magda's travels

After a year at home in San Diego I picked up and moved to Tanzania, so I thought I would dust off the old blog again so I could keep people up-dated on my life. But as always its content is not a reflection of the U.S. government, Peace Corps or anything else.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Unbalanced



I should start out with A MERRY Christmas to you all. And rest assured that I had an absolutely great holiday! But that is getting ahead of things as I have been away for quite a long time and there is much to chat up on.

Why Unbalanced? Well I believe it is the best way to describe the last few weeks and maybe even my life here or PC life in general. I don't mean unbalanced as in unhealthy. Although I may not be in my prime healthwise right now. Let me explain.
Life here like the roads are unbalanced you have to watch your step the whole way or you are likly to trip. You may also notice things here that make you think things are just a bit of kilter. A man talking on a cell phone while riding a donkey drawn cart. Things like that happen, you get used to it. I was at Rachel's host family's house the other day, they had just bought a new washing machine--amazing! The set it up and started to use it, it would shake violently. So they asked us what was wrond with it. We thought maybe the load was unbalanced then I suggested the floor itself maybe unbalanced. Her host mother pulled out a level put it on the machine and we looked for the bubble, it was off. Her mother then raised on side about two inches to make it level, and looked at me with a "see" look, I just kinda shook my head and let Rachel handle the explanation.

Other signs -- the beauty in the night sky, I was up in Xachmaz and walking home with Rachel and Rustin ( one of her sitemate's) and we saw Sirius, and noticed it was going crazy. It was a beautifully clear winter night and we noticed Sirius was changing colors and experiencing explosions. The star would flicker in white and blue and red. It also has color explosions off to either side of it in red and blue. We were drawn in staring up for at least half an hour!

IST (inservice training) went well! Exceptionally well. AZ4 ( my group the 4th group to serve in AZ) is known as an incredibly close group, we have maintained that, we are also known for our outgoingness (both in personalities and actually going out a lot) we maintained that too! Tuesday was travel day we all met up at the hotel, a huge group gathered in one room ordered lunch in hung out told stories and played cards while people kept arriving and cycling in and out to put things down take showers and what not. It was great to see everyone and I was very happy ( although furious that I was served up a devastating defeat in my favorite card game) I announced to everyone that I have a parasite, Rachel announced that she hadn't slept in 3 weeks and has gone loopy ( i confirmed that). Joy and I went down to the MAC store to see what the devil was wrong with my Computer- motherboard. So I went back to the hotel got back in time to put things down and venture out for dinner!
Tuesday was mellowish, dinner, quick stop and a bar and then back to the hotel to hang out and chat until midnight. No one could sleep though so I went to the first day of IST tired. It was language day and some unwanted attention talks -which got me upset, so afterwards I went out to coffee with one of the PC staff members, we chatted for 2 hours so by the time I got to the hotel I met everyone downstairs to go get pizza.

Pizza Holiday is not only the best pizza in Baku, it is run by the most generous dude ever. It was Mariko's Bday so we all went (roughly 40 of us). When we go there we get free drinks of whatever we want, the owner also stopped by to invite us all out to a bar after dinner, we accepted. Went to a Czech Brewery, where we all hung out for several hours, this was followed by going to the Key Club to dance, and he came with us there too! We were out till oh let's say 3 or 4. And I paid about 5 bucks that night- it was incredible!

Ist day 2 ended with an NGO fair, most of them dealt with English training stuff, not my scene. We left went the hotel showered, went to a scottish pub ran into some people we knew including a guy that was AZ1, who is always fun to chat with. we stayed there for who knows till 1 or 2. This place had the best burgers in town and the happy hour is a 2 for 1 deal so it was a good time.

Day 3 IST. Since it was the last night everyone wanted to dance and be together so we went to get nachos then to Pollo (aka Polio) and then to the Key club ( which is the best place to dance but the priciest place in Baku) getting back around 3! We really committed to having a great time in Baku.

The day after IST, woke up got dressed, got to PC lounge and ate, hung out with some AZ3 people and went to Indian and coffee! Got back to the Lounge and went to Church with Charlie, back to the lounge and then off to the night train to Sheki!

SHEKI FAMILY CHRISTMAS!!!!
ok my Sheki family christmas was a blast. Josh, Charlie and Keri who are all my sitemates, if any of you are still confused on that. and Josh and I are not at all dating or otherwise into eachother, if any of you are still confused about that--I'm talking to you CHAD.

So I had Christmas eve with my sitemates plus Melissa who lives nearby. We cooked and ate all day and later in the night Josh Charlie and I watched "a Christmas story" which I had gotten in the mail. We drank the Gluhwein that the guy from Pizza holiday gave me! It was warm, cozy and mellow- I could not have asked for more. Christmas day we woke up had left overs for breakfast (see it was dead on) Charlie and I cleaned his place decorated a tree and ate lunch. After that I went home, showered and napped for about 5 hours (seriously you read about the week I just had, I needed it!) woke up ate dinner and read the Pirates! until I went to bed and slept another 8 hours --awesome!

so that brings us to day! I hope you all had a great holiday, sorry if my absense from the internet led any of you to worry I am very well and very happy to be back in lovely Sheki!

Friday, December 15, 2006

3months

Just to let you all know this marks my 3month aniversary at site, and almost 6 in country.
to sum up so far I have had one successful community project - America Day
I am working on many other project for my primary assignment -ensuring that a distance learning program that is related to a microfinance org works.
My Azeri is not where I want it to be, and that's my own fault.
I have terrific friends, same ones as day one but with a few more to boot -as maggie mentioned it has been long enough and I really ought to put up some sitemate pics mmmlater.
I am still desperately in Love with Sheki, and trust me you would be too.
My puppy is still doing awesome although he has taken to digging so that he can come with me when I leave, making me quite often late to work!

Still happy and healthyish. I'm working on the health part I think if I travelled less and slept more it would work out trouble is this:

I am about to venture of to a week of training, meaning big fun with my friends in Baku for a week! Not tons of sleep will occur I will be impressed if I average 4-5hours a night.

Before that I am am going to my friends to work on a website project and staying at another, and just to ensure I am going to catch the plague she's been sick!

After (IST) training, I have christmas and then I am taking a week off, DIRECTLY afterwards my mother visist for another week-yeah momi!!!

so like I said I am happy and healthyish- I will work my tail off at the health part cause the next 3 weeks are gonna kick some major tail!!!!

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Tribute to Josh

Well I have been woefully neglectful of my Josh moments so I have decided to write a Josh Tribute, since he's been out of Sheki all week. And without Josh here things just aren't the same.

Two weekends ago, was Josh's birthday. What did Charlie and I do, 2 dozen cupcakes! Nice but, imagine living somewhere without cake mix. Fine you say, I have made a cake before. Yeah, I respond, but when was the last time you did it during the one hour the city has electricty during the mid day???

Josh talks about cupcakes, unendingly. Really! He has login names that involve cupcakes. He at one point asked Charlie and I to call him Cupcake. We declined. When Josh saw the cupcakes he was so excited that he nearly accidently through them at me. It was awesome.

Other Joshisms:
Josh is the happiest person on earth, really it is a fact.

I once asked Josh if he bought everything at the sunshine store on happiness street, he's just that happy.

For Josh everything is ....guuud, that's guud is his catch phrase.

Josh addresses each diary entry with date, time, location and this "Hey How you doing, Well I hope..."
Yep everyday he wishes his diary well and at the end wishes it a good day. --What a guy!

Dear Josh we miss you, come on back now y'hear

The Postman

As I have gotten a lot of clammering for a Day in the life entry, and as I still haven't gotten an idea what of a typical day for is I will give you snapshots.

The Postman- aside from what I have heard an entirely awful movie, is one of my favorite people in Sheki. The Postman Peace Corps volunteer relationship is critical. I have heard some bad stories, and imagine this man is truly what stands in the way of letters and pictures from home, and the end all be all in a Peace Corps Volunteers life-- the holy grail, the care package!

Charlie told me yesterday, that I had a package! I had been expecting it and was glad to hear that it had arrived before I leave town again. I knew that it would contain contacts, but what else! The suspense was palpable. --Side note, contacts are important because they help you see. I think parents should send their children contacts. Especially when they promised to, a long time ago, say August. Side side note: TOM I totally got my contacts before you, face it you are stuck with glasses for 2 years!

So where was I, oh yeah on the way to the Post office, which is not a far walk. I get my mail at the central post office in Sheki. I go in a large building turn one corner and there is my window. And I wait for my Postman to look up. That's something I do about 2-3 times a week. My Postman knows me by name. Magdalena, and usually a grunt. One grunt is an affirmationally yes there is mail for you. The other is no no silly girl there is no mail for you, why would you bother coming in when there is no mail???

I LOVE my Postman.

He is very old. White hair, scruffy face, black cap and jacket. One tooth not kidding, one. Charlie offered him gum once, he said "I have no teeth" and then showed him the one! If I go in between 1-2 (his lunch hour) I get no service. I get my mail from my Postman, or not at all- and I love that. Let me make it clear that there are other windows, and other people and I have tried going to them, nope no good. And the other post office workers are fine, but they just aren't the same as My Postman, so why bother. Honestly, if you had the option of picking up you mail from a living breathing character or just someone, which would you choose? There is also some fiest to the Postman. He wouldn't let Josh send a letter without a return address, Josh didn't want to put his address on the envelope, so the Postman refused to send it. Josh came back a week later and wrote the address down. If there is mail from any other country or for any other foreigner he will tell us. There was a letter supposed to go to Ireland, somehow it is in Sheki, he has shown each of us that letter at least once asking us what to do with it, we all say send it to Ireland. I think it is still here (so if you've ever lost a letter you can imagine the same situation is probably happening right now all over the world). If Josh has mail, he calls his host family. If I have mail, he calls Josh's host family!!! And if any of us stop by he will tell us if any of the other Peace Corps Volunteers have mail. I like it a lot!

My Postman doesn't necessarily believe in lines. If he sees me there is no point in waiting till I get to the front to tell me if I have mail or not. It is simply Magdalena, hhmmff. And depending on the tone I know if there is mail for me. Yesterday there was.
I get there and he is packaging someone's mail, sees me. "Magdalena, ... Hhmmff" Gets the form I need to fill out so I can do it while waiting. He gives me the package, finishes the form for me. I say thank you and begin to leave he stops me. Points to the package where my name is written, Magdalena? right? I answer that it is my mail and he looks at me again, and says "yes Magdalena hhmmff" we exchange thank you and good byes and I leave. I love that guy, you know me by name, and you told my friend I have mail. You recognized my face. You brought out the package. Took my signature. And just as I am leaving decided to ask if I was Magdalena. That's my Postman, couldn't be happier that I get two years to try to figure him out.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving and December too

So Yeah I am bad and haven't written in a while, I apologize. There has been a set back in my access to writing, namely my laptop. It isn't dead dead thank the dear sweet Lord it is however without a working power cord so I can only write on the occasion that I steal someone else's computer.

Although, I am well and there is an Apple store in Baku so hopefully when i go in for IST all will be like new. IST- inservice training in PC speak.

Anway on the show. Thanksgiving was amazing, always one of my favorite holidays it out did itself this year. Thanksgiving in Baku, started with Thursday night train into the city with Josh and possibly two bottles of vino. Arrived at 6:30am all gitty with the lack of sleep I had on the train. I don't know how it is that I sleep better on a minibus where I use glass and cold steel as a pillow, but I guess that is what they call adjusting. So there we are Josh and I in Baku 6:30 am and this old guy walks in front of me slows down a little and Farts! I look at Josh and ask the only obvious question, "did that guy just fart on me?" Yep he did, so we gigglefitted our way out of there and do straight to the Peace Corps lounge where we toasted the sunrise, something I hadn't seen in Baku before. And we walked in the lounge singing "There are no Cats in America and the streets and paved with Che ese."

So right there the weekend was off to a great start, after getting some work done three of us, Kat Terah and I agreed it was time to eat, but I had no desire to spend money, so we cooked in the Peace Corps offices. Breakfast Burritos and Pancakes with Coffee and Orange Juice and we fed the staff. I was awesome. After that I worked some more and then we were off into the city. Rachel, Joy, Kasey and I met Tom and Ash at the hotel and got ready for an evening on the town. Lot's of dancing!!!

Friday we woke up and went into the city where Kase, Rach, Joy and I got Lebenese food and shopped a bit before going back to the lounge before gong to our Thanksgiving homes. Peace Corps had arranged for us to stay with an Embassy family while in Baku so that we could have some comforts of Expatty Homes. And let me say. THANK YOU!!! it rocked hard. The Dude with which Kase Rach and I stay was in fact the DUDE! he hooked us up. showers, beds, laundry, call america if you want. He made us eggs in coffee in the morning and fed us til we popped. For me the laundry and the free calls to america actually made me fall, I was that happy!

So after we got clean we bounced over to the Thanksgiving dinner that the Ambassador and the Dept threw for us. Also amazing food, everything for home. Turkey stuffing pies galore!!! We ate up and drank up and then headed up stairs to a talent show. No one took anything seriously and it was a lot of fun. From there we went to Polio one of PC favorite bars, because it is cheap and really a bar/ resturant but if you come with 40 peeps they will turn it into a club. And I had a great time there and even got upside downed at Polio.

Sunday woke up ate eggs and went into Baku. I spent more time at the lounge and then off for Pizza. There is this place Pizza Holiday, where the pizza is like american pizza it is the best pizza in Baku and it is owned an American guy. He recently decided that because PC people work from the heart we should never pay for drinks at his resturant. I don't know if it is possible to make something that was your favorite more your favorite, but if so that's what happened. So we ate and drank with him a bit and the converstaion turned to Germany. So I went off how I love Germany, and miss it so especially during Christmas. And we both go off about Weihnachts markts and Glüwein and how the first glüwein of the season really marks the season for me. And he left and came back with 2Liters of it. I gush about how cool that is that he bought it last week and he, straight gives it to me! Two Liters unbelieveable. How can that be that Christmas this year I will have my Glüwein because of the generosity of an American living in Baku!!!


I will write again soon because I have tales to tell of the BEST WEEKEND IN SHEKI EVER!!! I hope you are all well!