Those Happy, Golden Days ...
For those of you who care about me: I'm happy. Really, finally, happy for the first time in a long time. I'm not without my stresses (trying to get the car sold, arguing with mom, coping with the enormity of the next two years of my life) but I've also got a lot going for me. After 15 years, I finally have "the Boys" on DVD, and this provides me with the undiluted joy that only a true fangirl can achieve. My bills are about to get a lot less complicated. I'm excited about what I'm doing and where I'm going. Yay.
Speaking of what I'm doing and where I'm going:
Azerbaijan is a secular muslim country surrounded on three sides (north, west, south) by the Caucasses Mountains, and on the east by the Caspian sea. Located on the infamous "Silk Road" the country as been assimilated throughout history by the Roman, Persian, and Ottoman empires, as well as most recently by the USSR. Climates are varried, and temperatures vary from 100 Farenheit to -40 Farenheit (damn, that's cold). Although there is a strong disagreement with Armenia about some land in the south, there has been a UN cease fire since the mid-90's, and I'm not allowed to go down there. Crime is low, especially crime against westerners. It's highest in Baku, the capitol, but I won't be stationed there, either. Azeri is a language very similar to Turkish, so I'll be learning as much of that as I can over the next few months. I will be innoculated against bird flu (and all others) before I leave the US, so also not a problem.
I'm not taking much with me. Electricity is sporadic, so I'm not taking a laptop. Just my iPod (for use at home, only), a digital camera, and a shortwave radio. Clothing, toiletries, a few books I can't live without, Jennifer-bear and TomTom the Monkey. Hopefully I'll get everything into a small suitcase, smallish duffel, and backpack. I'm planning to set up a box of winter clothes to be mailed to me once I reach my site. Maybe a secondary box of teaching supplies, depending on what is there already.
I'm sure I'll have access to the internet at cafes and such when I come into Baku or other larger cities, but if you think I might not have it, then email me your snail mail address so I can send you random updates about the adventures of me and TomTom.
If you have any questions, please ask me, because it might be something that I haven't thought of yet. As I told a friend earlier today, thinking is not one of my stronger "skillz" at the moment, and I've got so much going through my head right now that if I tried to think about everything my head would implode.
Ooh! And here's the flag:
Okay ... now to continue the search for the lost car title ...
Speaking of what I'm doing and where I'm going:
Azerbaijan is a secular muslim country surrounded on three sides (north, west, south) by the Caucasses Mountains, and on the east by the Caspian sea. Located on the infamous "Silk Road" the country as been assimilated throughout history by the Roman, Persian, and Ottoman empires, as well as most recently by the USSR. Climates are varried, and temperatures vary from 100 Farenheit to -40 Farenheit (damn, that's cold). Although there is a strong disagreement with Armenia about some land in the south, there has been a UN cease fire since the mid-90's, and I'm not allowed to go down there. Crime is low, especially crime against westerners. It's highest in Baku, the capitol, but I won't be stationed there, either. Azeri is a language very similar to Turkish, so I'll be learning as much of that as I can over the next few months. I will be innoculated against bird flu (and all others) before I leave the US, so also not a problem.
I'm not taking much with me. Electricity is sporadic, so I'm not taking a laptop. Just my iPod (for use at home, only), a digital camera, and a shortwave radio. Clothing, toiletries, a few books I can't live without, Jennifer-bear and TomTom the Monkey. Hopefully I'll get everything into a small suitcase, smallish duffel, and backpack. I'm planning to set up a box of winter clothes to be mailed to me once I reach my site. Maybe a secondary box of teaching supplies, depending on what is there already.
I'm sure I'll have access to the internet at cafes and such when I come into Baku or other larger cities, but if you think I might not have it, then email me your snail mail address so I can send you random updates about the adventures of me and TomTom.
If you have any questions, please ask me, because it might be something that I haven't thought of yet. As I told a friend earlier today, thinking is not one of my stronger "skillz" at the moment, and I've got so much going through my head right now that if I tried to think about everything my head would implode.
Ooh! And here's the flag:
Okay ... now to continue the search for the lost car title ...