Colonel Mustard.

Something phenomenal about living in Azerbaijan is that it takes creativity. A lot of times you have to think out of the box to get something very simple done. This thinking paves the way for new approaches and, sometimes, creating new ideas and challenges to motivate oneself.

Earlier this year, Baku friends decided an amazing way for them to entertain themselves and further explore Baku and Azerbaijan was to buy a 1980 Lada, Colonel Mustard. And, I've been lucky to reap some of the benefits of their collective fine decision. This car has provided me with so many good times and memories thusfar, but the best just occurred: the Lada and visitors came to Ming.

The first challenge the 'comrades' created was to test out my 'street cred' and find me without my aid. They didn't even tell me they had arrived in town. After about 20 minutes and talking to around 7 people, there was a knock at my door. Friends had arrived and I fully realized too many people I know nothing of know where I live. But, hey, looks like I passed that test with flying colors.

Our next mission was to find Lenin in Yevlax. There's a halved Lenin statue from the Soviet days around my areaish. I was able to navigate decently in the right directions and we had to ask a few people, but we found him... sitting in dumpyard of sorts with decrepit vans and a bunch of goats. My favorite part of this venture was asking the first random man about Lenin's whereabouts. We didn't quite know how to ask about him, so my friend explained that the Lenin statue didn't have a head on his body. The man was confused.

Riding around and traveling in a beaten up (down-to-earth) Lada older than me attracts a good amount of attention. People watch and stare in disbelief as foreigners are driving about in an almost 30 year old car. Azeris tend to think foreigners/Americans are rich and the visual of us in this particular car is something completely astounding and shattering. It provides Azeris with something else to look at and us with hours of entertainment. I think that's called a win-win.

Ming's Got a Mural.

When I was pleading for money in March for my 2nd year Environmental Project, it was mainly for what has just been completed in Mingechevir today... a mural.

I have had this in mind since I came to Azerbaijan to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. I didn't quite know what was going to be done, but I knew I wanted to bring a mural to wherever I was placed. And, now, it's done. There was a scare the morning of the first session because of an untimely rain (morning session was cancelled), but the rain eventually decided to stay in the looming clouds over our heads and give us some relatively cooler work days. This project has been one of my main focuses for the past year and now there's finally tangible evidence of the work. Awesome. This past week, there were 3 days completely dedicated to the mural and the completion of this project as a whole. My Azeri counterparts were all peaches and did the jobs they were supposed to do. Our artist was fantastic and accommodating, the Ministry connection's faith never failed and connected us to the right people in the Excom and media and Lale was exactly who she's always been to me - a patient, kind and supportive friend. I'm incredibly proud of this project and am glad to have been able to complete it. Now, on to the paperwork...

Below, you can see the progression of the sessions. I hope you enjoy. Thank you all so much, again, for your donations. Because of your funding, Mingechevir has its first legit public art.

Istanbul Ultimate.

Remember when I talked about my Ultimate family? And that I managed to finagle using professional work leave days to play in a tournament in Georgia? Apparently my love for this sport keeps crossing new lines. I might've planned part of my vacation to play. And, by might've, I did.

In Istanbul, I played with Turk Kasi and it was incredible. The Turks are hardcore, to say the least. Please note in the picture we're all dripping wet. That's because we played for about an hour in a torrential downpour. And, then, continued to play in the aftermath. Also, that was after an hour of normal play. With no subs. Or real breaks. It was probably, though, one of the most memorable Ultimate games I've taken part in and would love to play with them again. Something about trudging through mudpuddles and barely being able to see made it an incredible and amusing time.

Girls Night.

In Ankara, I couchsurfed. I have never couchsurfed before, but I have hosted a few couchsurfers in Azerbaijan. I reckoned I would give it a go and see how it went. I’m glad to say my first experience was a great one. I stayed with a teacher at the International School in Ankara, Carrie. Getting to talk with her was most assuredly a highlight in and of itself, but the best part of the couchsurfing experience with her was that I was invited to her planned Girls Night with 3 fellow teachers.

My last night in Ankara, we went to Kavanc’s house to have wine, dinner, and watch a Turkish chick-flick (that wasn’t as chick-flicky as I thought it might be). I got to talk about Azerbaijan, learn more about Turkey, and figure out similarities and differences between where I live and where I currently am. I was also able to enjoy the company of good and interesting people, which is lovely. We had an incredible dinner of Turkish mezzas, spinach artichoke dip, and lovely conversation. The movie being good was completely just to boot.

I know our host that evening is quite well-traveled and has worked with foreigners for several years and it showed in her house. She exuded the best parts of both worlds. The Turkish hospitality was there and genuine, but she also had pictures around her house of her and her husband being silly and smiling. After being post-Soviet for so long, seeing picture of happy people throws me off, but in a good way.

Ankara for the win.

My Evil Eyes.

Here's the thing: I would not be able to survive being part of the Peace Corps without a social network outside of Peace Corps. Don't get me wrong, I like my Peace Corps people quite fine, but it's a small world and I do enjoy being able to step out of the Peace Corps realm every once and awhile. In this regard, I am incredibly fortunate because I have the best group of friends in Baku that a girl could ask for - the Baku Evil Eyes.

The Evil Eyes are an International group of awesomeness who get together every week to play Ultimate Frisbee. I love it. We're a close-knit group that wake up early to play on the weekends and get together and enjoy each other's company afterwards. There might even be theme parties involved. I cannot express how incredible it is to be part of this group of people. I started playing with them last June and came to plan my Baku trips around game day. It's been a staple of my time in Azerbaijan and I hold it quite dear. I will never not think of this group of people when I reflect on my times in Azerbaijan. The Evil Eyes are one of my homes and I consider them an integral part of my Azerbaijan family.

This past trip to Georgia, too, was planned around Ultimate. A couple months ago, Kent brought up Baku Evil Eyes vs (the impressive, hospitable and brilliant) Tbilisi Flying Khatchapuris and I jumped at the chance to go. I was able to arrange Writing Olympics judging for the Monday after our 2-day tournament in Tbilisi, so all my plans worked out beautifully. We all hopped on that aforementioned almost midnight train to Georgia (minus Dorje who had to fly) as an official touring team. We arrived into Tbilisi around 1:30 with a game slated for 4. So, we ate, rested, and headed out.

From our Captain, Steve: "So, to business. How did we actually get on the field of play? Well we played as an Evil Eyes Team five times in total, against a variety of different [Flying Khatchapuris] Teams. The games were to 5 and we won 4 and lost 1. After that we mixed the teams up and played for fun."

So, we did what we had to do... Go in, demolish, and then have fun.

I love being an Evil Eye.

Pancake Day!

One weekly event I look forward to is Pancake Day with my best Azeri friend, Lale.

I started cooking a little with her before she left for PST, but it was after she returned that we started doing pancakes. One night for dinner I made us breakfast and discovered Lale's affinity for the delectable treat. Since then, we've started Pancake Day. The main goal, aside from eating and getting quality time in, of this delicious day is to make a new pancake every time we get together. We've only done this for 3 weeks now, but we've done plain, chocolate chip, and apple cinnamon pancakes and I don't see us stopping anytime soon (so you can keep on sending the syrup my way :)). It's a day that we both look forward to to catch up, chat, laugh, eat, and unwind. Ah, the simple things.

This past Pancake Day was a bit more exciting, too, as our friend Nazim is back in town on a 10 day leave from the Army. It was great to see him again, though I don't think he enjoyed the pancakes as much as Lale and I do. To each their own.

A Random Azeri Day.

I've been back and forth from Mingechevir to Baku a couple times this month for various reasons. A big milestone visit was MSC (Mid-Service Conference), a little late. My 2nd visit was a follow-up visit because of Medical things from MSC. I'm all and well, just in case you're concerned. I roll in Friday for follow up things, end up spraining my ankle Saturday (minor- no worries), doctor appointments out the wazoo Sunday and Monday, and relaxing the ankle until Thursday. The supposed to be 2 day trip ended up to be much longer. Thank goodness for friends and other lovely characters in Baku for making it quite a nice trip. This turn of events set me up for something I never could have predicted - the best Azeri day I've experienced during the entirety of my service.

Not wanting to hop on the 5 hour marshrutka (overfilled van) ride from Baku to Mingechevir, I wasted a good amount of time in the Peace Corps lounge Thursday morning. I finally motivated myself to leave the lounge after a couple hours to make the journey back. I cannot express this enough... I hate traveling in this country. Typical traveling here includes being stared at and harassed, cramped spaces, no leg room, bumpy roads that give me headaches, and overall lameness. I get to the bus station and I find my marshrutka. As soon as I put my bags in the back and make my way to the back section of the van, the driver asks if I would like to sit in the front. Usually this doesn't happen because I'm a girl and only men sit in the front (most times). I say yes because the front is loads more comfortable. Score. Since I'm a girl, a xanam (old lady) rolls up and sits in the front with me. Double score.

We eventually get on the road and the front seat is a pleasant place to be. We're all joking, laughing, and enjoying our time. We stop at a little store and the driver buys me and the xanam sunflower seeds and drinks. Amazing. We continue on our journey still comfortable. Eventually we arrive at the midway stopping point for the break and I was getting hungry, so I ask the xanam to let me out of the front seat. She begins to follow me as she knows no one else. The rest stop, of course, has no salads, so we get tea and watch some Olympic hockey on the TV while chatting away. Before we left, she had the driver stop to buy me bananas and mandarins. Azerbaijan really decided to let me have a good day. The xanam continues to talk to me telling me that she's going to a birthday party and I'm going with her. I decided that the day was working in my favor, so I just agreed.

Me and the xanam make random observations on the

road and laugh about all the sights. She points out a midget and yells that he is little - I laugh hysterically. I love midget humor. We get to Mingechevir and she makes the driver drive us into town. We get off the marshrutka and we're right by my apartment and we go to School 13 to the party. I was surprised as I have never been in IDP (Internally Displaced People) housing. This family lives in a section of a school that I sometimes teach at. I go in with the xanam, eat salads, and thoroughly enjoy my random Azeri day/night. I had to leave come about 9:30 because I was exhausted from Baku. When I left, I had a gang of people following me to walk me home. I left my new friends with promises to go back basically every Tuesday and to call my new xanam friend, Samaya, when I return to Baku to walk the boulevard with her.

I think things are taking a turn for the better. And, on another very positive note, I've got news that my landlord in Russia is not planning on returning for another year. This girl is not planning on having to move. I win.

AZBasketball.

Over New Years, me and Laura decided we wanted to start playing basketball at the sports stadium. So, one day while we were being worthless, food coma-ed zombies, we wandered into the sports store to dribble some balls. It was going to happen.

We returned to Mingechevir and found a ball. Success. We weren't sure when time was going to be on our sides, but it didn't matter. Fast forward to Friday and my plans for work fell through, so we headed to the stadium with no idea what to really expect. In our sports-type/comfy clothes, we made our way over to discover a group of kids playing soccer in the one court. After speaking with the kids' coach, we learned they were going to be there for an hour. It was a nice day, so we sat, watched, chatted and waited. The coach was incredibly nice (he made the jerk Azer boys leave when they were harassing us) and the kids were pretty darned cute (they're not yet at that age where the switch for overt rudeness has been turned on). I was surprised when one of the little kids yelled "Yapon" (Japan) at me and the coach shooed him off and yelled. That's definitely not something I'm used to. It was welcomed. Anyways, when the kids were done, the coach gave us the motion to take the court. So, we did.

Laura and I had a good 15 minutes being just us and a few of those straggler kids. We let them shoot when they were nice and talked a little with them. Soon, though, the court was home to a ton of new people including many boys, 4 girls (!!!) and 2 coaches (one a woman). They invited us to play with them. Azeri basketball is something fierce where all those rules of the homeland are completely thrown out the window. It was dirty. And fun. For one game, it was me and Laura on separate teams playing with just boys. The second game was us, the girls, and the boys. The last game was just girls. We continued to play like good Americans until the end when the girls got a bit scary and started drawing blood. It was such a random and fun experience that neither me nor Laura expected. We talked with the coach and arranged to meet again.

Sunday, we returned at our arranged time (they were late). We had Alexis and Sean in tow for this round. We only played one game (we won), but it still held all the crazy the first day did. And, it was another fun day. Elbows were thrown, grabbing and fouls happened all over the place, and it was loud. Though there was a bit more harassment this time around, I still had a blast.

I do think that by us just being out there, doing what we do, really does show Azeris how we are. We're making our presence known, talking to new people, and playing hard (with a supportive attitude that I think might be lacking on the other team's side). We clap when the other team scores, laugh (a bit uncontrollably) all throughout, and have fun. Sure, I love winning, but I love having fun more. It makes me excited to reach Softball season again.

Hectic Holidays.

I've been a bit MIA this past month, but I assure you it's for good reason. With the arrival of our new sitemates and the holiday season sneaking up behind us, this season has been particularly festive and filled with socializing and work. So, since I haven't updated as much, I'll just take you through the highlights.

Sitemate arrival. We got 4 new sitemates this month! With the arrival of new people, there were also welcome dinners, tours around town, general hanging out, and getting to know the new Ming family (while not forgetting those who've left).

Lale's return. Lale's back and I'm SO happy about it!

Sitemate Sean's birthday. Sean is one of the new sitemates here in Ming and, for his birthday, his friends came into town and spent it with him. We had great food, played fun games, and overall had a great time.

Christmas baking with my girls.

My girls came over after Sean's birthday festivities to bake Christmas cookies! As you (might) can see, the cutting out of cookies weren't the most traditional, but it was delicious and fun all the same. We made sugar cookies and chocolate mint.

Visitors!. Ming's had a ton of visitors this past month. As always, fun, but also tiring.

Sitemate Laura's birthday!!!. Laura is our Christmas baby, so we started celebrating early with a Chinese inspired dinner with homemade fortune cookies! I made fortune cookies for the first time in my life and, let me tell you, it wasn't nearly as easy as I thought they'd be. Some of our favorite 6s came to town to celebrate the birth of Laura and we played games all through the night.

Sheki Christmas. Sheki Danielle hosted a TON of PCVs for a Holiday Hoorah and it was great! There were cookies, Christmas movies, music, the fabulous hotel, Secret Santa, hot showers, and warmth (both company and temperature wise). What else could've we asked for?! Thank you Danielle for a great time!

So, friends, Merry (belated) Christmas! Happy (belated) birthdays to Natalie and Sarah, too! Next up, Baku New Years.

Feels like a Sunday.

Hello, friends (and new blogger pals)!

This is my attempt to write more frequently.  It definitely helps I have such a super cool friend who's pretty much the blogging Rookie of the Year to have for inspiration.  Mine will not be as developed as much as hers graphically or, probably, contextually, but whatevs.  Blogging should be fun.  It shouldn't matter whether I have something totally compelling to write about, as so long as I do write.  It is my idea, now, to stop weighing the importance of a given topic and to just do it.  

So, here it is: today is awesome.  Everything a good day should consist of is happening.  Simply put and very concise.  The reason I'm expressing this all right now is because of a few reasons.  Earlier today, we did a trash clean-up for Earth Day and, after, we did bumper cars.  Yes, I'm totally serious and it was amazingly fun.  Right now, I'm sitting on my balcony on a warm and sunny day, using the internet, just had a simple lunch of fruits, breads, and cheese, while enjoying a cup of coffee and my iPod shuffle.  I'm waiting for the birds to get a bit braver and come up to my balcony and eat the bread I've set out while I'm actually present. (It just happened and it was awesome).  I can watch them through my kitchen window, but it's not the same.  

This is my hangout on my (amaazing [by AZ standards]) balcony.  Photo Booth isn't the best, but it loads a heck of a lot faster than a picture picture.  The balcony is bigger than this one little glimpse.

Tonight I'm going to the Riverwalk to hang out with friends and ride this crazy swing contraption I've had my eye on since being in Mingechevir.  I've seen people do it, so I'm thinking I should live.  If we made it through sparks flying bumper cars, we can get through anything.

So, although yesterday had its solemn moments (remembering the audacity of VT and how it still seems like it was yesterday), its ridiculous ones (me continuously hitting refresh on my computer for 2 hours trying to know exactly what was going on in the Cubs/Cardinals game), and, eventually, the jaded moment before bed (Cubs lost), I proclaim today to be a good day, filled with coffee, music, birds, good company, a perfect balcony, simple and yummy foods, clean socks, and sunlight... glorious sunlight.

P.S. I'm working on a tour video of the new place.  Who knows when I'll have decent enough internet to actually upload it, but it's coming...