It's been a good year...

It's funny how fast time flies when you're having fun. For the first time ever, I really love my job. I love everything about it. I have one of those mythical jobs where you just can't wait to get out of bed in the morning and go to work. I owe that largely in part to my host organization, and to my co-workers... but for the most part, it's the students I work with that keep me coming back for more. It's hard for me to think that I've already been here a year. At times I felt that it would go on forever, but in general... it went by in a flash.

So, in honor of my successful survival of the first year, I figured I would share some of my experiences and memories with you all.

1. My first big culture shock experience in the 'baijan came from the 3 months we lived and trained in Sumqayit. I lived with a host family that had two teenage daughters on a small farm in the middle of a suburb. My host family didn't speak any english, and I spoke only enough Azeri to tell them that I don't like tomatoes. Washing laundry in the states is a relatively mundane, and easy task. It takes you 3-6 min to sort and load the laundry into the washing machine. Unfortunately for me, I had never washed anything more than my unmentionables by hand in the sink... let alone, jeans, dresses, and every article of clothing I've worn. It took me hours to wash my clothes by hand. I had blisters from wringing, I had limited access to warm water, and yes, I had to hang dry my clothes on the line, for the whole family to view. Luckily, my underwear was sent to dry in time out in a more private area... the chicken coup.

2. My first big moment of realizing that I liked where I was and what I was doing came about 2 months into my service. Volunteers first start as "trainees" and then after passing training (language, culture, and work) we are sworn in as a volunteer. One of the highlights of our training time is our PCV visit. We get to go for a 3 day trip to visit a current volunteer, see where they live, where they work, what they do, and meet the people in their community. It's a real chance to see what life is like after training. On the Marshutka (think of a large passenger van with too many seats crammed into it) I was listening to music, and we were driving through the hills and valleys of Azerbaijan to a town called Barda. I finally saw trees, rivers, and real nature that made me reminisce of home. Azerbaijan has more variety in climate zones than I've ever seen in one small country before. It was a great experience to finally get out of the desert and see more of the country.

3. New Home Sweet Home. The visit to Ganja came close to our swear in date, and I was finally able to meet the host family I would be staying with, and see the city I'd be living in for the next two years. Ganja was love at first site. It is green, fairly large, has lots of fountains, parks, museums, historical sites, and tons of places to just get out and enjoy the breezy sunny fall afternoons. Ganja was what helped make everything click for me. My host family (Sabina and her mom) were amazing, and I was lucky enough to be living with a FLEX alumni (Sabina spent a year in America, so she is fluent in english.) That made communication problems drop from 60% down to about 1%. Having a "sister" that was both close to my own age, and who spoke a common language, helped me to better understand life in Azerbaijan for young women.

4. The Children's Village. As you know from my last blog, each volunteer is assigned to a host organization. However, we are only required to spend a portion of our time with the host org. The rest of our time is up to us to determine what we want to do in our community. I chose to get involved with our local children's orphanage. From the first day, we played games, sang songs, danced, and I acted as if I was 6 years old all over again. It's hard to feel self-conscience about my language skills when children don't care if you speak the same language... they just want someone to play with them. I have done several events and projects now with the children's village, and am happy that they are a part of my experience here. Sharing our traditions, and learning theirs, helped me to feel needed... even if only as a friend.

5. Soros. The move to a new host organization can be difficult when the first might not have been a good fit. But finding a host organization like mine is a dream come true. Since day one, I've had everything I could ever ask for. I have an office of my own, I have a resource library full of materials, I have great co-workers and volunteers that help with anything I need, and a director who supports every idea I think up. I've done so many projects in the last 7 months at Soros... AIDS education workshops, Civic Leadership Academy, professional development training, book club, movie club, conversation clubs, women's club, Novrus/Easter Celebration, valentines day art project, mothers day card making and even a talent show. I'm lucky to have a host organization that makes my time here well worth every moment.

6. A great host family can make all the difference. Living with Johnny and Arzu has been a great opportunity. As much as I miss Sabina and her mom, moving host organizations put me a little too far to walk in my commute. So, finding a new host family and starting over again was a bit of a challenge. From the first day meeting Arzu and Johnny, I knew they were a good match. I had a great room, two host sisters in high school, a house close to the bazaar, 4 min from my office, and a host family that really wanted to learn about an American. They don't speak any english, and I've been grateful for that. My language has improved so much by living with them. Although there are times we don't always understand everything each other says, they are still very supportive of what I'm doing here, and help me with anything I need. Since the move, I've now changed rooms, and have my own private end of the house... but I still feel like part of the family.

7. Food in the 'baijan is both interesting, and unique. If you've never had dolma, you're missing out on something truly spectacular. Azerbaijan is very proud of it's national dishes, and they are the centerpiece of every family occasion. From weddings, funerals and holidays... to family events, birthdays and parties, Azerbaijan always has an occasion to show off it's food. It's funny how much I eat here, but I've lost so much weight. When I came, I was a size 18... I'm now fitting into a size 10. The food is organic, often bought fresh the morning it's made. Women take pride in the hours they put into making food that is both beautiful and delicious. I have collected over 20 recipes since I arrived... and I will be sharing some with you in a future blog. Although at times I find myself craving something from home, I never pass up a chance to eat dolma, plov or borsh. The food is definitely worth mentioning as a highlight of my last year.

8. The students. Awww... the whole reason I'm here. I work mostly with older high school, and college students. I'm lucky enough to have not just 1, but more than 15 study abroad alumni living in Ganja. These kids are the future of Azerbaijan. They run their own programs here in Ganja, they work for international organizations, they volunteer, they work, and they still find time to help me with all the projects that I do. A handful of them have been by my side from the very first days in Ganja. I wouldn't be able to do most of the work I do without their help. It's always funny when I meet with them... they get such a kick out of hearing me speak Azerbaijani. Even though most of the students I work with are not study abroad alumni, their english is amazing. I have a solid group of about 40 kids that just keep coming back for everything. I can't imagine what it would be like without these enthusiastic kids.

9. My site mates. One of the best things about living in Ganja is knowing that I have site mates. Fellow volunteers that live in the same town. I don't always see them all on a regular basis, or even more than once a month, (we all have different jobs, schedules, and activities going on) when I do see them, they always make me laugh. They cheer me up when I just need a few moments with some fellow Americans. I'm lucky enough to share this city with 5 other PCV's, who are all incredibly helpful with my work as well. I have done a couple joint projects now with my site mates, and I am thankful to have them.

10. Frustration is part of being a volunteer. It's what teaches us, refines us, and helps us to remember that this isn't America... exactly the reason why I'm here in the first place. Remembering why I came can often be a humbling experience, and usually comes at times of frustration.
When you realized that some foods only last for 2 weeks a year in the bazaar, and then they are gone for another year...
when your family calls for days on end and can't get through on Azercell lines...
when you are about to dry your hair and the power goes out for 3 hours...
when you waken to the sound of a mouse eating your last chocolate bar...
when you type an email and the power goes out before you hit send...
when you get a letter from home that was post marked 5 months ago...
when you wait 2 hours for a bus that eventually breaks down when it finally comes...
when you spend 9 hours on a bus just to go see the doctor...
when you get the words for pillow and pervert mixed up in conversation...
when you buy your vegetables for the week, only to not have any gas to cook them with...
when you can't take a shower cause your water pipes are frozen for the whole winter...
when you are down to 2 manat to last you the rest of the month, and you still have a week left...
when you see children begging for money on the street instead of studying in school...
when one of your students finishes her art project of her "house" and you see that 6 people share one room...
Then, and only then, do you finally appreciate what you really have. The patience that you learn as a PCV is so much more than just a language thing. It makes you grateful for the things you have in your life, and the things that are waiting for you at home. For the people who live here... people who are born here... this is life. This is their reality. Throughout the last year, as frustrating as these moments may often be, they also remind me that this is why I'm here.

What is a host organization?

I've decided to explain a little more about my job, and my work here in Ganja. So that everyone can get a better understanding of what I do here. After our initial training, we are all sent out to our cities, villages, and towns. As you all know, I've been assigned to Ganja, the second largest city in Azerbaijan. There are approximately 300,000 people in my city. Each volunteer is then assigned to an organization in their community that matches their program goals. Since I work in youth development, I have been placed in a youth development organization. That can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people though. My host organization is formally called "Ganja Education Information Center." GEIC, or also Soros, as it is funded by the Soros Foundation. Most people in Ganja call it Soros. My office is two story, with a covered courtyard. Downstairs, we host a computer center, kitchen, bathroom, a small office for NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to host meetings, and also my office. Upstairs is where the magic happens. We have an entire library of materials for students. With big tables and chairs, and an office manager in one large room, the library is lined with bookshelves. Almost all of our books are in english. We have recently undergone a long process to organize and catalogue our library, so now we have sections for fiction, non-fiction, english grammar, english listening, english speaking, TOEFL test prep, GRE test prep, SAT prep, encyclopedias, dictionaries, translation dictionaries, and tons of books about colleges in america. We have a few smaller sections on art, animals, foreign materials in german, chinese, russian, french, swedish, and a few more. Our library is where most students come to find reading materials in english. Students often come to study, or just to read in the library.
Aside from all the books, our library also has audio materials. A few VHS, DVD, CD and cassettes in english. We have a smaller room upstairs called the alumni resource room, which is intended for study abroad alumni to have access to a quieter space that has a TV and a couch to read or watch movies on. The director’s office is upstairs, and he is always open to talking to any student who wants to speak with him. In the library, we host all sorts of events. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, we host english language conversation clubs in the afternoons. These clubs are a way for students to come and have conversation, debate, games, art projects, and any other activity you can imagine conducted in english. They give students the opportunity to practice english in a practical setting outside of the classroom. In the middle of the day, Monday through Friday, we host classes sponsored by the Democracy Commission on all sorts of topics. Leadership and Diversity, History of Democracy, American Government, Critical Thinking, Public Speaking Preparation and Presentation, and Debate. The students have two hours of classes each day. All of these activities are free to youth in Ganja wishing to improve their education.
Soros does more though. We often host other local NGO's, seminars, trainings, and meetings for local businesses. Occasionally, computer training is conducted. TOEFL test preparation is conducted. Education Fairs are conducted annually. "America Days" are done to teach about foreign culture; and the local branch of Azerbaijan English Teachers Association is able to gather resources for classroom work. In the community, it is a well-known center, and we see a lot of students (both school and university age) in our office daily. My job is to keep students busy. Keep them active and learning. Keep them dedicated toward creating and following through with their goals. In some ways, I feel like I could be working at the local YMCA. In many ways, I know that this organization is the driving force for so many youth being active in their community. The students are interested in so much... it's just having someone to help them organize, plan and conduct their own activities that they are often lacking. Hence, the Peace Corps Volunteer. The best part of my job, is that every day is both familiar and different. I see many of the same faces, but all of the things we do every day are different. I have the freedom to come in and decide to plan an art exhibition, essay contest, movie night, resume workshop, computer typing class, or an American Game Day. Whatever I do, students come. It makes me feel excited to go to work. I find myself often going into the office on both Saturday and Sundays, and finding there is always something to do. And although every day presents it's own challenges, it also has it's own rewards. It is true what they say; Peace Corps really is the toughest job you'll ever love.