Storm Watch: Summer to Winter in 1 Day!!!

School is back in session and a few (okay most) teachers pay a bribe to get their class schedule in the times they want or even to get classes. This year I am working with 3rd grade and it is extremely challenging but also very rewarding.  I have 17 classes from 3rd to 9th grade that I teach each week from Monday to Thursday.  I purchased a used projector in America and my family is sending it to me.  This will help in the classroom, two of my counterparts are very excited to receive it and so am I.  We have a projector at school but we are not allowed to use it.  On Fridays I have a conversation club at the Institute and at my counterparts home.  On Sundays I have FLEX students come to my home.  I am still trying to find a public place to hold clubs which is very frustrating because no one wants to let you use their facilities without paying them.  I told them I am doing this for free and even though the space is not being used, they do not want you to use it.  I am also working with an Azerbaijani friend on Friday mornings going to schools and organizations handing out applications for PCV's.  So far I have 3 schools for TEFL's volunteer, 1 organization for CD (Community Development) volunteer and 1 organization for YD (Youth Development) volunteer.  I also have applications out for host families, so the next group of volunteers hopefully will be placed here!

My Balloon trip in Turkey

Now the weather report!!!  As I am writing this I am wearing gloves and three layers of clothes!! I was walking home from school and I looked up at our beautiful mountains and I notice they were all in white!!!  Oh No, that is snow up there!!  I have a sinking feeling this is a sign of an early and cold winter!!  Last year we had little snow and it wasn't so cold so I was hoping and praying for another mild winter.  That is one of the reason I decided on my extension, thinking that we could have a 2nd mild winter (silly me!!).  It has been raining for 4 days and each day the temperature is dropping.  We never had Autumn or Fall it just went right into cold, miserable winter! My cooking stove is outside, so I need that moved into the kitchen as well as putting windows in their so it is not so cold even with no heat!!  My landlady told me that I will be getting my gas heater tomorrow.  But she tells me tomorrow all the time. They have theirs already set up so I will ask my Azerbaijani friend to make sure I get mine installed soon!!  I HATE winter!!!  See the picture below, I just took this today,  right behind the Mosque you can see the snow.

Good News:  My student who I took to Sheiki for the FLEX test passed the 1st round.  The other 4 I didn't work with did not pass the first round.  He was able to take the second round test the same day.  That was a much harder test which involves 3 essays written in English.  This will be scored and if he passed, he will be invited back to Baku for round 3!! We will know in November.

Life Challenge: The thing I love the most and still love most about teaching is that you can connect with an individual or a group and see the individual or group exceed their limits.... Mike Krzyzewki