On the Eve of Cumhuriyet Bayrami (Republic Day)

Today I officially became a resident of Turkey! Huzzah! Thought it was appropriate on the day before Turkey's Republic Day. Surprisingly faced with very little bureaucracy, I took a trip to Ankara Emniyet Mudurlugu and picked up my new residency permit (it's my old one with an incredibly icky photo from 2003 and both my parents' names mispelled...ah well). I can now officially come and go as I please from Turkey without a visa. YIPPEE!

Right next to the Emniyet is AnkaMall, which is one of the largest malls in Ankara. It's super modern, super clean and like I said, super huge. If I ever miss Steve Madden shoes, I can get my fix there (for nearly the same price as the Steve Madden store in Georgetown!); if I ever need to fix my Swatches (yes, I asked Ferhat if there were Swatch stores in Ankara--there are 11); and if I ever need a general shopping fix, AnkaMall is my place (more commentary on the food court to come when I am able to go there with my camera).

So I was denied entrance to the mall itself until promptly 10:00 am and waited outside playing Sudoku on my phone. Another shopper approached me to ask what time the mall opened and I told her. She said, "Well at least we can chat a bit until the doors open, right?" Sure. So her first question was obviously, "You're not a Turk, are you?" Gee, was it my awesome accent or my obviously non-Turkish appearance, lady? We continued to chat and our dialogue went like this:

Nice Mall Lady: So how do you find Turkish people?

Me: So kind, so helpful. In grocery stores, on the street, everyone is really nice.

NML: Sure, but don't trust anyone. Keep this message in your mind. Most people are nice, but you never know.

Me: Ok, that's pretty universal.

NML: What do you think of Ataturk (founder of modern Turkey)?

Me: ...erm...he's...

NML: What a soldier! What a visionary! What a man! You MUST go visit Anitkabir (Ataturk's Masoleum)

Me: Oh yes, I've been there.

NML: Aren't you going tomorrow? You should have your husband take you. It's Republic Day, you know!

Me: Yeah, Ataturk was quite a visionary, but I don't think of him as a soldier, actually. I think of him more as a human being--he had such a big heart, and such great plans for Turkey.

NML: Wow, you know a lot about him. Where do you learn it?

Me: I've just generally read a lot from different sources, and my friends.

NML: Good. You need to tell your American friends about him, too. What do you think of Obama? Were you happy about the election?

Me: Oh definitely. We really have hope now.

NML: He's like Ataturk--young, handsome, bold, intelligent...yes, Huseyin Obama, we love him here.

And then the mall opened. This was just a summary of our 20 minute conversation, but you get the gist. I heart the Turks.