Did I Make the Right Decision??

I saw my site friend off to Baku and she is heading back home to Florida.  Last week I met with several volunteers to have dinner and say good bye to them as they are heading back home as well.  Did I make the right decision to extend?   The weather here is gloomy and overcast which questions my decision.  Now that my site friend is gone, I am the only volunteer in Zaqatala at least for the next 7 months.  I made the decision to extend for several reasons.  Last year I was sick a lot and they medevac me home, so I wanted to make up that time and stay in school for the full school year.  I also wanted to travel but not in winter and I felt it just wasn't time for me to leave yet.  All valid points I think but am I really afraid to go home, not feeling that I will fit in with family or friends?  You change when you are living in a 3rd world country, your outlook on life changes, you see what is important and what's not.  Most Americans do not understand this and don't want to discuss it.  If we don't talk about it or admit it, then it isn't a problem. But when you are here, it is in your face daily and you can not avoid it.  I look back at where I started and where I am now.  I see in myself many changes.  I have made some friends and lost some.  I've had many challenges (as most of you know) but I am proud of myself for facing those challenges and managing to overcome most of them.  The challenges back home will be even greater and I hope I can overcome those as well.  Adjustment is 99% attitude I believe and I try to be positive (even with this crappy weather, no easy task!!) but it is not possible all the time (did I mentioned, I hate winter)!  I'm extremely busy now with teaching and having clubs plus helping community members learn English.  I am also looking for places (schools and organizations and host families) for the next group of volunteers that are coming in June.  And of course my three kittens are quite a handful!!!

Fall in Azerbaijan

Fall

Today has been a good day.  I finally got to clean the carpets as I don't think they have ever been cleaned! When I first moved in, the kittens marked the carpet as their territory by using it as a litter box and that just made it worst.  When I was in Baku, I bought cleaner from the pet store for fleas and poop plus 3 flea collars (believe it or not they do have flea collars in Baku).  I do hate fleas and ants (yuck).  I bought a brush mop and got a pan of sudsy water, bleach and cleaner and just started scrubbing.  The hair I got off the carpet was enough to make a wig (yuck, yuck, again) and the water was black.  I changed the water several times and I think the rugs maybe clean now, but I will clean them again after winter.  It is uplifting and a good feeling coming into a clean place.  I also went food shopping and came home and made homemade vegetarian chili, bean burgers and tuna shepherd pie so I have dinner for the next week.  Yep, it was a good day!!!

Life Challenge: Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened!!!  Dr. Seuss