Which Set Of Parents Are You Again? (February)

By this point in my service everyone who has talked to me, read this blog or knows next to nothing about me - knows that Ata and Ana are pretty much the awesome-est in-country family a girl could ask for. And I’m not just saying that. I’ve had completely impartial sources confirm this point of view.

Ata and Ana take such good care of me and such an interest in my life sometimes it feels like they are actually my biological family. This is especially true when they say things that my ‘actual’ family has been known to say. Such as these two occasions… Italics emphasise my point.

On the phone…
M: Hi!
Ata: Hi! How are you?
M: I’m good.
Ata: Guess What? I talked to PCV K* on Skype last night. Why don’t you have Skype at home yet?
M: I live in Salyan.
Ata: Oh. Right.
M: But my landlord says he is going to install it soon. I will let you know.
Ata: Tell him to do it fast.
M: OK. I will. Bye.

*PVC K is an AZ8 who stayed next door for PST.

On Skype… A Week Later
Ata: Hi Melissa! Are you calling us from Salyan?
M: No. I’m in Baku.
Ata: But why didn’t you come to stay with us?
M: I had to go to the hospital. (See next post)
Ana: *running in from the other room* What did you do? Are you all right?
M: *lifts foot to show bandaged big toe to webcam* I’m fine. This is what happened.
Ata: That looks like a big bandage.
Ana: OK. But are you sure you’re OK?
M: I’m fine. But I have to stay at a hotel tonight. (I used the Russian word for hotel)
Ata: She will be fine. And Melissa, you mean *insert Azerbaijani for hotel*
M: Yes, Ata. * repeats Azerbaijani for hotel*. I’ll call when I get home. Bye.