Well I'm back in Azerbaijan after two blissful weeks in America. My sister was considerate enough to get married (congrats Meg and Justin!) during my time overseas, thus providing me with the perfect excuse to go home and visit with all my family. I was home for about two weeks which gave me enough time to spend quality time with family while indulging in a BBQ devouring, sushi feasting, beer quaffing lifestyle. And even better, it was long enough of a visit that it ended with me feeling ready to head back to Azerbaijan and get on with the show.
This isn't to say I was happy to be leaving the US. I fully expected the onset of the volunteer-wide despised 'Post-America Hangover,' the depression and lethargy that comes with leaving your friends and family again and returning to all the troubles and frustration that accompany the culture you're stationed in. But I was ready to deal with this in order to begin working towards my goal of successfully completing my service.
But, unlike most volunteers' return trips back to country, I would be jumping, feet first, into a very busy set of weeks. And this work served as my 2am diner run and chugging of water that staved off the ugly hangover.
Most substantially is Khachmaz Summer Camp, which began the day I came back. This is the Khachmaz region's volunteers' flagship summer event and it was over 3 months of planning to have two weeks of summer camp, one in the city of Khachmaz and one in the city of Khudat. Each day took a different theme such as teamwork, health, or diversity and we would have various arts and crafts, talks, and activities focused on these different areas. We decorated team flags, had a trash clean up, made friendship bracelets, and competed in an massive obstacle course. It was a pretty typical summer camp and the kids really enjoyed it.
Summer camp was the exhausting first half of the day and in the second half I was able to do some legwork on some of the future coming projects. Kelly and I are preparing for another semester of the Traveling Teacher Roadshow, putting down prep work for 4 region visits and I met with a representative from the ministry of education to discuss plans for upcoming trainings with primary school age teachers, who will begin teaching a new English curriculum this school year.
And this past weekend my chef friend extraordinaire held a food processor camp at my house. Food processors are all the rage amongst volunteers in the North Finger, largely due to the incredibly delicious things Sanyo was continually whipping up. So, this weekend, Sanyo gave me and a couple other volunteers a crash course in the magic of food processors. After a full morning of kitchen work, we had an afternoon feast of hummus, falafel, pesto, salsa, peanut butter (with m&ms!), and romesco sauce. It was delicious and felt like I was eating at one of my fave restaurants in Denver-City 'o City.
So, the hangover was avoided, or at least delayed. The busyness continues next week with our second week of camp (this time with a 30 minute commute!), and a trip, spilling into next week, to Baki for the Writing Olympics awards ceremony, Peer Support Network training, and training on program design and management. Never a dull moment, which is great and appreciated right now.
ps: many of you have rightly pointed out that you don't really know what Khachmaz looks like. I'm in the process of taking pictures of my site, so I'll soon be able to provide you with a clear picture.
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