Check it Out

I just added a follow PCV, Aaron's, blog to my "Check These Out" section off to the side and I highly suggest you check it out! My blog has to do with me and what I'm doing here but he focuses on Azerbaijan as a whole and what's going on here, so if you want to stay up-to-date on the country click there now and again!

As for me I'm happy it's Saturday! I added a few more hours of clubs after school and I've been working pretty hard, which feels great but makes me tired! I have a few goals I recently set for things I want to accomplish with my teachers, as most of work so far has been with my students (which is wonderful! But the teachers are part of my job as well.). Unfortunately it is a lot harder to get the teachers to really give a lot of time working after school and on weekends, I mean they are mothers and wives and take care of entire households, so I don't blame them. It just makes realizing my "teacher goals" harder. One of these goals is to get my teachers interested in or at least understanding of AZETA (Azerbaijani English Teacher's Association). I would love to get a branch started up here, but if I at least give them the knowledge of what it is and how it could help them maybe one day they will start it for themselves. Check out the link above to read about what AZETA is. Another of my goals is more feasible, I want to have lesson planned with three teachers by the end of the school year. Teachers never plan for class here, they have no idea how. I think by teaching them how to make a simple lesson plan it will be more obvious to them how to bring in games, worksheets, spelling contests or different materials, basic other forms of teaching besides memorization and recitation. I have tried every month since working here to lesson plan and have yet to write one with a teacher (I make my own and do my own thing in class), but I'm going to make it happen! I've also set the goal of practicing for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam). I want to take the test by July up in Tbilisi. So I need to practice, practice, practice so I can get a good score and get into a good graduate school and have a life plan for after Peace Corps! Yes, I have only 9 months left here so it is time to start thinking about that :).

Update

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I don't have any super exciting pictures to add! But heres a bit of an update. This is a picture of "xengal" (hengal), per request. It is my favorite Azeri food! Unfortunately I can't really eat it anymore because of my lactose intolerance- it is caramelized onions, yogurt with garlic and salt and here with noodles. Azeri women actually make a special noodle called "xengal" but I unfortunately am not equipped to do so :)
This is a recent "Creativity Club," we decorated glass jars with pieces of fabric and magazine clippings. The kids LOVED IT! This boy was making yarn mustaches.
Here's all the kids picking out decor.

Last week I went into Baku for our Mid-Service Conference. We all spent the week doing medical, language tests and meetings about our service and our jobs. I am feeling rejuvenated and ready to start going crazy with the projects now! I just turned in a grant for GLOW and now I'm working on one for a resource center at school. Zeynab and I are also working on getting AZETA (Azerbaijani English Teachers Association) up in our area! Lots to do in just a few months, but I'm super excited! Melissa, I love you and I am so sorry for your loss.

Creativity Club

Thanks for the great after school project Bonnie and the Taylor family! Last week for my creativity club only boys showed up, but we had a great time making winter decorations with these foam kits. We had glitter and markers to add our own flare. I got a couple of the decorations as gifts, but told them all to take their art home and give them as gifts to their moms :)

Snow In The Hills

Today was a beautiful sunny day. but it was so cold! I think winter is really here. From my fith floor apartment I could see the foot hills of the Lesser Caucasus covered in a whimsical dusting of snow. I can only imagine that it is about that time for us to be getting a dusting in the city too, we will see. The weather has been so cloudy and rainy lately that I haven't been able to see the hills is quite some time. This mornings sunny glimpse was a nice surprise.

Back to school and all is well! It is nice to be back in my little apartment too. Finding some new projects to fill my time-submitting a grant for GLOW, trying to prepare a different one for a summer camp in Qazax, and attempting to get the word out about a teachers organization we could start here, so we will see how this all goes :)

Vacation in Georgia

It's almost Christmas in Georgia, but Mason and I went there to celebrate early, well at least at the same time as most of you :). This big tree in the middle of Freedom Square in Tbilisi is actually for New Years, but we made it our Christmas tree (better yet its just a holiday tree!). The 25th ended up being a big celebration for children in that square and Mason and I watched as overjoyed kids got to run all over the shutdown streets and in and out if the tree of lights.
Parts of the Naraikala Fortress date back to the 4th century. It was under many different commands as Georgia was conquered and re-conquered including Turkish, Persian and obviously Georgian. In the summer when my family came to visit Nick and dad ran around this fort shirtless (to much info?!).
I found the hardware section of the big, daily, street bazaar. I always get too excited and take lots of pictures when I find "hardware stores." But this man had so many old tools that reminded me of what my grandpa had in the back room of our hardware store, it made me smile.
Climbing these old stairs Mason and I explored the cities old churches and took in view of all of the city.
This is the old Turkish bathhouse. The beautiful mosaic facade matches the mosque behind it. Mason and I enjoyed a private room with a hot pool and multiple running water sources one day and another time when other PCVs came up to meet us a bunch of us girls went into the public section and got massages. I can see where our athletic clubs get their ideas for steam rooms, but these were natural, from hot springs.
After 3 nights in Tbilisi Mason and I took a train out to Batumi, on the Black Sea coast, about 12 miles from Turkey, for the day. This is the gorgeous pebble beach that us and many other Georgians were enjoying on a nice sunny day. Mason and I took a 3 hour nap out here!
Batumi Coast Guard boats near where all the fishermen catch the sardines that are for sale everywhere.
As we slowly walked back to the train station to take the train back the next night we had a rock skipping contest along the beach.
When we got back to Tbilisi we had many more friends join us so we went out to site see again. In the distance here is the main and biggest church in Tbilisi. Mason and I had gone and seen the service on Sunday. Georgia is an Orthodox Christian country so it was something new and interesting to experience. But on this day we walked up again with other friends, the church wsa still bustling even on a Thursday.
The "Kura River" as they call it goes right through the middle of Tbilisi, giving it a very European feel. It is actually the same main river the flows through Azerbaijan, we call it the "Kur River."
When New Years finally came around the streets were lit up and shut down from cars. We made friends with volunteers from all over the Caucasus' that were spending New Years in Georgia and spend the night party hoping with them.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! The other Azerbaijan PCVs that came up to meet Mason and I. It was a wonderful trip, Georgia is a fabulous place to explore! Thanks mom and dad!!

Yeni Iliniz Munarek!

Today after school I had my New Years party with both of my 6th grade classes! The theme was "New Years Around the World," and we had spent the whole month exploring New Years in Australia, China, Azerbaijan, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Brazil and the United States. My original plan was to have a play, but for reasons out of my control that idea was shot down. Lucky for me, because this party was one for the record books!
We had tons of foods, drinks, decorations and music as 40 students and teachers and I had a real Azerbaijani New Year, while learning about what other countries do around the world. Azerbaijani New Year actually quite resembles our Christmas as it turns out. "Shaxta Baba," aka Santa Claus comes on New Years Eve at midnight and fills their "Yolka," or tree (like a Christmas Tree) with presents. Shaxta Baba has the help of "Qar Giz," Snow Girl, as he travels around New Years Eve.
The classes were split into groups and each made a poster with drawings and maps of the country they were learning about. Each group gave their presentation (in Azeri, I gave them the info in English and we worked out in translations, pictures and acting what it meant and they took notes in Azeri), then I played music that I had found from each country, we all danced a little, gave the group a big round of applause and then the next group went. We started with Australia and made our way around the world. Uncle Mark, you will be happy to know that I used "We Will Rock You" as the US's New Years song, it reminded me of growing up :).
Mason, Marie, Connie and our newest site-mate, AZ8 Alise, came to help, watch, eat lots of food and have a good time at the party! Mason is helping here with "Pin the Carrot on the Snowman." It was a really big hit with the teachers and students alike, and a good win for me! Now I'm off the Georgia to celebrate Christmas and New Years! Happy Holidays everyone! And its never to early to say, Yeni Iliniz Mubarek (Happy New Years!)!!!!!

Party Time!

Today we had an end of 2010 teachers party just for girls :). There was a lot of dancing, singing, eating and drinking tea. I was the designated photographer and entertainer. And now I am SO full! I'm not eating dinner tonight haha.