Its Basically The Week Before Christmas

I'm not a big list maker, but right now to my immediate right are two sheets of paper filled with items and checkboxes, acting as a hovering boss, reminding me of everything I need to do before Turkey.  Choosing to have this vacation the very first week I'm out of school was probably the 2nd best decision made for this trip (right after deciding to rent a yacht with 15 friends and family).

But in this week approaching, a lot of very 'peace-corps volunteer' things are crammed.

Today, North Finger PCVs and community leaders held a Jr. Counselor Training.  18 kids from Guba, Xudat, and Xachmaz came to a day filled with games, arts and crafts, and leadership training to prepare them to help put on a camp.  Something we learned last summer was we needed to to train the Jr. Counselors and it worked out wonderfully.  It recreated a day of camp while at the same time explaining and reviewing the responsibilities that Jr. Counselors were committing to.  And the training will benefit 3 cities, instead of just one-which always makes me feel more productive.

School also officially ends this week.  Now technically, kids have already received their grades and books have been handed in.  For an education tradition focused on teaching exclusively from and by the book, once the book is out of their hands, the learning segment of school has ended.  But this week, the actual closing ceremony Son Zeng (Last Bell) will happen, and all AZ8 TEFLs will collectively exhale a sigh of relief strong enough to extinguish the eternal flame on Martyr's Lane.

Finally, on next Sunday we have our first away game for softball, in Baku.  Our team has been waiting for this tournament for a long time for one main reason-to defeat Khachmaz Maximum arch-rival: Bilasavar.  Bilasavar is good, really really good and the hyper-compteitive Maximum finish a tournament only to immediately plot for the next one.  At the Baku tournament in fall last year our team was most excited by the fact that they lost to Bilasavar 8-6, an improvement upon the previous defeat of 11-4.  I definitely will have the camera ready for this game, to capture the sweet joy of victory or bitter taste of defeat.

So, a lot is happening in these seven days.  Whether in school, at Apple, or in the Peace Corps, I've always had to earn my vacation most in the final stretch.  But that certainly makes the prize that much sweeter.