Happy Anniversary Sort Of

Four years ago, today, we arrived at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, dazed and slightly exhausted from a fabulous week in London. Upon arrival, we scrambled to board a second flight and travel to Ankara where we applied for residence permits.

Today, we got out of bed in time to meet a Turkish speaking colleague of Cam's in Gelibolu.  He helped us get passport style photos so that we can once again apply for residence permits.

We've been through this process a few times, but have been mostly isolated from the paperwork and bureaucracy. There is a manager and an office brimming with lawyers who handle the fine print. All we've had to do is provide copies of our documents, get our photos taken, sign some forms, have a criminal records check and get our address confirmed by the local municipal office. Whew!

Today reminded me of that first time four years ago, when it all seemed like a grand adventure.  Today, it was just an item to cross off on the "to do list"; somewhere between breakfast and going to the bank.

December 2011 Saros
Nicole, Sam and Johanna exploring