Picture Time!

2 and 1/2 months...I'm embarrassed, I admit it.  I really fell behind on my posting, and I have no excuse except that it's hot and getting decent internet requires a 20 minute walk in the sun.  Sorry, but again, I'm going to try my best to keep this up (again).  I think that whenever I am falling way behind on my posts, I'm just going to start posting pictures with little blurbs.  People like pictures right?

So lets start this.

This is me in an Peace Corps car.  Notice how I have a seatbelt? And space next to me? And it even had air conditioning!  Ahhh, Bliss.  The ride in this car was 4 hours of pure joy.

     This is myself, my counterpart, and my sub-director with my 5th B class.  Actually, most of the classes wanted pictures with me, even the ones I didn't teach!

Me and my puppies! Wookie (brown) and Chai (black). (Oh, and my host sister Minara, who is apparently giving Wookie bunny ears.)

My host aunt and her daughter came over, and my host aunt took off her hijab (head scarf) to do some work around the house.  As they were getting ready to go, she couldn't find her hijab.  After 15 minutes of turning the house upside down, we see her daughter frolicking in the garden with her mothers' hijab on her head!  After another 5 minutes of chasing her daughter around, we finally caught her and she had to give her mom her headscarf back.  As you can see, she wasn't very happy with being caught. 

*sigh* This is what happens when Peace Corp Volunteers get together.  TOTAL CHAOS!!

Another Volunteer (Parker) pleading before the judges (also known as Emilia and Luz) in regards to his inability to find the correct pan needed to cook meatballs.  As you can see, Judge Emilia is not impressed.

On the last day of school, we played lots of English games.  In this one, I blindfolded the kids, gave them an object, and they had to figure out what it was.  This one was a scrubbie, which the boys had no idea what it was.  (The girls were all laughing.)

Bread is considered sacred in Azerbaijan.  You don't throw it in the trash, if you see a piece on the ground you put it someplace higher, and if you drop it, you kiss it and touch it to your forehead 3 times.  That being said, I have no idea why a piece of bread is tied to a chair on the sidewalk.

My 1st and 3rd form students surprised my for my birthday!  They baked me a cake, and gave me presents!  It was great!

This is normally what happens in the evenings at my house.  Everyone gets together and plays soccer or volleyball, or some sort of ball game.

My 1st form students getting ready to perform "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".  They dressed "American Style" for the song.  "American" being jeans, white button-down shirts, and "Cowboy hats".  

My counterpart Durdana and myself.  

This is an amazing shop in the Old City of Baku.  It's a bit out of my price range, but they have beautiful stuff.    I however, know another merchant who has much better prices and who I have gotten to the point of being able to sit down and have tea with him, which in turn increases my bargaining power, allowing me to get even  better prices.  I love bargianing!

For some unknown reason, even though we are the tenth group in Azerbaijan (AZ10's) the AZ11's got the 10 year anniversery at their swearing in.  I don't care what they say though, that 10 year anniversary it ours, you understand!  OURS!  AND NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE IT!  

Me on one of the roads in Sumgayit.  I think it's a pretty picture anyway.

Baku...I'd be lying if I didn't say that parts of Azerbaijan remind me of Mos Eisley. 

     So that's what I've got for right now!  I've got decent internet for about a week, so I'll try and get another one or two up this week.  Take Care!