After the stressful and difficult times in Istanbul and my first days in Ankara, I’m slowly finding some stability. Over the past two months, the skyrocketing costs of moving to Ankara, the new apartment lease, utilities, food, and everything else were all being covered by savings that were nearly depleted. Yesterday, receiving my first paycheck at the new company lifted some of the psychological pressure of approaching bankruptcy.

One of my colleagues, who just arrived, was looking for a place, and I introduced him to my vacant apartment unit, we became neighbors. The only problem is that he’s from “Khatai,” has never experienced temperatures below 5°C, and has no idea about Ankara’s subzero cold. Every morning, I go over with a hammer, break the ice at his door, and take him to the office.

My landlord, when I complained about the cold and requested an increase in the central heating, said, “This isn’t Iran where you burn gas for free; our budget is just this much.”

Among the job applications I sent for positions in various Turkish cities, one happened to be in Germany. After a video interview, I was rejected for not knowing the Zend framework, and I was genuinely happy about it. [He tilts his head northwest]

Lately, the phrase What the f**k am I doing here keeps repeating in my mind 24/7, and I don’t know what to do about it.

I’ve blocked all incoming IPs from China, Russia, and their friends, hoping to reduce spam and crawlers. Damn them all.