Istanbul, Part 1

E and I have come to Istanbul for a week before I head to the US and he returns to Erzurum for summer school. We had mixed feelings as we left our apartment since I still don’t have a firm work contract. For now, all our things are in the apartment—even if we have to vacate it when we get back. A group of young men—who must be foreign exchange students—have moved in next door, shattering our peaceful little floor, so we weren’t too sorry to leave.

At the airport, I remembered why I love Erzurum. I am taking two big suitcases since in theory Turkish Airlines still lets you check two free bags internationally. Technically, I was allowed one 15-kg suitcase on my domestic flight. I had two 20-kg suitcases, so I was sure I’d have to pay a huge fee. But the people at the airport didn’t say a thing, and I didn’t pay a dime. Beautiful.

E’s family was waiting for us at the airport in Istanbul, and it’s nice to see their joy. Of course, they are concerned—as I am—that E is so thin. And I’m sure it’s a poor reflection on me as a wife. They also think I’m too thin, which is nice to hear since in reality I am huge and afraid of the scale when I get home.

E’s family treats me like a princess, and I feel spoiled rotten. The first time I was here, they coddled me as a bride. This time, they coddle me because I’m pregnant. Tonight, we were with two of E’s heavily pregnant aunts, and I felt ridiculous to be so pampered in their presence. But they are having girls, and I’m having a boy.

E always tells me he’s from the ghetto, and I finally saw it today now that it’s summer. Children play in the streets amid speeding cars. Three covered women pushed a shopping cart full of fruit from the nearby bazaar. Many buildings are clearly hand built. I hope E will let me explore the neighborhood although he has it in his mind it is unsafe to do so.