that would be me!
yes, it's true. it's been five days since ben proposed, and i've already managed to lose my engagement ring. why, might you ask, if i've lost my engagement ring am i sitting here writing a blog post? why, you're no doubt wondering, am i not running around pulling my hair out, in tears, having a panic attack?! well, because i already did that. oh! and yes, i already FOUND the ring.
so this morning while i got ready for work, ben ran out to do a quick errand. after i did my hair (during which i take off the engagement ring, placing it on a shelf, and then put it back on, to avoid getting product all over it) i started prepping the house for the cleaning lady, who comes on tuesdays. i did my usual tidying up (my mother taught me well: always clean before the cleaning lady comes), stripped the sheets from the bed, threw them in the wash with the towels, and then my phone rang. it was my turkish tutor, sema, calling to set up my next lesson. i told sema i had news, that ben & i got engaged last week. out of habit, i looked down at my left ring finger, expecting to admire my shiny new bauble while i told the tale... but my finger was bare.
i didn't panic, at first. instead i continued chatting with sema while i walked into the bathroom where i was sure i had forgotten to take my ring from the shelf after finishing my hair. unfortunately, my ring was not on the shelf. nor was it on the counter. after getting down on my hands and knees (still chatting, phone in hand), and quickly scanning the floor, i determined i hadn't left it in the bathroom.
at this point, on a panic scale of 1-10, i'd say i was at about a 4. i walked to the kitchen to check the small bowl where i keep my rings when i was the dishes, but it was empty. this made sense, since i hadn't washed any dishes-- but like i said, i was at a 4, and quickly rising (by now, more like 6 or 7). sema asked me a few questions to which i gave a quick reply and tried to get off the phone without giving any indication that i was in the middle of a full-fledged crisis at this point.
i got off the phone and started to jog from room to room, scanning surfaces, floors... everywhere. i emptied the laundry basket, checked the cushions of the couches, and searched the bathroom floor about three more times.
then i looked at the washing machine, which i had just loaded with sheets and towels after stripping the bed. it occurred to me that my ring is pretty loose (even after i TOLD ben my ring size, he still insisted on getting the ring one size larger, 'just in case') and could have slipped from my finger without my feeling it, into the sheets, which were now in the middle of a wash cycle.
panic level: 10.
at this point ben called and i didn't let on that anything was amiss, in case i could still somehow find the ring on my own. i figured i was bound to find the ring and pictured us having a good laugh as i told him what happened when he got home. i stopped the wash and pulled on the door of the machine, but it was locked.
let's picture this, shall we? i was in my work-attire (black pants, satin blouse), kneeling on the bathroom floor, pulling with all of my might on the washing machine so that it was teetering from side to side, cursing the washing machine gods and all things holy while fighting back tears. despite all of this, the door did not budge. i decided i had to call ben back and tell him what was going on, in order to find out how to open the damn washing machine.
i called ben and he was wonderful (probably because i was choking back sobs). he instructed me to unplug the washing machine & wait for him to get home. i unplugged the washing machine and did one more sweep of the house before trying the washer door one more time.
this time it magically opened and water poured out onto the floor, soaking my feet. i started pulling the wash out, carefully shaking every individual piece over a laundry basket, then putting it into the tub. still no ring. ben walked in the door and we did another sweep of the house together, then he went through the wash himself. STILL no ring.
at this point i bent over the sink and had a good cry. honestly, who loses their engagement ring in less than a week?? ben told me not to panic, that the ring was replaceable (yeah, right). then i remembered: sometimes small items in the wash tend to jam into the rubber beneath the door of the washing machine. i knelt down (soaking wet now from the water allll over the floor), stuck my fingers in, and pulled out my engagement ring. it was a little soapy and wet, but still in one piece.
ben came into the bathroom to see why i was screaming. he noted the ring looked a lot more shiny, and suggested we should wash it with the laundry on a regular basis.
VERY FUNNY.
i'm going to see a jeweler about having it re-sized today.
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i did some recruiting with the help of a student translator, melda-- she was very sweet!
one night i was taken by some colleagues to downtown izmir to tour the bazaar and have dinner at a fish restaurant.
one thing i really like about izmir is the old buildings you find. some of them have very different architecture than anything i've seen in ankara.
this is the ferry-boat station
this long stretch by the water is where you'll find izmir locals at dusk, having a picnic or a romantic rendez-vous
more beautiful old buildings-- this one was the french consulate i believe
horse & buggy rides, or 'fayton,' are tradition in izmir. though, based on some of the ones we saw hopping curbs & nearly missing colliding with passing cars, i think i'll stick to walking!
beautiful sunsets on the water
and friendly stray dogs everywhere
...which brings me to the night of the engagement. for the past week, ben had been telling me about a fish restaurant that his friends were raving about, that i should try while in izmir. he told me a friend who knew the owner had made a reservation for me, and that they would 'take care of me' (bring food without my having to try my turkish skills with ordering). i agreed, and on thursday evening i went to the restaurant for my 8:30 reservation. to me, this was kind of late... but soon i'd find out why.
i could not be happier to be marrying ben! we have much to plan, but for now, i'm going to sit back & bask in my newly engaged status. WOOHOOOOO!
after a day at the museum (and touring ulus) we had a moment of relaxation before dinner. earlier that day when we picked jess & carrie up from their tour of the museum of anatolian civilizations, i had expected to hear all about the fascinating exhibits and how much they had learned. instead? we heard all about the two handsome turks who had followed them around the museum & chatted them up. typical!
that night at dinner we made sure they got a taste of rakı, along with lots of turkish meze & meats
the next day we headed out to beypazarı, a village about 1.5 hours outside of ankara
jess & carrie shopped for souvenirs
jess did a great job of blending in & didn't look like a tourist at ALL. really.
i had to include this picture, as this is what jess looked like most of the time during our visit.
down in the village we walked around for a bit...
went in & out of shops and made a few purchases...
...and stopped to taste the local fare.
it was interesting to see how different the culture is in a small village, outside of ankara... we noted that both the women & men tended to dress more conservatively.
on the road back to ankara (which was under construction), we were amazed by how dramatic the landscape was
that night we relaxed at home after going out for a nice fish dinner at our favorite restaurant, kalbur.
we saw them off at the bus station yesterday afternoon, headed to nevsehir. i totally embarrassed them by climbing on the bus to snap this picture. we hope they're surviving their first day on horseback today. all in all, a great visit!
