Aaron’e aşığlm (I am in love with Aaron)

So as many of you know my boyfriend came to visit me in Turkey! It was so amazing not only to spend time with him but to show him around a foreign country! He arrived on Friday February 27th and I picked him up at the airport. We then took a bus to the train station and took a train to Istanbul that night. We arrived in Istanbul early Saturday morning and only had one day in the city because we were taking the train back to Ankara Saturday night. It was a very quick trip but we were able to see the major sites of the city and do quite a bit of shopping at the spice bazaar and the grand bazaar. Aaron really enjoyed bartering (or watching me attempt to barter in Turkish) and he loved the fact that we never paid the full price for anything. When we returned to Ankara he was able to meet some of my Turkish friends and we went to a museum and traditional restaurant. I think they really liked Aaron and I was glad they got the chance to meet him. They were also very impressed by the amount of Turkish he picked up in only a few days. By the end of the week Aaron was able to count, order the bill, ask how much something cost, barter, say thank you, and many other phrases. I was so impressed by how quickly he picked it up and how willing he was to learn.

The week went by so quickly but my favorite experience by far was on Friday. I did not have class so we were able to spend the whole day exploring the city. I took him to an old castle outside the city center. The castle is in a poorer neighborhood but that adds to its character and the view from the top is spectacular. When we go to the top we both wanted a picture of us together. I tried to ask some Turkish people who were also there touring the castle if they would take a picture. They understood and after taking a picture of them they took a picture of us. We tried to communicate with the little Turkish I knew and they were very nice and patient with me. I asked them where they were from and found out they were all a family and were touring in Ankara for a short time. After we left them the older man came up to us again and gave Aaron some prayer beads. It was so nice of him and we both couldn’t believe it! Then on our way down from the castle there were some small shops and outside one of the shops was this rug. Aaron noticed it first and then I saw it. It was absolutely gorgeous. We continued walking because we didn’t think we could afford it. After about fifteen minutes of shopping we kept talking about the rug. Aaron knew that I wanted it and I knew that he wanted it too. I also knew that if we didn’t go back and look at it we would forever wonder about it. I asked “kaç para?” (“how much?”) and the man said $400. I said “Ohhh çok pahala!” (“very expensive!”) I also did not have any dollars on me so I offered him 200 turkish lira. He said no (because this is much less than half of the original price.) Then he said 400 turkish lira. I said 250. He said 300. I said yes. The man was so excited he ran inside and got his friend. They invited us in and gave us elma çay (apple tea) and then vacuumed off the rug while we drank our tea. After that they tied the rug up and put it in a plastic bag. At this point I still was not sure how much money Aaron and I had. I looked in my wallet and only had 180 lira. He looked in his and had 120. So we had exactly enough to pay for the rug. It was meant to be. After we drank our tea and paid for the rug Aaron carried it down the hill. We found out later that the rug weighed 14 kilos which is about 30.8 pounds! We had to ship it because we were hanging out with friends later and I knew that we would not be comfortable carrying a 30 pound rug around all day and then the next day to the airport. We found a post office which just happened to ship cargo. We brought the rug in and after taking a picture of it brought it to the area where they ship cargo. The man said that I needed to buy a box. I had no idea where to get a box that large. I told him that and he brought out a large shipping back and it took about ten minutes but he finally was able to get the rug in the bag. I wrote my home address on the bag with a permanent marker and wrote as much of my return address here in Turkey that I could remember. I really hope it gets to America. Aaron and I were both fresh out of money so I asked the man if we could go to the bank and get more money out. He said that was fine and we left the rug at the post office. I pulled out about 160 lira and we went back to the post office. After weighing the rug and putting in the address he told us that to ship the rug by boat it would take about 14 days and it would cost 150 lira! Good thing I pulled out a little extra money. I paid him in cash and we left. It was definitely an adventure and I am so glad that we were able do to buy the rug together. It was hard to see Aaron off at the airport but we were able to share some wonderful times together and I am so glad that he made the trip safely!