It’s been a hard week, but it has flown by. I had my first English class observations, where I finally saw exactly what I’m going to be working with for the next two years. It was a little terrifying, but I also feel a renewed sense of motivation and purpose, as well as a lot of inspiration and hope for what I’ll be able to accomplish while I’m working in Azerbaijan. I start practicum in just over a week, and will be teaching (/helping teach) actual English lessons to actual Azeri students.
The upcoming week, however, will be a nice break from the daily 4-hour language lessons and bus trips to technical training, as we are visiting current volunteers. I’m super excited to see “the real thing,” and psyched to see a TEFL volunteer working in her classroom. Several AZ7’s have been working with TEFL Trainees during our technical training, and have without question been the most valuable source of information as we prepare for service, so it will be awesome to see what we’ve been hearing so much about.
My crazy, weird life here is starting to become normal to me . . . I’m actually amazed at how quickly this has happened. Everything is strange—from the landscape to the animals to the food—but it is already becoming familiar, comfortable and ordinary. Although my lack of language skill still represents a huge gulf between Azeri culture and myself, this bizarre little dot on the map is quite quickly becoming my home. I’ll soon be rounding out my first month in the Peace Corps—it’s exciting to imagine that in another month, I’ll know where my permanent site will be!
