I have to admit: I over-packed.
Having said that, as long as it fits (and you can carry it), bring it – especially if it’s clothes. Make room in those winter care packages for the more important things: peanut butter, food, magazines and books
Clothes:
3 weeks’ worth of underwear and socks/tights = less time spent doing laundry
thermals: YES! If you get cold bring heavy stuff, if you don’t mid-weight is fine. (I brought cold gear and have yet to wear it. I DID wear the mid weight stuff though. But I live in the South.)
3+5 Rule: I brought 5 tops and 3 bottoms (trousers or skirts) each for winter and summer + 2 heavy-2 mid- 2 cardigan sweaters
School: 4 black skirts w/ patterns; ѕ length blouses; thermal-weight turtlenecks, black cardigan; black pants (you might not be allowed to wear pants at school)
a special occasion outfit
house clothes: pj bottoms, sweats or comfy clothes x 2-3. You will LIVE IN them
Shoes: BLACK BOOTS! (I almost didn’t bring these), 2 pairs of flats, sneakers, sandals (I forgot these!), ‘wedding shoes’, flip flops; shoe polish
Coats: wool pea coat; Columbia fleece, light weight jacket; scarves, gloves, hats
DON'T BRING TOO MUCH THAT IS LIGHT COLOURED - white or pastel. You won't be able to keep them clean. :)
Other Stuff:
A backpack or weekend bag; 2 x collapsible eco-friendly bags (shopping, laundry hamper)
a quick dry towel - useful for travel
I DIDN’T bring a sleeping bag – a sleeping bag LINER takes up less space
A light-weight blanket; a yoga mat if you are yoga-inclined
A decent water bottle – Nalgene-Sigg
I brought ONE 32-oz bottle of shampoo. It lasted me until April
A Diva Cup – seriously awesome
You can get over the counter meds, band-aids, sunscreen, bug spray, body lotion + girly stuff from PeaceCorps – so don’t overload your bags
Peeler, can opener; a leather-man tool; duct tape
measuring cups (I wish I’d brought these!); ziploc bags
a French press if you are a coffee drinker
markers, scissors, crayons, construction paper, stickers, blu-tack – raid Walmart
PC/MAC; 2 USB sticks, external HD (YES!), camera; iPod+speakers
2 or 3 books (newer releases, please J ); photos of America
Host Family Gifts: I brought jolly ranchers and a calendar. It worked well.
That’s all I can think of for the moment. I hope it helps. If you have any questions, ask
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
A Note About Language
My Azerbaijani language skills have been quite a talking point this summer.
I have been told on multiple occasions that my Azerbaijani is quite good. It is a statement that makes me uncomfortable on multiple levels.
But:
I speak Azerbaijani 90% of the time I am at site. It is far from grammatically perfect, and I still have to mime or over-simplify multiple words in every conversation. But I can express myself. I have to. It is a survival technique. I’ve got to buy food and maintain friendly relations with my neighbours. Besides: I like to talk. A lot.
Other Observations:
I have been told repeatedly during my travels this summer that I speak Azerbaijani with an instantly recognizable Salyan accent. Awesome. I sound like the cultural equivalent of a country bumpkin. I suppose it is inevitable though given that I live in a village.
It has also come to my attention recently that I speak Russian like an Azerbaijani, and English like someone from Sheki. Excellent. It’s comforting to know that my vocal chords have schizophrenic tendencies in multiple languages.
Concerning My Mother-Tongue:
Do you know how confusing it can be to teach the fine points of grammar and colloquialisms when you have two forms of English attempting to co-exist in your brain? It makes my head hurt. I have to ask other volunteers to explain some things simply because I can’t differentiate between the two. PCVs find this entertaining. Azerbaijanis don’t understand the difficulty. I maintain I am bilingual (in English).
This post is not meant to come across as boastful. My language ability – despite what others may think – still needs a lot of work. I don’t consider it nearly as advanced as I think it should be. But I know that it has improved – one word at a time – every day that I have spent in country. And I hope it will continue to do so.
Thus, A Note to AZ8:
Don’t worry about the language. You will hear it every day for the next 27 months. You will pick it up. Don’t stress if the language CD you get in the mail is incomprehensible. You will master enough to survive within the first week. And don’t kill yourself trying to learn every detail in your PST language lessons. A lot of stuff won’t make sense until you use it regularly.
I have been told on multiple occasions that my Azerbaijani is quite good. It is a statement that makes me uncomfortable on multiple levels.
But:
I speak Azerbaijani 90% of the time I am at site. It is far from grammatically perfect, and I still have to mime or over-simplify multiple words in every conversation. But I can express myself. I have to. It is a survival technique. I’ve got to buy food and maintain friendly relations with my neighbours. Besides: I like to talk. A lot.
Other Observations:
I have been told repeatedly during my travels this summer that I speak Azerbaijani with an instantly recognizable Salyan accent. Awesome. I sound like the cultural equivalent of a country bumpkin. I suppose it is inevitable though given that I live in a village.
It has also come to my attention recently that I speak Russian like an Azerbaijani, and English like someone from Sheki. Excellent. It’s comforting to know that my vocal chords have schizophrenic tendencies in multiple languages.
Concerning My Mother-Tongue:
Do you know how confusing it can be to teach the fine points of grammar and colloquialisms when you have two forms of English attempting to co-exist in your brain? It makes my head hurt. I have to ask other volunteers to explain some things simply because I can’t differentiate between the two. PCVs find this entertaining. Azerbaijanis don’t understand the difficulty. I maintain I am bilingual (in English).
This post is not meant to come across as boastful. My language ability – despite what others may think – still needs a lot of work. I don’t consider it nearly as advanced as I think it should be. But I know that it has improved – one word at a time – every day that I have spent in country. And I hope it will continue to do so.
Thus, A Note to AZ8:
Don’t worry about the language. You will hear it every day for the next 27 months. You will pick it up. Don’t stress if the language CD you get in the mail is incomprehensible. You will master enough to survive within the first week. And don’t kill yourself trying to learn every detail in your PST language lessons. A lot of stuff won’t make sense until you use it regularly.
The Six-Month Mark: A Time To Report And Reflect
Every six months volunteers are required to submit a report to headquarters in Washington detailing their activities and reflecting on their service so far. In the past, this involved writing responses in longhand in triplicate. In the 21st century this means filling in an Excel spreadsheet - definitely a welcome technological advance. A target for the next improvement: Make it MAC-compatible.
There were the obligatory number-crunching statistics: grade levels taught, numbers of students, hours spent lesson planning, number of extra-curricular activities and special events. I had to list the ways I have encouraged a cultural exchange and dialogue between Americans and Azerbaijanis (Goal 2 and Goal 3). I had to reflect on the most challenging aspects of my life in Azerbaijan. Most of the incidents that qualify for that category can be found on my blog in some form. Similarly, it should come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading my blog that my relationship with Ata and Ana took center-stage as the success story of my service so far.
It was quite rewarding to see a list of everything I have done in one place. It made me realize how much I achieve on a daily basis – every hour I spend in the classroom; every cup of tea I drink and every letter I send helps me to fulfill my role as a Peace Corps Volunteer. During the summer, in particular, it sometimes feels like I don’t do a lot of teaching or community development work – so it was nice to take a step back and consider what I have done in the last six months.
There were the obligatory number-crunching statistics: grade levels taught, numbers of students, hours spent lesson planning, number of extra-curricular activities and special events. I had to list the ways I have encouraged a cultural exchange and dialogue between Americans and Azerbaijanis (Goal 2 and Goal 3). I had to reflect on the most challenging aspects of my life in Azerbaijan. Most of the incidents that qualify for that category can be found on my blog in some form. Similarly, it should come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading my blog that my relationship with Ata and Ana took center-stage as the success story of my service so far.
It was quite rewarding to see a list of everything I have done in one place. It made me realize how much I achieve on a daily basis – every hour I spend in the classroom; every cup of tea I drink and every letter I send helps me to fulfill my role as a Peace Corps Volunteer. During the summer, in particular, it sometimes feels like I don’t do a lot of teaching or community development work – so it was nice to take a step back and consider what I have done in the last six months.
July 4th: A Breakfast Picnic on the Beach
I opted not to return to the north to partake in the PCV festivities for the 4th. I am lazy and just a little bit anti-social. These are well-documented character traits that are easy scapegoats for my lack of patriotism. The truth: I wanted to be near a TV for the Wimbledon Final. Cue second trip to Xirdalan.
But Ata and Ana’s summertime breakfast ritual complemented this mid-summer holiday in such a way that I felt like I was observing the aforementioned holiday in spite of the foreign country I happen to be living in at the moment.
Breakfast on a beach on the shores of the Caspian Sea - complete with portable, collapsible, fold-away into a briefcase shape picnic table. I was quite in awe of this picnic table. It went from a non-descript two-foot square of wood with a handle to fully functional picnic table for four in less than a minute.
Breakfast was good too.
I drew a flag in the sand. Ana built a rather impressive sand castle including moat and flag with the grandkids. I took a walk in the sand and seashell pieces along the water line in an attempt to salvage my sandal-scarred feet. Ata taught me the Azerbaijani word for sea-shell: balıq-qullaq (Translation: fish-ear. No lie.)
Then Ana and I took a quick swim in the Caspian Sea, and I remembered why I dislike the beach.
Happy 234th Birthday, America!
Congratulations Rafa!
But Ata and Ana’s summertime breakfast ritual complemented this mid-summer holiday in such a way that I felt like I was observing the aforementioned holiday in spite of the foreign country I happen to be living in at the moment.
Breakfast on a beach on the shores of the Caspian Sea - complete with portable, collapsible, fold-away into a briefcase shape picnic table. I was quite in awe of this picnic table. It went from a non-descript two-foot square of wood with a handle to fully functional picnic table for four in less than a minute.
Breakfast was good too.
I drew a flag in the sand. Ana built a rather impressive sand castle including moat and flag with the grandkids. I took a walk in the sand and seashell pieces along the water line in an attempt to salvage my sandal-scarred feet. Ata taught me the Azerbaijani word for sea-shell: balıq-qullaq (Translation: fish-ear. No lie.)
Then Ana and I took a quick swim in the Caspian Sea, and I remembered why I dislike the beach.
Happy 234th Birthday, America!
Congratulations Rafa!
“Tell Them I’m Buying A Watermelon”, Or The How To Cope With A Family Reunion
I have been spoiled this month. I got to visit Ata and Ana twice in ten days. Both stopovers were during the weekend, so the extended family members were all present and accounted for. It felt like I was the out-of-town relative home for the obligatory summer family reunion. It was a little over-whelming. But true to form, Ata was up to his usual unintentionally comic antics to keep me sane.
Allow me to present the Ata-approved Family Reunion Coping Strategy.
The Scene: Ana is at work. Both sisters and their children are in the living room. The AC, a fan, the computer and the TV are contributing to the noise levels. The sisters are competing to be heard over their children’s loud protests and tears. Ata has momentarily relocated to elsewhere - the bathroom, the garden, Mars…
I decide that it is time to go buy a Snickers.
I open the door to the corner store. Ata is there with his hand in the ice-cream freezer. He looks surprised to see me and a little guilty.
A: Melissa. What are you doing here? Do you want an ice-cream?
M: Hi. No, thanks. I came to get a Snickers.
A: Oh. Ok. *continues to dig around in the freezer*
M: *picks out a candy bar and pays*
A: *selects his ice-cream*
M: OK. Let’s go home. *looks expectantly at Ata*
A: *sits down in the chair next to the freezer and peels the top off his ice cream* Tell them, I’m buying a watermelon. *takes a nonchalant bite of ice cream*
M: *goes home alone, marveling at Ata’s avoidance tactics*
Ata returns home more than an hour later, watermelon in tow and grins at me. The sisters are none the wiser, and the kids have finally fallen asleep for their afternoon nap.
Allow me to present the Ata-approved Family Reunion Coping Strategy.
The Scene: Ana is at work. Both sisters and their children are in the living room. The AC, a fan, the computer and the TV are contributing to the noise levels. The sisters are competing to be heard over their children’s loud protests and tears. Ata has momentarily relocated to elsewhere - the bathroom, the garden, Mars…
I decide that it is time to go buy a Snickers.
I open the door to the corner store. Ata is there with his hand in the ice-cream freezer. He looks surprised to see me and a little guilty.
A: Melissa. What are you doing here? Do you want an ice-cream?
M: Hi. No, thanks. I came to get a Snickers.
A: Oh. Ok. *continues to dig around in the freezer*
M: *picks out a candy bar and pays*
A: *selects his ice-cream*
M: OK. Let’s go home. *looks expectantly at Ata*
A: *sits down in the chair next to the freezer and peels the top off his ice cream* Tell them, I’m buying a watermelon. *takes a nonchalant bite of ice cream*
M: *goes home alone, marveling at Ata’s avoidance tactics*
Ata returns home more than an hour later, watermelon in tow and grins at me. The sisters are none the wiser, and the kids have finally fallen asleep for their afternoon nap.
A Working Vacation In The Mountains
The last week of June I headed up north to help out with another summer camp. The weather was about 15 degrees cooler, there were mountains and greenery, the opportunity to play tourist and spend time with one of my good friends. Honestly, it was more vacation than work.
Sheki is about six hours north of Baku, which means I got to take my first ‘long-haul’ inter-regional trip. Fortunately, the destinations that are more than four hours away tend to graduate from mini-bus standard to the relative luxury of air-conditioned coach. It was a pleasant trip, although my bum went numb some time during Hour 4.
I spent a week in Sheki helping with Environmental Week of the summer camp there. This camp was quite different from the one in Neftchala, even if the theme was the same. The first difference was the size of the group: 60 students (!). There were also English-speaking Azerbaijani teenagers to help with translating. I didn’t have to speak a single word of Azerbaijani during the camp-day. Some of the activities included: a talk about ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle’, a nature hike, a trash pick-up and the planting of a garden in a local park. There was also a ‘how to use a compass’ exercise – that I failed miserably at executing (cross-reference my sense of direction – or lack thereof).
Sheki is one of the larger cities in Azerbaijan. It is one of the places that tourists travel when visiting the country. (There were some Germans on the bus I took.) This means that there are hotels and restaurants and lots of people that speak English. I had a hamburger and French fries for dinner one night! I attended a concert in a picturesque mountain village. I visited the famous ‘Khan’s Palace’, which is noted for its stained-glass windows. I have to admit the windows were pretty impressive, especially since egg-whites were somehow involved in the construction process. (There may have been a translation barrier – but it was built in the C15th. Nails weren’t an option.)
I stayed with another volunteer, who still lives with her host family on the outskirts of the city. It was nice to come home to a family at the end of the day. Her mother was an incredible cook. There was freshly made strawberry jam for breakfast. I also discovered there is a suitable substitute for cream cheese in Azerbaijan. (Now if only I could figure out how to make bagels…) The fact that there was ripe fruit available was very exciting for me. The fruit is scarce in my region this year due to the flooding.
Speaking of water… my friend is able to drink her water straight out of a well without any health concerns; my filtered water was difficult to come home to after a week away. I also learned the Azerbaijani word for ice cream during my travels (I usually cheat and use the Russian) because I had some at least twice a day. My bag was two kilos heavier on the return trip: I had been instructed to bring Sheki Halva back for my neighbours. Halva is a sweet nut and sugar layered dessert that Sheki is famous for.
Yes, I realize that more than half my entry about Sheki pertains to food. The rest of the trip was equally as enjoyable, I promise – just not as memorable.
Sheki is about six hours north of Baku, which means I got to take my first ‘long-haul’ inter-regional trip. Fortunately, the destinations that are more than four hours away tend to graduate from mini-bus standard to the relative luxury of air-conditioned coach. It was a pleasant trip, although my bum went numb some time during Hour 4.
I spent a week in Sheki helping with Environmental Week of the summer camp there. This camp was quite different from the one in Neftchala, even if the theme was the same. The first difference was the size of the group: 60 students (!). There were also English-speaking Azerbaijani teenagers to help with translating. I didn’t have to speak a single word of Azerbaijani during the camp-day. Some of the activities included: a talk about ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle’, a nature hike, a trash pick-up and the planting of a garden in a local park. There was also a ‘how to use a compass’ exercise – that I failed miserably at executing (cross-reference my sense of direction – or lack thereof).
Sheki is one of the larger cities in Azerbaijan. It is one of the places that tourists travel when visiting the country. (There were some Germans on the bus I took.) This means that there are hotels and restaurants and lots of people that speak English. I had a hamburger and French fries for dinner one night! I attended a concert in a picturesque mountain village. I visited the famous ‘Khan’s Palace’, which is noted for its stained-glass windows. I have to admit the windows were pretty impressive, especially since egg-whites were somehow involved in the construction process. (There may have been a translation barrier – but it was built in the C15th. Nails weren’t an option.)
I stayed with another volunteer, who still lives with her host family on the outskirts of the city. It was nice to come home to a family at the end of the day. Her mother was an incredible cook. There was freshly made strawberry jam for breakfast. I also discovered there is a suitable substitute for cream cheese in Azerbaijan. (Now if only I could figure out how to make bagels…) The fact that there was ripe fruit available was very exciting for me. The fruit is scarce in my region this year due to the flooding.
Speaking of water… my friend is able to drink her water straight out of a well without any health concerns; my filtered water was difficult to come home to after a week away. I also learned the Azerbaijani word for ice cream during my travels (I usually cheat and use the Russian) because I had some at least twice a day. My bag was two kilos heavier on the return trip: I had been instructed to bring Sheki Halva back for my neighbours. Halva is a sweet nut and sugar layered dessert that Sheki is famous for.
Yes, I realize that more than half my entry about Sheki pertains to food. The rest of the trip was equally as enjoyable, I promise – just not as memorable.
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