Erhan and Ayben first crossed paths when
they were younger as they both attended Eltham Turkish School on Saturdays.
Erhan was a little bit older than Ayben, so he was in a different class. They didn’t
speak much during this time due to the age difference and having different
friendship groups.
On 4th March 2023, Erhan
and Ayben reconnected at a community event organised by one of Erhan’s friends
who ran Okkupied events at the time. Ayben approached Erhan and said, “I know
you”, to which Erhan replied, “Me too!” Although Ayben had plans to go out with
other friends who were waiting for her later in the night, they followed each
other on Instagram before saying goodbye.
Ayben initially messaged Erhan on Instagram
to ask for his number to add him to a WhatsApp chat to arrange a group dinner
with a couple of other people they had both met at the event.
Over the next few weeks Erhan and Ayben
communicated regularly over Instagram and discovered they got on really well
and had similar thoughts and interests. During this time, Ayben went on holiday
to Madeira with her friends, and they were constantly messaging—so much so that
the classic “Is he interested?” conversation came up among Ayben and her
friends, especially Emily who told her ‘he wouldn’t be asking you these kind of
questions if he wasn’t interested’.
Once Ayben was back, Erhan, Ayben, and
Aydan (their now close friend, another Turkish Cypriot they met at the Okkupied
event who had moved over from Australia) arranged to meet up in Greenwich so
they could show Aydan around. Ayben crouched down to talk to some ducks in the
middle of Greenwich University and they all stopped to take a picture with a
random tourist (Thank you, Aydan – this picture is probably on a random man’s
social media somewhere!)
After the wild duck chase, the three of them headed to a nearby coffee shop
where Erhan and Ayben shared their first hug. Soon after, Aydan had to leave
for some prior commitments, leaving Erhan and Ayben alone in Greenwich. It was
during this time alone that they both realised there was a spark between them
and a relationship was formed.
They got engaged on 10th May
2024, and since then, they have developed new interests together, with Erhan
bringing Ayben into his world of Turkish Folklore dancing with both of them now
active members of the London Turkish Association, a shared love for Turkish
music, and introducing each other to new foods. Their love for travel has taken
them to Brazil, Peru, Italy, Turkey, and their homeland, Northern Cyprus (so
far).
Erhan and Ayben also gained a cat through the world's 'cat distribution system' in September 2024, which they have kept, despite Erhan's mums reluctance at the beginning. His name is Pasha (you can see a very cute picture of him at the top of the 'Accommodation' page of the website). Everyone, including Erhan's mum, now loves Pasha.
This is just the beginning of their story
with many more chapters to build in their life together.
