Time To Get Back To Work

Two weeks ago I was out of commission, sleeping and silencing phone calls and generally ignoring the outside world.  Last week I was healthy and was able to return to Azerbaijan life, which means catching up with everyone I hadn't seen the past week.  Azeris are very caring and concerned for their guests' health and well-being; coming back to school I was surrounded by concerned Xanims and students wondering if I was healthy and if there was anything they could do.  So much attention lavished upon your return is a really nice aspect of this culture.

So, the week was busy.  Just like in American life, missing a week of work means having a lot to catch up on, though thankfully no massive email inbox to return to.  Monday I was able to have a meeting with Saida Muellima (which means teacher) and begin writing our Primary School Teacher Training.  Unlike the other trainings I've delivered that have been presented to Azeris but planned and facilitated by Americans, this training is being developed with an Azeri so there is very much a teaching the teacher element in the lesson planning that makes one feel more productive.

I also was able to hammer down the first two dates of this training with the Methodist, once I got about 4 shots of vodka in him.  Planning projects here is like pouring concrete over a house of cards.  Once the concrete is set the house is firm and the project will be pretty stable, but until that concrete is poured the slightest misaligned movement can collapse the entire thing.  From an American perspective, it all feels very tentative because dates aren't set until a couple weeks before.  So there is always this feeling that everything could be canceled at any moment.

There are a few other new projects at various stages of initializing.  My former host brother, Fargani, and I are in the process of developing a very ambitious project scheduling numerous workshops and classes centered around community leadership and involvement.  And my site-mate Glendene and I are having our first Azerbaijani yoga class this weekend, which hopefully should be really fun.

What's cool about my service now is the fact that I'm more than halfway through, which means I get to not only look forward to what will be coming, but also look back on what has been done.  Yesterday we finished our first season of softball with an exhibition game between North Finger Americans playing against the Khachmaz Maximum, a great way to close out our season.  The Traveling Teacher Training Roadshow is finishing its first year (phew!).  Even better, Kelly and I have finally identified a sustainable model that will not require massive amounts of cross country traveling for us and begins to incorporate Azerbaijani involvement in the teaching.

But I also look back and feel accomplished when I experience guesting situations like this past week.  I went over to my counterparts house where I could catch up with her family and meet some new friends, laugh and drink with the men, tease the children, and generally feel pretty at ease instead of on display.  And conducting this night completely in Azerbaijani.  Finally being able to speak this language is a huge feeling of accomplishment regardless of in what situation it may be.