Pasxa

It is not often that I observe Christian religious holidays here in the big AZ. Most of my time is spent learning about Islam and observing Muslim holidays. I find them ridiculously interesting as I grew up in an (arguably) Christian country.

At any rate, this past weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Qax and celebrate Easter (or Pasxa in Azerbaijani). Now, if you do not know, Qax is a predominately Georgian region, so this wasn't your average Easter. It was Georgian Orthodox.

I wish I could tell you all the custom and traditional differences between Protestant Christianity and Georgian Orthodox, but I had no idea what was going on the entire evening because I do not speak Georgian. Mostly, I just held a candle and did what any good guest does: people watched.

It was ridiculously interesting.

Of course, the next day, I spent eating and enjoying the company of local Qax-ites (? What are people from Qax called?). I had a fantastic time and am really happy I was able to experience this very uniquely Azerbaijani experience.

So, thanks Nona and Lori! :)

P.S. As you may have noticed, I do not talk about religion or politics on this blog. For those of you who know me, this is a divergence of my normal personality, BUT Peace Corps express forbids proselytizing of religion/politics/ any of those things. I find it easier to just not talk about my personal religious beliefs and my political stances (with locals). Therefore, please keep any comments PG :)

P.S.S. It is pronounced Gakh not Quacks, Tom.

Relief - A not so pocket-sized on-the-spot health guide

A lot of PCVs ask me about home/natural/NOW home remedies for common health problems. I made a Google doc. It is a work in progress. Check it out.*

Relief is online [link]

However, for those of you who need a sneak peak...here is an excerpt from the "Prevention" section...

Yogurt

A key ingredient in many home remedies, having a good stash of yogurt keeps you healthy. It can also keep your body balanced. Enjoy a cup for breakfast. Snack on some garlic yogurt and bread instead of teacakes. Use it as a douche...wait...too early to talk about that.

Homemade Yogurt

3 & 1/2 cups milk

1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered milk

Plain live culture yogurt (regular store-bought yogurt should be fine here)

Prepare several half liter or liter jars by washing thoroughly (with hot water), rinsing and setting aside to air dry. Prepare lids by washing thoroughly (with hot water), rinsing and pouring boiling water over top. Set everything aside until ready to use.

In a large pot, bring milk to a boil. You gots to watch this as it can boil over, especially if you stir it. Leave it alone, yo.

Remove from the stove and allow to cool (again, do not touch it). After a couple of minutes, insert a thermometer. When the milk is at about 110 degrees F (43.3 degrees C) or lukewarm, add in a couple heaping Tablespoons of live culture yogurt. Stir to combine.

If any skin has formed on the top of the milk, remove.

Pour into prepared yogurt containers and place in a warm area. The goal is to keep the milk lukewarm for 6 to 8 hours, undisturbed. Wrap in some towels, place at a respectable distance from your wood stove, anything as long as it is warm.

After 8 hours check to see if the yogurt has set. If it has not set sufficiently by hour 10. something went wrong. You can still use the milk to cook with (sort of buttermilky), but you cannot attempt another yogurt experiment with this batch.

If it has set, place in a cold place (the refrigerator) and enjoy! I use homemade jam to sweeten mine up!

*I am not a doctor...so, take everything I say and write with a grain of salt and possibly a real Doctor's advice.

Why You Should Be a PCMI Student

Let me paint a picture for you:

I am sitting in my Soviet-bloc apartment kitchen (blue, probably lead-filled paint chips are falling around me), staring out my bay of poorly framed windows, watching the spring showers drench my laundry (that I forgot to reel in last night), praying that the power will stay on all day because tonight,

I defend my thesis.

If I say it enough times will it seem real? Seriously? Who thought that it was possible to (potentially) finish up a MA degree while completing a 3rd year of service? Most people think Peace Corps is rural Africa (that' s right "is rural Africa" - how many people know that Africa is a continent?) and not A DSL-crazy Azerbaijan?

Finishing up my MA degree was a big crux in my extension hopes. If it wasn't possible, I wasn't going to stay, but, it worked out. For the last year, I've been waking up at 5 a.m. three times a week to Skype into my MA classes. I have been communicating with professors and my graduate committee through emails (mostly at 10 p.m. for me - 9 a.m. for them). I have been using my textbooks to introduce my TOEFL Preparation Club to what college work looks like in the USA. Yeah...it's been a trip.

And it is a trip you can have too. Seriously folks. MA + Peace Corps = education to the Nth degree. How can I best articulate this to you....

1. RD 650 - Rural Development Strategies - read: Löki learns why the Peace Corps development model is organized they way it is and then gets to actually try out different development models while trying to get her counterpart to learn how to write a grant.

2. ECON 602 - Economics for Mangers - read: Löki finally understands why the US is not a free market and what everybody is talking about in the US (and what Ben Bernanke actually does).

3. RD 699 - Thesis - read: Löki spends hours reading and talking about indigenous issues with people....whoa! New friends alert (and mad community respect).

4. (potential) MA degree - read: Löki has theoretical and experiential learning under her belt. She is the total MA package.

This could be you too. For more information, visit the Peace Corps PCMI Web page [link].

And! I lost at least 10 lbs writing my thesis because I convinced myself that coffee was water and sustenance.
Super PS: I PASSED!