Ina's Summer Schedule

Daily Routine:
10:00 - Wake up sweating or with the intense urge to urinate.

11:00 – 12:00 - Clean and laundry (yes everyday, I count it as my work out!)

14:30 – 17:00 - Nap, DVDs or read, but in most cases I just stare at the ceiling, sweating.

17:00 – 18:00 - Shower (rarely after Tae Bo) to wash of that day’s sweat.

18:00 – 20:00 - Internet CafÈ where I sweat some more.

20:30 - Dinner

21:00 – 23:00 - Stare at the ceiling for a little while longer, happy that the sun is gone.

23:30 – 1:00 - Lay aimlessly in bed trying to fall asleep.

Yep, I am saving the world….by sweating!!! Seriously though, everyday this past week has been in the 90s with no AC and I am melting away.

In reality, I haven’t been quite as useless as it sounds. After GLOW camp I had about a week long break and then I went to Ali Bayramli, an oil town in the middle of the desert, to help out two volunteers with their English camp. Everyday we went to their mosquito infested school where got eaten alive for 2+ hours. Only 8 kids showed up, due to the fact it was scorching outside, but the ones that did really seemed to have fun. Right after the camp I went to Baku to pick up a group of 8 new trainees and bring them to Barda for a few days where they were suppose to learn through observation. I was surprised at how fresh and clean they were. The girls still wore make-up and did their hair, while the one boy was showered and smelled nice. They were exuding positively and excitement which I knew would slowly drain out of them as the months pass. Is that what I was like last year!? I tried my best to be positive and constructive which proved really difficult and took a lot out of me. After they left I had to call a friend and hate a little bit in order to feel better. Don’t get me wrong, I am not evil or anything, but this country has its shortcomings which I don’t think I’ll ever learn to handle. Can’t ruin the newbies though, according to Peace Corps they must reach their own conclusions, which soon enough would match up with mine! It did feel good to be an all knowing mentor, and talking about what I have done made me feel that I am being a productive volunteer. We didn’t do anything Azerbaijani those few days. Amongst others, we played softball, made burritos, had a cook-out, drank beers and went to the internet. It was a good time and exactly what they needed after 2 weeks of Azeri host family life. Additionally, I have been working with one of my counterparts to develop a conversational program for her tutoring sessions. It’s a kind of knowledge exchange where I correct her grammar while learning the principles that guide it. So these have been my official Peace Corps activities in addition to the sweating I previously described.

Look at them, they are so happy!

Either way this summer of boredom is slowly passing and I have almost reached the long awaited August when I get to get out of here for 3 weeks. I am eager to leave the 90 degree weather and go to ski, jump off things, and hike in the cold. I fear the possibility that I may like it way too much and never come back to my life of solitude. I say that because lately I never leave my house, which I have turned into little America, in order to avoid the judgmental stares of greasy men.

6 more days till New Zealand…WOOO HOOO!!