When one door closes

As a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, I would move to a different town, Sumgayit, in November, 2012.  This city is the third largest in Azerbaijan and is located about 35 minutes (by car) from Baku.  My last few months in Yevlakh went by quickly.  I tried by best to savor every moment since my new home would be four and a half hours away.

This year, we had five Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program applicants from Yevlakh city, and four of them were my students either in class and/or conversation clubs.  I was able to attend the first and second round of exams with them in September.

I’ve been to a total of 15+ weddings in two years.  The last one was for a colleague’s  daughter.  I danced, ate, took pictures, and simply enjoyed.

Although I’ve never written about it in detail on my blog, William, Eric, and I established the first softball team in Yevlakh last year.  A softball league was started by a PCV six or seven years ago, and now there are over 15 teams in the country.  I’ve seen the Yevlakh participants grow together as athletes and as a team.  Here is more about the Yevlakh Yahoos in an article from RMU’s Blog.

I was chosen as one of three TEFL Peace Corps Volunteer Trainers for the new group of Trainees that arrived in Azerbaijan in late September.  Two weeks in October were spent leading technical sessions alongside my program managers.

The FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup was held in Azerbaijan in 2012!  I attended the final game: France vs. North Korea.

Before leaving Yevlakh, I explored as much as I could.  I went to: the history museum, the Heydar Aliyev museum, the mosque, all the parks, and many other places of interest in town.  In October, my students and I made a film about Yevlakh in order to share with friends and family all over the world.

Some of my students wrote a letter to the local TV station, EL TV, and suggested that they feature me on a show.  I didn’t know about this until I was invited by someone who works there.  Five of my students joined me, and we talked about Peace Corps, projects, and volunteerism.  They also featured one of the videos we made earlier in the year.

Yes, I took pictures of the TV.

It took me about a month to say goodbye to my students, friends, family, and coworkers.  I moved out of my apartment and stayed with my host family for the last week.  It was difficult for me to leave the home I’d known for the last two years, but I knew it was time for me to go.  When one door closes, another opens…