A New Season, A Year Down.

My favorite time of year begins today... Fall.  It's extra special this year, too, because not only is it my mom's birthday (Happy Birthday, mom!), it's my one year mark of being in Azerbaijan!  It's kind of a milestone for me marking my first year completed and knowing that there's only a bit over a year left.  Not at my half way mark yet, but it's coming...

All of this is making me think that I really need to get motivated and start up all the activities I want to do over these next 15 months.  It's about time I start to focus on a bigger project, write some grants, and come up with some fresh ideas work wise.  I'm starting to do all this by revamping what it is I do.  I'm less focused on Conversation Clubs and general activities and am approaching this year with a  mentor type of attitude.  With Lale, my go-to girl, working in Baku until December, I needed to rethink what it was I wanted to do.  So, at the moment, I'm working with younger girls with their English and Critical Thinking skills through film, essay writing, podcast listening, and more photo clubs.  I'm also toying with some other ideas, but I need to flesh them out a bit more.  I'm also actively opening my house to these girls and other older youth to come over, hang out, and have some one-on-one time to improve skills as well as attempting to provide a safe haven of sorts whenever a growing teenager needs it.  My way of being a PCV is to try to impact the people I feel close to as much as possible.

With Fall coming also brings cooler weather 

foods in season!  Pomegranates have begun popping up in the bazaar and streets, apples fill trunks and cars and are getting to be cheaper, I saw spinach for the first time not too long ago, and soon persimmons and clementines will show up!  

It's getting to be that perfect weather time where wearing long sleeve shirts, sweaters and jeans is comfortable.  It's almost that time where a steaming hot cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate is refreshing and you can feel it go down your throat and hit your stomach.  Soon it won't be unbearable to cook a meal in the kitchen because of the heat and I can snuggle up in a thick blanket without sweating profusely.  

Sadly, I know, the perfect chunk of perfect weather will pass and become freezing quicker than I I had the chance to enjoy it and I'll be wanting it to be hot again, but I'm not going to think about that quite yet.  Today I'm enjoying the mild day with my coffee under a light blanket.  

Happy one year to me and my group and Happy Birthday, mom!

I miss AC.

Please refer to the right of the screen and try to sympathize.  Not even the heat index.  My thermometer outside says 100 and it's in shade.