Hair Update #7

Celebrate my two year anniversary with me 

(two years in the Corps heck ya!). 

Tell me what you think of my hair (two years after I sheared it all off in preparation for my Peace Corps service)!

blah. blah. blah.

So, if you've talked with me in the last few weeks, you know I am going through a, "blah." phase.

Uh. Why am I blogging about this? [I've the strong opinion that my blog is not the place to complain.]

Because, it all has to do with my year extension.

That is right. My extension is making me depressed. Follow me on this:

Extending is awesome.

• You feel empowered because you know exactly what the stitch is for the next year. There are few surprises and your path is pretty well laid out in from of you.

On the other hand, extending hurts.

• You miss your COS (Close of Service Conference). 
• You suddenly realize there is no way your going to be able to say good-bye to everybody. 
• The good-bye process isn't one day, but dragged out over months as all your fellow PCVs travel to say good-bye. 
• Everybody is talking about their next step or "when they return to America" and you're still talking about finding aluminum foil in your bazaar. 
• You realize your support network is peace-ing out. Nobody but nobody is in the same place as you are.

So. I am in a bit of a blah. phase. I am still going forward. I just feel like I am plowing through molasses to do it. I think it is pretty normal though. Any major life decision doesn't always go down smooth.

My 27th Birthday Adventure

(Disclaimer: I loved, loved the people I spent my birthday with...I just could have cared less for the circumstances of getting to where those people where...)

5:30 a.m.: Woke up to participate in my first RD 625 audio-correspondence course.
9:00 a.m.: Site mates arrived at my house bearing instant coffee and flowers.
12:15 p.m.: Departed from my house.
12:35 p.m.: Hit up a small market in front of the bus station. A local store owner bought me Pringles and a can of Pepsi. He also kissed me three times on the cheek. Uncomfortable.
12:44 p.m.: Learned that the buses going through Shamaxi were sold out.
12:52 p.m.: Talked into taking a bus to another location.
1:00 p.m.: Left Zaqatala.
3:15 p.m.: Was dropped off by a mini-bus at a fork-in-the-road. Made a futile search for a toilet.
3:17 p.m: Picked up by three guys going to Agdash.
3:17:10 - 4:00 p.m.: Propositioned by said men and experienced a death defying high-speed Lata chase to Agdash.
4:01 p.m.: Was dropped off in Agdash.
4:08 p.m.: Called Mathais and updated him on our progress.
4:12 p.m.: Caught a bus going through Shamaxi.
5:45 p.m.: Stopped right outside of Shamaxi for a tea break. Annoying.
6:12 p.m.: Arrived in Shamaxi and proceed to walk up a very steep hill. Was called some rather unpleasant (and uncreative) names.
6:34 p.m.: Met up with Emma and walked to her house (awesome accommodations).
8:30 p.m.: Ate some DELICIOUS pot pie.
10 p.m.: Ate some even more DELICIOUS apple crisp. Listened to the most beautiful birthday speech ever.
11:10 p.m.: Began to lose in a round of Trivial Pursuit.
12:30 p.m.: Lost in Trivial Pursuit.
1 ish: Went to bed.

(Since then, had an awesome birthday party as a result of a box the Team sent me! Thank you so much guys.)