4/15/98: After a run to Kuşadası to purchase out tickets to Samos, we took a bus to Izmir (modern name for Smyrna) to visit Olcay and her family. I think we may be the only people from her circle of friends in the US who have ever visited.
4/15/23: Olçay’s family was so thrilled to meet anyone from her life back in the US that they treated us like were part of their own family. Her parents never stopped smiling, and were trying to tell us how happy they were. But we knew not Turkish, so we had to sit in dumb silence, nodding our heads at one another unless Olcay was in the room to translate. It made no difference. We understood their gestures and the warmth of their tone.
We hadn’t thought to bring them a hostess gift, but they had a gift for us! Mrs. Canbulat wished us blessings and declared we would have many children in the future, and then gave us a yellow and white baby outfit that she had knitted herself. Hers was the first gift for our future children, even though it was two more years until Ian was born.
She served us a delicious meal that was followed by a dense “cake” that was sort of like cheese cake, but I think it was made with yoghurt, and it was topped with colorful fruit like kiwi and berries. And we enjoyed a delicious cup of Turkish coffee, the kind where they mix ultra-fine grounds right into the hot water of your cup and then let it settle at the bottom before you sip it slowly, until there is just a slurry of mud at the bottom. Sounds gross, but it is delicious and strong!
Even her brother, Tunjay, was moved to generous kindness, inviting us to join him out on the town for live music and more dancing. But for him, that would not have even begun until 1am! To this day, I regret that I said “no,” but we were pretty tired from the previous night, so we left Izmir around 11pm. Late for us, but early for them.
It was sad to say good-bye, even after such a short acquaintance, but perhaps one of our sweetest memories of our trip is to have been so warmly received by the Canbulat family.
Sadly, Olcay passed away from cancer about 14 years ago. She was a lovely person with a cheerful smile, a beautiful voice and a warm heart. We are so thankful we had the chance to know her and to meet her family.
So, the three things you should definitely do when invited into someone’s home in Turkey are: bring a gift (and be prepared to receive a gift), drink their coffee, and don’t say “no” when invited to live music and dancing!