Sorry, it’s a long one. So much has happened in the past two weeks and I know that the next two are going to fly by even faster. Last week we had the much dreaded mid-Language Proficiency Interview. Fortunately I did well and scored one of the highest levels in the group at Intermediate Mid. I am honestly quite proud of myself as it was much unexpected. It really only made me even more confident and determined to become fluent in Azerbaijani.
Last weekend I went on a site visit with Jade (my homie from Seattle) to Shirvan where we stayed with Denny and Linda, a lovely couple from Kansas City. Shirvan is about two hours south of Baku by bus and is a mid sized town. We took the bus on Saturday morning and returned on Sunday night. Unfortunately I slept through the whole ride up due to an unfortunate encounter with Grey Crane (their Grey Goose except it costs 2 manat. You see where things can go wrong with 2 manat vodka.) and sinus congestion medicine. Anyways, it’s great there. Shirvan was so much cleaner than any of the towns I have been in so far. There are public parks, a college, and a great bazaar. We were able to get a good sense of what a PCV life is like and Denny and Linda were just so hospitable. It was a much needed getaway from the rigorous daily grind we have been accustomed to.
THE BIG NEWS!! Last Wednesday I found out where my placement was. I couldn’t sleep for four nights because I was so excited/nervous/anxious/ scared! The night before between the hours of 2am and 5am I actually thought long and hard about what my face would look like when they announced my site. (Imagine beauty pageant winner. “What?! ME!! I’m going there! I WON!” Something like that.) It goes without saying that I was delirious day of. The reality of the situation was when they announced my site, I had no idea where it was until I went up to put my pin right on the map at: NEFTCHALA! It is in the south close to Lankaran. It is next to the Caspian Sea and while the summer’s are quite hot the winters are mild. If you talk to anyone here, they can tell you that I’ve been dreading a freezing site. I will have a site mate, Jordyn, who I met last week. He seems to be doing quite successfully down there and I can only hope to be as well integrated into the community as he is. This is another motivation for learning the language well. It is a more conservative region. I’m still not sure how that will translate for me as a foreign woman but we’ll see. I am just so excited to get there!
Today I met with a teacher from the school I will be working at. It is school number 1. I heard that the students there are a little unruly and I am trying to rouse myself up for the challenge. The teacher, however, was more than I could hope for as a colleague. I could tell right away that she will be open to new ideas and is looking for improvement in the school’s approach to teaching. At first it was a little awkward because neither of us really knew where to start. But by the end we were joking with each other. I asked her to let me know if I ever do something that is “olmaz,” not allowed, a word that is often heard around this country. And she said laughing “Everything is olmaz.”
I am really happy with so much that has happened here so far. It was a rocky start but everything always turns out for the best. It’s interesting to see how people react to such high stress environments. Someone recently said to me, “You’re Clarissa. You never get disappointed.” I’m pretty sure that’s not the accurate answer. The Peace Corps is such a bizarre situation to be in. It’s not real life but you’ll have the most humbling learning experiences in it. Your best bet is to prepare for the worst, expect the best, and do your best every single day you are here. That does not mean you’re happy and enthusiastic and eager to do EVERYTHING the entire time you are here. It means you put in what you can even when you’re tired, overwhelmed, frustrated, and homesick. If you do everything that you possibly and humanly can do, you cannot be disappointed by the outcome. There’s probably about 80 percent of every situation that you’re responsible for and if the other 20 percent fall through, then they fall through and it’s not your fault. You showed up and you did your work. Be proud of that.
Tomorrow’s my birthday, my first of three birthdays in Azerbaijan. I am homesick. I miss my family, my friends, and my Nate. I already want to see them. However, I also feel so charged with motivation. I am so close to starting what I came here to do. Sometimes my finger tips tingle with excitement. Sometimes I eat my feelings and can’t sleep for days. Or sometimes me, Jade, and Jen do a sprint up the highway exit ramp while it’s raining with winds at the speed of 100 mph to catch a bus but really because it is so exhilarating and liberating. (Also culturally inappropriate hehe) Azerbaijan has been so welcoming and I can only hope that I can be just as welcoming of it into my life.
Menim iyirmi uch yashim var – Literally means, I have 23 years. Happy Birthday me.
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