Hooray Hooray!

number one point of business: finding out that obama won the presidency was surreal. it was 8am and i was sitting down to breakfast. i couldn't run around and scream for joy because i didn't want to wake my azeri family. so what did i do? i called my clustermate andrea and demanded that she meet me outside. so i sprinted on the spot straight to her apartment building. when i saw her i started dancing and yelling for joy. we hugged and were ecstatic. we were probably an interesting sight to see. azeri's don't hug...it isn't part of their culture. instead they kiss a lot. so, when we were jumping up and down hugging i'm sure it was strange. but oh man, how wonderful did it feel.

later that day i found out my site in azerbaijan and my job!!!! i couldn't be happier. this is my organization:

Finance for Development

FinDev LLC is a local non-banking, non-for-profit credit organization that offers loans to households and communities, as well as community members who do not have any access to other credit and finance sources. The organization was established in 2002. Organization Purpose is to facilitate the development of sustainable entrepreneurship and income generation activities of sectors which have no access to other traditional financial and credit sources. Finance for Development supports the IDP and local communities as well as rural and urban people to build their own secure income sources through lending activities; to develop their livelihoods; to start small businesses by providing of credit facilities. The source of finance is interest rates from credits.

yay! i have a lot of things to say about this. but first, this additional information as well: i will be workng with 8 people in an office, 5 male, 3 female, and 3 of them are English speakers (holy sweeeeeetness!).

ok, as most of you know i've been trying to work in microfinance for a few years now. however, microfinance is a complex field. generally, at it's beginnings, MFIs lend to small groups (usually women) and start up businesses. however, as the MFI matures, it begins to resemble a traditional bank. well, this it doesn't have to completely resemble a traditional bank, but it can. There are different models. some are forprofit, some are nonprofit. consequently, there are different missions attached to the MFI. For the most part, because i'll be working for a nonprofit, I get the feeling that this organization's mission will be more closely alligned to my interests. In other words, I did not come to Azerbaijan to work for a traditional bank. That was not my goal. And, in fact, many other CEDs will be working for banks. So, to me it seems I've really lucked out. I'm going to help vulnerable populations who don't have other available lines of credit. not that i'm a fan of credit....but i am a fan of getting money to people who don't have any but have constructive ideas about what they want to do with it.
YES!!!!

ok, and i'm going to Mingechevir. this is a great thing. it is maybe the 4th or 5th largest city in the country. it is more liberal than other places and is well known for being both cleaner and more reliable with electricity than most other places in azerbaijan. there is a large resevior there and usuable beaches. the population is approx 97,000. Ming has a longer history of foreigners visiting, so my presence will not seem quite as strange. ALSO, i'm going with two of my closest friends from PCT: Andrea and Kim (aka superdonuzlar and sen kimsen). so, phew....i'm rambling, but thats bc there are a lot of positive things to say. Ming's location is also very close to some other more beautiful places in azerbaijan (sheki) and to the second largest city (ganja...1.5 hours away).
:)

the COUNTDOWN.

hmmmm. so on tuesday all you other americans vote!!!!!!!! i better get immediate messages about who wins the election. i have no idea how i'll find out. i've actually already voted.

wednesday i find out my permanent site in az. keep yer fingers crossed.

and i believe i have approx 40 days/40 nites left of training. things are getting biblical. i'm stuck in the desert of language traing and freedom snatching.....i'm thirsty! freedom! in other words: i'm getting a bit sick of school and being treated like a child (PST rules) 6 days a week. the good news is that this will end when training ends. the bad news is that i've got a while to go. but, i can do it. (i think i can i think i can i think i can i think i can i think i can).

Supar donuzlar! cluster 32

my cluster's mascot (supar donuzlar = super pigs. please see above).

my clothes on the line

my cluster on the beach right next to where we live (from the left: andrea, kathy, linda).

actual words? inshallah!

so much to say and no time. as usual. AACK.

i'll start from the beginning i guess:

packages do arrive here. this is good.

i started a five day internship today and i'm happy about it. the NGO is in the exact line of work i'm interested in learning about and contributing to. it is half vocational training and half microloans/grants. in general, i really want to be involved with MFIs (micro financial institutions) that incorporate a degree of education, and financial education in particular, before giving out loans. it appears this organization does precisely that: it trains youth, 15-30 yearolds, on a specific vocation (they become apprentices) and on business plan writing. if the youth graduates, then they become eligible for loans. this organization also works specifically with IDPs (internally displaced people) and is largely funding by UNHCR, which is the refugee relief leg of the UN. the main lady there has an amazingly kind and patient way about her. i hope to learn and lot and to figure out a way to contribute to who are already highly educated english speakers.

what else can i say? i finally get infront of a computer and forget everything. the mud volcanoes are hilarious. they erupt slowly in these big bulbous bubbles. for some reason they draw me in, like some sort of slow meditative trick keeping me in a trance. and then when they burst i laugh like a 5 yearold.

yesterday i had my first fully azeri conversation with my host mother. this was an amazing feeling. it keeps me encouraged.

oh, and i started sunday soccer with my pct friends. it is amazing. it was so much fun. we played in the worst conditions i've ever played soccer in, but it was thoroughly hilarious. we played on sandy mud that was squishy in some serious wind. whenever i passed the ball it came back to me. i'm still sore from it, but i think we will all keep it up and play every sunday. hopefully we'll find a better field for the next time, but i'm not counting on it. however, it's all part of the fun...adusting to some funky conditions. the funniest part, i think, was when huge pieces of trash would blow across the field faster than we were running. ha

mud volcanos and beat up marshrutkas. and some gobustan.

more goychay

goychay mtn views

goycay, mud volcano, soccer vs. wind and more

i'm so pissed i can't upload photos right now. i have great ones and i'm excited about them too because they are beautiful. guess what? the whole country is not as polluted as sumgayit. i went to goycay (pronouce goychay) in the middle northern region. goychay is known as the land of nar (pomegranite). i stayed with a PCV (hooray for Kat!--her name--) and yes, we made nar pancakes. they were fantastic. goycay was described to me as being run of the mill, but i thought it was lovely. the streets were paved, there was NOT as much trash at ALL, there was a drainage system for water (when it rains, this is important) and you could see mountains in the distance! as soon as i got on a marshrutka (mini bus) and hit the countryside i was at my happiest thus far. awwww mountains. azerbaijan is small but just so so diverse in it's natural beauty. i hope to be placed in the north.

rut roh, i have to cut this short. consider this part one.

but yes, it was sweet.

this is my hometown beach...i ran on it yesterday!

so i can run now!!!! yay! and i run in the morning and watch the sun rise over the caspain. so romantic...except it is obviously SOOO industrial. below is what a soviet style apt looks like

random selection of pics....i can't see what i'm uploading

my school...the basketball court and the caspian sea

ecological disaster in tagiyev...number one

school 19, ced classes spot