The Beginning of the End...

Earlier this month my group, AZ6, had our COS (Close of Service) conference. It's odd to have something like that so far before the date we'll actually leave. Especially when in reality, it probably was the last time I'll see some of the people in my group. It's just a matter of having a group of 50+ people that live anywhere from 1/2 hour to 7+ hours away. Yet I'll still be here until December.

Overall, it was one of the better PC conferences I've attended - not even counting the great hotel/waterpark it was at... We had various sessions on sharing our PC experience once we return home, job searching, the paperwork and supplies we need to return before our actual departure date, insurance information, and on and on. One of my favorite sessions was the one where there was a bag of questions that people could potentially ask us when we return home, and everyone had to answer a question - everything from "Azerbaijan, where is that?" to "What kind of foods did you eat?" and "Is that a Muslim country?" I'm sure that some of the things that will come up in questions have just become so commonplace to us that it seems strange to be asked about it.

I was talking with another Volunteer last week and she remarked how small the group seemed. Our group hasn't lost very many Volunteers (yes, we're here for a specified amount of time, but people can decide to leave at any time, and sometimes PCVs are unable to stay for medical reasons) but I still don't think that's it. When we first arrived in the country we were a group of 61, faced with 60 people that we didn't know. But now we know everyone - granted, some better than others, but it's a lot different feeling to walk into a room filled with people who are sharing this experience than strangers. And while I know I'll see some after our return to America, the whole group is kind of unrealistic. So it's a bittersweet time trying to make the most of the time I have left with my friends, both Azeri and American, and wrapping things up well in my community.

The whole AZ6 group at COS (less those that left early or are extending for a year) and then me with some friends at lunch.

Girls' Camp: 2010 Version

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that camp had started. By now, camp is over and done with and, as expected, it was a great experience. Now that doesn't mean it was without challenges and teenage drama, but where can you escape that?

It was great to just allow these kids to be creative. School resources are minimal at best, and while there is "art" class, it depends totally on the teacher if there are going to be resources beyond what a student already brings to school - read: paper and a pen or pencil. So to give the girls the chance to experiment with watercolors, construction paper, yarn, feathers, etc. was great. I had examples for what the intended project of the day was, but as long as the girls were participating I was happy - to me it's more about the exploring, trying new things and being creative than making a copycat project.

And my goal for the sports activities were things that they can do at home without a lot of resources - something to keep them active since there aren't community activities. So we did things like bowling with a soccer ball and pop bottles, relays (balloons, pop bottles, toothpicks, spoons, etc.), and an attempt at kickball and ultimate frisbee (those attempts turned into volleyball, which is their default girls' game). Again, I'm happy when they're participating even if they don't 100% get the game.

The last day was a challenge. Last year the girls asked if there would be camp this year and I could say yes. This year I had to say I don't know or inshallah (God willing). Most likely there will be another Volunteer in Ujar when I leave, but who knows if it will be a guy or girl (kind of hard to lead a camp for girls as a guy) or if they'll be interested in youth activities. But either way, they'll have great memories and experiences to remember, just as I will.

Vaxt Uçur! (Time Flies!)

It's amazing to me how fast my service has gone. It seems like just yesterday that I was at Orientation at Aqua Park learning how to count and say "My name is Wendy" in Azeri, but here it is time for our COS (Close of Service) conference next week. No, I'm not coming home quite yet; the conference is designed to take place 3 - 4 months before we leave to prepare us for everything.

One thing that has been a normal of any PCV conversation during the past few months has been extensions. Peace Corps accepts extension applications - anywhere from a few months to a year - from Volunteers who want to stay in the country (maybe they have a big project going on, maybe the they want to stay until closer to grad school, etc.) And honestly, I thought about it. A year ago I never thought I would want to, but it's true - you really do get into your groove during your second year. I have great friends here, I love the work I'm doing, and I have a life. While some people view their lives as on "hold" while they do their service, it's hard to not notice that life goes on without you - people get married, have babies, and all those other life events. And my life has gone on here just the same - I've learned a new language, celebrated my 29th and 30th birthdays, and on and on. There are others from my group planning on extending and it's exciting to hear their plans for why they're staying, what they'll be doing here, etc.

So while the ultimate decision was that I will leave when my time is up in December, it won't make it any easier to leave. Leaving America to come here was not the easiest thing I've ever done, but I knew I would return and see all of my friends and family again (Inshallah). When I leave here I'm not sure when I'll return again.

Another Vacation...

It's been almost a month, and I haven't made time to write about my trip to Russia in June...so here's a review in pictures.

 

Starting in Moscow...St. Basil's Cathedral (interior), hundreds of

heads at a sculpture park, St. Basil's Cathedral (exterior)

On to St. Petersburg...Church of the Savior of Spilled Blood (filled with

thousands of mosaics), the drawbridges at night

The Hermitage at night, Micah and I on the drawbridge boat tour

Back to Moscow...the Circus and dinner with my cousin who lives in Moscow

Lots of nesting dolls for sale, a gigantic (apparently the largest in the world,

although it's never been operational) bell inside the Kremlin

It's just a quick tour, but if I wrote a journal of everyday, it'd be a really long entry...and I'm not up for that tonight. It was a great trip with great people, saw a long unseen family member, and places that are once in a lifetime.

A Success Even Before Beginning...

Camp was always a big part of my life in America, and it has continued to be so here. While it's a bit different, there are definitely common aspects. But I think it's the uncommon aspects that are the best (low or no cost, day camp, availability of supplies, etc.)

There are not many extracurricular activities here - chess, music school, karate (only for boys, of course). And most of these stop in the summer. But not for the teenage girls of Ujar - there's day camp (arts & sports) to come to. A week has already gone by (three days of camp) and we've had fun making suncatchers and stained glass windows out of tissue paper, playing kickball, volleyball, and all types of relays. And for the most part, these are things that they can easily replicate later with their friends or family (even if some supplies were sent from America).

But one of the best parts of camp happened before it even started. Volunteering is not something that is done a lot - at least not for people you don't know. Here it's all about your family and neighbors. But I was talking about my camp preparations with one of my local friends and she asked if she could help out with camp (not me asking, but her volunteering). While it's great to have an adult role model that's a Peace Corps Volunteer, in my view, it's even better to have a local one. She'll be around after I leave, she understands what it's like to be a teenage girl in Ujar from her past personal experience, and she's more relatable to the girls (I get a lot of leeway because I'm a foreigner).

So while camp continues, it's already a success to me!