New Kids on the Block

So I wrote about how much we love our new place. I also want to take a moment and talk about how great our new neighbors are. In the past week they have so exemplified the great parts of Azeri culture that I wanted to make sure I took note of it.
When new neighbors pull up in your neighborhood, do you send your kids to unpack their truck?
Well that's what happened to us. Granted, we don't have that much stuff; it all fits in one and a half Ladas. I thought it was a good sign when as we crept down the stony, muddy road, our taxi driver said, "you'll have good neighbors here." My impression is that most of our neighbors are relatives. We pay our rent to the sister of the homeowner and every kid who was helping us move identified themselves as each other's cousins. They not only moved in our stuff but carried bed frames and mattresses in from another house for us and made sure that our peç was correctly installed (many interchangeable pieces-hilarity ensues).
When is the last time your landlord offered to give you the things you might need that you don't have?
Before our landlady left us alone she made sure to fill a kettle with water and put it on the stove to boil. Tea always comes first.
She was also concerned that we might not have slippers as the floor is not carpeted and would be cold. I assured her that our slippers were hiding somewhere in our luggage.
Lastly she gave us an oil lamp. We protested "Oh, we don't need that!" She responded by giving it anyway and saying "It's for nighttime." Makes me wonder how often the power will be going out...
Remember when you thought of baking some brownies for the new neighbors and then reconsidered in case they would think it was weird?
And just tonight as we were preparing dinner we heard a knock on the door. Mathias went to investigate and returned with a bag of fruit (quince, pomegranates and persimmons) from yet another neighbor.
I had been nervous about going through it all again-everyone staring, explaining who we were and where we are from, that no, we don't speak Russian, etc. etc. But it's been great and I feel really comfortable here.

Moral of the story: If a foreigner moves in down the street, go ahead and give them those brownies or some fruit. It will probably make their day.

We've Moved! (Again)

Things are all aflutter here in Azerbaijan. The new school year has begun, I took a mental health week, and the AZ7's have arrived, trained, and found out where they will be placed. We will be receiving two new volunteers here in Shamaxi! And it's holiday time! But the thing that has taken the most of our focus recently is that we moved to a new house!

There were many reasons for our deciding to move. There are great financial benefits to this decision as the rent for the new house is 1/3 cheaper each month. It is also smaller and therefore much easier to heat as the expensive winter season approaches. These are the official (and if the public asks, only) reasons we left. Also, due to the job "creesis" our landlord and his family had moved back into their side of the house. There is very little privacy involved in being a PCV in general and sharing the bathroom facilities, yard, telephone, refrigerator and sometimes (surprise!) personal items and food were challenging.
Our new house is great! I mean, Look! The refrigerator is on the INSIDE!!

I love this fridge. It has an icebox, egg holder, butter holder, and fabulous blue metal detailing. Other things we love about the house include:

• Kitchen INSIDE-Our screened porch kitchen was getting pretty cold and the decision between going without dinner or losing one's hands to frostbite was getting harder and harder. I love not having to leave the house to brush my teeth or wash my hands.
• ALL of the burners on our stove work!-Yes, that's right! I can cook the spaghetti and the sauce at the same time.
• Cabinets!
• Did I mention a fridge all to ourselves?
  

• Warm wood floors, doors, and ceiling-makes it feel like a cabin and our white paper lampshade looks really good (even if all males bump their head on it every time)
• Gas and wood burning Peç right next to the bed-At our old house we could only afford to heat the living room and if the gas went out we were out of luck. Now we have a back up plan. Also, because the gas flow can start and stop at any time, you never leave the gas on at night when sleeping. No problem here-it's so close it heats the bed ahead of time and the radiant heat keeps you comfy till you fall asleep!
• Bathroom facilities are still outside but there is a covered walkway so you don't get wet if its raining and they are tiled really nicely. We have a western-style toilet which does not get its own bullet point because frankly, I like the squat better.
• Summer kitchen-Not useful now but when it gets hot it will be great to cook outside without heating the house!
• Yard with fruit galore! We have pomegranate, cherry, apple, and alça trees as well as grapes, a large strawberry patch and stand of raspberries! There will be another garden next year.
• Well water-We no longer have to pay for water and it is no longer limited; we can draw water whenever we need it.

I know, I know, it sounds like I'm bragging. But I can't help it, it's a nice place. Most importantly, we are alone. The new house has also instituted marital equality because before we were close to my school and Mathias had a bit of a hike. Now we are close to him and I will be enjoying the muddy walks! Oh and for those of you who were concerned, we brought baby cat with us and she seems to be adjusting well. I'll end with more pictures to look at:

Kitchen:

Bed/Living Room:

Bathrooms and Outdoor Kitchen: