After arriving in Karaman, Turkiye, I had no idea about the 30-day rule for applying for a residence permit. One day, my roommate Ariel checked in on me and asked if I had submitted my application. I replied, “What’s that?”—a bit clueless, to say the least! Thankfully, she stepped in and helped me with the online application.
On the day of my appointment, I went with Naomi, whom I had met at the airport. Once we arrived, we were called in for submission, thumbprinting, and capturing our photos. During the process, the officer asked me how much my monthly allowance was. I don’t even know why I blurted out $500—half of my sponsor’s entire salary as at then! He simply nodded and moved on.
When we returned, I shared the experience with Ariel and others, joking about my unexpected answer. No one seemed to think much of it. Then, to my surprise, the permit arrived—and it was for a full year! You might wonder what’s so special about that. Well, most of my peers received permits for only six months, and some even got just three. The news quickly spread among the Nigerian students that the new girl had secured a one-year residence permit. I even received a call from someone in Istanbul asking how I managed to do it!
Honestly, this can only be attributed to divine intervention. While others faced challenges due to the shorter durations of their permits, I felt completely at ease. That’s how I ended up with a one-year residence permit on my very first application.
As for Naomi? Unfortunately, she didn’t receive her permit that day. She was told to gather more supporting documents and ended up with just eight months. My friend Leah, whose name is also Grace, always says, “Mide, you are graced!”
I believe we all agree with her! Amen?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog post! I’m committed to sharing my journey and feeding your reading appetite with every diary entry. If you have stories of your own or messages to share, feel free to reach out to me on jemmylistens@gmail.com—I’d love to feature your stories too! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog, and follow me on Instagram. I’ll be in the comments section, eagerly waiting for your thoughts on this blog I’ll see you here sometime next week!
PS: NO REAL NAMES WERE USED ASIDES MINE !!!
I KNOW YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO SEE ME BEFORE THEN!😉
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