Blog 2 - Training, cont

So where did we leave off....ObLaden's desk, I think. This reminds me
I must tell ya'll about the 2 encounters Ive had with the police thusfar.
Spending 5 hours being 'detained for questioning' isnt how I had planned
to spend that afternoon.....
But all that comes later. Now I'm at site! Where I'll be spending the next
2 years living and working, inshallah(god willing). They have
(mostly) reliable, hi-speed (256K) internet here so I should be able to
update a bit more often when I move here from December, inshallah.

First a recap of whats happened so far.
After a week with my host family Ive fallen into a daily schedule
that generally looks like this -

8:30 - Wake-up, get ready, eat breakfast, make sure I did my homework
9:00 - Make the gruelling 4mn walk to school for Azerbaijani language lessons
9-13:00 - Marathon language class. Usually two 20mn breaks. This started
as a class with only the 5 members of our "cluster" but after a few weeks
we merged w/ another cluster then divided back into two classes based on
ability and interests. All in all Im happy with the results of this.
13-14:45 - Go back home for lunch, study,
14:45 - Begin 7mn walk to CED training session but because all the kids
and many of the men stop me for greetings and hand shaking it takes more
than double that.
15:00 CED training session. We have various projects to do, seminars,
guest speakers such as current Volunteers, local experts from universities,
NGOs, various organizations, etc.
17/17:30 - Go home.
17:30-??? - Get home and change out of my 'professional' clothes into a
t-shirt and sweat-pants(shorts seem to be verboten but its been to chilly
wear them anyhow), study, eat dinner with the family, sometimes a neighbor
or extended family comes over to join us for dinner or just chatting
in the evening. If one of the host-fathers brothers comes over he usually
brings a small bottle of vodka over and we(the men) drink it over dinner.
I sit and listen to the chatting trying to understand the occasional word.
Sometimes a question is thrown my way. Mostly we all sit in the living room
around the tv. I study or play games on my computer. A special thanx
goes out to those who gave me all of the ROMs for the old Nintendo games.
Dragon Warrior 4 has been a huge time waster. Without the distraction my
Azerbaijani would be so much better or I would have ETed by now....not sure
which.
I usually go to my room around 21:30-22:30 depending on if I want to watch
a particular Turkish soap-opera with the family. Its called "Melekler Adisi"
(Island of Angels). Its on 6 days a week, new episode every day. I think
its on reruns. Good quality production, very dramatic melo-drama but not
as over the top as some.
Then I generally watch a movie, read a book, or finish whatever homework
I didnt do before.
0-1:00 - Sleepy time

We have language classes 5 days a week. CED session most days. Sundays are
(usually) free.