I am happy to report that I arrived Friday December 10th in Masalli to a sunny and warm welcome by both my teaching counterpart and my host family. There are 2 other Peace Corps Volunteers in Masalli, plus 2 more PCVs in nearby Billosavar. We hired a marsrutka from Sumgayit and traveled with all our worldly possessions for about 5 hours. The school director in one Masalli village accompanied us and treated us on the way to tea plus another stop at a restoran for borscht. It feels so good to be welcomed and wanted.
A bit of confusion initially about who I was living with because I believe my teaching counterpart expected me to live with him and his wife. In fact another volunteer Sally will be living with them so that we do not spend our entire lives with the same teacher at the school and then go home and live with them too.
My host family and living quarters are great - English teacher mom plus Masalli Cultural Center dad and boy 8 and girl 10. They have a 3 bedroom apartment up 5 flights of stairs with many conveniences including TV. I won't worry about getting enough excerise. Mom and children walk to nearby school where another PCV Sally will be serving as an English teacher also. As with many of my posts, I will not post photos of my host family or housing to insure their privacy. I may include other general photos of the area.
I plan to describe more as time goes on, but I have one first impression that will make many laugh - especially my siblings who remember a particular incident that happened to me growing up on a farm. I noticed on arriving that there are many geese along the streets in Masalli. Years ago I came to fear geese because they can be downright mean. When I was about 12 years old one actually chased me, bit my butt and hung on to me as I ran into our farmhouse!
Here in Masalli, I will have to think to myself: you've come this far and you're not gonna let some old goose stand in your way!
No comments:
Post a Comment