the new kids on the block

hey...this past three days or so i was host to two new volunteers. my group, az 6, is now a bunch of pcv veterans. wow. so make way for az 7...they have arrived and are in training. the two volunteers i hosted reminding me of hosting my brother and jordana just a week prior. almost everything is new and there is a lot to take in in terms of lifestyle. before you arrive to azerbaijan you don't really know how to picture your life. once you get here, you start picturing your life and you must make a decision as to whether or not it is a life you can live. the peace corps is not for everyone.
the two hosting experiences were also educational for me (not just them). i suppose i had not realized how many things i learned to adapt to. at this point i feel that my life isn't so hard...i miss the united states for a billion different reasons, but my life in azerbaijan is alright. i have my own apartment (with problems....) and this apartment is bigger than any apartment i ever had in nyc. yes, i'm going to have some heating problems (air and water), but i guess i'll cross that bridge when i get there. and i suppose this is my point: my whole attitude of "i guess i'll cross that bridge when i get there" is a change i suppose. i've never seen myself as being particularly uptight, but the whole peace corps experience has forced me into so many anxiety filled situations that i just...don't get as anxious about most things anymore. peace corps is seemingly an exercise in letting a lot of things go. if you don't let go, then well you'll be bothered and after awhile it gets emotionally exhausted being so bothered. so you adapt. so you let go.

in exciting news i'm leaving for india pretty soon. i'm trying to get all the ins and outs of my plans together. i'm also putting together a training for trainers...i'm going to do a internet training course for trainers that teach on the computers bev and i wrote a grant for.

also, SOFTBALL!! our fall season is ending this sunday. kids from the city of gence are coming to mingechevir for a blow out. i'm proud of my kids and i hope they have a lot of fun. this means that today (thursday) is my last softball practice for a while. i think i need to start a soccer team...i'm just horrible at softball. no upper body strength!