Step #1: WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today we sent the complete package to the lawyer via Fedex...weighing in at 1 kilo! $70! Full of paper! So the first step of what we need to do is DONE!

It was such a relief. This week we went to the US Consulate to notarize our statements of intent to marry. It wasn't nerve-racking for me, and I don't think it was for A either. We SWORE to the consular officer (tsk tsk). That ran us $50. (Nothing in this country is free.) It would have cost us $150 or more to do it through a Turkish notary because it was in English, would have had to had a professional translator translate before notarisation.

So the package is sent. It will arrive to the lawyer on Tuesday. Then 5-10 biz days to be sent to USCIS. Then we wait for a LOOONG time, at minimum 3-4 months, before the next step. I organized the package neatly-all of the papers labeled in page dividers to make it easier for the lawyer.

I'm kind of kicking myself in the ass for not doing all of this sooner. But keep reminding myself that everything in the Universe happens at the right time, when its supposed to happen.

After that, we went to see our friend who has a silver jewelry shop in the Grand Bazaar. We had tea and chatted for awhile, he always hates to see us go. I ogled a lot of the jewelry, he makes a good deal of it himself and its all really unique stuff.

Then we went to browse wedding rings. Again, the rings here are gorgeous and the styles are very unique. We looked at a number of them in one shop, but of course were not ready to buy. The salesman got shitty with Alaattin when we were leaving because we didn't buy anything. One more instance when I'm sure that every party involved was happy that my Turkish isn't good enough to bitch people out for their rudeness.

Then we went to a beautiful park next to Topkapi palace, near Sultanahmet and the St. Sophia. Lots of grass and trees! I laid in the grass and watched the storks in their nests in the trees above. They were flying about - their nests are huge! The Bosphorus (the strait that connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, on which Istanbul is located) is traveled by storks on their migration route (among many other kinds of birds) from continental Europe to Sub-saharan Africa.

Lovely day.