Raindrops on Roses

"When the bee stings..."

In some of our literature is a useful little bit called "Critical Periods in the Life of a Volunteer". It tells you how volunteers trend through their service. This is where we are at right now:
AZ 6
Months 7-10

Problems:
Slow Work Progress
Language Plateaus
Cross-Cultural Frustration

Behaviors:
Comparison to Other
Over Zealousness
Homesickness
Uncertainty about adaptation skills
Intolerance of Host Culture

As I read this my head almost fell off from nodding. They also include some coping mechanisms such as hobbies (check!) writing home (check!) working on relationships (check!) and "refer to culture shock information" (ummm...where did I put that?).
Another thing I have found really useful as of late has been to list the things about Azerbaijan that I really like and would not have in my life if I wasn't here. I decided to post a bit of it here:

• Hearing the call to prayer
• Marshrutka Rides (ok, maybe I've lost my mind!)
• Ladas
• Shopping at the Bazaar
• Having regular shopkeepers
• The bee boxes in my tutors yard
• Not needing a car/Walking everywhere
• Our meat grinder (so fun!)
• The Azeri Families who have shown true kindness and caring for us
• My Azeri Friends
• Following the Politics
• Muğam (specific Azeri music form)
• Fruit trees in my yard and everyone else's
• How people sit under the fruit trees drinking tea, eating and talking for hours (even on a workday!)
• My new sense of time (or being allowed to not have one!)
• Learning new words
• Peçlər (petches)
• 60 qapik ice cream in Baku
• Watching Al Jazeera
• My amazing PC friends
• Doing laundry by hand
• The myriad of ways that women wear scarves
• Our host family from Saray
• Konturs (pay as you go phone system)
• Canning for the first time
• Reading more books than I normally would
• Some Azeri Foods: Şekerbura with Cinnamon, Aş, Levengi, Toy (wedding) food
• The scenery and weather of Şamaxı in the Spring
• The student who drops everything she is doing to run over and kiss me on the cheek anytime I walk by her street
• The word "var" (it exists/to have/there is) and phrase "lazim dir" (is necessary)
• Paying for everything in Cash
• The utilities guys that deliver your bill right to your door/check to see if you paid
• The fact that I successfully stood in a clump (not line) at the post office to pay our electric bill for quite a bit of time and didn't feel frustrated or impatient.
• Seeing sheep and shepherds everywhere
• Animals everywhere in general (chickens, geese, baby cow outside my door)
• Homemade honey with real chunks of bee!

Well, that's quite a lot!

~Emma

"I just think of a few of my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad!"