Tough Compassion Wife of Turkish Ambassador Is Determined in Goals and Generousity by Gail Scott Over the last three years, I have met Mevhibe ìMimiî Logoglu, wife of Turkish Ambassador Osman Faruk Logoglu, many times, but I didnít really get to know her until this spring when I went to Turkey myself and met her cousin Emre Paksoy, an international businessman living in Istanbul. ìEveryone in the family is afraid of Mimi,î said this outspoken cousin, only half jokingly. ìI know immediately when she is coming to Turkey because I get constant calls from her sisters in Adana asking me where Mimi will want to stay, what Mimi will want to do, what Mimi will want to eat.î Recently, when Mimi (as she is called by all her family and friends) and I had lunch together at Turkeyís temporary residence on Tracy Place, NW, I asked her about her cousinís assessment that she could be ìdifficultî and somewhat ìdemanding.î ìOh,î she laughed, throwing her head back, ìsomehow, I do usually get my wayÖ. I just try to do the best that I can,î she explained. Even though she is not the oldest among her seven siblings, Mimi agrees that she is treated as if she is the head of the family. ìEveryone listens to me when I talk; I solve their problems immediately. ìI like helping others, giving gifts,î she added. ìEven when no one asks me. This is the part of me that is like my motherÖ. She was always taking people in and feeding them. I remember when I was only 9, I refused to go to see my aunt without a gift. I still remember taking my money and buying her a very colorful broach.î For Mimi, there are no limits when it comes to family and friends. Once she convinced the prime minister of Denmark, who was flying to Turkey, to remove a seat from his plane to make room for a hospital bed table Mimi was sending to her paralyzed cousin in Turkey. To prove that she is worth all the trouble, Mimi decided that we needed to call two of her best friends to speak on her behalf. The first call was to Nilgun Banguoglu, wife of Turkeyís ambassador to Mexico, who was shopping in Ankara when she answered her cell phone. ìMimi is a friend for a lifetime,î she began. ìSometimes sheís a bit difficult. She has a strong personality, but sheís a very good organizer and gets people to work for her, including her friends and her family. I donít do that so well and always tell her that she should give a course in how to do this. ìSheís a risk-taker,î continued Banguoglu. ìMimi is never afraid of failing. She knows what she wants in life. I learned a big lesson from her: Once you throw the ball, someone will always catch it.î Mimi always buys at least two of everythingóone to give away. ìI travel heavy and I never return empty-handed to Turkey,î she said. ìMy husband says he doesnít want to fly with me because I have so much luggage, but I am the ëconciergeí for the family.î All year long, she buys surprises for her family and gifts for the needy in her hometown. ìI am the lady of chocolates. I love to pamper the children and see the smiles on their faces,î she said. ìIf you love someone, you have to do something [to] show your love Ö [donít just] say ëI love you.íî For example, when her husband was Turkeyís ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mimi began painting. She became friends with a beautiful and talented young local artist who wanted to study in the United States. Mimi found an American to sponsor her. In Washington, she embraces her role of hosting events for local charities such as Arts for the Aging, the National Rehabilitation Hospital and Muscular Dystrophy Association. But she also remembers the needy at home. She creates bazaars at embassy events using popular Turkish rugs called Kilims, silver mirrors and jewelry to raise funds for blind children and the mentally retarded in Turkey. ìI love to meet people,î she said. But with Washingtonís hectic pace, ìsome evenings I am so tired, I just want to rest. But as soon as I see people, I forget how tired I am. I like people around me. We always had so many people coming and going in our house. ìI was the youngest of all my brothers and sisters to get married,î she recounted. ìOne day, my mother told me to ëget dressedíóthat we were having a guest. I had never greeted guests before, and I noticed that my mother didnít tell [any of my brothers or sisters] to dress up.î Even when Faruk Logoglu, her future husband, came to the door, she still didnít understand. ìFor us, he was a hero, someone you couldnít reach or touch. We had all heard about him. He went to America to study and now was teaching at Middlebury College.î As a teenager, Faruk Logoglu came to the United States in 1958 as a U.S. Field Service high school student. He stayed with an American family and went to a public high school in Wellesley, Mass., just outside of Boston. After that one year, he returned to Turkey but soon was back to study at Brandeis University, from which he graduated in 1963. By 1969, he had received his doctorate in political science from Princeton University and spent one year lecturing at Middlebury College in Vermont. What Mimi didnít know was that after more than a decade in the United States, Faruk Logoglu had decided to return to Turkey to find a wife and join the Foreign Service. He had been away for so many years, however, that he didnít know anybody, so he asked his relatives and friends for help. When he proposed, Mimi became furious with her mother. ìHe told me that the first time he saw me, he fell in love, but I said to myself it didnít matter who he was, even Brad PittóI wasnít getting married. ìI was going to school. I dreamed of living in New York and Paris. From the time I was 7 years old, I used to sign my pictures, ëLove, Mimi from New York.í But my mother said, ëSee, you always dream of traveling abroad. Heís the perfect man for you.íî A week later, Mimi and Faruk were engaged. Their long marriage is still about romance. During our interview, Ambassador Logoglu dropped by to support his wife. He sat close by her side. Mimi gave him his cue: ìI was just telling Gail that, for you, it was love at first sight!î ìYes,î he said. ìI fell in love with her immediately and asked her to marry me without hesitation.î When I asked him about Mimiís reputation for being difficult, he smiled. ìFirst of all, Mimi is an intelligent woman, a brave soul who has the courage to undertake big initiatives on her own. She thinks big,î he said. ìAnd you think, ëthatís very difficult,í but somehow she always makes itÖ. Sheís tough but she is very compassionate. ìI trust her judgment completely,î he added, looking lovingly at her. ìShe is the most elegant woman I have known. I am still amazed that there can be 500 dresses and she picks the perfect one. I am like her fan club.î Speaking of shopping, thatís one of their weekend pastimes. ìWe like to drive ourselves, usually to Tysons Corner where parking is easy.î When I asked who picks out his clothes, they both laughed. ìShe disavows what I buy on my own,î he said. ìI know what looks best on him and what heíll like best in the end,î she said. At home, Mimi wears the latest casual clothes from the worldís top fashion designers, but in the evenings she loves to showcase contemporary Turkish designers. She recently made news here and at home when President Bush commented on the elaborate fur-and-gold-embroidered ensemble she wore to a White House diplomatic reception. She also dons the latest creations from the Olgunlasma Design School in Ankara and includes colorful fashion shows at her charitable functions. Just before the ambassador rushed back to work, I asked him what daily life with Mimi was like? He gave me a huge smile, turned to her and said, ìI feel refreshed and rejuvenated each morning and each evening when I see her. She is like a kaleidoscope, creating new patterns every day, never boring.î After he left the room, Mimi said, ìHeís an angel, but if I treated people like he does, nothing would get done.î It was time to call another friend: Chris Devries, who represents Citibank in the Netherlands and Denmark. Devries, the son of a diplomat and an Eastman Kodak executive, has been traveling for 55 of his 57 years, lived in 13 countries, and attended 25 schools. ìMimi is tireless in making everyone feel at home,î he said. ìShe and Faruk are what an ambassador and his wife should be. When they were posted in Copenhagen, he was so helpful in making our project successful. Faruk is most cosmopolitan and very gentle. Mimi is so spontaneous. Sheís a beauty, inside and out.î But Mimi didnít always know how to be such a quintessential hostess. ìSince I married too young, I was always homesick and when I did come home to visit my mother and father, the whole house was waiting for me.î But Mimiís parents died youngóher father was 62 and her mother only 52 when she died eight months later. Mimi was only 30 and she still feels that loss. ìWhen your parents die young, you think you are orphaned. ìWhen I first got married, my new husband came home after work one day and said that he invited some friends to come over for dinner. So I got this big chicken and cooked it so much that it got so small and all dried out. I put in so much rice that I had rice all over the floor,î Mimi recalled. After that, she went to her hometown and got some recipes. ìEven though I donít cook, I know whatís missing.î She loves to design floral arrangements and oversee all the plans for parties, but gave up on cooking long ago. ìWe love Chinese food and when we have a night to ourselves, we usually head over to Peking Gourmet or Charlie Changís on Connecticut Avenue.î Knowing how large Turkey is and how many different regions there are, I wondered how this diplomatic couple will ever decide where to live after Washington. Her husbandís mandatory retirement at 65 from Turkeyís Foreign Service comes up this fall, one year before the Turkish residence on Sheridan Circle will be ready. What a pityóMimi would have thrown such a sensational reopening party, wearing her favorite Yildirim Mayruk designer gowns and welcoming her friends one more time to the mansion she has spent the last two years decorating. ìMy husband says the question is not what he is going to do when he retires but what am I going to do?î She waved her hand dramatically and reached for another cigarette, giving me a coy glance. ìWhat I love about Washington is that you can see the sky and all the green. My eyes are having fun here.î M.J. Veronica Diaz de Ferrero, wife of the Peruvian ambassador, will be featured in the July edition of the Diplomatic Spouses column. Gail Scott is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.