I am working this Christmas Eve, but my director has been very kind and understanding and I will not be working on Christmas. Linda and I will be sharing Christmas Eve with our host family and 2 other volunteers, Kelsy and Joyce. Joyce is coming from Lankaran. Linda, Joyce and Kelsy will prepare food for tonight for everyone.
Tomorrow, Christmas Day, Linda and I will read scripture and listen to Christmas music all day. We have a ham, a present from Debbie and Edna, we have saved for Christmas day. We are enjoying all the energy bars, hot chocolate, teas, candy, cookies, beef jerkey, canned meat, dried fruits, oatmeal, and everything else that you are so thoughtful to send to us.
Life in Shirvan is quite good right now. The weather has not been as severe as it has in Kansas City. We are adjusting, but must improve our language skills. We can negotiate the markets and initial greetings, but not much beyond that.
There is a music school here in Shirvan, and we are going to a concert on December 29. That will help us integrate into our community. We are always looking for community events to attend.
Our work is basically to be an English speaker and improve the skills of anyone who desires to improve. The computer skills are Excel and Word. The use of the internet is primarily email and chatting.
The price of oil dropping is good for the US, but it has affected the economy here negatively. Those fortunate enough to work for the oil companies may be facing some layoffs. We know the economy in the US is suffering also. Let's all hope that the bottom of the negative trends is either here or approaching quickly, and the upturn will begin.
I will include pictures with my next post. I have a wonderful picutre of Linda speaking at our swearing in ceremony. Everyone would have been so proud of her. She shared that now was the time in our lives for us to give back to the world and especially Azerbaijan. She wore a skarf she purchased in Baku and stated that she wore the skarf to have something from Azerbaijan, but in 2 years she will have the people and memories in her heart.
Denney's current hair style is a cross between a buzz cut and chaos. He wears a european style hat most of the time.
The New Year's holiday here last one week with an emphasis on being with family and extended relatives.
Please post any questions you might want us to answer in the comments and we'll do our best.
God Bless you all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
We are spending Christmas in Waxahachie Tx this year. Weather was fair and after visiting Mom we all went to the movies. The blog is very nice I will try and call you soon. Love Sister
Merry Christmas to you. You are often in our thoughts. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas ham. Mine is in the oven now as Reed and Teresa came just last night to celebrate with us. Edna
Merry Christmas! I love your pictures! It really helps see what your life is like. If Linda's speech is published somewhere, will we be able to access it? I would love to read it.
Our big Christmas celebration will be New Year's Eve when Sam's family and Mandy's family are here. We are celebrating Christmas around the world....with Italian and Mexican foods! I wish I could send you some salsa!
Love you, Melissa
So very glad to receive your blog info and get an update on your getting settled in Azerbaijan. I see notes about your mail address in the blog. Can you share that? Also, would it be possible to allow my young friend, Chad, to be a reader of your blog? You may recall reading the blog that he kept in 2007-08 while he was in Ankara, Turkey teaching English at Bilkent University. When I saw him during Christmas, he asked about you and I am sure he would enjoy reading about your experiences. Thanks again for your blogging efforts. My prayers are with you each day. Take care. Kay
Post a Comment