Just Turkish

[tanyakaraman 0]

Hi Tanyakaraman,

So your husband is from Izmit? I had been living in Izmit before coming to the US.

Hi, yes, his parents live in İzmit in Değirmendere (spelling?)...they are originally from Malatya but moved to İzmit when he was little. What part of İzmit are you from? Its a really nice place

[internetkafe 0]

Hi Tanyakaraman,

So your husband is from Izmit? I had been living in Izmit before coming to the US.

Hi, yes, his parents live in İzmit in Değirmendere (spelling?)...they are originally from Malatya but moved to İzmit when he was little. What part of İzmit are you from? Its a really nice place

Central Izmit. Thanks, yes, it is a nice place My father used to work at a place very close to Degirmendere (Bahcecik).

These areas were all affected by the earthquake in 1999. I miss Izmit's unique SiMiT

Please say hi to your husband.

[wendya 0]

Hi Wendy! Great to hear from you...I hope your heel is better soon! Yes, I definitely want to do dinner soon. I am not due until September so we have time but my belly is getting so big its starting to restrict my ability to eat very much at the same time, which was a bit frustrating in Turkey when I wanted to put away as much delicious food as I could! I found myself completely stuffed way before I was done tasting things... Do you have any pics from your wedding to share? I bet it was gorgeous!! So it sounds like Yilmaz is working already? Thats awesome!! By the way, I loved your solution to the BO discussion! Who could resist a hot bath ready and waiting? And no need to risk hurt feelings, etc....how perfect!

Well I got around to posting some of the pics from my trip. Here are some from my digital camera. We brought a couple disposable waterproof cameras too that I still need to get developed and ended up taking pics with our phones one day when my camera battery suddenly went dead, but these are most of them

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...albumId=2792677

Also, there was a photographer at our hotel and he took us to a nearby park one evening and did a little photo shoot with us in the park and on the beach. The pics were cheap...only 5 lira each (no sitting fee)...but Ozzy struck a deal with him and we got all 150 or so pics on disc for only 125 lira! Here are some of the better ones....

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...albumId=2789120

Tanya

Your pictures are cok, cok, guzel!!! What a lovely couple you make and Tanya, you look FANTASTIC!!!

Thank you for posting

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

Hello all. To those of you that did DCF thru Ankara: Did you mail your I-130 packet in or take it in person. I don't want to book an appointment at the embassy just to take the long train ride from Istanbul to Ankara just to drop off the packet and turn right back around. But I'm also worried about mailing such sensitive information thru the postal service. I would freak out if it got lost in the mail. Did anyone else mail theirs in? Maybe I will send it via UPS. I'm sure the consulate in Istanbul wouldn't send it for me.

[tanyakaraman 0]

Hello all. To those of you that did DCF thru Ankara: Did you mail your I-130 packet in or take it in person. I don't want to book an appointment at the embassy just to take the long train ride from Istanbul to Ankara just to drop off the packet and turn right back around. But I'm also worried about mailing such sensitive information thru the postal service. I would freak out if it got lost in the mail. Did anyone else mail theirs in? Maybe I will send it via UPS. I'm sure the consulate in Istanbul wouldn't send it for me.

I think you have to send it via UPS....unless the rules are different for K3 than K1 (or they've changed in the past 2-3 years...which is entirely possible!). Either way, I would trust UPS rather than the postal service...good luck!!

Tanya

[tanyakaraman 0]

Hi Wendy! Great to hear from you...I hope your heel is better soon! Yes, I definitely want to do dinner soon. I am not due until September so we have time but my belly is getting so big its starting to restrict my ability to eat very much at the same time, which was a bit frustrating in Turkey when I wanted to put away as much delicious food as I could! I found myself completely stuffed way before I was done tasting things... Do you have any pics from your wedding to share? I bet it was gorgeous!! So it sounds like Yilmaz is working already? Thats awesome!! By the way, I loved your solution to the BO discussion! Who could resist a hot bath ready and waiting? And no need to risk hurt feelings, etc....how perfect!

Well I got around to posting some of the pics from my trip. Here are some from my digital camera. We brought a couple disposable waterproof cameras too that I still need to get developed and ended up taking pics with our phones one day when my camera battery suddenly went dead, but these are most of them

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...albumId=2792677

Also, there was a photographer at our hotel and he took us to a nearby park one evening and did a little photo shoot with us in the park and on the beach. The pics were cheap...only 5 lira each (no sitting fee)...but Ozzy struck a deal with him and we got all 150 or so pics on disc for only 125 lira! Here are some of the better ones....

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...albumId=2789120

Tanya

Your pictures are cok, cok, guzel!!! What a lovely couple you make and Tanya, you look FANTASTIC!!!

Thank you for posting

Çok teşekkurler Wendy but I swear that photographer had a ''skinny'' lens on his camera....haha not that I mind or anything....because I am getting as big as a house!!

[tanyakaraman 0]

Hi Tanyakaraman,

So your husband is from Izmit? I had been living in Izmit before coming to the US.

Hi, yes, his parents live in İzmit in Değirmendere (spelling?)...they are originally from Malatya but moved to İzmit when he was little. What part of İzmit are you from? Its a really nice place

Central Izmit. Thanks, yes, it is a nice place My father used to work at a place very close to Degirmendere (Bahcecik).

These areas were all affected by the earthquake in 1999. I miss Izmit's unique SiMiT

Please say hi to your husband.

Thanks, I will tell him hello from you. He talks a lot about the earthquake...he was about 20 years old at that time and he was attending university in İstanbul when it happened but his family was in İzmit and several of his cousins died in the earthquake when their house fell on them....among the thousands of others who found the same fate. So very tragic!

[wendya 0]

Well, Yilmaz and I sent our AOS papers via FedEx yesterday. They should receive tomorrow morning

Almost made the biggest error, I was sitting at my desk at work and thinking about the money I needed to deposit to cover the cost of AOS and realized the check was still in my purse!!!!! I frantically called FedEx and luckily the package had not been picked up! I rushed down and was able to put the check in before it was picked up today! Thank the Lord!!!!!! I prayed all the way back to the office thanking God I was able to advert this catastrophe!! Lately I don't know where my head has been!

Hope everyone is doing well

Edited July 13, 2009 by wendya

[tanyakaraman 0]

Well, Yilmaz and I sent our AOS papers via FedEx yesterday. They should receive tomorrow morning

Almost made the biggest error, I was sitting at my desk at work and thinking about the money I needed to deposit to cover the cost of AOS and realized the check was still in my purse!!!!! I frantically called FedEx and luckily the package had not been picked up! I rushed down and was able to put the check in before it was picked up today! Thank the Lord!!!!!! I prayed all the way back to the office thanking God I was able to advert this catastrophe!! Lately I don't know where my head has been!

Hope everyone is doing well

Haha well glad you realized it and all is well The AOS process is stressful & expensive enough! Should go MUCH faster and easier than the visa tho İnşallah (and at least you are together while you're waiting)!

Best Wishes

Tanya

[wendya 0]

Well, Yilmaz and I sent our AOS papers via FedEx yesterday. They should receive tomorrow morning

Almost made the biggest error, I was sitting at my desk at work and thinking about the money I needed to deposit to cover the cost of AOS and realized the check was still in my purse!!!!! I frantically called FedEx and luckily the package had not been picked up! I rushed down and was able to put the check in before it was picked up today! Thank the Lord!!!!!! I prayed all the way back to the office thanking God I was able to advert this catastrophe!! Lately I don't know where my head has been!

Hope everyone is doing well

Haha well glad you realized it and all is well The AOS process is stressful & expensive enough! Should go MUCH faster and easier than the visa tho İnşallah (and at least you are together while you're waiting)!

Best Wishes

Tanya

You are right, at least we are together How long did it take for your AOS? Did you and Ozzy have to go to an interview?

[camistanbul 0]

Hello all. To those of you that did DCF thru Ankara: Did you mail your I-130 packet in or take it in person. I don't want to book an appointment at the embassy just to take the long train ride from Istanbul to Ankara just to drop off the packet and turn right back around. But I'm also worried about mailing such sensitive information thru the postal service. I would freak out if it got lost in the mail. Did anyone else mail theirs in? Maybe I will send it via UPS. I'm sure the consulate in Istanbul wouldn't send it for me.

Sent it via UPS. I believe they discourage drop offs..... ?

[ErikaAndHamit 73]

Hello everyone!

Nice to hear from Tanya and finally, Wendy!

Thanks for that movie Tanya-it was oh-so depressing, but a good movie (anyone have anymore Turkish-English movies?)

You look great Tanya-thanks for sharing your pics! I need to upload our pics onto the camera from the old computer and then download them and post them-haven't found the energy yet

Hamit is doing well-only a little fight the other day (he was experiencing the shock of it all FINALLY) I had a very faint positive on a home pregnancy test today-only time will tell! I hope it isn't too good to be true! I will be heartbroken Before that, we finished up Hamit's biometrics fro AOS and EAD. They also apparently sent back (my apt's new office chick) our NOA's for AOS, but we did get the biometrics letter thank God. Anyhow, I had to call USCIS last week to straighten it all out and they will resend them, but I think this may cause a 30-45 day delay with AOS dunno

Anyhow, hope everyone is well and happy! I will keep you all updated!

Love, Erika

[awaterlily 0]

Congrats Erika and, again, to our expecting mamas! Wish you all a HH9M (happy, healthy, nine months)!!

Staying in theme of lil ones - we had our daughter's pics taken yesterday. It was quite a funny sitting as she was scared of the photographer (male) but was fully cooperative for me as I instructed her to smile & say 'cheese'. Well, she produced some of the funniest fake smiles I've ever seen ...in every single picture!

I just LOVE this age!

[JULIAFERNO 0]

Congrats Erika and, again, to our expecting mamas! Wish you all a HH9M (happy, healthy, nine months)!!

Staying in theme of lil ones - we had our daughter's pics taken yesterday. It was quite a funny sitting as she was scared of the photographer (male) but was fully cooperative for me as I instructed her to smile & say 'cheese'. Well, she produced some of the funniest fake smiles I've ever seen ...in every single picture!

I just LOVE this age!

ADORABLE! That is a great age - so much fun!

[meowmeowmeow 1]

Question: did anyone marry in Ankara? I wrote to the Cankkaya Belediyesi office to ask for certified copies of my marriage certificate but never got a reply....is there a specific office for this in Ankara? Or does it matter where you married?

p.s. I watched Peri Tozu the other day flying in with Turkish Airlines from IST and it was great...highly recommended.