Return of the Blog!

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!