We need a mass hysteria plan

In the life of a PCV, there are 3 major conferences:

IST (In-Service Training);
MSC (Mid-Service Conference); and,
COS (Close-of-Service Conference)



In the life of the Az PCV, there have been 2 major snowstorms:

New Year's Day of 2009; and,
MSC of 2010

That's right. MSC came to an end with several days of snowed in frustration (it started out as bliss...).

The upsides of three forced days in Baku:

I updated my computer.
I hung out with a super cool RPCV and friend, Selim [thank you for hosting me!].
I listened to George Michael's Faith about 6 times.
I FINALLY won a game of Settlers of Catan.

What do MLK, Borat, and Obama have in common?

They make me proud to be a PCV.

I bet your mouth is agape with mystification right now.

[Side note: Last week, my adult woman's conversation club and I watched MLK's "I have a dream..." speech and discussed civil rights, peaceful protest, and why MLK, Jr. Day is my favorite holiday. A few days later, I watched Borat and was appalled to hear Americans cheer for the destruction of Muslim civilians. And then, Obama gave his first State of the Union which reminded me of the hope that one day, all Americans will support equality and civil rights for every person in our great nation]

[Second side note: A few years ago, my dad, sister, and I enjoyed a holiday vacation in Hawaii. While we were there, we met a mixed race couple from Alabama who were honeymooning. At the time, I did not understand what their relationship meant or what it probably would endure in the future. My dad did. I am sorry Dad for telling you to stop talking. You were right. I was so wrong.]

What is is like to be...home.

Ah. I am back in Azerbaijan.

It is a bit of an odd feeling. I am really happy to be back. To sleep in my bed. To experiment in the kitchen and spend 2 hours making bite-sized peanut butter cookies. I really like having more than 2 pairs of socks at my disposal, least to say of the ability to wash them whenever I feel like it.

Yet, I am a little frustrated. The "Alaskan Löki" had taken over. I was no longer "PCV Löki". I used 5 dollar words and spoke a mile per minute. I talked about my family (all about my family) and referenced my own personal experiences with abandon. I was finding that balance between who I am in Azerbaijan and who I was in Alaska.

And now, I am back to being just PCV Löki.

It is frustrating to realize that I, again, am speaking too fast. That I have forgotten simple Azerbaijani words and that my tempo of speech has been disrupted by weeks of not using the language. It is frustrating to have to listen to that inner voice that says, "you probaby should not say that out loud."

I love being a PCV, but, oi, I do love being just Löki more.