The 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time1. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

2. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

3. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

4. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

5. “All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” – Paul Fussell

6. “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

7. “He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb

8. “People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” – Dagobert D. Runes

9. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

10. “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

11. “Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure.” – Aldous Huxley

12. “All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

13. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller14. “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

15. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

16″A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” – Moslih Eddin Saadi

17. “When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don’t know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in.” – D. H. Lawrence

18. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

19. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

20. “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

21. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

22. “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

23. “Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

24. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

25. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

26. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost

27. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

28. “There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” – Charles Dudley Warner

29. “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

30. “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener

31. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T. S. Eliot

32. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

33. “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

34. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu35. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

36. “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli

37. “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

38. “Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.” – Elizabeth Drew

39. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe”……Anatole France

40. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

41. “What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon

42. “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith

43. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley

44. “Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” – Freya Stark

45. “The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” – Rudyard Kipling

46. “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.” – Paul Theroux

47. “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G. K. Chesterton

48. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman

49. “A wise traveler never despises his own country.” – Carlo Goldoni

50. “Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

Well March 11th marked the 6 month point of my life in TZ. A lot of things have happened in that time. I turned 30, very happily here. I have made friends. I have begun to learn a 4th language. I have become mostly comfortable with driving on the left side of the "road." I have become comfortable with the idea of parasites that inevitably cycle in and out of my life. I have definitely grown in my position as the boss. I have become more and more attached to the amazing kids I live with. I have started to realize this place as a home. And seen the importance of growing roots to a place.

It's a strange feeling, feeling at home in the unfamiliar.

T. I. A. is something you hear tossed around a lot here. It stands for This Is Africa. And there are definitely a lot of great stories that end that way. So as I am starting to get more acquainted with my new home I thought I would share a few quick ones.

I live a few kilometers from the edge of Ngorongoro Crater so when my friend Christy and I go for walks at six am we try to be very cautious about where we go, but when we went out in the middle of the day we did not expect to end up face to face with a Bull Elephant but then T.I.A.

Today I had the clinic confirm that I have my second round of parasites in the last two weeks. T.I.A.

Best part about that is when I asked the doctor if it was a large infection or small he said. Well, it isn't too big, but when you see a hippo in a pond you don't jump in to find out how big it is you just walk away. I -laughed my butt off- and said ok.

New Year's Eve I spent drinking some wine with the volunteers until midnight when people from the nearby settlement showed up with drums singing and dancing. It was amazing we ran out to the gate to meet them and danced and chanted some songs with them.

There are always different moments you experience living abroad that trigger a strong reminder that you are ... where ever it is that you are. Seeing peanut butter in the foreign food isle in German grocery stores would always make me smile; but for me it's staring out the window as I travel that is when I fall in love with the new country I am living in. In Germany I could stare out the train window for hours, in Azerbaijan it was the mini bus (even as I was bumping along) I would love to watch the terrain change in front of me, in Tanzania it is the same thing. Driving on the tarmack from Arusha to Karatu I am blown away each time at what is out my window. It's not just the giraffes or baboons that I may see as I pass that remind my I live in Africa. It's not just the poor cows I saw dead and dying a few months ago before the rains came -- or how different the landscape is after any change in weather. It isn't even simply how the green pops off the red dirt (although I do love that). I really think it is all of that mixed with the vastness that reminds me of where I am.

And tonight we are Maasai. I am pretty excited, look for pictures. I have been gathering my outfit all day. I have my jewelery, I have my shuka, and I have a Maasai Warrior to show me how wear it. Now all I have to do is try to focus on work until the end of the day when and play dress up, eat grilled meats, and dance. And just to prove that I haven't gone full native yet, there will be apple pie at this party. Because what's a party without pie?

Alright, no matter from what part of my life you know me from, you will all pretty much know I enjoy dancing. Some have countless nights watching me prove just that on the dance floor (Maggie) some of you have just laughed your butts of at me managing to must a move in the car going through the drive through at In N Out (pretty much anyone who's ever been with me at that great moment right before you get the no. 2 combo). And let's say you have never been with me when George Michael, Salt n Peppa, or Journey came on the radio you could probably still infer from my general love of econ-podcasts that despite my great love to dance there are certain limits to my skill.

That all being said, when I do hit the dance floor I typically try to find some local girls, make friends and learn some new moves (Yep, Ash what's true in AZ, Honduras is still true all the way in TZ). So far I have gone out twice here, and both times I have had an awesome time. I have danced with great local ladies and they teach me what they can, but I do believe they are all trying to lasso the moon when each and every one of them have attempted to teach this girl booty shaking. I mean I fully believe there must be some joint in their backsides that I am missing. The first step in all these moves is to turn around and look at your own butt, right well let's start there. Because I turn, even using everything I ever learned in Yoga when I turn, there's nothing there to see. So right from the jumping off point I have failed, there's just no booty to shake. But not to be a quitter I commit, I turn and look at the place where I should be seeing booty and then try my best to shake what I haven't got. It's a lot like playing make believe. Like when my sisters and I were little and pretended our bikes were horses and feed them grass.

It's a bit of insanity but every time I hit the floors here the local chicks and I both seem to share the same illusion that I am turning and seeing something I don't have and shaking it with some muscle or joint I have not been genetically provided with. It's a fantasy. But again like playing as child it's a fun fantasy and not one I am prepared to give up. So as long as I am here I am going to keep trying and attempting the impossible and achieving my dream on the dance floor.

Hope you are all doing great!

These are taken during the same sunset on the drive back from Arusha to Karatu. The sky here seems so much bigger than at home.

There has been a great deal of official events/shenanigens around here lately. Friday was the graduation of 7th form (the last free year of school). The graduation was on our campus so all the school kids came to the Rec Hall ate a ton of food, sang and danced. But not me, I worked. I did cut up like 20 pineapples to help prep.

For me the big deal of the weekend (and why I worked the whole thing) was the first monthly training meeting for my Microfinance clients. It was the big transition meeting, and since we have 250 clients it is held once on Saturday and once on Sunday. I gave a speech to introduce myself, in swahili. Now before you all get overly excited NO I don't know swahili that well yet. I mean C'MON I have been like 2 weeks. But I did write a fairly simple speech in English and then have one of our assistants translate it and spend a whole day fretting over the pronunciation.

Saturday it was ok, I powered through it. But Sunday the crowd was FEELIN' IT. I mean there were several applause breaks. Andy compared it to watching the state of the union, I told him, yeah maybe if every time Obama was interrupted he giggled.

And for the grand finally, the Uhuru Freedom Torch of Tanzania came to campus today - Amazing the amount of grandeur that comes with that thing: 20 land rovers, a marching band, a dance troop, armed guards, district officials and lord knows who the rest were.

I do have to say it was a great ceremony, short, organized, nonviolent, and very musical. At the end of which they lined up the staff and we touched the torch, which I was told by the official makes me now Tanzanian.

Pretty amazing stuff for just two weeks in!

Hey everyone,

So today I took Andy's assistant out into "town" to try to find some clients that are behind in their payments. I say town but it's not like the size, shape or structure of any american town or village the best comparisons I can make are all PC comparisons. So for those of you that are familiar with AZ imagine any regions most remote villages and then cover it with extra red dust/dirt. So to get to these villages most people drive massive Trucks, like construction trucks or a Safari Landrover, I drive a Rav-4. I live at the top of a hill surrounded by coffee plantation and squatter slums on the other hill over is the small village of Oldeani. So as you can imagine it's just steep washed (eroded) dirt "roads" straight up and down.

So I was nervous to drive it, but it was really fun. And you should have seen these old Tanzanian Mamas faces and this white chick drove by, giggling the whole way.

This weekend Andy, Andrew, Whitney and I went camping with the Hazabe tribe. It was insane. I have never been hunting before, but when given the chance to go with a group that still using poison arrows I had to take it.

I saw Black faced vervet monkeys, dik diks and a mongoose.

We learned to start fire with sticks and Whitney and I got engaged to a chief

So from the moment I have arrived in Karatu I feel like I have been the energizer freaking bunny.

Just in order to make the best use of the time that Andy and I are overlapping we are working some long hours "in the office." Which includes site visits to clients, meetings with cooperative savings groups, and just going in and out of the small villages we work with so we can give out the loans or pick up payments. We work from 8-6:30 most days and come home have dinner, a shower if we are lucky and there is still hot water. Dinner is with all the volunteers and western staff. After that we hang out, either with all the volunteers or with just Andrew and Whitney. I usually get to my bed by 11 or 12am and then am up at 6:30 to start it all again.

It's been great; everyday I say I am going to go to bed early or not have Konyagi but every night somehow the energy is back.

Hello everyone,

I know it is strange to start up again after so long but I think, with the limited access to internet time I have when I am not working, this is just the most efficient means of communicating.

So I have been in Tanzania for 8 days now and it's just crazy how much information I am trying to process-- but it's all good stuff.

Let me start at the beginning. The trip in, well as you may expect, traveling to the other side of the world, in long. I flew from San Diego to Detroit to Amsterdam to Nairobi, stayed over night in a nice hotel and then took a bus for 7 hours from Nairobi to Arusha (I don't recommend the bus).

Despite the heat, dustiness, and complete fullness of the bus for 7 hours -- I actually had a good time. Thanks to the practice on all the Marshrutkas in good ole AZ it was comparatively comfortable and there were a handful of other tourists with who I made quick friends. One of them is supposed to email and check up on me in my small town in three weeks to see if I am ok and if I have been married off yet. Ironically, there is an engagement to report-- but more on that later. So when I arrived in Arusha I was supposed to meet a speed-taxi that had been pre-hired for me. I was not able to find the driver in the swarm of taxis that met the bus.

I should say this about the swarm of taxi drivers in Arusha and also that were mixed in with the drivers for hotels at the airport-- they were unlike the taxi drivers in AZ. I mean they would ask if I needed a taxi and I could say no once and they stopped asking, or I would say no I have another ride and they wouldn't try to harass me into taking their ride. Also the music they were playing was more my taste and preferred volume level.

So, back to the trip, like I mentioned I didn't immediately find my driver so I told another driver that if I couldn't find my driver I would use him. After about 10 minutes I told him it was ok I would use him but I would need to use his phone to call my friend. I called Andy ( the guy I am replacing). Andy was able to explain to the driver that he did hire another driver and he told me that they were there and their lisc number. I told him if he called the driver they could look for me, that I am tall and was wearing purple-- this got misunderstood on the phone and Andy heard that I was tall and purple. He told me that when were hanging out days later and I laughed and said what did you think I was Grimace, which is apparently exactly what he thought and had told Andrew and Whitney.

After I arrived in Karatu (about 3 hours from Arusha) and Andy, Andrew and Whitney and I finally met each other we went to a hotel to meet some other volunteers. We got some cold drinks before dinner I ordered a gin and tonic (Whitney told me later that this is when they I knew I was going to be ok).

Whitney is my current roommate and runs the preschool here

Andy - like I said is the guy I am replacing and leaves 9/30/09

Andrew runs the sports program here and will be my housemate once Andy leaves

I hang out with these three more often than not.

So After the original posting of this and the previous post I added some pictures, I will add even more to the next one if I can figure out how to rotate pictures, it seems like that should be easy. But alas! Also since the posting of this, it started to snow again. I'll let you all know how that ends up working out for me. I'll tell you this though, I have started distilling a ton of water to keep in reserves. All the locals are predicting another storm to roll in in the beginning of Feb. YAY! So one of these pics is the new snow and the other is one of the wrist warmers I have crocheted in front of the carpet on the wall in my bedroom. Is it just me or does it remind anyone else of that scene in "Garden State" where his shirt and wallpaper match!

I am sitting at work, by my raging fire of the gas petch (heater) and I was thinking it was blogging time, for no real outstanding reason, just cause...

So if you are out there in blogland and have been reading any of the Blog's from the PCVs here you'll note that we are all mentioning the cold! It's true it's cold, the coldest winter in AZ since 1974. The results of which are many here are a few.

Many people are still without water ( those of us who live in apartments are mostly back and running now days, but none of my sitemates can really say that)

Street Sledding is the new national past time

I missed my friends wedding, due to fear of the roads, and thusly you are all deprived of pics with me with extensions

At least in Sheki, everything is just Beautiful

School closed for an extra week because of the roads

But at least we had snow so I think that the water supply will last for a long time this summer (finger's crossed)

Strangely, it's been a great month and I have no major complaints and all the minor ones seemed to be taking care of themselves, as they usually do!

I can't remember if I ever mentioned my magic heating hole, I believe I did. So there is a hole in my kitchen floor about the size of a soda can. Through this hole hot air flowed and heated my apartment to the degree that I didn't feel the need to light my flame thrower petch. I was VERY happy about this arangement, largely because I have a tremendous amount of fear surrounding my flame throwing petch. Well last week my landlord came over and put an end to my magic heating hole. Apparently she thought I would burn to death because of it, she said she cried because I didn't answer my phone and she thought I may be dead already. Which is sad, and I guess I am glad that the danger of me burning to death is behind us, even if I don't believe it. I

have been wrong about a lot of things, why risk it right? I mean, she could be right. There are a lot of mistakes I still make because of assumptions. For example, this week our cook is on vacation so I cooked lunch at work on Monday. I assumed that the plastic cooking oil container in the kitchen was cooking oil. See right there, another false assumption. It was however, lighter fluid! Luckily, I am not sick at present and have the ability to smell and noticed it that it was not cooking oil BEFORE lighting the stove.

So there you go, magic heating hole may or may not be your friend and cooking oil may or may not be lighter fluid, Life lessons!

I'll leave you with this happy thought, all the streets in Sheki are nearly thawed, it isn't nearly the obstacle course of an ice walk it was last week. And it's been warm enough all week that even without my magic heating hole I haven't needed to light my flame thrower petch. So I am going to go ahead and call that a Win-Win!

(hopefully) ... I am hoping, not that I think Winter's over and there won't be another cold snap/blizzard, but I got water last night for the first time in 19 days. I showered at a co-worker's this week after she realized I was going to take a 12 hour roundtrip to shower in Baku. It was really nice of her, and it was a great shower, the first of 08! Although I am glad it's over (again, hopefully) I will never forget the week of my life where I would go collect snow to melt down for water that we cold heat on a wood burning stove to drink instant coffee to stay warm.

Emily, my new sitemate has an on-going list of things she will never take for granted after Peace Corps (an excercise that would be good for anyone I think) this week water got added to the list, she still didn't have any last night, so let's keep her in our thoughts.

I think I am going to start a list too. I will say one thing I have not taken for granted since I moved into my apartment is water, especially running water on demand. I actually get jealous/awe struck when I am in someone's place with running water. You should have seen me staying at Christof's in Germany. I did the dishes everyday while he was at work, because they were so EASY to do, his response (other than gratitude) was you do known that the thing next to you is a dishwasher! I knew, but ...Running Water, wow!

Other things I have realized are great are broccoli, showering, WASHING MASCHINES, variety in cheese, sidewalks, trash cans, regular trash pickups, and insulation. I am sure I will add to the list over time.

Today is Jan 20th, which is a black holiday in Azerbaijan. It is a memorial day, so in honor of it I am going to start educating myself on the politics of the region. I think it would be great if by the time I left I was able articulately answer half the questions I am sure to get, so I suppose it's time I start devoting a significant about of time to that!

Last tidbit, The English Volunteer's in town organized an English movie day at the local movie theater, so yesterday I got to see Ice Age in English along with 66 other people in town, which is about 12 times larger than any other turn out I have seen at that theater! So it was a pretty great day. I found MUSHROOMS for sale in town. Emily came over and we chatted for about 7 hours and over 5 cups of coffee and bailey's (thanks again Steph). Then we went to dinner with Nick (her husband) and afterwards we met up with some other volunteers, all that and I got water! What a day, What a day!!!!

Hi Everyone out there in blogging land. So winter finally hit Sheki, we didn't have a white Christmas but we sure did have a white New Year's! It's snowed for a week straight. Today was the first sunny day, which means I woke up to the sound of 1ft + icicles falling from the rooftops. It was also the first day back to work since Dec 19th, so it was a little rough getting out of my nice warm bed, but I did it!

The roads are not just icy though, they are entirely iced over, so I had the distinct pleasure of walking to work on an uphill ice rink. I even saw where someone had slipped earlier and spilt there milk, because the milk had froozen! Which brings up a new fun game I have been playing, called funny things I see in the snow. It started on New Year's Eve, the first day of heavy snow, I was walking to Nick and Emily's and I saw an organ lying there in the snow, no kidding! I am not really sure which one it was maybe a liver? Since then I have also seen a CD frozen to the ground beneath the snow and possibly my favorite Azeri shoeprints. Azeri men's shoes are typically very pointy so the shoe prints looks live Elf prints, it's pretty darn funny!!!

So that's it from Sheki for now... and in case you are all wondering I am keeping warm by sitting in my kitchen keeping warm by the whole in my floor through which hot air blows, from...? This is largely because I am typically too scared to light my heater because it is really just a blow torch in a metal box!

Hey there-

Ok I know I know, I have been very very bad at this lately! Well, yeah I have. But I have been busy. Since I wrote last there was Halloween, a pig roast, training of trainers project, gender training, and Thanksgiving!!! So there is too much to catch up on. I will try to do the best I can in brief!

Halloween was amazing, Tom and Ash threw quite the shindig down in Lankaran. It seemed like everyone was there, it was throngs of people in costumes. Some of my favorites were the Anchorman team, the jolly green giant and snow pea, a russian bottle of beer and I myself came as a bac'tress (a waitress for Tom's future bacon resturant).

After that I held a gender training in Sheki for a youth group, it was outstanding. The kids were very active and stayed involved the whole time. I believe there will be follow up trainings and other volunteers have already asked me to come to their regions and conduct similar trainings for them.

Then there was a week I spent in Ganja at Ben's it was fantastic, it started with a weekend pig-roast and end with a three day training session that I observed. I still can't believe we roasted a pig, it is possibly the most Peace Corps, Peace Corps night of myself so far! And it was delicious, a great pre-cursor for the week at Ben's. Honestly, when Ben and I hang there is always great food about. He made excellent egg sandwiches for me, chilli and baked potatoes and I made one kickin pecan pie and a quiche, both without recipes. Other than that we spent all of our after work hours vegging out watching the Office on my laptop! Oh this reminds me, I forgot to say hi to two people I know read this. One is Ram's mother, hi! Ram told me that you found my blog and ask if we are friends, we are. Your son is great one of the kindest and most talented people here. The other is Ben's mother. Hi Mrs. Wulf, I just wanted to thank you for all the great stuff you send Ben. I just wanted to let you know that he is always very generous with sharing things he gets from home and we all appreciate it. Also I don't know if I ever thanked you for the speakers you sent him, he's lent them to me, since I didn't have any. If I forgot to mention it before-- thanks!

Since then there has been Thanksgiving, which was another success. There was excellent food, another talent show which left me giggle-fitting. Also Lucas (AZ3)was in town on business so we got to hang out with him too!

This week I have gotten two killer packages from home(THANK YOU MOMI AND THANK YOU STEPH), saw Elmir (my pc program manager, who I love), had dinner at the hotel with my Norwegian friends and have some house guests for the weekend- in short it is an Awesome time here is Sheki. We even had our first snow fall of the season AND the greastest surprise, in one of the packages my father got me MY SO CALLED LIFE on DVD. So I just got to say, October may have rough for me but November is doing its best to shatter all memories of that and leave me the happy bubbly PCV I was meant to be!!!

Well Happy end of Ramazan (Ramadan) to all of you out there!

For all of you that are unaware Ramazan is a month long fast observed in the Muslim world, which Azerbaijan is a part of! I however did not fast, some PCVs do not me, I find that I have to concentrate hard enough to remember it's Friday during Lent.

This year Ramazan marked the time between me going to Germany and this week. So I think it's fitting that I celebrate being back here, physically and mentally. I spent the first day of the holiday in my apartment, it being the first day after my fever broke (I was sick for a little while there, all better now). So I didn't want to push it. Charlie came over to grind some meat and burn some CDs. In Azerbaijan you typically buy your meat cut but not ground so if you want it ground you do it yourself, Charlie doesn't have a meat grinder though and I do. Also he wanted some of the sweet music I got from Ram and Aaron lately.

After chatting for a little bit we decided that we should bake some pies, so we did! An apple and and pecan pie. They were both delicious, but the apple pie was a little runny, if anyone knows how to fix that let me know. The Pecan pie was fantastic, I got pretty good at those last year when I practiced for Ben's bday pies.

Sunday I went over to the old host family's house and had lunch, it was great. I really really like them. Aysel my host sister and Arzu my host mother are amazing people and I always feel better when I go over there. My puppy is now a dog and I can't believe how big he's gotten compared to how small he started out, but I guess that's what puppies do they grow!

Ok just so you all know next week will be AZ4's Mid Service Conference. What does that mean? Well, it means a couple of things... 1. it means we're half done with our service (or a little over since today is our 13th month at site anniversary!) 2. it means all of AZ4 is trooping into Baku today and tomorrow for about a week of training, med exams, language tests, and togetherness. So as I hope my language test goes ok- I'm pretty nervous... I am really happy to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a while. Az4 of all the groups I have seen over here except maybe AZ2 is really a solid group. We're pretty much all supporters so it'll be nice to hang out together again. The last time we all lived in a hotel together for 4 nights it was greatness that lives in AZ4-folklore as Dalga 2. I am hoping for a similar bonding experience that would basically emulate what many people's views of PC life guitars, singing, freestyle song writing, capes, forts, in other words the standard fare!

Ok, so you all know that I have a small thing for pirates. They sail on the ocean, and I like the ocean. They eat limes, and lord knows I like limes. They go ever so well in foods and drinks that I like- like guacamole and caiprihanas. And then there's the ham...

So it's well documented. I'd like to thank all of you that supported International talk like a Pirate day, especially those of you that emailed me about it, Matt, Lucas and Tom's dad! Also for the pirate -shwag that I have received since being here. Pirate coloring books from Joy and Keri (which is awesome, since I also love to color, and Keri's came with an eye patch). A full pirate costume (joy) (that would fit if my full size was that of a four year old). Pirate sword plastic tooth picks (keri)Happy Birthday Pirate Banners (my sisters) Eye Patches (sisters)Pirate Hats (sisters) My pride and joy shirt that says I scull and cross bones pirates (Mags)Roughly 50 Long John Silver's pirate hats (Ash via his friends)A plank!!! (Ram and Terah)a small pirate book that expands in water (sisters)

This week I received two new Piratey books from my father and Steph and a plastic bracelet that says Argggggh Matey and has a skull and cross bones on it from Tom via one of his friends.

I wanted to thank you all for the support, I think that I will literally have to decorate on of my rooms exclusively in Pirate shwag just to make use of it all.

Also let me say this I have just learned that the next installment of the THE PIRATE! book series is going to be called "Pirates! an adventure with Napolean" there's an extract online, but I am torn because I really want to read it, but don't want to, because then it won't be new any more-- you can see the dilemma. But if any of you are fans (and let me say if you even remotely love dry brittish humor, monty python-esque wit, or pirates, you really ought to surrender yourself to the fact that these books are designed for you!) then you can find the extract at Gideon Defoe's website gideondefoe.com. Gideon Defoe, being the author of the Pirates! series. And if anyone finds out when the book is being released please please tell me. Even if it is next fall it would give me such hope just to know that it has a release date. Okay that's enough out of me. Just thought someone else ought there would be excited to know there is going to be a fourth book!!!!

I've been trying to think of exactly how to describe my trip to Germany for a while now. I couldn't think of exactly how to describe how it felt to be back, and I know an itemized list of what I did could not convey it. There was that and the fact that as predicted there was about a 10 day whiplash period of adjustment upon my return to the land of fire. But I am back and have to start with a BIG Gigantic Thank you to Christof (sunshine) and Christoph (Christoph). The first for being an outstanding friend picking me up at the train and letting me stay at his place for two weeks! The second for paying for my plane ticket-- I mean C'mon what a professor!

Because I could never think of how to blog this, I am stealing directly from an email I wrote home, I think it does a good job of describing how it felt to be on my trip. One caveat, I did do work while I was there and it was interesting, but there is no mention of that in this-- oh well!!

Germany was fantastic -- AMAZING. I saw my best friends Gudrun,

Christof (aka sunshine) Aaron (the American) and Michael. Fernando

who was a friend became a best friend as we were both given VIP status

allowed to do what we wanted as much or as little. So often we'd

drink coffee all day, giggling. Once we ran through the rain laughing

at ourselves outloud the whole way across campus. It was like we were

both discovering what it felt like to be free again and we had each

other to look back at and remark constantly how good it felt! Fernando

is Brazilian and the year behind me in studies so we were friends but

I didn't know him as long or as well as some other people there, I no

longer feel like that is true.

To tell you about Germany I can say that I feel back into my life in

Kassel effortlessly. I know that city. And it felt like someone had

kept my life warm for me. I walked onto the campus for the first time

and turned in by my department and from behind I saw someone. I

walked another few steps to be sure before yelling out "Hey Jackass" (it's his nickname, he likes it. Don't worry it's not mean!) Michael turned around, shocked smiled, hugged me and then responded.

"You've been here for how long and you haven't called me?" I told him

I had only arrived the night before at it was after 8:30 on a weekend

so he was probably in bed, he agreed and we went and got some coffee.

My coffee date lasted about an hour until I went to lunch with

someother friends I ran into.

The best day in Germany was the Friday I was there. I woke up late,

took a shower, watched a little TV, then headed off to campus. I met

Michael and had lunch with him in the cafeteria. We bantered back and

forth for an hour and I told him about my life and heard about his.

After that I joined Fernando and some current students as they

finished lunch then we went to coffee (it's really a part of our lunch

there. We eat and talk then go to our student run leftist cafe.) So

Fernando and I sat down there at about 1. Another guy, Mike joined us

a half our later and we talked about the program and all sorts of

stuff. Then we got more coffee and Fernando decided we needed

chocolate, he came back with a Surprise. He looks at me and says, I

know from Aaron that all Americans LOVE these and he hands me a box of

Oreos. He was right I loved them. So we drank coffee and ate Oreos.

Then Andreas and Olga walked by, I hadn't seen them in two years so we

hugged and chatted. I think it was then that Mike decided we needed

beer so he went in the cafe and came back with beers for us all. a

few more people drifted in and out then Olga and Andreas decided we

needed fried chicken and fries (cause that's what they eat every

friday) and we didn't want to leave so Andreas biked and came back

with Fried Chicken and fries and more beer. By this time Antonio (a

mexican guy 3rd yr who rented my apartment and bought all my stuff

from me) was back. He'd been getting Stereo equipment for the party

we were having at the cafe the next night. He asked us if we would

stay there for another hour we said of course, for now we had fried

chicken and beer. So we sat there, friends came in and out we text

messaged others to meet us there when they were free for the night.

And as it got cold and dark we were going to move on, but since we had

the keys to the now closed cafe we just went inside. We had the

stereo equipment and my ipod, so there was music. There was beer and

our friends were there so we sat down and kept hanging out, remarking

that this was the best night EVER! Aaron came, Gudrun came, Eddie

came, then Sunshine. All of my favorite people, and no one else. Our

own music in our own cafe. It was Perfect! I left with sunshine at

midnight and the rest stayed another couple of hours. The program

party was the next night, but that was the night that I will always

remember and knew even as it was happening that I would remember it as

one of the best in my life.

That was Germany, it was feeling free, it was good friends hanging out

talking, and coffee. It was a seemless landing back into a life I

left two years ago. It was perfect.

Another note: I did also play Kicker while in Germany (Once against Fernando and Aaron and beat them, other times with less success. Kicker is the German name for fooseball, for the Americans in the crowd, I think it's table soccer or padyfoot or something like that to the Brits)

Last note: Not that it's less important but it isn't really about Germany; Kazia's pregnant, my older sister for those of you unfamilar)

pictures are all taken in or in front of Des Asta - our favorite cafe

group picture- Eddie, Fernando, Antonio, Aaron and Gudrun

Sunshine looking extra fancy - couldn't figure out how to rotate the picture

Fernando- my newest best friend, drinking coffee and eating chocolate!

Me and Antonio- I think I am shooting Mike (the photographer) a really weird look!

Honestly, I should probably break this blog into three parts 1 being a reflection of the last year and where I am half way through my service, 2 being a report about possibly the single best vacation I could have taken, and 3 being a description of my current working conditions. But Since all three are happening simultaneously (or that’s how it feels) that’s how I am going to write up this entry.

September 15th was AZ4’s one year mark, I was at an alumnus party in Germany. It is an amazing feeling to look back at finishing grad school two years ago while looking forward a year as everyone asks the inevitable “what’s next” question. One night I was at a Chinese restaurant with my friend Christof and I remarked about how much Kassel had changed; he let me go on for a little while about this and that changing. Then he said that it hadn’t actually changed. I responded with that this restaurant was never here before, I was wrong it was. He looked at me and said it’s not Kassel, Magda it’s your perspective of Kassel that has changed.

Here are some of my thoughts of my first year of service, or my first 15 months in the country, or if you will things that may have changed my perspective…

When we first moved to site we were told to greet people, make friends, make your presence as a local known, after my first day of work I decided to give this a try. Looking around I noticed an old woman smiling, determined she’d be my first hello, it wasn’t until I was standing face to face with her that I noticed she was drooling… Now I live on the corner she frequents, I see her everyday. Often when I pass her she puts down her imaginary cell phone and utters her best approximation of Sabah Xaniz Xeyr (Good Morning).

I have never been good at even walking by the meat counter in grocery stores in the states, not that I am a vegetarian. I just hate the smell of raw meat. My first dozen or so trips to the bazaar would always yield a moment or two when I thought I might loose it as I walked past the fresh meat. I started to notice several months back that although I still don’t buy the meat, because I am not quite ready to grind my own sheep’s meat, I don’t mind the meat section in the bazaar anymore. And while in Germany, was easily able to approach the meat section while we were buying ingredients for lasagna.

Two nights ago I helped my friend move, her apartment is so nice and so clean. This is something I am constantly wowed by. I turned on her faucet and there was water, I was impressed. This is one respect where I no my perspective has changed. My relationship with water is definitely different for having lived here a year.

I noticed on the transatlantic flight in June that my concept of long had changed, by new definition is anything over six hours is a long trip, however, if it is six hours on a plane where everyone sits in their own seat, no one is touching me, and I can control the air conditioning, let alone get up and go to a relatively clean bathroom whenever I want, food is brought to me and there are movies I can watch at whatever volume I choose. Well in that case six hours is brief.

Some things have not changed…

I am still friends with the same people even though some of them aren’t here anymore.

I still feel the same way about both of my host families as I did the day I showed up on their respective doors.

I still LOVE Kelem dolmasi (stuffed cabbage).

I still believe with absolute certainty that Sheki is the most awesome city in Azerbaijan and I still feel at home here.

I am still confused about the large talking scales in Baku, I mean who wants to get weighed publicly.

I still like drinking a cold beer and sitting with friends at Tequila Junction and ordering the same thing we did the very first time.

I still am impressed with my Program Manager.

And above all else, I am still constantly surprised by this country.

One day Ashely and I were walking through Fountain Square, in Baku, and we saw a guy on a Harley riding down the steps in the pedestrian zone. We looked at each other and I said you know what, I honestly think at this point if I saw a man riding an Ostrich through Fountain Square I would be surprised. And today, the street my office lies on is getting paved, for maybe the first time ever, because we are having our grand opening party on Saturday and the Norwegian Ambassador is coming, I mean how fancy is that!!!

One year in and one to go my staff has formed a new program got and remodeled a building for our offices, furnished it, moved in, got internet, started trainings in multiple cities, improved our materials, started new courses, improved the internet, build a beautiful garden and is now having our official opening party. Yesterday the city informed us that they were repaving the road. And also yesterday my office got filled with plants. 3 months ago when I showed up and our company’s name was spelt out in grass in our garden, I texted my friend and said the day we have Hawaiian Shirt days I am leaving cause this place is done.

Ok well I think that is enough blog for now. I will right again soon to really describe my trip back to Kassel, and put up picks.

So, I have been busy lately. I have been in and out of town a lot for work and some for play. My office got a grant from the OSCE to expand our work out in the North West regions of Azerbaijan. That basically means I had/ got to spend a week out of town lately. I had to go to trainings with my staff everyday and then went and hung out with Ben and Rob in the evenings. It was a pretty good week. Ben got some packages from home which he graciously shared with me. I got some good work done and learned some stuff. There were however, some less than stellar moments. One came while I was conducting a training and one of the gentlemen that was up for a trainer position asked the program manager how much I cost and another took pictures of me on his phone while the training was going on. After that I was sure of two things. First, that I would spend the rest of that day at Ben's hanging out with Americans and eating America food (we baked cookies and two pizzas). Second, that it was time to start planning the gender conference that I had been thinking about.

This week Rachel cam up to Sheki so that we could start planning the conference. It was great to have her help and to have a friend around for a week. Saturday I left town with her and went to Baku and met up with Ash who had just finished a week long boys leadership camp. We hung out with some 5s until 4am when I got in a taxi to go to the airport. Currently, I am in Istanbul in the middle of a seven hour layover, but am I enjoying the free wireless internet! I'm going to be in Germany for the next two weeks I hope that the next post will be full of glorious pictures of me with my friends there!!!

Last night was my 13th month anniversary of being in Azerbaijan. Lucky thirteen. Fourteen to go if you wanted to count. I spent it with another volunteer who I haven't spent much time with, Matt. I like that my site is interesting enough that eventually almost everyone will spot by and in doing so afford me the opportunity to get to know them better.

I thought in the spirit of the random travelers that come and go I would include some pics- 1 is my baby sister who, as you can see just got married. The other two are from one of my favorite areas of Sheki. It is the old town, where the palace of the Khan still stands. Matt was about to go walk up there yesterday so he could see Sheki and I could get work down on a new project I have, but then a storm intervened and after the power went off and the battery was drained from my laptop we surrendered to hang out, cook up some pasta, share some stories to make each other laugh. Happy 13th month AZ4!

Well Kats and Kittens, its time for another Blog entry. And here we go. The last week has seen me play hostess quite a bit! Adam came to help me with my website again, and yet again I worked him to exhaustion. This time I took my own trash out but kept him at my office till 11pm or midnight the whole time. However, we were productive, and according to Peace Corps Inspector Carlos Torres- that is a pretty good measure of happiness levels for PCVs. And trust me when PC touts its organizational knowledge wizardry, I don’t question it!

In other news I finally saw the Wolf-man of Sheki. I’ve seen pictures and heard stories but I had my first and second sighting this week. Sheki is a great town, and is full of sweet pastries, old architecture and Characters. I have presented few to you my readers already, the well dressed azeri lady and my postman to name a couple. Well the Wolf-man is on that caliber. He is this hunched older man that walks around Sheki with a stuffed wolf under a sheet. NO KIDDING!! For 40cents you can look into the beasts eyes and take a picture with it! Two things to note about the stuffed Wolf, it’s eyes have little LED lights in them to make him look more fierce and my favorite part—the silk sheet that covers the Wolf has two holes cut out for its ears to stick out—how great is that!

Lastly, some other characters rolled into town this weekend- AZ5. Well we had three 5ers come in to learn about a PCV does, what is our life like, and pump us for all sort of info. I had to lovely girls Kat and Carly and Josh had Donny the new kid (who totally took my Donny the new kid on the block references well!) If these three are any indication of the quality of AZ5 we’re going to have a great year. They got in Saturday night, Josh and I picked them up from the bus station—I went “Sheki ice queen” on Donny and later apologized and made it up with Chicken tacos. (Sheki ice queen is my public persona at site especially with men, Charlie dubbed me that and Ash can attest to just how true it can be.) Sunday the boys hiked and the girls slept in, went to the Bazar, walked around town, and took some naps, that afternoon we met up with Karen (the coolest expat at CHF) had tea and went to dinner at our hotel. Sunday night the girls kept me up giggling and talking about stuff—I know that will take no one by surprise. Monday was take your 5s to work day and since they had to leave so early we crashed Monday night. But I had a great great time with the 5ers and I look forward to meeting them all! Please enjoy the pic of us and Wolf-man and the WOLF!

Well Again it’s been awhile so let me jump right back into things and say things. It feels great to be back. I know I am not supposed to say that, but it is true. I’m not going to bag on America- that rocked too! Kazia’s 30th was outstanding and Jana’s Wedding was unique and awesome. I had a great time, but it I stayed there one more day I was going to pop! Turns out everything the U.S. was way more delicious than I remembered. So I basically felt like I ate my way across the U.S. – which was great, but I needed to stop eating.

My first great surprise was waiting for me outside of customs. Amongst all the men holding signs for drivers, which for some reason I was inspecting, there was a Peace Corps driver with a Peace Corps sign. Now I know that for certain reasons PC will pick you up, but as special as going to your sister’s wedding is, it’s definitely not one of the reasons. But I went over and talked to him. Turns out he was waiting for an AZ5 that was on my plane- crazy right! (sidenote- at least 5 European rhythmic gymnastics teams were also on the plane)

So as the evening played out, I got a free ride into town (usually a 20$ cab ride)

A free room to crash in (would have been a 55$ hotel room)

A free ride to PC offices the next morning (3 $ taxi)

And I got to meet Greta Shoop- AZ5 early (frickin priceless! Did I mention her last name is Shoop like the song- how cool is that!)

The reunion theme continued to my trip to Ganja, which was dubbed the Reunion Tour, as so many AZ4-ers that had spent part of June away from AZ returned for a little softball! It was hugs all around for the PCVS and Ming won the tourney but I think we all had a great time. I helped moved Ben in Larry’s apt as we all said goodbye to “LARRY BADGER”(properly spoken in a thick Russian accent for comedic affect). Yes was sad to see Larry go but the man had to get home in time for his 70th birthday, and it is all part of the PCV circle of life as AZ3 moves on and AZ4 swoops in and takes all the really cool stuff, like Air Conditioned apartments!

One last note on softball, it has been said that I am not afraid of balls being thrown at me, and in the final game I finally proved to the guys that I can even catch, what remains to be seen for the fall season is if I can finally learn to use my glove hand and stop getting wicked bruises each time I play!

4th of July---- Thank you AMERICA. I never felt so high class! The embassy threw a kickin’ bash. Hot dogs Hamburgers and chocolate chip cookies. Also a special thanks to Mike, who yet again hooked us up with a free place! And let me say this- In Ganja, we had no water until we moved to Larry’s, before that in Sheki I had no water. Think about that, now think about how much softball we played in middle of the day heat and humidity, and then add the bus ride to Baku- the other side of the country, now think about how happy we were to get to Mike Air Conditioned apartment and use his showers and washing machine!

Finally, after 2 and half months of trainings and trips my counter part Azad and I were reunited too! It was great to see him again! And yeah I wore lipstick and he freaked out about how beautiful I am- so there you go, Reunions in every capacity and you can see why I mean it! It’s great to be back.

FYI the pics are all taken at the embassy. Standing in front of our state flags. In order left to right-Ashley, Rikki, and Ben in front of the Texas flag

Higgens and I in front of the all time best state's flag. Tom and Arzu in front of Illinois'.

Group shot goes Ben, Tom, me, Rikki, Ash Higgens, and Jason

Please allow me to set this up. This is a character decription of all the pirates in the Pirates! Adventure with books. It is written by Gideon Defoe, who is the author of my beloved Pirates! Adventure with books. He is amazingly dry, sarcastic, and piratanical- so of course I am in love, sigh...

This can also be viewed as a means of response to Mr. Kniola who whilst visiting our dear Azerbaijan asked me, hey Magda why are you so in to pirates. Maybe it's cause they are awesome maybe because if you search Gideon Defoe on Amazon you will find his books tagged with these five words: adventure, fiction, ham, humor, pirates- pretty sure that could be my motto. Or maybe it's just because of detailed characters such as these. So Mr. Kniola, all you Xanims out there, and the rest of you lot, ENJOY YOURSELVES---

It’s been suggested in some circles that the Pirate books lack a certain depth of characterisation. Those circles are circles of idiots. EVERY SINGLE pirate has got at least two identifiable characteristics. This officially makes them multi-faceted, like diamonds. Here is a quick character guide to the pirate crew:

The Pirate with a scarf - the pirate with a scarf is reliable. He is also loyal. And he has a scarf. That’s THREE characteristics! Even Anna Karenina doesn’t have that many characteristics (she has two - being a bit sad, falling under trains).

Jennifer - Jennifer is also reliable. But to differentiate her from the pirate with a scarf she is a woman. Obviously nobody really knows what goes on in the mysterious brains of women, so she is by definition an enigma, wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in a big Victorian hooped skirt.

The pirate in green - the pirate in green is an everyman. He is also quite tidy. If they were to make a sitcom of the pirates in the 1970s he would be played by Richard Beckinsale.

The albino pirate - In many ways the heart and soul of the pirate boat, the albino pirate’s main characteristic is being pale. But he is also very enthusiastic. The albino pirate uses more exclamation marks than any of the other pirates.

The pirate in red - the pirate in red is quite surly. He is also a bit of a show-off.

You see? One dimensional ciphers my ass.

Hey Kids

So what have I been up to, well let’s see. Ash turned 30, we went camping in a gorgeous place in the mountains in Oguz, the neighboring region. We saw waterfalls, hiked up a river, got wet falling in the river. Slept out under the stars, had a bone-fire, made grilled cheese sandwiches over it, and had an over-all amazing time. I love camping, it’s just great. And to all of you wondering why PCVs go camping (the aren’t you roughing it enough argument) I’d say, precisely because we already used to sleeping in awkward places (read 6 hour marshrukta rides) already used to having to treat our water, used to being a little dirty and sweating, and not being able to shower exactly when you want to- so no, it’s no big deal, plus it’s beautiful. A few of us were talking about it and camping next to a river this weekend was the first time I’ve had running water on demand in months, yes nature offers more amenities that my apartment!

After camping we came back to civilization, showered napped, and headed out to 5-star class. We chowed down at the Sheki Saray (the big swanky hotel in town) cheeseburgers, sandwiches, salads, cheese platers, and pasta were consumed with gusto. The evening then moved on to Charlie’s where card games turned into a sing-a-long, no not kumbayah, we’re PCVs but not that hard-core mostly sublime and pearl jam songs- and no not one round of wonderwall.

The next day Charlie and I went to my office picnic. Fan-freaking-tastic. The weather was great, the location, a field of wild flowers bordered by a river trees and mountains. I don’t know how to explain it but to say it was the best most normal Magda day in Azerbaijan. I love my office staff, it’s like an extended family, or like the San Diego church, where they aren’t your family but they might as well be. There were two kids to play with, volley ball, chess, and pool. The food was great and overly plentiful. We stayed there from 11-7:30pm. What a great day.

As soon as I got home, Adam was arriving in Sheki, we went to dinner at my favorite outdoor café and then passed out from exhaustion, he from his trip and me from the weekend. Tuesday we got up and WORKED. He had come to help me with my website and we did just that from 10- 4:30, then ran an errand or two and went to softball played with the kids till 9-or so and came back to my place with josh and Charlie and made chicken fajitas- delicious!

Wednesday- at the office at 8:30 and from then till 1:00 worked on that website, then I scarfed down some soup and headed off to the interviews with Charlie (we interviewed kids for camp- more on that later)

I was there till 3, it ended early, then I made everything for dinner and some iced tea and cleaned. After that I crashed for a half hour from the heat and the week. Around 8:30 Charlie came over I ate tacos and we drank iced tea while he schooled my butt in dominoes. It has been possibly the best week in Peace Corps, and definitely one of the busiest! I am especially grateful to Adam who not only made the 10 hour trip to help me, also spent an hour throwing out all the trash in my apartment! What a friend.

It’s gone all sorts of pretty here. It’s warm, not too hot yet and everything is green!

How do I explain what I’ve been up to. Well, hmm… There’s two weekends ago where we had our first Softball tournament, where Sheki did pretty good and I only accidentally hit Ash with a bat twice! I think our team will be strong (if I can stop breaking people) and starting a softball league in Azerbaijan is really quite cool! From Berda I went to Baku, for Gender in Development training. Any of you who know me, probably know that this stuff is right up my alley. I found it to be the best training since “right to play,” and it is hard to beat training that is just teaching you how to play and teach games! After three long days of training I finally came back to Sheki, Charlie and I had a chance to hang out before guests arrived for the weekend. These guests happened to be some of the more sarcastic boys of AZ3. I had a good time hanging out with them and I think that we made one of the all time best life decisions to take the camping. Once safely atop a mountain, the boys were free to be as loud and as boisterous as they pleased- which is good, because loud and boisterous is just what they were. We built a huge fire and roasted kebabs and hot dogs. The guys went through the meat like frenzied wolves it was hysterical to watch. I have to get the pictures from Charlie, because they are great. Sunday morning we awoke before the sun and headed on down the mountain to make some scrambled eggs for breakfast. Monday I wrote up an email to a future PCV who ask what my typical day was like, I explained that there are no typical days here. I told her what my plans were for the day, and by the time I sent the email, it was all wrong because I ended up volunteering to be the point person for the logistics of a 40,000lbs book donation that requires and the requests to be in tomorrow. I told that to Charlie and he laughed and said, yeah, “I was going to go check my email but (two guys we teach) called and asked me to have a beer with them in the park and they ended up teaching me to break dance!” I think that is just about the perfect way to describe what life is like here. It’s busy, the weather is beautiful, and just we you think you know what you are going to do that day something changes and all of the sudden you are managing a new project or doing hand stands in the park! God I love Peace Corps.

Well I thought since, as of late I have been accused of keeping secrets I thought I would let you all know the big news that I have been keeping under wraps. The reason that we've been celebrating so much this month and why I baked the cake for Charlie is, that he has decided to extend his service! For all of you that are still unclear who Charlie is, he is my site-mate. Meaning that he is another PCV that is placed in Sheki. He is from the group a year ahead of me, AZ3. Most of AZ3 is going home this summer, but Charlie will stay here with me and Josh, our other site-mate until next summer. Hip Hip Hooray! This will allow us to work on more projects together and continue cooking and hanging out for another whole year. I for one could not be happier. He is a great and positive influence here. So there you go mama, that's the big secret, that was only kept secret until it was official.

Alright, this one is for you and all the Peace Corps Parents that make our lives here better. Also I think I forgot to mention on here how much meeting the Kniola’s rocked- you guys are great. And in a few weeks here I will get the opportunity to meet the Hunziker’s, which I am really looking forward to, since I had to bail on Egypt for my sister’s wedding.

Ok so the last two entries were about my apartment, and you have to understand that moving out is a big step in the life of a PCV. It grants you more control over where you go and what you eat, and how warm or cold you would like to be. But mostly, for me it has meant eating and cooking the way I like! And thanks to Momi, Popi and Stephanie, Kazia, Matt, and Suzie (all the people who have sent me food related packages) I have been eating, and eating well.

I have made Indian, Thai, tons of Mexican, corn bread, pizzas and tuna melts, but, in April there was one dish that took longer to make and more planning than anything I have ever made. In April I made Pecan Pies! And they rocked! The pies, like getting my own apartment, were a bit of a saga in that the idea of it started way back in PST.

In PST, I would often walk around Saray or Sumgayit with the crew dreaming of things we’d make someday. I decided that one thing I would learn to make in Peace Corps would be pies. I kind of started talking about it a lot- just ask Tom or Ben. I don’t know why, but that is how it began. I texted a request to my oldest friend Suzie, and within two weeks I had pie tins!

Then there was the Sheki America Day, where I was going to make apple pie for the kids, that week however, the electricity was too sketchy to try for pies, so we made cookies.

Then some time around March, I started thinking about the pies again, and there was the perfect occasion, Ben’s birthday. So as soon as I had my own place, all the planning began. Knowing Ben I knew that a surprise Pecan Pie would be perfect, it is something we’ve talked about often. But there were no pecans, in fact there are no pecans in Azerbaijan. I went to all the expat stores in Baku and there were no pecans so I made a call home. I requested pecans from Stephanie, my lovely step mother. I also sought the advice of practically all the American Staff in the Peace Corps office of where to get the rest of the ingredients, one even gave me a ride to the store! Finally April 10th I got the package from home with the nuts. From then it was fairly easy, I made a practice pie to test the recipe and my oven.

The 20th a bunch of us would be going in to Genca to see Ben, the night before I made the pies. I traveled the three hours to Genca in a mini bus the pies in a box in the trunk. When we got there the driver trying to help me, as it looked like I had too much to carry. I had plastic bag with a French Press on top of the box of pies, the driver took the plastic bag and tried to shake the box of pies into the bag and I freaked out. I told him it was ok I could carry it all, then he handed me the pies and accidentally dropped the bag with the French Press. I picked it up and walked into the city. It took me 20 minutes to build up the courage to check to see if everything was ok. It was! Nothing broke and the pies were great. After that the weekend was a huge success, I picked Ben up at his office, where his staff wished him every happiness and many sons. We went to his new fancy apartment I gave him the pies and French Press and we sat on his couch and drank coffee and ate pie for hours, it was awesome!

I was sick for a week where nothing interesting happened except I slept a lot and read! I also went in to Baku so that the med staff could make sure everything was ok, it was and I got a hot shower or two and I went to the dollar store in Baku and got some mac and cheese and cake mix. I made the Cake for Charlie because we have both decided things of late that warranted celebration, and we decided to celebrate things more often. He also made a huge thing of beef stew and brought it to me cause I was sick, what a good site mate.

This weekend was amazing. I saw Lenkeran for the first time, America Day was highly successful by all measurements and we had a cinco de mayo fest! It was amazing! Really, I had tons of decorations from a package from Kazia, my sister who knows how I love all things Mexican. Tom and Ash’s families sent over TONS of stuff too. All in all it was a party I will always remember and since I am going into Baku for a Gender in Development training next week I will post up pics from Lenkeran then. I will also put up pics of my apartment and quite probably the softball tournament in Berda!

ok again I have been a poor blogger- I know. And since Mrs. Wulf has requested I do better, I will try. I got behind. In April, it was partially because I was trying to keep something a surprise for a friend, and so I could not mention it on here, and after that I was slightly sick for a week. It was not a big deal, just enough to keep me from the internet. But I am back now and next week I will be in Baku all week, with faster internet so, I will be uploading pictures for old posts and updating you all on what I have been doing for the last month or so.

Again I'm sorry.

Okay,

Well I have been significantly slacking on writing things up lately! I have no real excuses or reasons. So I feel like I should describe my wobbly home to you all.

I live in an apartment. For any of you that saw my place in Germany you know what Soviet –style block apartments can look like. Well my building is structurally similar it’s tall-ish, very much like a plain rectangle sticking out. There are only 3 apartments per floor and I live on the third floor. I like it because I can see everything that happens on the street but they can’t see me.

The only it has to my place in Germany is that across the way from my place in Germany there was a retirement home, and now there is a hospital. Though the way that I look across is no longer a peacefully empty German parking lot, it is the main street in Sheki. And for all of you thinking it, no they aren’t the same thing. There are cars and people that drive them in my town, it isn’t so small that you don’t have to watch out for cars. Also my apartment is much bigger than my German apartment. My bedroom is about the size of the bedroom/living room in my German apartment or for those of you that never went there about the size for the big downstairs bedroom I lived in in San Diego (it’s actually bigger than that). In my bedroom I have two twin beds pushed together a desk and two night stands. I also have couch that converts into a bed (like in Germany) and a table that seats 4-6 people. The major difference is that my kitchen is comparatively enormous. I have two kitchens or a dining room and a kitchen. I think of it this way. There is a sunroom or a converted balcony (think very small room with tons or windows). The sunroom is where all the cooking for the kitchen takes place. It has a small sink a stove and a small oven in it. I also distill my water in that room and store my dishes. In the next room I do all the prep work for cooking. I have a counter top there cabinets where I keep my food and a refrigerator, with a freezer! There is also a table in that room, so it is very comfortable to prep all the food in there, then I cook in the sun room and usually eat in my bedroom. There is also a small living room that I have not gained access too yet, but have been promised. It is fairly typical that Azeris will live in one or two rooms and lock up another as storage, the idea is why heat two rooms also families really like to see each other, I think more than American families. It’s hard to say but I think my sisters appreciated not sleeping in the same bed longer than we did. And I know in my family we didn’t spend the entire evening together.

Anyway, then I have a small toilet room, with a sit down toilet that I pour water down to flush. I also DO NOT put toilet paper down it. For all of you grossed out by this skip to the next paragraph. So most building pipes and certainly water pressure is not designed to flush paper so those of us that use paper still put it in a bag or bucket kept in the toilet room. I still use it. The other way is to have what looks like a plastic flower watering thing that you use to clean yourself with. I don’t do that because, well I have never really reconciled the wet but situation. I know some PCVs do it, and some use it and paper and they seem to be really happy with that. For me, I stick with paper.

Ok moving on, I also have a hammam, a shower room. Although I don’t believe there is enough water pressure to shower. There is also a bathtub, I have asked Joy to bring me back a flat plastic tub stopper while she is state-side (as she is now!) After that I will start bathing. Now I bucket bathe. What does this consist of? Ok glad you asked? It means I fill up a bucket with water and if I am feeling special, I heat it on the stove and then wash myself and my hair. If you are thinking what you don’t have hot water- um no. Maybe I should also go into my water situation now.

I don’t have running water during the day, at night 9 or 10ish the water comes on and I fill up about 5, 5 liter bottles of water and a big bucket so that I have water for the next day. I use this water for everything. The water to wash dishes, the water for the toilet, the water to shower, the water to wash my face or brush my teeth, the water I need to distill so that I can drink water, the water I use to boil to make tea or rice. All of it. And if you are wondering hey magda what is the quality of this water, let’s put it this way, I am no longer that into the idea of mineral bathes! Some days the water is very clear and some days the water isn’t.

The electricity situation in my apartment, like most of Sheki is currently, I have power till 11 then it is off till 4-5 then it comes on till some point in the middle of the night, 2 maybe, I don’t know because I sleep through it and it is on again when I wake up. I have always had gas in my apartment until yesterday, which is great because I can usually cook something. But now I know there will be times without gas I will buy my own gas balloon and burner so I have it for when I need it.

My apartment is setup so you walk in and you are in a hallway to your immediate right is the toilet and next to that is the hammam. Directly in front of you is the living room. You turn left and on your left is a wall full of cabinets and on your right is my bedroom. Keep walking straight and you will walk through my kitchen prep room and end up in my kitchen/sunroom.

If any of you reading are PCVs that haven’t been over yet, I can only think that would be Tom and Ash, well my apartment is exactly like Terah’s layout but backwards. The difference is that she sleeps where I have my living room and vice versa, and my apartment is a lot wonkier than hers. By wonky I mean the floor is much creakier and the like.

Ok I think you all know about as much as my apartment as you have ever wanted to now!

I would like to record the saga of one PCV’s quest to live alone. I would like to take you back in time. Please step into my way back machine. I’d use a time machine but I don’t have one, I hear Mark does, but he’s probably using it… My way back machine will take us all the way back to the beginning of February, when this PCV’s quest to live alone began. I started by telling all of my friends in town that I wanted to move out and asked if they knew of somewhere I could live, alone. I explained the parameters, it had to 100$ or less and it had to be with no one else, i. e. alone. Immediately I heard that one of them had a friend who had an apartment, that didn’t work out. After a week or so had passed, Charlie and I went to a realtor. He knew a place, an apartment. It was near the bus station, central location and a 10 minute walk from my work. The conditions were good, the price was right, and no one else lived there. Great! I was so excited the idea that I could be done with my search a month in advance, did I dare to dream?

It was Valentine’s Day 2007 when my heart was first broken by Azeribaijani realtors. I guess by repeatedly asking about the conditions of the apartment, and hearing that everything was there, I should have been clear that by everything I also meant a hammam. Yeah, I know this is Peace Corps and I should not expect to live in luxury, but going to the public baths to get clean was a line I was not willing to cross, and certainly not for 100$/mo. So my search went on and I found a new realtor, one that understood I at the very least needed a place to be able to bucket bathe myself.

Time went on and there was nothing for another two weeks. I would hear about apartments, and nothing would come of it. I was feeling a bit desperate, yet still I had a strange gleam of hope. Host Family Emil called to schedule and appointment to approve a place and on this blind hope I set the date, March 14th, giving me two weeks to make this work.

Then right before coming in for IST, and a day after setting a date blindly, it seemed like a miracle occurred. Carlo and I went into the realtor’s office and there were two apartments to see. The first was about 25 minutes from my work and beautiful; a nice, clean apartment. It was however, unfurnished and out of my price range. The second also unfurnished was dingier, a bit less nice, yet closer to work. I could live there, which meant I would have a place to live. I was so excited, and without a moment to spare, since we would leave for Baku. I told the realtor I would be back in a week and then I would take one of the apartments. I was so happy for those four days. I still remember the feeling of relief that my quest was realized. The following week, my heart was broken a second time by Azeri realtors, for when I came back from Baku ready to choose an apartment, they both had been rented.

After that Charlie and I went into overdrive. We went to the teachers, asked them to start asking around. I started to feel as if I would not make the deadline. I started to worry, should I call Emil and cancel the appointment? But I gave it a few more days.

The day before Emil was to come approve a house I did not have, I went back to the realtor. I sat there nervously, and to my surprise there was an apartment. It was the apartment that was too expensive before. I saw it, the price had come down to something I could afford and I was full of glee.

Upon being driven back they asked if I would like to see a house, I definitely did. They showed me a house that was 15 minutes from my work, and gorgeous. I mean really quite nice, and then the tragedy. This house was 300$/mo. Shattered I asked to be taken home. I would show Emil the apartment. It would be ok. I would get it and have to wait a week or so for furniture, but that would be ok. I pulled the pieces of my broken heart together and tried to remember the glee that was there a mere quarter of an hour ago.

The day had arrived, Emil would come see the apartment and a house that I had not yet seen that one of the teachers Charlie knew had arranged. Once in town, Emil called the woman, she had no time that day. I felt my heart sinking, but there was still the apartment. We went there, he would approve it with furniture! We went to discuss some issues with the owner and that’s where the trouble began. The landlord suddenly wanted 300$ to furnish the apartment, he came down to 250$ but that was it. I sat there listening to the negotiations knowing that I was not going to be getting a home that day. My heart broken yet again, I went to see Josh at his office for some sympathy. I sat there told my story of my failed quest and got some paper work done for a grant that was due the next day. In the middle of my retelling of my saga, I heard the familiar single note chime of my cell phone. I had a text. I checked who it was from, and was floored. Ulkar my LCF and some time Azeri tutor was texting me after two months of no communication. Stranger still, she was texting that if I still wanted a place to live she had found one and to call her when I had time. Time I had but contour I lacked. My heart raced as I went to the ATM, put money on my phone and went home and waited for it to text me to say that the money was there. I ate dinner and nothing. I colored and nothing. I started to pray and nothing. After two hours I tried it despite the lack of single note chime, and it worked.

After that I called Ulkar she said I should come over we’d look at the place that night. Emil and I went over, of course this turned into a gonag-fest as her family does love me. Then off to the apartment where at about 10pm with a flashlight and a cell phone for light on March 14th, 2006, I was approved to move out! I had done it. The quest was over. 30 hours later I moved in, nervously I brought boxes up to my new place hoping that I would still like it in the light of day. After being shown how everything works and meeting the neighbors who offered any help they could, I was there alone in my apartment. And the first thing I did was lay on my new bed and as a feeling of relaxation rolled over me I knew; my quest was over, I was home!

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or dehumanized”.

-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Well I got nothing new for you kids out there in Blog land

Since I have been declared to be random, chaotic in thought, ineffective with the text and utterly confusing; I choose to be set free by it and there will be no cohesion to this entry just a random smattering of thoughts or moments that have been experienced lately!

Since last I wrote:

I saw two apartments in which I could live, I went back a week later as we had discussed- they were both gone.

Sheki had visitors and Charlie finally played his guitar for a group- big moment for him!

We went to Baku for training. I had some great moments and fell in love with Jason’s beard.

Josh surprised me, profoundly.

We did not go out dancing.

I rode the night train all on my own like a big girl big moment for me!

I got a birthday package with thai food and chai mix that came just in time to cheer Josh up!

I received the ultimate compliment from my director- that my glasses looked like superhero glasses worn to maintain my secret identity!!!!

I watched First Knight, it is still a good movie!

And I have learned that the Azeri’s in Sheki call March, Crazy March, because the weather is constantly changing, and they are right. I have experience four seasons in the last two days. Snow, Rain, Wind, Extreme Heat, what have you, we’ve had it all.

Before I had a chance to submit this entry something of consequence did happen. “Old Man Heywood” a.k.a. Uncle John died. For those of you that knew him, met him, heard stories about him or even saw his business card you know, he was a great man (i.e. hysterical). He was kind and gentle and interested in the world (and left the world’s shortest answering machine messages).

But, more that any of that the man was a storyteller and God bless him, he could turn a phrase. I think will remember him as he described himself to my mother, “God Damn it, Mary Anna, I’m a Heywood. We’re not anchored to the truth!”

Happy Birthday to me… Azer- style (written on the 21th)

So let’s round-up the birthday thus far

“A very Pirate affair” rocked! I owe the biggest debt of gratitude to Mike who lent us his flat as he was out of town. A rotating group of friends hung out, slept, danced, washed clothes, watched dvds, sat about chatting, cooked, and or wore pirate hats all weekend. Basically, it was heaven. I am not exaggerating when I say that I believe that this weekend was exactly what I- if not most of my friends needed! So one more time with feeling –THANKS MIKE!

Prom was great, it was so unstructured that it turned into a two day dance, well played!

Charlie’s birthday was also good, mellow. I took him to dinner at the hotel- then we both crashed from the weekend. However, he is still receiving gifts from students so far he’s gotten some classics! I really liked the porcelain boy on a wire swing, and he got two different colognes so maybe they’re trying to tell him something hmmmmm!

My actual birthday was great from start to finish! Starting two minutes to midnight the texts started coming in from friends! I woke to a call from the states, Happy Birthday being sung by Popi, Steph, Doug and Kaz. Got to work, sung to again, and again and then twice more at lunch in English and Azeri- and a cake. In fact you could break the day into two things I did. EAT and try to help some orphans. But mostly eat. I went to lunch with Charlie, then with my office 9where I had to eat two pieces of cake). Then I went to a meeting at an orphanage with Josh to try to get them a volunteer for next year, and then another meeting at another orphanage. After that I went home, guess what was there MORE CAKE! After that Momi called and sang! Then dinner, then CAKE. Oh yeah and my host sister and mother sang to me in English it was Awesome. So when Josh and Charlie left for some reason Charlie asked if anyone had sang to me, I laughed and told them- several times. So I guess they either because they are Charlie and Josh or because they couldn’t be outdone by Azeri’s and Norwegians they sang me a spontaneous doo-wop rendition of Happy Birthday on my doorstep! Then my host mother decided that my puppy should be allowed inside to wish me happy birthday and allowed him to hang out with us in the living room (this is a first!) and I unwrapped my first Azeri present, and it was exactly what I was hoping for, a mug with my zodiac symbol on it. It is just like the one I drink out of every morning with their daughter’s symbol on it. I sat there for a little bit with my host mother and puppy but then it was time to put my birthday butt to bed!

So 27 was an awesome birthday, but just in case that wasn’t enough there are still packages on the way, I believe ol’ one tooth, my delightful postman has developed a sense of humor about package hording. I was certain I had packages there yesterday and he swears I don’t. But he kind of laughed at my determination. And with my own eyes I saw the package for Charlie and when Charlie came in, he said there was no mail for him. Well that’s fine it just extends the holiday, and I love it when he gets sassy! Also my computer should be on its way to Sheki today and I still have a dinner with the Norwegians sometime this week. So 27 is off to a roaring start and I would like to thank you all for making it so great.

Ok, I just posted so this will be rediculously brief,

I have been at site for 5 months now! Love it still. I have one month of host family stay left and I really really like my host family, they are kind, loving and generous people. That said I have started the search for my own place. And I will leave you with this thought, apparently in Sheki when making clear what you need your place to have, you have to specicially mention that you'd like to be either shower or bathe there. Just a tip!

Alright! I am off to revel in some piracy!

Just a brief ‘shout out’ before beginning this entry, as is my way if I become aware of a new reader I just like to say hello. Zoltan our country director is now reading my blog, so hello Zoltan. But before any of you become overly impressed he is reading all of the blogs by pcvs in az it’s a new policy for the region.

But enough of that, policies are long and typically boring and I believe this entry shall be anything but boring!

Maybe some of you are unaware of just how much I love my own birthday. Let me try to explain it. I love it more than anyone over the age of 5. I really really love my birthday. I believe it should be a national holiday. I almost believe that our government arranged Presidents Day so that there would always be a three day weekend for my birthday. I start planning my birthday casually around August, and everything after New Year’s is hardcore planning. So the fact that there will be multiple entries about my birthday should not throw you, consider yourself warned and that is why this entry is entitled, The Prelude

So I am about to turn 27. I still can’t send text messages very well and I love Pirates maybe more than any healthy person should, wait strike that. My love for Pirates is plenty healthy. Ahhh… pirates.

Anyway, so how does one celebrate their 27th well, you should take the best parts of all the other phases of life. For example when you were 12 you had a good old sleepover party, check!

Then in high school (if you were WAAAY cooler than me) you may have had that party after prom, mmm check!

College saw great road trip parties, check! College also had a good deal of theme parties, Check! And the in college there were parties of extended length, the good old three day weekend party, Check. Hmmmm college did have some good times didn’t it. (at this point I would like to say a fresh shout out to all the parents reading my blog. Rest assured I did plenty well in school, so relax and settle down!)

And in Peace Corps you have the Marines, good God bless them. The can provide you with shelter and beverages, and even laundry facilities. (Sorry but if you don’t do all your laundry by hand then you probably are under appreciating your washing machine as we speak)

So if you throw all those things together I think you have a vague idea of what this weekend is going to be like for me. For this weekend will be… “A very Pirate affair”