Hi to Debra and John too!!

Merhaba Wendy! Wow, good thing you kept after them! They might have never followed up otherwise!

It really irks me to imagine those piles of papers sitting in an office somewhere..those papers that hold the key to so many peoples hopes, dreams and futures... and the people that are getting paid to process them seem so lackadaisical about it!

(sorry I get a lil worked up sometimes LOL!)

Hopefully now things will get moving for your case!!!


Best Wishes!
Tanya

Thanks Tanya. I really appreciate how supportive you (and everyone else too) have been.

I know, I was so mad when they told me they asked several months ago!! And, like I said, they only answered because Rome sent them an e-mail. I had e-mailed them twice before with no response!!

How are you and Ozzy? Still very busy I am sure. At least we have been having beautiful weather!! Last night was so clear and warm and the moon so bright and full. It is nights like those that I miss Yilmaz even more (if that is possible).

Thanks again. Take Care.

Hugs,

Wendy

I wonder if he is now going through the same AP/Security Clearance that Onur is now in. Seems like it is often the last phase before issuing the visa.

Let's hope we hear something good soon!

We are both doing well. Ozzy was just elected president of the International Club at college! I am so proud of him The kids and I start humming "Hail to the Cheif" whenever he walks into the room LOL.

My school is going very well too and the kids are doing fine. We have just been so incredibly busy though. Ozzy also just changed jobs, and while he likes his new job a lot more, the hours run later in the evening while I work during the day and leave the house very early in the AM. Also, I am doing my clinicals in the evening, so there are 2 nights a week where I actually get home later than him. So needless to say, there are lots of days where we hardly see each other, and when we do, we are both just completely exhausted! We do communicate by phone a lot during the day and he is so very good at communication, so I am happy (or at least too tired to mind much )

Our 1-year anniversary is coming up next week...I can't believe it has been a year already (and yet sometimes I can't remember a time before he was here). I am sending some wishes your way for you and Yilmaz to be together soon and for the day to come when all this waiting will just be a distant memory.....

More of the same for Julia and Erika too!

~Tanya

Does anyone know where to look for cheap(er) ticket prices to Turkey? If Onur's visa is not approved by December, I am planning on spending my winter break with him in Turkey. I just checked ticket prices on Expedia, Cheaptickets and Turkish Airlines and prices are around $1500 - $1800 (closer to $1800 for the dates I want to fly). That is ridiculous. The last time I flew round trip to Turkey it was nearly half that price, and that was only last March.

Let me know if you know of any good deals/where to look!

Thanks!

The place I always go to check ticket prices is:

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch

Log in as a guest and then you can search using whatever dates you want, OR do a "month long search" to find
which days are cheaper. You can't buy it from this site, but it will show you which days are the cheapest to buy
and then you can go to other websites and use that information.

The prices are quite high this year, so although I do think you should be able to find cheaper flights than the
ones you list above, I think you'll probably pay more than previous trips to Turkey. Last time I flew from Istanbul
to Denver (April '08) it cost me $600 rt. My husband and I's one-way tickets to the US (leaving 3 weeks from
today!!!!!!!!) cost $2000 USD. 2 days after we bought them, the prices dropped by $500. Bos ver.

Anyway, I really like the ITA website. Hope it helps!

Julia, do you have any frequent flier miles at all? The last time I needed to get to Turkey on the cheap, I found I had just enough frequent flier miles on Turkish airlines to get a free ticket from London to Istanbul (it doesn't take many). Then I found a dirt cheap flight from the US to London and just made sure I left several hours inbetween to make the connection. Kinda risky going that way but it worked. I got to Istanbul and back for ~$700 in mid July, which is pretty much unheard of at that time of year!

Try Priceline.com...I think they're a bit cheaper than some of the others. They don't add on booking fees. Another website is 1800flyeurope.com. They sometimes have some very good deals.

Also try searching for flight dates on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Its also often cheaper to fly on holidays. When I took my kids to meet Ozzy, we flew home on Thanksgiving day. Our tickets were ~$550 each just because we were willing to fly on the holiday.

Good luck...

Hi Tanya. I am so glad to hear you, Ozzy and the kids are doing well. Wow, you guys are busy!! I think you are too funny, humming "Hail to the Chief" when Ozzy walks into the room. Kudos to him for his accomplishment!!!

I was just thinking the other day, when Yilmaz gets here, I am not sure about him finding work since he does construction and renovation. Everything has pretty much come to a complete slow down in that area. Maybe I could get him a job in the school district I work for. I think they may have a maintenance position open, but I think it is for the night shift Maybe I am getting ahead of myself. Yilmaz tells me not to worry.

Congrats on your upcoming 1 year anniversary!! Hugs to you and Ozzy!!

Julia, try kayak.com. I get weekly e-mails from them. I live closest to the Philadelphia airport and they have Phila. to Istanbul in mid December until early January $731. Like Tanya said, if you fly out on Christmas day, you may be able to get a very good deal. I went last December, right after Christmas and stayed for the New Year. I think it cost me around $900. I was thinking of going in December too if Yilmaz doesn't get his visa by then (hopefully he will).

I purchased my tickets last year through Kayak. I had to fly air France. I don't like the Charles De Gaulle airport, but if I go and it is the only cheap one, I will fly that airline again.

Good Luck in your search!!

I hope everyone is doing well. According to 2 pregnancy tests yesterday, there's a bun in our oven!

Congrats! Very exciting! I wish you a happy, healthy 9 months.

Please keep us posted!

Tebrikler!!!!





Tebrikler!!!!

Debra - I know we've discussed this a while ago, but I can't find our threads. Have you & Candimir applied for the N-400, yet? If so, how's it going?

wendya - time does fly way too quickly with little ones!

So sorry to hear they're just getting around to checking in on the case. That sooo sucks! Didn't the gov increase the fees so we can get faster processing? It seems to me there's more backlog than ever before. Anyway - hope your prompting proves results.

GL and keep us in the loop.

Congratulations Kenny and Handan!

Tebrikler Kenny and Handan!!

Thanks ya'll! We're excited

Hello ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know it has been a REALLY long time. Just enjoying each others company and during the next 3 weeks getting things together for our move to Germany!!! Also starting the N-400 fillings more craziness with the USCIS!!!! Anyway I see things are moving along. Congrats on the new families!! (kenny and handan) Hopefully we will be able to add an addition ourselves. I think we will start in Jan 09
Merk

Ohh wow, how did I miss this wonderful news???
This is indeed such wonderful news Kenny and Handan, Best Wishes and Congratulations on your future Blessed event!!!
GOD Bless

Hi Merk--welcome back! I was wondering what happened to you and your husband. Sounds like you two have been busy!

It has been 3 months today that Onur has been in this "Administrative Processing". I am losing my mind! Why isn't the embassy or DOS held accountable to any sort of time frame? All they can tell us (including via an inquiry from my senator's office) is that the case is still pending/still under administrative review. This is so frustrating...and depressing.

So sorry Julia...I know how hard it is to be so far away from the one you love when all you want is to be together & it seems like it should be such a simple thing to ask for.

Unfortunately it seems there are few things that are simple or quick (or FAIR!) about this process. I guess the one & only silver lining is that with all the waiting & frustration, you never forget how precious a gift it is when you're finally together!

Sending wishes your way for some good news on your case in the near future...

Tanya

Thank you Tanya. I am sorry for being so negative...some days are better than others and I suppose today was not one of the better days. At least I know I will visit Onur in Turkey over winter break if he doesn't have his visa yet. And, the odds of him getting the visa eventually are very high. It's all just a matter of when. It could be next week, it could be in another 9 months. That's the hardest part...not knowing anything.

Big hugs, Julia. I can't imagine how frustrating this is for you. I read your recent post over on the AP thread. It looks like you're getting got some good advice and support over there.

GL and hope the closure to this comes so soon! KUP

in regard to recent chat about good airfare deals - I just got an email from Lufthansa about a current promotion, I did a quick quote and here's example itinerary:

2 adults and 1 infant


Boston (BOS) to Istanbul (IST): Departing: Tue 24 Mar - Returning: Wed 8 Apr

Total Price for all passengers $1388.38

Great deal!

[quote name='awaterlily' post='2348251' date='Oct 30 2008, 04:20 PM']in regard to recent chat about good airfare deals - I just got an email from Lufthansa about a current promotion, I did a quick quote and here's example itinerary:

2 adults and 1 infant


Boston (BOS) to Istanbul (IST): Departing: Tue 24 Mar - Returning: Wed 8 Apr

Total Price for all passengers $1388.38

Great deal!


Hi Everyone,

Julia, my thoughts and prayers are with you and Onur!! I hope it is not too much longer for you two.

Tanya, what a wonderful sentiment!! It is true, we will all realize the precious gift we have when we get it!!

awaterlily, the airfare is great!! I love Luftahansa! I was thinking of going over in December if Yilmaz hadn't received his visa, but the airfare online went from $780 to over $1,000 and it was airfrance. I was thinking of going to an travel agent to see if they had any deals or had some "blocks" of seats at lower prices. I was even thinking of leaving on Christmas day. I thought that it would be cheaper, but no luck. Well, everything is up in the air anyway. I will see what happens.

Good wishes and love to all,

Wendy

No kidding! Best rates I've seen in a while.

Did you find anything on Lufthansa for Dec? I haven't checked for that particular month.

I think this promo ends Nov 19th (booking). My husband's has to check with work about vacation time before we make a commitment. I'm thrilled

Thanks for the tip awaterlily! I just checked the dates we want to fly (Nov 20-30) and they have a pretty good price, plus the flight is out of Philly, which is soooooo much more convenient for us than the 3 or so hour drive to JFK airport in New York! We might just go with them...

I too have had great experiences on Lufthansa...the last time I flew with them, I remarked to the flight attendant how much I enjoyed the wine they served on the flight (reisling...my favorite!!) and she promptly returned with a whole bottle as a gift to me!! Of course, the security in Frankfurt confiscated it because it was liquid and I didn't have a receipt... ...but still, the thought was nice.

Hello Hello everyone!!

I guess the theme for our "Just Turkish" forum is how to keep from going nuts
We all seem to be going through bouts of frustration, depression, anger, hopefulness, hopelessness, joy and sorrow all within a few pages......sigh
Julia: Me and Hamit are always talking about you and I have prayed for the two of you on more than 1 occasion. Everything is eventual and this too shall pass.....so cliche, but oh so true. Keep strong! We want 2 children too Julia Daydreaming is what keeps me going when I am down.
I would be lying if I wasn't worried about AP, but nothing I can do except pray and stay strong. I wish I had the option to just say "to hell with all this visa crap" and move to Turkey with him, but I have children that wouldn't be to happy about that
I have had to learn to not think about the future and all the uncertainty because it wears one down-why I have stayed off of visajourney last few months. Coming upon bad news in these forums tends to hit me in the heart and cause me to worry for my own situation-NOT good.
Anyhow, I have our NOA2 as of a few weeks ago, but it's reciept is hardly reassuring as only half the battle has been won- so to speak. Hamit and I are now waiting for packet 3. We are going to delay as much as possible for the interview and hope we get a mid-late January interview (I-129 expires February 7th 2009) as my work schedule is made out for the rest of the year.
Mina has been busy busy I see I am so happy you are together again.
Haven't posted those pics yet of Istanbul, but I have been working like a dog to save for Ankara as I want to be present for the interview. And I have to find a bigger house/apartment beforehand...talk about stress......
Prayers and strength to those of us here who need it!
I will check back in when I can.

Did you find anything on Lufthansa for Dec? I haven't checked for that particular month.

I think this promo ends Nov 19th (booking). My husband's has to check with work about vacation time before we make a commitment. I'm thrilled








Lufthansa was $1,600, unfortunately!! So, if the prices don't come down, I will not be going in December

I just hope and pray he will be HERE by then!!!

$1600?? WOW go to Orbitz if you haven't yet. Orbitz has always been the cheapest out of the all the big name travel search engines....EVERYTIME

A bun in the oven CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!! How exciting!! I'm happy for the both of you!

Julia I've searched them all before: try Orbitz...I have only had to buy 2 tickets to Turkey, but each time they were $1000-$1100-this includes all taxes and fees round trip from Tucson to Istanbul! I just looked to go to Ankara in January and it is now only $892 on Orbitz-all the others are like 100-300 bucks more than Orbitz for the same fare-even when I last had to buy a ticket in 1 weeks notice! I have kept track of Orbitz's prices for almost a year now and it's fare prices do not appear to fluctuate very much.
The other websites are ALWAYS a few hundred dollars more than Orbitz. I had no idea until someone else told me. Also, never buy on a Wednesday-this is when Airlines are charging the highest for the week and the computers are reloaded with cheaper fares starting at midnight. Try it-search on a Wednesday night and when you wake up Thursday morning search for the same ticket and you will see it almost always is cheaper.
Hope this helps someone.

Here's those Istanbul pics I have been promising if anyone cares to reminisce It's on my Myspace at:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...albumId=1858635

Hope you all enjoy them!

Your pictures are wonderful Erika!! You too make a very cute couple!!

Ah, what memories. The same streets, tramvay and sights. I do love Turkey (and of course my Yilmaz)!!!

What hotel did you stay at? The view was gorgeous! Yilmaz and I stayed at the Ada Hotel in Sultanahmet. The room was big and had a water view. We only stayed there two nights. When I first arrived and the night before my flight. We stayed in Tuzla the rest of the time in a rented villa. It was nice. Too many steep steps walking down to the entrance, but at least it had a washer and dryer, which was nice.

Thank you again for sharing your beautiful photos!!


~Wendy

Thank you! You are very welcome! We stayed at the Akdeniz...a small hotel..but comfy. Where is Tuzla? Is Yilmaz in Turkey still (I'm gonna have to cheat and read your profile )? I wish I had a washer/dryer...no such luck. I took like 200 pictures...time flies when youre having fun and goes slowwwwwwww when your waiting. I know what you mean about steps...been to Taksim?? OMG!!!!!! Never again...lol I don't believe we have ever chatted directly so it is nice to meet you Wendy ...lol So how is your weekend going? I am working on my resume so I can get a 2nd job...exciting
well, talk to ya soon!

Hi Erika,

Yes, Yilmaz is still in Turkey and it has been almost a year since we have seen each other. I was last in Turkey December of 2007. I remember his brother-in-law joking saying, "we will see you again next December". I said, "I hope Yilmaz has his visa by then!!" We knew we were going to have a wait, but this is ridiculous!!

Tuzula is about an hour away from Istanbul on the Asian side. This is where one of his sister's and husband live. Our villa was only 5 minutes from their house and 20 minutes from his parents house in Gebze. It is a nice little town near the water. They have a Naval compound there. Yilmaz has two brother-in-laws that were in the Turkish navy.

Yes, I have been to Taksim too! I love it! Very crowded, but it is fun!

As far as my weekend, I am feeling a little lonely and sad and missing Yilmaz very much!! God bless my family, they try to make me happy and it is great to have them with me, but I do miss my love!!

Great talking to you. Good luck in your job search! (2nd job, wow you are very industrious!!)

Have a great rest of the weekend!!

~Wendy (and Yilmaz)

Lovely pictures Erika! You two do make a very nice couple & looks like you had a wonderful time!

And Wendy...sorry you're feeling down & lonely! Good thing you have such a close family to help keep your spirits up...

I'm missing Ozzy today too...he's in NYC for a couple days on business. This guy from Instanbul he used to work for (as an interpreter) is in NY for a few days and he asked Ozzy to come interpret for him while he's here. But he'll be back home tomorrow. It makes me sad too to think of you and Yilmaz being apart for so long....I don't know how you do it, but keep hanging in there!!

~Tanya

I liked your pictures too, Erika! Thanks for sharing

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! I know I am...today was my lazy day but tomorrow I'll be lesson-planning all day. At least I'll get that extra hour in from daylight savings!

Oh - and Happy (late) Halloween to everyone! Did anyone dress up? I was invited last-minute to a Halloween party and had to throw something together very fast, so I went as a black cat. Generic, but it was still fun dressing up and putting on my cat make-up Sometimes grown-ups need to play dress-up too!

Sounds like fun Julia! Our Halloween was kinda rushed...I had to work all day, then pick up the kids from school (and got stuck in traffic for like ~1.5 hours) and rush home. By the time we got home, the other kids in the neighborhood were already out trick-or-treating, so my kids had to hurry up & get dressed so they could go out. I was going to wear my costume from last year (a Roman goddess) but I didn't bother with all the rushing around. I didn't even take any pictures!!

[quote name='tanyakaraman' date='Nov 1 2008, 07:33 PM' post='2353793']
Lovely pictures Erika! You two do make a very nice couple & looks like you had a wonderful time!

And Wendy...sorry you're feeling down & lonely! Good thing you have such a close family to help keep your spirits up...

I'm missing Ozzy today too...he's in NYC for a couple days on business. This guy from Instanbul he used to work for (as an interpreter) is in NY for a few days and he asked Ozzy to come interpret for him while he's here. But he'll be back home tomorrow. It makes me sad too to think of you and Yilmaz being apart for so long....I don't know how you do it, but keep hanging in there!!

~Tanya


Tanya, you are always so kind and sweet. I was telling Erika how much I appreciate all the support and kindness everyone here gives to each other. What a loving group of people. Just like Juila said, I hope that we can all meet some day!

I am glad that Ozzy won't be gone long, but that is great that the guy thought of Ozzy and asked for him to come and work for him for a couple of days. What a big compliment!!

Thanks again!!

~Wendy

Merhaba Everyone

Just wanted to say "hi" and see how everyone was doing.

Hope all is well!!

~Wendy

I am still waiting for my husband, but I became an aunt last week! I am going to visit my brother and see my nephew next week. I am very excited--finally someone to spoil!

Sibel

Tebrikler!!! It is wonderful to be an Aunt and spoil them

Have fun and enjoy!!

So I have to ask this Turkish group how many times they have gotten this question (especially since Thanksgiving is coming up), "Do they eat turkey in Turkey?" You don't know how many times I have gotten that one! Hope your Thanksgiving is full of many blessings and lots of tofurkey!

A week from tomorrow marks four months in AP. It is getting really tough for both Onur and I. We feel so lost and hopeless. He has threatened to cancel the visa if he is still in AP after 6 months, which would be the end of January. We can't wait forever and we are not willing to wait years as we have heard happen to some people. We decided today that if he still doesn't have his visa or word of his visa by May, when I'm done with my graduate program, that we will stop waiting. He'll have to complete his military duty...and continuing to prolong that is just going to make it harder on him.

I feel so sad...I just want to be happy and live my life with my love. I knew this process would be long and difficult, but I never imagined this. It is really starting to affect our relationship. How could this take SO long?

Hi Juliaferno -

Just wanted to say that I'm sorry that Onur is in AP and that it's taking so long. :-( I hope that you both hear something soon and that things get moving. I can only imagine how difficult it must be but just try and stay positive.

Can you go to Turkey to visit over Christmas?

Hi Julie,

I am so sorry to hear that you are feeling down. Believe me, I know. It has been 14 months so far waiting on this waiver. I know that they received the fingerprints they were waiting for on October 10th (Athens finally answered my e-mail), but still no decision and I am really worried. What happens if they deny the waiver?!!!

I finally sent pictures of our new apartment to Yilmaz (I had to rent, purchase furniture and organize myself. Well, I had my family's help - God Bless them, but I really wanted to do this with Yilmaz) I had originally wanted him to be surprised, but thought that I would send him the pictures. Today he tells me that he does not want to look at the pictures until he hears from Athens. In a way I am thinking "He must be worried about the answer and doesn't want to see the apartment if he is unable to come back to the US". This makes me think, what will happen to us if he doesn't get his visa?!!! It almost sounds like it may be the end of the road?!! I don't know?

But Julie, Onur has never been to the US before, right? Our problem is that he was here and overstayed. I am sure that Onur will get his visa. Someone on another website (immigrate2us.net) said they thought that they heard no decisions were being made until after Obama's inauguration on January 20. I don't know if this is true or not, but that would mean we won't be together over New Year's

I have decided not to go to Turkey over my Christmas break. Will you still be going over?

God Bless and I am praying for you and Onur

Hugs,

Wendy

Thank you. I am planning on going Dec. 20th - Jan. 4th, although I haven't bought my ticket yet. Only one month away! I think that will help.

Julia,
So sorry things are taking so long for you guys, and taking such a toll emotionally. It's good that you are able to come to an agreement/compromise about it though, and May is a much more reasonable deadline than the end of January. Here's hoping that the visa comes thru before it even becomes (more of) an issue.

Whether it does or not, just remember that even if things don't turn out exactly the way you wanted, if you find a way to be with your soulmate (whether here or somewhere else), you'll always have everything you need to be happy and fulfilled in life. You two are fortunate in that a "plan B" or even a "plan C" are options for you. Meaning that you have the option of moving to Turkey or somewhere else (I remember you talking about Costa Rica....). For Ozzy and me, if he didn't get his visa, I think it really would have been the end of us because I don't have the (legal) option of moving to another country with my children...and I couldn't have continued to buy plane ticket after plane ticket to go over there to see him on my pitiful salary! But you guys are young and you're obviously well educated...you'd do well anywhere you decided to live.

With that said, I think his chances of getting his visa are excellent...I just hope it happens within the time frame of the next few months!! It would be sooo difficult to have gone thru all this waiting and then cancel it and always wonder what if you'd just waited a few more weeks...

Try not to let things get you down...and definitely don't let them take tear your relationship apart. This is just a test. If you can get thru it together, you can get thru anything that the future holds...

Tanya