On Wednesday we got out permanent sites assigned. In the days and hours leading up to it I wasn't that worried, but once they started calling names I was freaking out. Thankfully I ended up with exactly what I asked for. Like down to the letter. I'm going to a village right outside of Zagatala named Car (pronounced 'Jar'. Do a google search of either for more relevant information). Its in the northern part of the country in the 'middle finger', its mountainous and cold and I'll be by myself. Can't wait!

Site visit: Oguz

A few weeks ago we all left our clusters on long road trips to find the REAL Azerbaijan. Sick of the dog-eat-dog/workaday world of our clusters, James and I struck out for the northern city of Oguz with only our dreams, the money in our pockets, and also our backpacks and other stuff. The ride up there took us first through the long stretch of desert right outside of the peninsula. The early part of this month was unseasonably hot, and this day was no exception. Thankfully we quickly made a new friend who helped distract up from the increasingly hot/stale atmosphere of our packed marshrutka. One of the great things about traveling anywhere here is that’s its nearly impossible not to make a friend in the process. I can just be running up to the market and by the time I get home I’ll know 5 new people. Other notable traveling events: About halfway through our trip we took a break at a rest stop that was home to a bear in rusty iron cage. Also, at one point the back door opened while we were on the highway.

Charlie considers our options

Oguz has a theater!

This is what every street in Oguz looks like.

later: we arrived in Oguz and it was totally great. A small city tucked into the mountains, Oguz was a totally different world from Sumgayit and its surrounding suburbs. Charlie, the AZ6 I was visiting, and I could easily walk out of the city and into the countryside filled with winding dirt roads, old neglected cemeteries, open fields, rocky streams, and the occasional shepherd. That’s like four of my favorite things concentrated into one place! When we weren’t fording rivers Charlie and I taught some well-planned English classes at the local school. While I had observed a few classes before this, it was really reassuring and informative to see the lesson planning process in action. I haven’t really taught a class since 2006, and to be honest what I learned in Thailand hasn’t always been that effective.