Moving-Take Two!

Not a year ago I shared here about my Next Stage of Life in Turkey. That post talked about my move to a different apartment, a seaside apartment. It had many things to recommend it: incredible view of the sea, lots of storage (the hallway was lined with closets) and built-in closets with drawers in the bedroom, an elevator, a guest bedroom, and it was in a great location for shopping and eating out. But what wasn’t great about it was the noise. Living on both the main seaside road AND a side street that provided access to the seaside made it a very active and busy place. It wasn’t quiet even at 5 AM sitting on that front balcony.

As fate would have it I was called into my Head of School’s office the Monday AFTER my house-warming party to be informed that the landlord wanted to discontinue renting the apartment to the school. They (not sure if it’s he or she) claimed that their son wanted to move in. This *could* be true, but given the state of the economy here in Türkiye and the skyrocketing prices of apartments (both to rent and to buy), it’s more likely they wanted to increase the rent more than is legally allowed. The Turkish government imposes a certain formula on rental increases to try and protect renters and the market. But the one “out” landlords can have is to move a family member in. My understanding is that the family member is supposed to live in the unit for two or three years before they can lease it again. BUT, who has the extra funds to hire lawyers to follow these kinds of things? I’m sure my landlord probably has rented it at a much hirer rate.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that I had to move for the second time in a year. Last summer I moved into the seaside apartment in mid-August. This year, I spent a week between my time in the U.S. and my time in Dalyan, moving once again. I had saved all my boxes; perhaps I had a premonition of what was to come!

Thankfully I had pre-packed quite a lot before I left for Texas, but I did spend a hurried two and half days doing the final packing (and without a functioning AC unit in the main room, I’ll add). On a Friday afternoon the moving company arrived to transfer all of my furniture and belongings BACK to the Lojman. I was the first person in the history of ACI to “graduate” out of the Lojman, only to be “demoted” back to it. 😆 I say that jokingly, mostly, but it is the truth. I was the first.

The nice thing was that my administration did allow me to walk through the available apartments in the Lojman (we had a few empty) back in February so that I could see IF and WHERE my new bed might fit. When I moved seaside I invested in a large, and most comfortable, bed. I love it and did not what to give it up! I visited three different apartment layouts and decided I would very much like to live in Number 13–the top floor apartment. Allow me to remind you–the Lojman does NOT have an elevator. I miss this the most about the last apartment. Whereas before I climbed three flights of stairs to reach my previous apartment in the Lojman, now I am climbing 5. I guess living in the “penthouse” has its price. 

But thankfully the school employed a company for the move and I expect you have probably NOT seen a move such as this. I remember when I first observed it while walking the streets of my neighborhood shortly after my arrival in 2018. Because stairwells and elevators can be small, not to mention the labor involved in climbing while carrying, it is common here to use elevators mounted on trucks. I had packaged all my household goods into boxes and luggage. The moving company wrapped all of my furniture in what I will call large-form bubble wrap. It was maroon in color, but padded, and they wrapped large sheets of it around every piece of furniture–the refrigerator, the stove, my sofas, dressers, desk, etc. Everything! With two men at the base, and another two or three in the apartment, they swiftly transported everything from the 5th floor down to the truck that was waiting right beside the elevator truck. You have to see this to believe it. I moved out directly over Muzom, the great seafood restaurant that I talk about visiting with friends on a regular basis.

I have to confess that the whole thing made me nervous! My friend and colleague, Ebru, was with me for all of it. As they moved things down we sat on the balcony and I can’t lie, we both literally squealed as they pushed bookcases and such out onto the platform. It seemed to us they would push them right off the other side!! Perhaps the most difficult thing I watched them load was my LARGE mattress. In fact, I decided to capture that in two parts–you can see those videos here, if you are curious. I titled them Mattress Wrangling Part 1 and Mattress Wrangling Part 2. I really don’t understand how the one man felt comfortable standing on that rickety platform!

Then after a brief drive to the Lojman, they did a similar thing and moved everything UP to the fifth floor rooftop terrace and unloaded into my next apartment. The longest part of the move was wrapping everything in the bubble wrap. Once the truck elevator is attached and set, the moving up and down happens quickly, and just as the men place everything in the room where it belongs, the next load arrives. You can see it all from a different perspective here by watching the moving in (up) video here.

All that said, the entire process from start to finish took just four and a half hours. They arrived to the seaside apartment around 1.30 PM, and on one of the hottest days of the summer I’ll add, it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit/38 degrees Celsius! Poor movers.😢. They departed my new flat just before 6 PM. It was an impressive operation and one that I appreciated being able to watch, from start to finish. I had never seen or participated in a move such as this. I was most grateful to the school for covering the cost of the move and for hiring true professionals to get the job done.

I’ll do a post another day about the new apartment and it’s details, for now I’ll simply say that I love it VERY much. The best thing is that it is quiet and peaceful here ❤️. I think the noise and busyness that surrounded the seaside apartment also affected my mental state of being. I miss the elevator and the storage. But that’s all.

The kitties and I have spent a month settling in and getting accustomed to the new space. I have no intention of leaving the Lojman again, only to then have to move back. I’ve had enough moving for a while. Therefore, we will settle in and make this place HOME. As my principal, Didem Hanım, said in the spring when she came to express her condolences on my move, “At least you know this landlord won’t push you out!” And how true that is–the school owns the building and considering the cost of rentals in this time, they should certainly invest in what they have. I’m praying that is what happens.

I’ll leave you with a picture of the view from the back terrace with the Turkish moon hanging in the sky. My moving week was busy and full, just one week to pack–move–unpack! But then I packed up the kitties and myself and drove to Dalyan to continue my summer break for four and a half weeks. I hope to meet you here again soon to share about that time and its adventures.