to relax and just be left alone doing whatever I wanted to do. I thought I would have to force myself to fit in and that my 3 weeks would be a disaster. Yes, I am a drama queen sometimes. I totally agree ))
But then in the middle of the night when they opened the door and hugged me, when I saw that smile on Yaren’s face I got my peace and decided that maybe it wouldn’t be that bad after all 😉 

I was staying for 3 weeks at an apartment with 3 wonderful ladies: the grandma, the mother and 17 y.o. Yaren, the little girl I was sharing the room with. From the very first moment I felt very welcomed, I felt happiness and warmth inside this house. And I never ever felt constrained or restricted in my actions… I was running home from my work every day because I knew they were waiting for me and I was so glad to see them. We would have a dinner all together on the balcony discussing our days and talking about all the possible stuff. They were making different traditional Turkish dishes for me and I got to know the local cuisine… so-so-so tasty! Then we would watch TV shows (or yes, Turkish people just love dramas and passions!) and drink Turkish coffee… It felt so good just to sit on the floor with them, eat some fruits or sweets and to chat about everything.
They even taught me how to make Turkish coffee and now every time I drink it here in Germany I think about them.

As I learned how to make the coffee I had to buy the proper equipment. So Yaren went with me to the Egyptian bazaar and we bought all the necessary things. She is so good at bargaining.. negotiated me a great price )

I love Turkish coffee but there can’t be enough Turkish tea ))

My favorite time were breakfasts on Weekend. We could sleep as long as we wanted and then around 12 we would go to the balcony to have a precious time all together. When you sit on the balcony with the sun outside, shining through the concrete buildings, when you are in a great mood (cause you could finally sleep well and there is no work and no rush ahead), when people around you are sweet and kind, when the food on the table is delicious – OMG – I loved the whole world at that moment…
Cheese, olives, tomatoes, sucuk, honey, jam, kaymak, fresh bread and tea … I love Turkish breakfast!

They took to me to a beautiful café in Beşiktaş with a great view on the Bosphorus, we went together to a shopping center where I bought 3 pairs of shoes (yes, I did!), Yaren taught me how to dance salsa and I showed her some Flamenco moves, they introduced me to all the neighbors (sometimes shouting from the balcony to the house in front – local communication style), they even took me to a bachelorette party and I got a chance to be at an authentic kına gecesi. How amazing is that?))

With Zuhal, Yaren’s mother

Beşiktaş

Yaren and me

For our last night together we went to Emirgan – a district in Istanbul situated on the Bosphorus. We had a dinner at a nice restaurant near the water and then a long walk towards the bridge. We took a lot of pictures and sang many Turkish songs played on smartphone. They were impressed by my broad knowledge of Turkish pop scene haha …The bridge was changing its colors illuminating the dark sky and I could not believe that my 3 weeks were over…

In the end my staying with these family was one of the most precious experiences I made in Istanbul. They were so kind to me and we had so much fun… I could never have thought that it would turn out this way but I am so grateful it did! Can’t wait to see them again in July when I will be passing Istanbul for one day and hope to welcome them someday in Munich.
Life is wonderful =)