Today I made my dreams come true ;). I bought this beautiful, antique rug, handmade in Qazax (where I have been living and working for the past two years), to take home with me as a very special keepsake.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Magic Carpet Ride
Ever since I found out I was coming to this part of the world for the Peace Corps I knew I wanted to buy a carpet.
Today I made my dreams come true ;). I bought this beautiful, antique rug, handmade in Qazax (where I have been living and working for the past two years), to take home with me as a very special keepsake.
Today I made my dreams come true ;). I bought this beautiful, antique rug, handmade in Qazax (where I have been living and working for the past two years), to take home with me as a very special keepsake.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Happy Birthday Dad!
I wanted to have this up before my Dad woke up but my internet was slow and I had to go to a wedding this evening- so here you are now Daddio... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best man I have ever known! 
I love you Dad! Have a great day!
(PS Just saw I forgot the "h" in birthday on my sign, I could lie and say I'm spelling it in Azeri but...)
I love you Dad! Have a great day!(PS Just saw I forgot the "h" in birthday on my sign, I could lie and say I'm spelling it in Azeri but...)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
A 15 Cent Delicacy
During the summer months in Azerbaijan watermelons are literally falling off of trucks and rolling down the street waiting to be sold. At the cheap price of 15 "gapik" (cents) a kilo, you can imagine that Peace Corps Volunteers and Azeri families alike live off of this fruit!
This is one of many identical stands along the road here in Gazakh selling watermelons. This one happens to be right near my house, I took this photo from my balcony.
I am never without a watermelon in my fridge this time of year. You would think maybe I would get sick of eating watermelon for breakfast, lunch and dinner but its just not the case. In fact I dream of eating it :). As I think Azeri's do too. Saturday when I went over to my friend Shafag's house I saw she had bought 10 watermelons! She just keeps them in the yard so there is a constant supply!
This is one of many identical stands along the road here in Gazakh selling watermelons. This one happens to be right near my house, I took this photo from my balcony.
I am never without a watermelon in my fridge this time of year. You would think maybe I would get sick of eating watermelon for breakfast, lunch and dinner but its just not the case. In fact I dream of eating it :). As I think Azeri's do too. Saturday when I went over to my friend Shafag's house I saw she had bought 10 watermelons! She just keeps them in the yard so there is a constant supply!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
"Yo, the name is Batty; The logic is erratic..."
So after an award worthy summer camp and a fun relaxing break in Baku and Lankaran with Mason, I took the 11 hour bus ride in 100+ degree weather back to Qazax. The only thing that kept me going through my dehydrated and sweaty mess of a bus ride was the dream of walking in my door, taking a quick rise and jumping into bed for a nap, ahhhh just the thought of it now relaxes me. Unfortunately this wish was just not my destiny. As I walked into my house that afternoon a wave of disgustingly warm air blew through my hair and so after putting my bags down I set out to open some windows. On the way to my bedroom window I opened the shower room door and noticed the soap had been knocked into the sink, but didn't think much of it. So like I was saying, I walked to my bedroom window and yanked in open. To my dismay I had smashed some sort of creator between the top of the window frame and the window when I had shut it leaving for my trip! What was it?? A frog? Wait! Its moving!!!! Those gross little features were mistakable no longer...
There is a bat in my house. After taking this picture, with flash, the ugly, scary yet sweet all at the same time, little thing was scared to death and began flying around my bedroom in a panic! So I screamed and ran into the kitchen in a panic. I opened all the other windows and when my heart stopped racing went back to my room to help him find his blind way outside. But alas, Batty was nowhere to be found. I searched high and low, but instead of finding him I found little bits of poop all over my bed and the window sill,
and my soap, which seemed to have been lunch...maybe dinner. Piecing it all together I started realizing that Batty has been living in my house the entire time I was gone! Oh gosh, first a rat lives in my toilet and now this! Batty had to go.
But it wasn't until night fall that I found Batty clinging to the walls of my room, as terrified of me as I inevitably was of him. One homemade contraption after the next I couldn't seem to get him captured much less flung out the window I had ripped the screen out of. So it was time for drastic action-that called for my hat, I didn't want Batty to get stuck in my hair! So there I was, grey shorts, white tank top, green winter cap, sweaty and probably stinking to high heaven as I still hadn't gotten to take that shower, ducking low to the ground as Batty swooped and glided, flying an insane number of circles around my room. The only sound he made were his claws against the cement wall as he considered landing but then changeed his mind. Finally, sometime after midnight and hours since this whole debacle started he landed on the ceiling. Moving at about an inch-a-minute pace I crept up onto a chair with my big jar and slowly place it over him. He didn't even freak out, just sat in there until I brought him to the balcony and set him free into the night.
"Potato in a jacket; Toys in the attic; I rock and I ramble; My brain is scrambled!; Rap like an animal; But I'm a mammal..."
There is a bat in my house. After taking this picture, with flash, the ugly, scary yet sweet all at the same time, little thing was scared to death and began flying around my bedroom in a panic! So I screamed and ran into the kitchen in a panic. I opened all the other windows and when my heart stopped racing went back to my room to help him find his blind way outside. But alas, Batty was nowhere to be found. I searched high and low, but instead of finding him I found little bits of poop all over my bed and the window sill,
and my soap, which seemed to have been lunch...maybe dinner. Piecing it all together I started realizing that Batty has been living in my house the entire time I was gone! Oh gosh, first a rat lives in my toilet and now this! Batty had to go.
But it wasn't until night fall that I found Batty clinging to the walls of my room, as terrified of me as I inevitably was of him. One homemade contraption after the next I couldn't seem to get him captured much less flung out the window I had ripped the screen out of. So it was time for drastic action-that called for my hat, I didn't want Batty to get stuck in my hair! So there I was, grey shorts, white tank top, green winter cap, sweaty and probably stinking to high heaven as I still hadn't gotten to take that shower, ducking low to the ground as Batty swooped and glided, flying an insane number of circles around my room. The only sound he made were his claws against the cement wall as he considered landing but then changeed his mind. Finally, sometime after midnight and hours since this whole debacle started he landed on the ceiling. Moving at about an inch-a-minute pace I crept up onto a chair with my big jar and slowly place it over him. He didn't even freak out, just sat in there until I brought him to the balcony and set him free into the night."Potato in a jacket; Toys in the attic; I rock and I ramble; My brain is scrambled!; Rap like an animal; But I'm a mammal..."
Monday, July 4, 2011
Baku in July
Just enjoying a little down time in Baku after my summer camp. Taking lots of walks and lots of pictures so I thought I would share some. HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Qazax Summer Camp: Field Day
Our final day of camp was filled with a lot of hilarious relay races and games and a lot of laughter!
I'm wearing my tie-dye shirt from Wednesday's arts and crafts!
No-hands balloon between the knees relay. Each kids goes down and back and then passes the balloon off to the next kid. No one can use their hands at all :).
The MOST hilarious thing all day! The old clothes relay! Using a bunch of PCVs' old clothes left in the PC lounge we gave each of the two teams a pile of old clothes, each kid had to put every piece on, run down and back and then switch it all to the next kid. The laughter from this event drew a lot of attention from others around us. So funny!
The jump rope relay was also too funny. The boys could not for the life of them jump rope correctly and they looked like funny little frogs trying to hope the rope. We were all laughing quite a bit-including the boys don't worry :).
Water balloon toss! Mason and Kanan tied Rufet and Tural for first in this event.
We ended the day by breaking open the pinata's we had been working all week to make. While mason was out doing some other relays I snuck all the candy and prizes inside of the pinatas!
My summer camp was a huge success! It went over fantastically with the students and all of the teachers! Everything I planned to do worked out perfectly! Thank you to all of my PCV (or other American :)) helpers and to all of you back home who sent things over to make this camp possible! I hope you can all see the my students and I really appreciate all the help!!!
I'm wearing my tie-dye shirt from Wednesday's arts and crafts!
No-hands balloon between the knees relay. Each kids goes down and back and then passes the balloon off to the next kid. No one can use their hands at all :).
The MOST hilarious thing all day! The old clothes relay! Using a bunch of PCVs' old clothes left in the PC lounge we gave each of the two teams a pile of old clothes, each kid had to put every piece on, run down and back and then switch it all to the next kid. The laughter from this event drew a lot of attention from others around us. So funny!
The jump rope relay was also too funny. The boys could not for the life of them jump rope correctly and they looked like funny little frogs trying to hope the rope. We were all laughing quite a bit-including the boys don't worry :).
Water balloon toss! Mason and Kanan tied Rufet and Tural for first in this event.
We ended the day by breaking open the pinata's we had been working all week to make. While mason was out doing some other relays I snuck all the candy and prizes inside of the pinatas!My summer camp was a huge success! It went over fantastically with the students and all of the teachers! Everything I planned to do worked out perfectly! Thank you to all of my PCV (or other American :)) helpers and to all of you back home who sent things over to make this camp possible! I hope you can all see the my students and I really appreciate all the help!!!
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