Ganja - Beautiful City - Side Bar Earthquake



I am telling her to get rid of this guy!!

 

Ganja is a region (or rayon) south of Zaqatala (about a 3 hours of bumpy Marshurutka ride).  I am meeting a PCV friend for lunch because the PCV I am meeting with is in Georgia and won't be back until later in the afternoon.  I am on working in several regions on summer camps for children, but this is the largest one I am involve with.  It is called GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), I am on the curriculum and supply committees.  And we are meeting in Ganja to buy most of the supplies for the week of camp.  It is funded but we volunteers are not, which means any traveling or food or anything else is on our dime, which makes it a little difficult on our allowance we are given!! Living in a state where the weather is mild and no seasons at all, I am in awe of spring here.  I saw on my ride baby ducks, cows, sheep, geese and horses.  Especially the baby horses, they are running and jumping, how cute is that!! I met Julie (PC friend) and we had a great lunch and just walk a while around Ganja.  Ganja is the second largest city in Azerbaijan after Baku, so it feels like a city in America.  But alas, I had to go to the village of Kechile to meet the PCV who was in charge of the camp for our meeting.  But of course there are two Autovazal (bus depots) in this city at either end of the city.  So to go to the village I must take a marshurutka to the other end of the city to get on a marshurutka to the village.  My PCV at village asked me to pick up a couple things at the store for dinner.  By the time I did, it was getting late and the marshurutka for Kechile was leaving in 20 minutes and I still had to get to the Autovazal (now this is the 1st time I have been here and I am alone and do not know my way around), okay, the bus came and we are off to the Autovazal, I am not looking at the time, because I was going to make it (please God), and I got to the Autovazal 2:29 (the marshurutka for Kechile leaves at 2:30) and there was 25 buses there in the parking lot, soooo which one is it????  Okay, start running and I hit the first row and looked in the window, the very first marshurutka I came to the sign said Kechile... yea and with a minute to spare.  Whew, got on the marshurutka and even got a seat. He left right on time and then waited for 20 minutes up the road for another passenger and packages for the village.   I finally made it to Kechile, an hour ride out of Ganja and had a great weekend.  We got 90% of the supplies bought, I met a lot of great people in the local organizations, and had some wonderful Georgian wine. Life is good!! I took these pictures of Ganja, see how beautiful this city is:

SIDE BAR:  This morning I was in school and in second period I was writing my blog in my notebook and we had a 5.5 earthquake. The center of the quake was Aliabad of course.  Azerbaijani have very few earthquakes and the screaming and yelling going out of the building was a sight to see.  The school building is new and I saw no damage but the Director sent us home.  I got on the marshurutka and (of course my favorite driver was driving) and he asked me if I was okay, I told him that I was from California and we have a lot of earthquakes and I am very familiar with them and I was okay.  A couple of teachers from school number #1 and #3 told me that walls fell down at their school as their schools are very old and made of rock, not even  bricks. As we drove back to Zaqatala, I saw the older rock walls crumble down.  Later this evening we had another strong earthquake and many more aftershocks.  There is a lot of cracks in the house I am staying but I believe unless we have a 6 or 7, this building will hold.  But to be on the safe side, I do have a bag packed and ready in case I need to leave in a hurry.  I tell ya, never a dull moment here in Azerbaijan!! 

Life Challenge: Always keep an open mind and a compassionate heart... Phil Jackson