I went back home and spoke to my parents. They were very happy to hear that I found a man I love. Once my parents realized our relationship was serious, they invited Ayhan to come to Portugal and stay in their apartment. This was quite advanced on their part. Portugal was very conservative at the time.

Ayhan arrived on December, just before the new year. My parents welcomed him. We were all very happy. We did have a major challenge with communication. My parents didn’t speak good English. Ayhan did not speak Portuguese… it took some time until we established good communication…

Ayhan wanted to find a job. He appreciated my parents’ hospitality, but did not want to live on their expense. We sent him to a course in Portuguese, so he will learn the language, and we helped him find a job in a car rental agency.

This was a funny period. Ayhan did not drive, but worked in a car rental agency. Like any good student, Ayhan learned a new swear word every day. His colleagues at work taught him curse words. It was a good way to vent his frustration about the challenges of learning a new language, and being in a country he did not know. We laughed a lot during this period.

At a certain point, my parents asked us what our plans were for the future. When we decided to get married, my parents offered to pay the expenses of our wedding party. We got married on September 15^th. This is the date of my parents’ and my aunt’s anniversary.  We chose a nice restaurant by the sea, with a beautiful sea view, and had a lovely party.

Photo by PK Pearry