#3 10 hour work days in a row kill me 🙃

[stevethehairington]

worst part about having an adjusted schedule in which i start and end an hour earlier than Normal Working Hours (8-5) is that when meetings or trainings get scheduled they are usually scheduled within Normal Working Hours, which now means i have to s t a y l a t e to attend 😩😩

[sylvinuk-turkey]

Today was a travel day and we knew we’d have to pack and clean Gokay’s parents place to get it back in good condition. So it wasn’t a super exciting day. We set a 9:30a alarm to leave by 10a to make a 10:30a reservation at the first Turkish breakfast place. We took a cab to and from for timing and due to it being down a crazy hill.

I was so hungry I forgot a picture, so here are a few from the first time we went as a reminder. Definitely ate too much, but it was all sooooo yummy!

Once home we all packed, did some laundry (sheets), showered, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed, and took out the trash… nothing exciting. Except for right after my shower… instead of towels, Gokay and I got towel robes… it’s a thing in Turkey. I’ve been using mine all week and I quite like it. My robe had been hanging in the bathroom behind the door so it dries after each use. Before the shower I took it down and put it closer to the shower. Once I showered I grabbed it and started putting it on. As I was getting the second arm in I felt a pinch/poke on my back. I freaked, let out a short scream and dropped the robe/took it off. I was working to convince myself the tag just caught me, and was about to put it back on when I saw the largest black spider on the bottom corner of my robe (and for those who don’t know I hate spiders). I threw the robe out of the shower on to the ground so quick, and yelled for Gokay. He at first had thought my scream was Carley sneezing, so he was near the door checking it out. He came in and was my savior, killing the spider, and checking my back. Luckily, it was a non-poisonous thing, so I just had a little bump for about an hour. Just my luck though!

Anyway, once packed we had to weigh our bags because although we could check a bag it has to be under 18kg, and our carry-ons had to be under 8kg. Gokay found this out while checking in (we are sensitive now after our experience in London to Turkey).

We also had planned to do Turkish baked potatoes in Ortaköy as a later lunch (since later breakfast and later/no dinner due to travel). Instead, we ordered in Dominos Döner pizza lol. 🤪🤣🙃 although I would have preferred Mantı (dumplings in yogurt) at the local store, Dominos was surprisingly alright for a meal.

We finished cleaning and eating around 4:45, which was perfect timing as we planned to get out of the house by 5, so we could get to the airport by 6 which was a couple hours before our flight (8:30ish). It was good we did because the experience was a little nuts!

First, right at the front doors, you have to go through normal security, taking out any electronic devices, metals, etc. Luckily we didn’t have to take out liquids here. I beeped because I didn’t take my Fitbit off… which usually isn’t a problem.

Next we had to check our bags. So we were about to go into the express lane but the guy stopped us saying we had to check in using the kiosk to get our bag tags (they have automated it, minimizing the need for personnel). But we immediately needed help. First because the kiosk wasn’t checking the US tickets in (Gokay was separate because he’s Turkish/has a Turkish passport). Next because once we got started with the US tickets, we didn’t do it right, and only one of us could take a 18kg bag… instead of all three of us. Third and finally, Carley’s name some how got autocorrected to a Turkish word (Varken - meaning ‘while there is’) when purchasing and then missed during all the check-in processes.

At this Gokay had to run around trying to find the right ticket desk to get it fixed. Again, very lucky we arrived early. After about 20 minutes he came back and it was all fixed. So we redid the check-in process on the kiosk, and finally dropped our bags on the automatic conveyor. We did notice that due to having to fix Carley’s ticket the 3 US passengers were now not in the same row. So we figured we see what happened once we were on the plane.

Since we still had about an hour before boarding we got some food at the food court. Gokay had iskender - which is Döner on bread with butter poured over it, while I had a Döner burger. We also used the restroom, then headed to our gate.

Once getting to the gate there were very few people and it said “Last call” on the board even though it was still about 45 min before the flight left! We had to get on a bus and get taken to our plane on the tarmac, just one of those airports/gates. Turns out we were not the last bus, there was one after us. So we were fine, but it’s a great way to give someone a heart attack!

Once we got on the plane there was already someone in Carley’s originally seat so I let her take mine next to Adam, and I took her new seat, which was in the middle of the exit row - aisle 15. They were in 23, and Gokay was in 26? since he was always going by himself being the 4th of a party on a different ticket reservations). But it’s a little over an hour flight so whatever.

Once we landed, we waited for our bags and then went to pickup a manual car for Gokay to drive us to Selimiye. We were going to get picked up by one of his parents but although we would have fit we weren’t sure if the bags would. So this is what he and his mom decided on, but he was the one who decided to practice his manual driving. 🤣

So we landed, did the mandatory bathroom break and snack purchasing before the long-ish drive. Gokay did not see a car place for the company his mom told him about, so he called her. Turns out they’d be outside waiting, but the name we were looking for was wrong because the company contracted a contractor… like 3 times removed. So it was a little confusing. Once we figured it out, Gokay checked us in for the car. They did paperwork outside the airport at a cafe and then brought the car to us. It was a small car, so to fit the 4 suitcases, 2 backpacks and a small duffel, I utilized my ‘trunk Tetris’ skills that my dad taught me over the years (that’s what we call fitting things in a tiny trunk space). I fit everything but the two backpacks which were going to be inside the car anyway.

Unlike the US… the car was completely empty of gas (the last line was blinking on the digital display) and the low tire pressure light was on. What the heck?! So I found us the first gas station on the road and luckily they did tire pressure too. So once we finished with that it was 11p… and it was a 2ish hour drive so arrival around 1a.

So I’m posting this at midnight and if anything more happens tonight I’ll post about it tomorrow. This is my first time seeing a 24 hour digital clock turn midnight… surprised I never saw it in Italy.