Makeover

13:36 Alyson 5 Comments

First off, I spent some time this week updating the blog - hope you enjoy the new look!


Secondly, I also spent some time this week doing a bit of makeover for the apartment.  We had some water leaks in our apartment complex over the last few months which caused damage to our hardwood floors (boo!), but because of that, the landlord arrange for some guys to come sand them down and re-finish them (yay!).

After a week of living and working out of what is usually our laundry room, we were so happy to get the apartment back to working order.  Oh, and buy some more stuff for the apartment, of course.

We made a trip to the Cehavir mall since Paul had never been before.  I also decided to take the subway; I have used the metro system a ton, but Paul's still new at it, so I thought it would be a good chance to get more familiar with it.  Mistake.  After paying the subway fare, we run down to catch the subway.  There is one sitting right there on the right, which I thought was headed in the right direction.  Paul dashes onto the train, but the door closes before I can get on.  As the train pulls away and I can read the directions behind it, I realize I have sent Paul off on the wrong train and he doesn't have any idea where he is going and can't get cell reception.  Whoops.

Luckily, Paul asked someone who just so happened to be going to the mall and he was able to find his way.  Now, shopping time!

Stop #1 - Zara Home.  I love this store - I shouldn't because I should not buy anything here, but there was an Indirim (Sale) sign that just called out to me.  Success! I found a new duvet cover, some pillow cases, dish towels and about 50 other things I wanted to buy, but self control stopped me.

 Ignore the decorless bedroom, but do admire the new duvet.  Oooh, ahh!

Stop #2 - Koctas. This is the Turkish version of Home Depot mixed in perhaps with Big Lots.  You can get everything from home renovation stuff like cabinets, AC units and sinks, to bedroom furniture, decorative boxes, curtains and potted plants.  Really, a jack of all trades store. We found all kinds of things, but what I was most excited about was our new indoor plant! I do have a bit of a black thumb, so let's hope that Paul can help me to keep it alive.

 According to the tag, this is a Yucca plant.  That sounds desert like which hopefully correlates to me not killing it.


Paul was happy that I let us take a cab back home instead of trying the city buses for the first time.  Probably a wise choice considering the haul that we brought back.  To reward ourselves for a day of successful shopping, Paul started our first fire of the winter season!


Next shopping obstacle - IKEA.  I have been warned, so be on the look out for some interesting tales.

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5 comments:

  1. Good luck with your new home in Turkey! Def. do some comparative shopping before you just settle on the goods at Ikea. Koctas and Tepehome often have some of the basics, like closets, lamps and bookshelves, for a lot cheaper. We got our large "dolap" at Tepehome with delivery for about 900 tl compared to 1600 tl for similar version at Ikea.

    And as you know, watch for the indirims. =)

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    1. Thanks Joy! I have to check out Tepehome a little more closely! I have breezed through, but the husband was already done with shopping mode :)

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  2. Welcome to Turkey. I hope you have a happy life here. We love Koctas, partly because it's part British-owned (by B&Q - the largest DIY chain in the UK). When we first arrived we had great fun wandering the aisles and buying silly things we didn't really need!

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  3. Thanks Jack, we are definitely enjoying it so far, although I am really looking forward to some warmer weather! I see you have a book about your life in Turkey, I will have to check it out.

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  4. Thanks. I hope if you manage to get hold of a copy, you'll enjoy it. Definitely looking forward to not spending all day in front of the electric fire.

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