Girl's Night Out

My goodness...I just had my first Girl's Night Out in Azerbaijan.

What? How? Huh?

When I first arrived in Az, I thought a Girl's Night Out was a distant concept. I mean, gender roles in Az are pretty...set, and the idea of a group of girls having the ability to paint the town red (so to speak) was definitely not within the realm of possibilities.

Still, the thought of just kicking it with the girls for a night would creep into my mind whenever I was really missing home. Goodness, how I jones for Meggers, Aggie, Gina, and Sarah. A night on the town with them sounds like heaven...maybe throw in a per-chance meeting with the boys (after, of course, we sufficiently had our girl time) and you've got yourself an evening.

Never thought that would be possible here.
But, low and behold, it was.

Of course, it took a little pre-planning by Jessica and I. Still, last Friday, we celebrated our first true blue Girl's Night. [Alcohol-free] Cocktails and a delicious dinner at a fancy restaurant was just what the doctor ordered for my homesickness.

Not to mention, 7 Azerbaijan women just chillin' had to be a site for anyone who saw us. Ahh...sometimes I love this job. Breaking barriers and introducing ideas. Love it.

Extension What?

So, I've dropped the big ball. I'm apply for an extension, but what does this mean?

Well, firstly, It means I want to stick around Az for another year. Of course, there are a thousand and one reasons, but for now, I am going just going to focus on the process. We'll get to the reasons later.

So, how does one apply for an extension...

Well, #1, you've got to have some pretty darn good reasons for wanting to extend. I mean, at one part in the process, you've go to list them out, so knowing why you want to extend is pretty high up on the importance list.

#2, You've got to tell people. According to your PCV handbook, the last possible moment you can request an extension is at your Close of Service conference. For us in Az, our illustrious Country Director has asked everyone to submit formal requests by July 1.

#3, Now you go to list out your reasons i.e. make that formal request. I would post my formal request, but it is rather cheesy and embarrassing, so I am just going to highlight pieces of it when we get to that.

#4, You wait for approval or denial.

Me...I almost am done with part 3. I need to get a letter of support from my host organization and then I've done a, b, and c. After that, it's the waiting game.

Viral Showcase!

Please enjoy this viral showcase from the first Z'Photography Club!