So my first full week of work is coming to an end today. Well, maybe it is better to say full week of work as in 5 days straight! I am not the busiest yet, but I am pretty confident things will pick up after the new year. Right now, there is not much point trying to start new activities and what not when everything will be closed within a week for new years holiday. So I will wait until the beginning of January before I attempt to start conversation clubs and what not.
Another first week, yesterday marked my first full week living in Imishli and I find myself worrying about things that I have never even phased me before. Like, when the pipes freeze how will I get water to drink? (Not to shower - least of my worries is if I am going to miss my weekly shower!) Or will I be able to force myself to use a pit toilet that is full and overflowing? (No lie, pit toilets do fill up! Who knew? I alwyas thought they had bottomless pits that just went on forever! Thankfully for me though just two days ago my host family got someone to come suck it out (while I was actually using it - let me just say nasty!)) Or when the power goes out what am I going to do to pass my time? Or did I wear enough layers to sit in a room for 3 hours without heat when it snowing outside? (Oddly enough, I have decided in situations like that it is actually warmer outside than in!) Or am I going to be home before dark, if not do I have an escort to walk me home? However, despite the new concerns I face I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing! I am very happy here and I look forward to all that is to come!
On a lighter note, I am officially that girl stops traffic! Like the girls on TV who walk down the street and everyone stops and stares! Who know I could have the affect on people? I was walking around the city the other day and due to my outstanding looks (actually due to looking completely different) a car just stopped in the middle of the intersection, leaving angry drivers behind him, and stared at me has I passed. The cow walking down the road even stopped and stared! hahaha. It was pretty funny. Speaking of which, you all might find it interesting to hear what I see as I walk to work. Mind you it takes me maybe 13 minutes, more like 7 min for a normal walker but as so many people like to tell me I walk slow, to walk to work. One day walking to work, pretty much through city center, I saw all this on one trip: trash fires burning (the preferred method of disposing of trash), a cow just wandering around alone eating trash of the street, a man walking carrying a turkey by the legs (fully feathered) with its neck broken, cow entrails chillin on the street outside a butcher shop, the cow head (detached from the body) with the brain exposed sitting on the ground, the cow skin over in another area, and the actual cow cut up in to sections hanging the awning outside the butcher shop. Quite different than my 15 - 20 minute drive through down Six Forks to get to my work in the States!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
New Address!
Finally, I have my new address! I have posted on the right of my blog. I am currently at work so I don't have a lot of time this second to write an update, but I will write more later this week.
Few quick things of interest though. It is snowing here. Unbelievable! As many of you know I don't like the snow so I can't believe that is snowing here! (Just light snow, but sticking to the ground.) Today was the second day since I got here that I woke up to no water - frozen pipes. I don't think that is a good sign of what is to come! :) Everyday the power goes out, usually only for a couple of hours though. What else? I think that is it for now. I am doing well and have Internet at work so hopefully I will be much better about updating everyone and quicker to respond to emails!
Few quick things of interest though. It is snowing here. Unbelievable! As many of you know I don't like the snow so I can't believe that is snowing here! (Just light snow, but sticking to the ground.) Today was the second day since I got here that I woke up to no water - frozen pipes. I don't think that is a good sign of what is to come! :) Everyday the power goes out, usually only for a couple of hours though. What else? I think that is it for now. I am doing well and have Internet at work so hopefully I will be much better about updating everyone and quicker to respond to emails!
Friday, December 12, 2008
My first days as a Volunteer
Well, I did it! I am officially a PC Volunteer! How exciting. Wednesday we had a two hour long ceremony with speakers and all the works. After we took the oath to swear in as PCVs I felt like I should change the side of my tassel or throw my cap in the air (neither of which I had!). It was really exciting though. Sorry for the lack of pictures, my camera is broken, but as soon as I get pictures from other people I will post them (which will be a while because we are all not scattered over Azerbaijan!) Afterwards the majority of us went to the local favorite hangout for the "after party." In complete un-Azerbaijani fashion my host mom, who came to the ceremony, said I could stay out as late as I wanted. So, being the wild child that I am, I came home at 7.30 - way after dark (which now is getting dark a little before 6.00)! I spent my last night hanging out with my host family and trying to figure out the impossible task of fitting all of my stuff in one suitcase. Which, FYI, didn't happen so I had to leave some stuff at my host family's house and I will go back in a month or so to get it. (This is after already having 2 suitcases in Imishli at my site mates' houses full of my stuff.) In my defense, I have been given so much stuff (sleeping bag, water filter, fire extinguisher, carbon monoxide detector, medical kit, mosquito net, and not to mention the massive amount of books from the PC - so I am not a complete pack rat!)
Thursday morning, I gathered all my stuff and walked from my house to meet up with two other people to catch taxi to Baku - in the rain. Yesterday it really started to feel like winter, dreary, cold, wet, cold, damp, did I mention cold! :) I am a wimp anyway when it comes to cold weather, but I am usually cold here all the time. I have decided that I am usually cold because I am going from cold weather outside to cold places inside. I have not been anywhere in Azerbaijan yet with central heat. That means that whatever electric heater or gas stove the house or building has is where the heat comes from - not always heating up the entire room. Anyway, back on to my traveling. I made it to Baku and found the bus going to Imishli. I got there early enough to get a good seat (i.e. for women the middle of the bus) and get my suitcase in the back (i.e. not having to pay for two seats because there is no room for my suitcase). I waited on the bus for about 45 minutes until it filled up. (The buses leave once they are full - not at scheduled times). We took the Iran way to Imishli meaning that we drove right (literally about 10 feet) from the Iranian boarder for part of the way. Surprisingly the border was not as exciting as I had made it out to be. Just a 4 or 5 ft fence with barb wire on the top - not super impressive. I didn't see guards or anything, I was told later that is because we are not near any cities in Iran. But, I made it to Imishli and went I got to the Cultural Palace (where I was going to meet my director) I told the bus driver to stop and I got off. I then called my director and was standing on the sidewalk with my book bag on, purse, and holding a massive suitcase with a sleeping bag on top - needless to say I looked out of place. Which is probably why I drew a crowd of people. It started with just two boys and then several men came up to me as well. Well, in my wonderful Azerbaijani skills I evidently did not clearly communicate that I was not trying to sell my stuff because they kept trying to buy it from me! It was quite funny, but as soon as my director came everyone cleared out and then I was taken to my new host family's house. My host mother made plov and grape leave dolma for me - quite delicious. Last night was uneventful, we lost the power for a while, but it came back on and I went to bed early because I was exhausted. I am getting a little sick - sore throat, coughing, runny nose - the usual winter cold. But, there are of a number of reasons (if you ask my host mother in Sumgayit) why I am sick - I drink cold water, I walk around a lot, I come and go often (to and from school 2 times a day!), I don't wear enough clothes, etc... - just to name a few! :)
But, I am safe in Imishli and I am suppose to meet with my director tomorrow at 11.00 am to figure out exactly what I will be doing for my job. I am looking forward to that conversation and I am hoping that a translator will be present. I know several people have asked for my address and as soon as I get it I will let you all know. I have to get the help of one my site mates to go the Post Office and figure it out (I don't believe my mail can be sent directly to my house - it comes to the post office and then they call me and I come and get it - I think). Regardless, I need a translator to go to the post office with me to let me them know I am now living here!
Thursday morning, I gathered all my stuff and walked from my house to meet up with two other people to catch taxi to Baku - in the rain. Yesterday it really started to feel like winter, dreary, cold, wet, cold, damp, did I mention cold! :) I am a wimp anyway when it comes to cold weather, but I am usually cold here all the time. I have decided that I am usually cold because I am going from cold weather outside to cold places inside. I have not been anywhere in Azerbaijan yet with central heat. That means that whatever electric heater or gas stove the house or building has is where the heat comes from - not always heating up the entire room. Anyway, back on to my traveling. I made it to Baku and found the bus going to Imishli. I got there early enough to get a good seat (i.e. for women the middle of the bus) and get my suitcase in the back (i.e. not having to pay for two seats because there is no room for my suitcase). I waited on the bus for about 45 minutes until it filled up. (The buses leave once they are full - not at scheduled times). We took the Iran way to Imishli meaning that we drove right (literally about 10 feet) from the Iranian boarder for part of the way. Surprisingly the border was not as exciting as I had made it out to be. Just a 4 or 5 ft fence with barb wire on the top - not super impressive. I didn't see guards or anything, I was told later that is because we are not near any cities in Iran. But, I made it to Imishli and went I got to the Cultural Palace (where I was going to meet my director) I told the bus driver to stop and I got off. I then called my director and was standing on the sidewalk with my book bag on, purse, and holding a massive suitcase with a sleeping bag on top - needless to say I looked out of place. Which is probably why I drew a crowd of people. It started with just two boys and then several men came up to me as well. Well, in my wonderful Azerbaijani skills I evidently did not clearly communicate that I was not trying to sell my stuff because they kept trying to buy it from me! It was quite funny, but as soon as my director came everyone cleared out and then I was taken to my new host family's house. My host mother made plov and grape leave dolma for me - quite delicious. Last night was uneventful, we lost the power for a while, but it came back on and I went to bed early because I was exhausted. I am getting a little sick - sore throat, coughing, runny nose - the usual winter cold. But, there are of a number of reasons (if you ask my host mother in Sumgayit) why I am sick - I drink cold water, I walk around a lot, I come and go often (to and from school 2 times a day!), I don't wear enough clothes, etc... - just to name a few! :)
But, I am safe in Imishli and I am suppose to meet with my director tomorrow at 11.00 am to figure out exactly what I will be doing for my job. I am looking forward to that conversation and I am hoping that a translator will be present. I know several people have asked for my address and as soon as I get it I will let you all know. I have to get the help of one my site mates to go the Post Office and figure it out (I don't believe my mail can be sent directly to my house - it comes to the post office and then they call me and I come and get it - I think). Regardless, I need a translator to go to the post office with me to let me them know I am now living here!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Almost offical!
Well, PST is closing to an end and in just a matter of days I will be an offical PC Volunteer! Quite exciting. Wednesday is the big day and at 2.00pm our Swearing In Ceremony begins and soon after I will be offical! It has been a long, but quite short road to get here. Yesterday I had my final PST language test, I feel like I completely bombed it! Yikes! I am supposed to find out my scores tonight, so hopefully I didn't do as bad as I think. Well, just as I was typing I recieved my score - intermediate mid! That is the required language level for a YD volunteer for the end of PST! I am pretty pumped!
I am going to type up a blog at home to post, but I just haven't had time yet. But I will and hopefully Wednesday morning I can make it to the interent cafe and upload pictures and a new post. (These will probably be the last pictures I am able to upload for a while because my camera is busted! So once I leave PST I will not have any friends to bum pictures off of - sad day. I am not sure what happened, but one day I went to take a picture and it won't work. So I guess until I can get it fixed or buy a new camera, no pictures, but I will just try to do better descriptions I guess!) I have been spending a lot of time with my friends, I am really going to miss them once we move to the regions. On a side note, once I move to Imishli even though I won't have pictures, I will have just daily access to internet at work! So at least I will be able to update my blog a ton more!
I am going to type up a blog at home to post, but I just haven't had time yet. But I will and hopefully Wednesday morning I can make it to the interent cafe and upload pictures and a new post. (These will probably be the last pictures I am able to upload for a while because my camera is busted! So once I leave PST I will not have any friends to bum pictures off of - sad day. I am not sure what happened, but one day I went to take a picture and it won't work. So I guess until I can get it fixed or buy a new camera, no pictures, but I will just try to do better descriptions I guess!) I have been spending a lot of time with my friends, I am really going to miss them once we move to the regions. On a side note, once I move to Imishli even though I won't have pictures, I will have just daily access to internet at work! So at least I will be able to update my blog a ton more!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Random Pictures
Here is the link to an ablum I created on snapfish! Hope you enjoy
Where do all Americans go overseas? Micky D's of course! (which by the way the only time I ever go McDonalds is when I am overseas)
All 61 of Az6 (when we first arrived at Aqua Park)
I am going to Imishli and Amy is going to GubaImishli it is!
Well, who knew that in that in just 8 short weeks that I could come so attached to a rountie and place. I have been living in Sumgayit for just 2 months and I did not think that I had grown so attached to my surrounding, daily routnie, etc.. there. But, when I came to Imishli I releazied that was not the case. However, I think after just getting used to a new house, new people, new rountie, new city, and in general just a slower pace of life I will be really happy here!
Imishli the city is so much prettier that Sumgayit, from what I can tell is looks like it was planned on a grid system and there are a lot of trees on all the streets (not the case in Sumgayit). The grid system will be great for me since I get lost everywhere I go! I was really foruntate I was able to meet up with Amber, one of the two Az5 serving in Imishli, Tuesday morning in Baku and we took the 4ish hour bus ride down together. Tuesday afternoon I toured my organization, ARAZ, and then headed to my new home. So, I was a little off on the details of my new family. My host mom is a widow, house wife, and she has 3 children. The oldest daugheter is either 21 or 22 (she works full time), the second oldest daughter is 19 (she does not work or go to school, she is engaged and the wedding is in March (quick side note-I will still be living with them through this entire process – I am really excited about it!), and the youngest is a boy who is 17 (he is in school but when he gradauates he will go and serve his mandatory 1 ½ years in the army). So far I have really enjoyed my family and I think is will be a great fit! They don’t speak any english nor does anyone at ARAZ! So guess who needs to step up their game on language studying!?! Yep.
So ARAZ, honestly I still have no idea exactly what I will be doing here. Actually, I might be more confused now that I am in Imishli than I was before! However, Wednesday afternoon two women from the ARAZ headquarters office in Baku came down and translated so that my director and I could have a meeting. He told me some of the projects ARAZ has done in the past and what they hope to do in the future. I told him some of my intersts and he said that when I come in December we will iron out my work plan. (My director also works in another organization, FINCA – I don’t know his exact postion but I do know he is very important, i.e. he is very busy all the time.) I do know that ARAZ is a NGO which is motivated to improve the quailty of life for women and low income families. They are a humanitarin organization and everything their goals aline exactly with my interests – so I think it will be a great fit. But, as my director said through translators – we just have a langauge problem! Hahaha. To put it mildly!
Thursday I was able to meet up with the two PCVs who are currently living here, Amber and Greta. Amber is also YD and Greta is TEFL. They are both really nice and I am looking foward to having them as my sitemates. I told my PM that I didn’t care if I had sight mates or not, but now that I am here I am really glad that I have them. But as I have told many people in emails – I am so happy to be here. Joining the PC has definitely been one of the best decisions I have made in awhile! In just 20 short days, on December 11th, I will move permenantly to my new home! I am looking forward to moving and I am looking foward to going back to Sumgayit tomorrow to spend those last few weeks with my friends before we scatter all over the country! Oh. I almost forgot some exciting news – so in ARAZ I have a great big office with a computer and everything – I mean I got hooked up! And here is the greatest part of it all – my director said that in December he is putting internet in my office! So when I move here I will be able to stay in touch better! Well, at least through email; the post office here does not send mail to America. I can recieve mail and packages from America here, however I have to hold all my mail until I make a trip to Baku and mail it there. So, my mail to America will be slower, but small price to pay!
Imishli the city is so much prettier that Sumgayit, from what I can tell is looks like it was planned on a grid system and there are a lot of trees on all the streets (not the case in Sumgayit). The grid system will be great for me since I get lost everywhere I go! I was really foruntate I was able to meet up with Amber, one of the two Az5 serving in Imishli, Tuesday morning in Baku and we took the 4ish hour bus ride down together. Tuesday afternoon I toured my organization, ARAZ, and then headed to my new home. So, I was a little off on the details of my new family. My host mom is a widow, house wife, and she has 3 children. The oldest daugheter is either 21 or 22 (she works full time), the second oldest daughter is 19 (she does not work or go to school, she is engaged and the wedding is in March (quick side note-I will still be living with them through this entire process – I am really excited about it!), and the youngest is a boy who is 17 (he is in school but when he gradauates he will go and serve his mandatory 1 ½ years in the army). So far I have really enjoyed my family and I think is will be a great fit! They don’t speak any english nor does anyone at ARAZ! So guess who needs to step up their game on language studying!?! Yep.
So ARAZ, honestly I still have no idea exactly what I will be doing here. Actually, I might be more confused now that I am in Imishli than I was before! However, Wednesday afternoon two women from the ARAZ headquarters office in Baku came down and translated so that my director and I could have a meeting. He told me some of the projects ARAZ has done in the past and what they hope to do in the future. I told him some of my intersts and he said that when I come in December we will iron out my work plan. (My director also works in another organization, FINCA – I don’t know his exact postion but I do know he is very important, i.e. he is very busy all the time.) I do know that ARAZ is a NGO which is motivated to improve the quailty of life for women and low income families. They are a humanitarin organization and everything their goals aline exactly with my interests – so I think it will be a great fit. But, as my director said through translators – we just have a langauge problem! Hahaha. To put it mildly!
Thursday I was able to meet up with the two PCVs who are currently living here, Amber and Greta. Amber is also YD and Greta is TEFL. They are both really nice and I am looking foward to having them as my sitemates. I told my PM that I didn’t care if I had sight mates or not, but now that I am here I am really glad that I have them. But as I have told many people in emails – I am so happy to be here. Joining the PC has definitely been one of the best decisions I have made in awhile! In just 20 short days, on December 11th, I will move permenantly to my new home! I am looking forward to moving and I am looking foward to going back to Sumgayit tomorrow to spend those last few weeks with my friends before we scatter all over the country! Oh. I almost forgot some exciting news – so in ARAZ I have a great big office with a computer and everything – I mean I got hooked up! And here is the greatest part of it all – my director said that in December he is putting internet in my office! So when I move here I will be able to stay in touch better! Well, at least through email; the post office here does not send mail to America. I can recieve mail and packages from America here, however I have to hold all my mail until I make a trip to Baku and mail it there. So, my mail to America will be slower, but small price to pay!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Same old same old
Hello to all! I can’t remember when my last post was so I have no idea where to start with what has been happening here. Time seems to just run together for me. My life has been pretty uneventful as of late so I don’t really have much of anything to say! I have been having some serious stomach issues, which has been the main events in my life for the past two weeks. Not to go into too much detail (which I would love to, but for your all’s sake I won’t) I will just say I have had some hardcore constipation and leave it at that. So if you think of it please add stomach issues to your prayers for me, in addition to language learning.
It is Monday night for me (I will be posting this Tuesday afternoon when I go to the internet club) so that means that in just two days I will know my permanent site! I am fighting anxiousness and anxiety. I am really excited for numerous reasons, but mainly because it will make the PC seem more real. Right now I can say that I will be living somewhere for 2 years working with some organization; but after Wednesday afternoon I can say where I will be living and with what organization I will be working. I also pretty confident I will have at least 1 site mite, whether an Az5 or Az6. It is pretty hard to be that far from someone with 100 volunteers living in a country roughly the size of Maine! So, I am anxious to know who I will be possibly sharing a community with – so many variables that I will find the answers to on Wednesday afternoon! But unfortunately for you all I will not be able to return to the internet café until probably Nov. 11th, which means if you want to know before then you will just have to call me! (If you do have the burning urge to talk to me in person please do not forget about the 9 hour time difference!) I will try to go before, but no promises; it isn’t always easy for me to get to an internet club. Other exciting things happening for me on Wednesday – I will learn our new president elect! That is exciting. My cluster and I are going to try to go to a friend’s house Wednesday evening to watch satellite tv, aka English speaking channels like CNN, to watch election coverage. If all goes according to plans after our site announcement meeting we will head to her place and make pizza and brownies and watch CNN. I hope it all works out as planned because it will be really fun, but you never know.
What else, I haven’t taken any pictures lately, however I snagged some random photos from Amy. Both of these pictures were taken during our morning language classes. (Yes I am wearing the same outfit, but no the pictures were not taken on the same day. I wear the same outfits for a week before I change them. I also shower weekly, but this past weekend I missed shower day so I am going to try to get one tomorrow night or I will just have to wait until next weekend!) Both of these pictures require a bit of explanation. The first one is a game we where playing to learn office words and titles. It was really funny, but it was one of those instances you really had to be there to find it funny; regardless I am going to post the picture anyway. The second picture is very Peace Corps in my opinion. What I mean is that yes I am sitting in class having blood drawn by one of the PC doctors! Since I have joined the PC I have had shots and blood drawn in hotel rooms and school classrooms. It really makes me laugh and sometimes I feel like I should be in a movie. Just imagine walking into a hotel room with flies buzzing around the room, you sit on the bed and roll up your selves and get several shots from a doctor with all their equipment and medicine neatly spread out on the bed and counter. I mean really – it sounds like a scene from a movie and it always seems a little surreal to me! But, no worries the doctors are great and everything is really sanitary and sterile. (The reason it is done in random places is the medical office is in Baku and all of Az6 is in Sumgayit – it is just so much easier for them to come to us instead of visa versa.)
I can’t think of anything else to say at the moment. If there is anything in particular you want me to talk about on my blog either just email me or post a comment and I will try my best to discuss it in my next post!
It is Monday night for me (I will be posting this Tuesday afternoon when I go to the internet club) so that means that in just two days I will know my permanent site! I am fighting anxiousness and anxiety. I am really excited for numerous reasons, but mainly because it will make the PC seem more real. Right now I can say that I will be living somewhere for 2 years working with some organization; but after Wednesday afternoon I can say where I will be living and with what organization I will be working. I also pretty confident I will have at least 1 site mite, whether an Az5 or Az6. It is pretty hard to be that far from someone with 100 volunteers living in a country roughly the size of Maine! So, I am anxious to know who I will be possibly sharing a community with – so many variables that I will find the answers to on Wednesday afternoon! But unfortunately for you all I will not be able to return to the internet café until probably Nov. 11th, which means if you want to know before then you will just have to call me! (If you do have the burning urge to talk to me in person please do not forget about the 9 hour time difference!) I will try to go before, but no promises; it isn’t always easy for me to get to an internet club. Other exciting things happening for me on Wednesday – I will learn our new president elect! That is exciting. My cluster and I are going to try to go to a friend’s house Wednesday evening to watch satellite tv, aka English speaking channels like CNN, to watch election coverage. If all goes according to plans after our site announcement meeting we will head to her place and make pizza and brownies and watch CNN. I hope it all works out as planned because it will be really fun, but you never know.
What else, I haven’t taken any pictures lately, however I snagged some random photos from Amy. Both of these pictures were taken during our morning language classes. (Yes I am wearing the same outfit, but no the pictures were not taken on the same day. I wear the same outfits for a week before I change them. I also shower weekly, but this past weekend I missed shower day so I am going to try to get one tomorrow night or I will just have to wait until next weekend!) Both of these pictures require a bit of explanation. The first one is a game we where playing to learn office words and titles. It was really funny, but it was one of those instances you really had to be there to find it funny; regardless I am going to post the picture anyway. The second picture is very Peace Corps in my opinion. What I mean is that yes I am sitting in class having blood drawn by one of the PC doctors! Since I have joined the PC I have had shots and blood drawn in hotel rooms and school classrooms. It really makes me laugh and sometimes I feel like I should be in a movie. Just imagine walking into a hotel room with flies buzzing around the room, you sit on the bed and roll up your selves and get several shots from a doctor with all their equipment and medicine neatly spread out on the bed and counter. I mean really – it sounds like a scene from a movie and it always seems a little surreal to me! But, no worries the doctors are great and everything is really sanitary and sterile. (The reason it is done in random places is the medical office is in Baku and all of Az6 is in Sumgayit – it is just so much easier for them to come to us instead of visa versa.)
I can’t think of anything else to say at the moment. If there is anything in particular you want me to talk about on my blog either just email me or post a comment and I will try my best to discuss it in my next post!
Me getting my blood drawn in class
Amy, Alison, Me, Sabina, Kim, & Jake
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