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| Taking from my Classroom |
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| See how close that snow is!!! |
I should have known, mild winter last year equal the winter from Hell this year!! The good news it hasn't snowed in the city yet, the bad news it is going to snow tomorrow. Of course "Murphy's Law" I am going to make my favorite monthly trip to Baku tomorrow night and come back on the bus the next day (21 hours round trip). But the alternative is; I can wait until next week when it will be snowing both in Zaqatala and Baku or do it now when it is only snowing in Zaqatala. So I chose the lesser of two evils!! Even though it hasn't snowed our nights and some days are extremely cold. I spoke with my son in California and they are having record lows (which just so happens to be our highs..go figure). I am trying to winterize my kitchen (I had to bring in some of my food like olive oil as it freezes out there). I turned off my refrigerator at night because if I leave it plug in, everything is frozen by the morning. So, I went to the bazaar and bought plastic (plastic is your friend in winter) and covered all the windows. I found a large piece of glass in the yard that was full of paint so I scrub it clean and it fit perfectly in the missing window pane so my friends put it in and with the plastic it really helps with the cold. There is only one small window that needs glass now. Now I have a new challenge (I bet you thought I wouldn't have anymore...yep me too). We have a pump that you have to unplug and then plug to pump the water and of course it is upstairs (because the overweight daughter is too lazy to have it down stairs!!), so when I need water, I have to run up stairs to unplug and then plug it in so I can get the pump working. Sometimes I hear the pump going (it is very loud) so I just run to the kitchen and turn my water on and do what I need to do (wash dishes, fill water buckets, take a shower etc). Well, since it has been so cold, guess what???? the pump freezes up in the morning, so no water. Now I have to keep extra water and have my kettle water hot for washing up and brushing my teeth in the morning. I have about an hour window from when I come home from school before I need to go to club or teach community members, so that is the time I take a shower. It is extremely cold in the shower until it steams up, so I don't take one every day. Now I am just wondering what is going to happened when it is extremely cold all day for several days (I never knew about the pump when I moved in, something they forgot to mentioned????). Fortunately, if this happens, I can also go to my friends house and take a shower.
I have learned to layer better and my site friend left me a down coat which is a God's sent. So when I go out I am not freezing to death (but it is still early in the season yet, so I will keep you posted!!). I have a warm pech that keeps my two rooms warn and my kitty brood are warm and happy.
My conversation clubs keeps growing even splitting them up into two groups I get at least two new students a week. I am very frustrated with my counterparts as they make any and every excuse not to show up. I've decided not to count on them and if I can't make club I will cancel. Sad part about this is that the students want to come and because I can't count on Azerbaijani's the students suffer.
Life Challenge: Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.. John F. Kennedy
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