I’m starting …

I’m starting to get back into the swing of things. My clubs are starting again and my counterparts have all sorts of ideas again. It’s funny how one week, I can be sitting around staring at the walls the whole time and then the next week all of the sudden have a million things to do the next. I still am feeling a bit jet lagged-especially in the mornings. The weather has gotten cold-there’s snow! Well, a bit. My laundry has been frozen stolid for days. And if you thought it had gotten a bit quiet with the pests around here-I had a mouse in my kitchen who was not a very tidy guest. The only thing I could find to get rid of it was the biggest mouse trap you ever saw. My neighbors helped me set it up and took the trap out after it had done it’s job. . . I wonder if it would work on slugs. . .

Last week, the AZ8s had their Mid-Service Conference. We spent to two days in a little conference room in Baku discussing the trials, changes, and successes of the past year. We talked about sustainability and came up with definitions to fit our service-something that a lot of us were struggling with when we thought about finding or training someone here to lead clubs. We decided that the important part is the information we pass , that in its own way is substainable.  We talked about this year’s objectives,  Close of Service (COS) next fall, and reviewed safety information.

There were a couple of highlights from this conference for me. First, it was the first time all of us had been together since PST in the same room, and it really struck me that this group of people who I gone through this journey with is an amazing group of people-truly. We may gossip faster than the speed of light and we all have had our differences, but sitting in that room, especially surrounded by my fellow Youth Development Volunteers, made me feel like a part of a big family. We did a get-to-know exercise with the new YD Program Director where we all as a group described each person. It was so powerful and uplifting. Nothing mean or sarcastic was said, instead it was positive and supportive. I think it will be one of my favorite memories from this journey.  

Second,  we received our COS dates! I’m coming home on Thursday the 8^th of November! Inşallah! I’ll make it back to America before the Mayan Doomsday! Life is good. Hello deer hunting, Grandma’s birthday, and Thanksgiving!

But hold on, we’re not done here yet. I still have about 9 months and this year is supposed to be the year a volunteer finds her groove. My language has improved a lot, I have made a lot of great relationships, and I feel much more confident at navigating my way around.

In other news, I received my grant for office. It’s a small one but we are using it to fix up the office for PRAIL-PU for computer lessons for Barda’s youth. We’re really excited to get a heater, buy chairs that aren’t broken, and give the room a fresh coat of paint! It will be interesting to see it all come together so that the computer teachers can continue to teach computer lessons.