Istanbul... Not CREEPstantinople!

I got to thinkin' about Erkan today. "Who's Erkan," you ask? Let me tell you...

Last spring I got this friend request on Facebook from a chap named "Erkan" from Turkey. Not knowing anyone from Turkey, I sent him a friendly message asking him how he knew me, why he wanted to be my friend, etc. etc. (I had to make sure he wasn't some kind of -predator-). He sent a simple reply stating, "I do not speak English well, but I think you have BEAUTIFUL picture! We talk on Messenger. :)" So I thought, "this guy is harmless; he can barely speak English, and he is an ocean and a landmass away. I'll add him as a friend." And his profile pic was pretty aesthetically pleasing, as well. Not gonna lie-- Erkan's a really good looking guy.

Anyway-- at this point in history, the infamous Facebook Chat had just been created, so everytime I was on Facebook (which was quite a lot, I'm afraid to admit) Erkan would start chatting me up. I learned that he was a photography student from Istanbul who liked Dean Martin.

Sexy, right? Yeah. I thought so, too.

All of our conversations basically went like this: (keep in mind that Erkan didn't have the best grasp on the English language-- the boy really liked to use emoticons.)

Erkan: Hi :)
Me: Hi
Erkan: How are you?
Me: Good! How are you?
Erkan: I am good. To. think you are very beautiful! do you webcam? :)
Me: Thank you
Me: ...And no, I don't have a webcam...
Erkan: :(
Erkan: Do you think I am beautiful?
Me: Yes! Very handsome!
Erkan: :)
Me: :)
Erkan: <3
Me: ...

Although I was quite flattered, I was beginning to get annoyed. Erkan would try to talk to me every time I was online, and the conversation always ended up like the one above. It never went anywhere, and I had my school stuff to do and didn't need ANOTHER distraction-- so I started ignoring him. He was a little too smitten with me. We often joked that he was my "Turkish boyfriend!"

Things started to get rather creepy. Erkan would comment on all of my photos and send me dozens of messages with tons of :( faces when I started avoiding him. He even tried to add my roomie Leandra as a friend! I often wonder if he tried to do this to any of my other friends (I'm sorry a guy named Erkan from Istanbul ever tried to add you!). Even though he lived many timezones away, I was uber creeped out by this move, and I blocked him.

Erkan was a friendly guy-- a little *too* friendly for my tastes, I guess. He was also a talented photographer (he often sent me samples of his work). I kind of regret that our friendship had to end the way it did. Too many cultural differences, maybe? He thought that he was being romantic, and I thought that he was being a creeper. All in all, I wish Erkan (and his webcam) the best.

I hope Erkan finds himself a good woman! :)