ultimate frisbee

we had another fun-filled day of ultimate-- we played outside and had a record number of players (enough for 3 teams of about 6). here are some highlights.... or something like that! :)

JR and Daniela

A quick message to a new guest and an old guest...

JR-- Thanks for stopping by my blog and I would be happy to meet your old exchange student if it is possible.... leave your email address in a comment to this post and I will be in touch.

Daniela-- How are you?? I still can't get in touch with you via email... leave your email address in a comment to this post, please!! :)

GoogleEarth...

Corey was trying to pinpoint my exact location on GoogleEarth last night-- and in the process, he sent some pictures. It was difficult for me to get him even close to my place because of the language differences (spellings and such aren't quite the same). To really see the pictures (because I know they are small)-- click on them and they should enlarge.

This is a picture of my street. When you find the white "C" shaped buildings, you have found my apartments. If you take the road directly in front of my apartments to the right-- all the way to the end of the picture-- you will find my school. It is pretty amazing that I was actually able to locate those two places from above-- because I can barely find them from below!! :)



This is a bit closer... but of the same area...



This is even closer... but it is of my school-- the school is to the left of the big patch of trees, right on the corner of the next block.

welcome to the year of the OX...

hope you all have a FAVORABLE 2009-- in the year of the OX! my horoscope only gave me 3 favorable months-- but i know that that is completely wrong-- it is going to be a great year!!

Chinese New Year Horoscope

black January...

January 20th is a day of remembrance and recognition in Baku and all of Azerbaijan. I know I wrote a while back about the events that lead to the loss of innocent civilians' lives-- when Soviet troops entered Baku under "false pretenses". I have attached some informational sites- so that you all can read up on the events.... of course these are just some of the many sites out there on 'Black January'.

January 20th
Black January

After visiting Shahidlar Khiyabani (Martyr's Cemetary)-- I understand the meaning behind this day of mourning and the its importance to the people here-- ultimately the events that occurred in 1990 solidified Azerbaijan's desire to separate from the Soviet Union.

ultimate frisbee...

wow! i just got back from a fabulous workout... ULTIMATE FRISBEE! it was so much fun. we played 4 on 4 for 2 hours-- and i am going to be so sore tomorrow! there isn't a muscle in my body that wasn't used today-- for real!

on the plane back to Baku from Frankfurt-- i met Caitlin. she is from the states and is living in Azerbaijan and learning Azeri. we started chatting and she invited me to play ultimate frisbee with some other ex-pats and locals. i guess i didn't really understand what ultimate frisbee was until today.

we were missing a lot of people today (that is what i was told)-- but normally you play 5 on 5. each team lines up on opposite ends of the field (in our case-- we played indoors on a football field size area). one team throws the frisbee to the other end and the game begins. the object of the game is to get the frisbee into the designated area on the opposite end of the field. which sounds easy-- but with defenders and not being able to take steps after catching the frisbee--it is hard! not to mention-- throwing, tossing, passing, and side-arming the frisbee isn't an easy thing to do.



needless to say -- it was a lot of fun and i met some new people. we went to lunch at a new place downtown (Mozarts)-- i really needed nourishment after the game. i am so thankful that i met Caitlin on the plane-- this will definitely be something i look forward to on Saturdays.


(in the picture-- Dorje, Amy, Liam, Jessica, Becky, Caitlin... and Teymur is sitting next to Caitlin)

reminders...

Well tonight, while shopping... the Gremlin and Rauf kindly reminded me about the night I got into Baku-- so I thought I better share these stories with all of you as well...

After seeing Rauf's smiling face at the airport-- he quickly resumed the role of taking care of "his girls". Rauf is a very cautious driver-- sort of like riding with my uncle Clyde (I still love you Clyde)-- anyway, we had a lot of time to chit-chat and catch up on the happenings of Baku. He also acted as my personal tour guide (a little like my mom and grandma-- pointing out signs and things that I can see for myself :)--). Rauf even pointed out my apartment--too cute.

Well, apparently on Grem's ride back from the airport yesterday-- Rauf shared my mishaps with the Gremlin! :) You see... after reaching my apartment, Rauf insisted on helping me take my luggage up-- I know he just wanted to make sure I made it alright. Thank goodness he was there though-- because in the lift (elevator), I froze and just stared at the buttons! I couldn't remember what floor I was going to-- I have been in so many lifts lately that I couldn't even remember what floor I lived on!! So, Rauf kindly says, "eleven" and we both laugh. Then I couldn't find the eleven button-- it was like I had never been in that lift before. Of course, this is hillarious to Grem and Rauf now-- laughing at my confusion-- terrible friends!!

Okay.. so we reach my floor and get to my door... and low and behold... I can't remember where I put my keys! I could have sworn I put them in an easily accessible spot in my suitcase-- because I didn't want to carry them in my bag/purse, because I knew it would be my luck to lose them in London or Dublin. Well, the easily accessible spot that I put them in-- escaped my mind. I seriously tore my suitcases (plural) apart, all while Rauf paitiently waited for me. How embarrassing! Anyway, after about 5 minutes-- I find them in the FIRST place that I thought I had put them--- because I did put them there! Ridiculous I tell you-- Rauf just chuckled.... AND today he tells Grem and I the story-- and adds "you need key at Emily's, with me, at school security room, and with the office" -- smarty!!

I do have to say-- it was quite funny listening to the stories being reguritated by Rauf-- I am a good sport and can laugh at myself with the best of them! :)

being back...

so i have been hibernating for the last two days-- the time change and whole getting back into a routine really threw me for a loop-- but today- i ventured out again, mingling with the Azerbaijanis. yet again i needed to go to an exchange-- having pound, euros, and dollars really does me no good here, so i needed manat. then i went to the post office-- long lines, just like the states! and finally i headed to school-- i purposely filled my backpack with empty water jugs so that i couldn't bring any work home.... i also made sure that i could stay no longer than an hour (Rauf is taking us grocery shopping tonight).

the walk to school was so so... and i wasn't really feeling the whole routine thing just yet. but then i opened the security guards' office door... and it all changed. my main man was there with a smile on his face welcoming me back. it was good to talk with him again-- but very hard ... i can't believe how much i forgot in that short time of being gone!! after our little chat i went in and filled the water bottles up-- headed up the stairs and saw some more smiling and welcoming faces. it felt good to be with my co-workers again-- routine isn't going to be that bad after all!

i am off to the markets-- hopefully i can stock up on a few things because i am tired of eating hotdogs and baked beans (yes, i splurged on one of my visits to New World).

angels...

I really do have some angels looking out for me over here-- everyone's hearts are in the right places!

When I returned home I realized that the heat was out again-- no big deal, it happens all the time. So, I did the normal cranking and turning of knobs-- and luckily it worked. I have had heat since the adjustments -- it may not be 80 degrees.. but it is warmer than outside.

So tonight, as I am laying in bed watching a movie (thank goodness it wasn't a scary movie-- you all would have gotten phone calls)-- my doorbell rang. Now mind you... it is 11:10 pm and my doorbell is ringing. I ignored it at first, but then the door handle starts turning and there is a key being put into the lock... I got a little nervous at this point. I put on a sweater and made my way to the door (they couldn't get in because the second lock was locked), and looked out the peep hole. I couldn't see anything, so I turned on my light and knocked on my own door (don't ask me why I did that). Sevda (my cleaning lady) was outside with her neighbor! I let her in and she was so happy to see me-- she had been checking on my place as much as she could because she was so worried that I wouldn't have heat and that I would be cold! She is the sweetest angel ever. I had to assure her that it was working properly by showing her how I did it-- all while she scolds me to stay inside because I didn't have slippers on-- she is so funny. Her neighbor made sure that the heater was working properly and showed Sevda how to work it, then they were off.

Sevda is just one of the angels looking out for me. So darn sweet!

the trip!

Wow! That was an amazing trip! I don't even know where to begin... but I have to share the adventures we had...

I will start with day 1 ... it was a long day! I arrived in London in the morning... but had been up since midnight Baku time.... i didn't get to my hotel right away-- got off of the underground at the wrong place, so I had to walk a bit. Actually, I had no idea which way to start walking, so I asked some workers coming out of a Subway (I was so excited to see a Subway-- don't have them in Baku). They were very nice-- called the hotel and then one offered to walk with me-- of course I let him, I knew right away he wasn't from London (#1 the accent wasn't right and #2 he insisted on pulled/carrying my luggage). He happened to be from Bangladesh--- which is why he rolled/pulled my suitcase-- the men are very insistent and chivalrous. Along the way, he showed me some of the main sights of the city-- it was amazing! I was in awe at how beautiful and HUGE it was. It also felt really good to be in a "different" city. We arrived at my hotel and my new friend made sure that all was well before we parted ways-- super friendly and helpful-- it was much appreciated.

The room was small (of course, most European hotels are), but it was centrally located. We were so close to the underground/tube and to shows and shopping... it was great. I put my stuff down and reorganized some things-- and headed out. Little did I know that I arrived on Boxing Day (huge shopping day-- but also a holiday, so a lot of little shops were closed)-- this was great though. I decided to get myself a map and then get lost! AND... I did just that. I bought the map-- put it in my bag-- and headed down streets that I felt were worth checking out (away from the crowds). I ended up finding a great Italian place to have lunch and get help with my location-- I had walked quite a lot further than I thought-- and my thin jacket was no longer keeping me warm! So, I decided to check out some of the shopping places-- on a mission to find a jacket only (since I had promised Traci that I wouldn't shop until she arrived)-- the promise was extremely difficult to keep because I hadn't been shopping in so long... and there were millions of sales!! I found what I needed and decided that I should call it a day-- since after converting the time that I had been up into European hours... I had been up for 24 hours... and was starting to feel it!

I traveled on the tube at 5 am to meet Traci at the airport--- it was so exciting-- being in a new city and meeting an old friend... I was really nervous too-- because things have changed a bit since I have been gone (I didn't realize it was 6 months until that point in time). I knew we would have a blast and pick up where we had left off-- it was more of a anxious feeling I guess. Anyway, I walked up the ramp and spotted Traci's pink coat right off the bat-- I wanted to get my camera out and take a picture of her scanning the crowd-- but I couldn't get the camera out of my pocket fast enough-- and my feet weren't stopping. It was so great to see my friend and be able to experience the new surroundings together-- I was so excited.

We did a lot of sight-seeing this first day together--- it was amazing how fast the day slipped by. We visited the Tower of London (didn't go in on this day), London Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, Fruit Market, the awesome Italian place I was at the day before, the monument by London Bridge, London University, Tower Bridge, The Merchant Navy Memorial, The Thames River walk, and Plough Pub! It was a lot of walking and talking! Pictures galore! The Plough Pub was our evening meal-- and Stella was not nice to us that night! Of course, we made friends with some people, one of which Traci called Morgan Freeman--- he pointed us in the direction of a local hang out-- so off we went. We had a good time-- but left before midnight (we are princesses you know and need our beauty sleep). NO, actually my feet were killing me! I picked the wrong day to wear heals and wander around the city! Traci tried to get me to take my shoes off on the walk home-- but I just couldn't do it! We passed the same bike cab about 4 times (he had to be getting a kick out of us)! Even though we had no idea where we were-- we were able to stumble across our street and back to the hotel. I am not kidding you-- my feet hurt so bad that I crawled to the bathroom! Traci thought this was hysterical-- and it was--- but as I look at the pictures I feel the pain, didn't wear those shoes again (well, besides a short walk to the shoe store)!


I am not even to day 2 with Traci and I have blabbed on this much-- Calla is definitely not going to read this post!! I guess I will condense the rest of our days in London-- well, except for New Years Eve....

We spent a lot of time sight-seeing, relaxing at coffee shops, shopping, walking, and experiencing London. A few of the sights on the list (besides the ones mentioned above).... Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards, Kensington Palace, The Tower of London, The London Eye, Big Ben, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Westminster Abbey, Queen's Gate, Trafaglar Square, Cleopatra's Needle, The Sunken Gardens, a show (Blood Brothers--AWESOME!), Albert Memorial, Harrods, Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, Bond Street (shopping), The British Museum, Albert Memorial, and St. James Park. Of course there were a ton of things that we didn't get an opportunity to see-- but we walked a lot -- and saw a lot!!

On New Year's Eve we decided to stick close to the hotel for the major part of the day-- because we knew that it would be a long night. I got my hair cut by a Persian man that was hysterical! We had a great breakfast, shopped, and started to get ready (layered) for the night. The tube was free, so the plan was to get something to eat a little closer to Westminster Bridge and then hang out there for the fireworks (by the Eye)-- well, at 5:30 the bridge was packed and the streets were being blocked off to traffic.... people are nuts because it was freezing outside (there was no way that we were going to be sitting outside for 4 hours)... so we found a Scottish pub and settled ourselves in for a bit... as time passed we made our way closer to the action... and met Steve (the tour guide for the night). We ended up in Trafaglar Square for the fireworks display-- it was amazing! There were over 500,000 people in the Trafaglar Square area-- a mad house really! After the fireworks and the clearing of some of the crowd... we wandered to another place and danced for awhile... then we walked back to the hotel... because we knew it was going to be a long day of traveling (to Ireland).

Ireland was waiting for our arrival! We had a great trip-- train from London to Holyhead and then a Ferry across the Irish Sea to the port of Dublin... a perfect trip. There was such a difference in the atmosphere... as soon as we hit Holyhead-- so much more welcoming and friendly... Traci and I both were feeling at ease. I was excited to have Traci and Emily meet-- of course they hit it off-- and the weekend was somewhat of a blurr... it went too fast!


We stayed in the Temple Bar Area-- pretty centrally located-- which was great. Our Dublin experiences were awesome! We went to a Rugby match, did a little sight-seeing, shopped a tad, met some wonderfully interesting people, learned new words (Irish words), sang a lot (even though I am completely tone-deaf), had an "after-hours" with food in our hotel lobby, and slept in (everyday)!! It was a perfect end to an already awesome trip! We all laughed so much that our sides hurt-- it was insane how many times we said, "Stop it, I am going to pee my pants!" It was great! Luckily (and I really mean this), Traci and I weren't able to leave Ireland on Sunday-- our ferry was canceled--- we really weren't sad about it though!! Monday's ferry was available-- but we had to make a lot of train changes (not a good thing to have to do with luggage-- but we made it to London).

When we arrived in London we found a pub to eat some more fish and chips-- and then headed to bed-- our planes left early in the morning... and you could tell that we were both dreading the departure. The mood changed a bit --not only was London a lot different from Dublin-- it is always hard to say good-bye-- even if it isn't for forever-- not to mention, we just had the best 10 days and knew that routine and schedules were awaiting us!

It didn't really hit me that I wasn't going to the states-- until I walked up to the Baku gate in Germany. When I saw the destination I realized that I wasn't going to the states-- that I was going back to a different way of life. It was a little scary at first because I hadn't really looked at Baku as a place that could be dreaded-- however, as soon as I landed, got through visa checks, collected my luggage, and saw Rauf's smiling face waiting for me-- I felt like I was home. It is good to be back.... now if I could just get my body used to the time change! :)

funny moments.. for us at least...

This was an experience we had on the streets of Dublin--- we wanted Emily to put money in the man's tin, but she wouldn't! We were jumping when we were far away from him... can just imagine what would have happened if we were closer-- Emily would have punched him.


Grem made sure that she was entertaining all of us-- you know, she IS from ENGLAND. :)

happy new year!!

JUST sending happy 2009 wishes to you all! We are in IRELAND-- doing what the Irish do the best!! I have lots of pictures and stories to share with you.... Pebbles the Parrot (Traci), Frenchie (Emily), and I are having a blast!!! We are heading to a Rugby game tonight... and then to the "palace of fun" to meet up with our new friends... Finny, Giraffe, Lamo, Martin, Frenchman, Scottland, and Switzy....basically Ireland LOVES US, I think we might stay! :)

Leaving for London again on Sunday-- then back to Baku on Tuesday!

Just a preview of the fun pictures that will be shared.....