At the beginning of every year, I like to make New Year's Resolutions...and usually about a week later I forget all about 'em. In an effort to actually remember them this year and maybe even try to keep up with them, I'm going to write them down.
Post-PC related:
1) Study and take the GREs in June.
2) Study and take the LSATs in June.
3) Research graduate school programs and apply by the end of the year.
Work related:
4) Continue my clubs.
5) Continue meeting people in my community.
6) Have an awesome Art Camp again this summer.
7) Try to get materials (textbooks/workbooks) to teach Spanish in the summer.
8) Get involved with softball.
Azerbaijan related:
9) Do all the things on my AZ bucket list
Life related:
10) Keep in better contact with peeps in the US
11) Laugh a lot.
12) Be awesome year-round.
Inshallah in December I will be able to say that I did all (or most) of these things... we'll see!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Awesome Anecdote #1 (...because I'm assuming there will be others and I should start numbering them)
So today I was walking down my street, heading to our local IREX center. It was cold and kind of sunny, although there were mad clouds just creepin' by the mountains. So I got my scarf on, my coat, I'm wearing a skirt and some leggings with knee highs over them (because I clearly no longer actually care about fashion), and I got my iPod on listening to some good walking music.
I pass a young boy all bundled up with a bookbag on - he's probably walking home from school that must've just ended. I keep walking. I see an old lady. She's not wearing a coat. She is looking at me as if she is about to say something, and she is holding something in her hand. I get closer and I realize that she is holding a needle and a thread. She mumbles something to me that I don't understand (I'm not sure it was even in Azerbaijani), and tries to hand me the needle and thread. My amazing deductive reasoning skills are telling me that I think this lady wants me to thread the needle for her. She says a few more things, but all I make out is "eyes" and that the inflection in her voice means she just posed a question. Here's what I translate that to in my head: "I can't see very well, I can't get this thread through this needle. Can you do this for me?"
So of course I'm like "Oh yeah, I got you!," and I take the thread and needle from her. You know when you have some thread and the end is kind of frayed so you kind of lick it and pass your fingers over it so it'll stick back together in one piece? Well, it was clear that this lady had done this to the thread because it looked ready to be threaded. So I got to work, and the end of the thread was kind of tapered so it was easy to get the tip into the eye. (Sidenote: If I was telling this story to you in person, I would be inserting numerous "that's what she said"'s...try to guess where!) I started to get the thread through the needle but only a tiny bit of it had gone through so I couldn't grab hold of it enough to really pull.
At this point in my struggle, a car pulls up to the house we are standing next to and some old dudes get out. I deduct that this lady must live in the house because the dudes are talking to the lady, and after they say their Salam's she leaves me with the thread and walks into the house with one of the guys. I realize that the thread is way too thick to pass through the eye of the needle, but since I've already started forcing it through and the lady left me to my own accord I figured, whatevs, I'm gonna keep pulling it and eventually, maybe, it'll give way. Except that's not how the laws of physics work. One of the old guys who was still outside came over to see what I was doing, so I showed him the needle and thread. He proceeded to take it from me and explained that it was too small. I think he thought it was mine because he seemed really disappointed that it wouldn't fit, as if he was sad he couldn't help me out. I thought to myself, "Wait, for reals homie? You really think I'm just standing outside of your house trying to thread a needle?" but I appreciated that he cared so much. I explained that yes, I knew the thread was too big for the needle, but it wasn't mine though, I was just trying to help that lady. He thought that was funny and actually smiled. I left him with the needle and thread, said sağ olun, and continued down my street.
I walked away thinking, did that just happen? Did a stranger just stop me on the street to help her thread a needle? That was real? Yes, it was.
I pass a young boy all bundled up with a bookbag on - he's probably walking home from school that must've just ended. I keep walking. I see an old lady. She's not wearing a coat. She is looking at me as if she is about to say something, and she is holding something in her hand. I get closer and I realize that she is holding a needle and a thread. She mumbles something to me that I don't understand (I'm not sure it was even in Azerbaijani), and tries to hand me the needle and thread. My amazing deductive reasoning skills are telling me that I think this lady wants me to thread the needle for her. She says a few more things, but all I make out is "eyes" and that the inflection in her voice means she just posed a question. Here's what I translate that to in my head: "I can't see very well, I can't get this thread through this needle. Can you do this for me?"
So of course I'm like "Oh yeah, I got you!," and I take the thread and needle from her. You know when you have some thread and the end is kind of frayed so you kind of lick it and pass your fingers over it so it'll stick back together in one piece? Well, it was clear that this lady had done this to the thread because it looked ready to be threaded. So I got to work, and the end of the thread was kind of tapered so it was easy to get the tip into the eye. (Sidenote: If I was telling this story to you in person, I would be inserting numerous "that's what she said"'s...try to guess where!) I started to get the thread through the needle but only a tiny bit of it had gone through so I couldn't grab hold of it enough to really pull.
At this point in my struggle, a car pulls up to the house we are standing next to and some old dudes get out. I deduct that this lady must live in the house because the dudes are talking to the lady, and after they say their Salam's she leaves me with the thread and walks into the house with one of the guys. I realize that the thread is way too thick to pass through the eye of the needle, but since I've already started forcing it through and the lady left me to my own accord I figured, whatevs, I'm gonna keep pulling it and eventually, maybe, it'll give way. Except that's not how the laws of physics work. One of the old guys who was still outside came over to see what I was doing, so I showed him the needle and thread. He proceeded to take it from me and explained that it was too small. I think he thought it was mine because he seemed really disappointed that it wouldn't fit, as if he was sad he couldn't help me out. I thought to myself, "Wait, for reals homie? You really think I'm just standing outside of your house trying to thread a needle?" but I appreciated that he cared so much. I explained that yes, I knew the thread was too big for the needle, but it wasn't mine though, I was just trying to help that lady. He thought that was funny and actually smiled. I left him with the needle and thread, said sağ olun, and continued down my street.
I walked away thinking, did that just happen? Did a stranger just stop me on the street to help her thread a needle? That was real? Yes, it was.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Impromptu Dance Party!
This is what I'm dancing to right now in Azerbaijan, Tarkan's "Öp":
BAK BAK BAK BAK DURAMADIM!
And here is a youtube video of the lyrics so you can learn/sing along with the song:
And you can find the english translation here.
BAK BAK BAK BAK DURAMADIM!
And here is a youtube video of the lyrics so you can learn/sing along with the song:
And you can find the english translation here.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Friendo y Comiendo: Issue 03
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a picky eater. I have had many people tell me that I am the pickiest/weirdest eater they have ever met. I wear this "World's Pickiest Eater" title like a badge of honor.
For as long as I can remember, I have been a picky eater. I remember being in the first grade and looking at my classmates eating their fries with ketchup and being disgusted at the site of that condiment. Part of my picky habits can be attributed to my upbringing. Like many other Dominican parents, mine only cooked Dominican foods. No mac-n-cheese or green bean casseroles in the Alcántara household. Instead we usually ate la bandera Dominicana for dinner, which is a plate of rice, meat and beans. (In different combinations of course, but essentially 95% of my dinners were la bandera. I'm not complaining either, my parents are great cooks.) We didn't usually have too many vegetables, besides the ones used in making the rice/beans/meat.
Another reason for my picky habits is probably that my mother is also a picky eater. (It's genetic?!?) She doesn't drink milk or eat vegetables, and has a few other weird eating habits that I probably adopted. Whenever we would order Chinese food, she would make sure that we told the guy on the phone to make the shrimp fried rice SIN VEGETALES!
How picky am I? Well, here's a list of foods I didn't eat as of September 28, 2009 (the day before I joined the Peace Corps):
- milk
- most dairy products including: cheese and yogurt.
- condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, mustard, relish, basically anything you would put on a hot dog or hamburger)
- peanut butter
- most vegetables (onions, peppers, spinach, cabbage, beets, broccoli, eggplant, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, artichoke, cauliflower, asparagus, radish)
- Dominican staples that when people find out I don't eat them they usually say something along the lines of "well you're not a REAL Dominican!" (avocado, platano verde hervido or en mangu form (I only eat platano verde in tostones form), platano maduro (I only eat it when its fried thinly and crispy, usually Papi has to make it because Mami lo cocina muy grueso), queso frito, beans (any and all forms of habichuelas)
- tuna and shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, oysters, etc)
- certain fruits (apples, bananas, pineapples, pears, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, papayas)
- sushi
- meat that is not well done ('pink' is not a color I find attractive in meats)
- cream-based sauces and soups (this is related to my dairy products aversion)
I could go on but I think you get the point by now...
The number one thing I worried about before joining the Peace Corps was whether or not I would like the food in the country I was going to. What if I had to eat cheese every single day? Luckily fate put Azerbaijan in my destiny, a place where RICE (plov) is actually the national dish... what are the chances?!? If I was in America the only thing in this picture I would've eaten would've been the chicken and a few cucumbers:
I came to Azerbaijan with an open mind and determined to try new things and ease up on my picky eating. A year and a few months into my service, I am so proud of the change in my diet! My parents tried for 23 years to get me to eat beans, and that was one of the first things I started eating when I got to Azerbaijan! Some friends here still think I am too picky -- but that's because no me conocian cuando era even MORE mañosa! I was explaining to my family a few days ago over Skype all of the things I've been eating here, and they couldn't believe what they were hearing. Mami even joked that she should send Joel here so he can get over his pickiness too.
Foods that I eat now that I didn't eat before: beans, peanut butter, all the vegetables they have here in Azerbaijan (I'm still not that big a fan of eggplant, but I do eat it), all berries, and tuna. Sometimes I look at my plate of food here and I can't believe I'm eating (and enjoying) so many of the things I never ate back in the US. It's awesome!
For as long as I can remember, I have been a picky eater. I remember being in the first grade and looking at my classmates eating their fries with ketchup and being disgusted at the site of that condiment. Part of my picky habits can be attributed to my upbringing. Like many other Dominican parents, mine only cooked Dominican foods. No mac-n-cheese or green bean casseroles in the Alcántara household. Instead we usually ate la bandera Dominicana for dinner, which is a plate of rice, meat and beans. (In different combinations of course, but essentially 95% of my dinners were la bandera. I'm not complaining either, my parents are great cooks.) We didn't usually have too many vegetables, besides the ones used in making the rice/beans/meat.
Another reason for my picky habits is probably that my mother is also a picky eater. (It's genetic?!?) She doesn't drink milk or eat vegetables, and has a few other weird eating habits that I probably adopted. Whenever we would order Chinese food, she would make sure that we told the guy on the phone to make the shrimp fried rice SIN VEGETALES!
How picky am I? Well, here's a list of foods I didn't eat as of September 28, 2009 (the day before I joined the Peace Corps):
- milk
- most dairy products including: cheese and yogurt.
- condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, mustard, relish, basically anything you would put on a hot dog or hamburger)
- peanut butter
- most vegetables (onions, peppers, spinach, cabbage, beets, broccoli, eggplant, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, artichoke, cauliflower, asparagus, radish)
- Dominican staples that when people find out I don't eat them they usually say something along the lines of "well you're not a REAL Dominican!" (avocado, platano verde hervido or en mangu form (I only eat platano verde in tostones form), platano maduro (I only eat it when its fried thinly and crispy, usually Papi has to make it because Mami lo cocina muy grueso), queso frito, beans (any and all forms of habichuelas)
- tuna and shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, oysters, etc)
- certain fruits (apples, bananas, pineapples, pears, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, papayas)
- sushi
- meat that is not well done ('pink' is not a color I find attractive in meats)
- cream-based sauces and soups (this is related to my dairy products aversion)
I could go on but I think you get the point by now...
The number one thing I worried about before joining the Peace Corps was whether or not I would like the food in the country I was going to. What if I had to eat cheese every single day? Luckily fate put Azerbaijan in my destiny, a place where RICE (plov) is actually the national dish... what are the chances?!? If I was in America the only thing in this picture I would've eaten would've been the chicken and a few cucumbers:
I came to Azerbaijan with an open mind and determined to try new things and ease up on my picky eating. A year and a few months into my service, I am so proud of the change in my diet! My parents tried for 23 years to get me to eat beans, and that was one of the first things I started eating when I got to Azerbaijan! Some friends here still think I am too picky -- but that's because no me conocian cuando era even MORE mañosa! I was explaining to my family a few days ago over Skype all of the things I've been eating here, and they couldn't believe what they were hearing. Mami even joked that she should send Joel here so he can get over his pickiness too.
Foods that I eat now that I didn't eat before: beans, peanut butter, all the vegetables they have here in Azerbaijan (I'm still not that big a fan of eggplant, but I do eat it), all berries, and tuna. Sometimes I look at my plate of food here and I can't believe I'm eating (and enjoying) so many of the things I never ate back in the US. It's awesome!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Things I've Found in AZ: Music Video Edition
The other day I was sitting with a friend in our local IREX Center, googling pictures of cartoon characters for a PowerPoint presentation that was geared towards children. I was raised on/by television so of course I kept suggesting different cartoons to my friend. I mentioned the classics, including Winnie the Pooh, the Pink Panther, and the Flintstones - ones that I figured had worldwide appeal. She then showed me a cartoon character I've never seen before, called "nu pogodi", or at least that's what she typed into google. She told me it was a very popular and hilarious Russian cartoon, and she couldn't believe that I had never heard of it. She tried to jog my memory by singing the theme song, and proceeded to say something that sounded like "blahblahblahdancerblahblah."
Needless to say, by this point I was ecstatic, not only because the song sounds awesomely awful, but because she is actually singing it to me in a room full of people. I gave her a "WTF is that??" look, and she proceeded to go on youtube to find the song she was singing.
AND THEN I STRUCK GOLD. Below is the video that she showed me:
This is the best thing I've seen in Azerbaijan since THIS. It's indescribably incredible. Do we have things like this on tv in America?? And if so, what channel is it on because I NEED to get it when I go back to the US!
Needless to say, by this point I was ecstatic, not only because the song sounds awesomely awful, but because she is actually singing it to me in a room full of people. I gave her a "WTF is that??" look, and she proceeded to go on youtube to find the song she was singing.
AND THEN I STRUCK GOLD. Below is the video that she showed me:
This is the best thing I've seen in Azerbaijan since THIS. It's indescribably incredible. Do we have things like this on tv in America?? And if so, what channel is it on because I NEED to get it when I go back to the US!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Yeni Iliniz Mubarek!
Happy New Year my wonderful people!
Last year to celebrate New Year's, I traveled into the capital, Baku, with the rest of the AZ7 volunteer group. We ate a lot of delicious food, hung out with each other, and basically just had a nice time. Baku however, is a very expensive city when you are living on a Peace Corps budget. I remember spending wayyyy too much money. So this year I decided to pass on the Baku New Year's celebrations, not only because I'm broke but also because Baku is just too far from Zaqatala (an eight-hour bus ride).
So I spent New Year's in my town. And it was AWESOME! A quick schedule rundown of my day (on the 31st): woke up late; visited my new sitemate's (Jane) family in Danaçı (a village in the Zaqatala region); hung out with her host mom and sisters; had yarpaq (grape leaf) dolma for lunch (so delicious!); watched her host sister make a LOT of şirin çorək (a nut/sugar-filled pastry); proceeded to eat like 20 of those things; went back to the city to my house; played board games with Jane and Mike; sang karaoke through youtube on my computer at my house; went to visit my friend Könül's family;
had tea and dinner with them (we ate plov (rice with meat, caramelized onions & beans), roasted chicken with potatoes, and yarpaq and kelem (cabbage) dolma... I may have had to unbutton my pants after that feast); at 11:30 headed to the town center to watch the fireworks at midnight; almost had a limb blown off by how ridiculously close we were to all the explosives; met with other friends in the city and walked around town for an hour and half; strolled back home and did random internet-y things until 3am.
In summary: I had a fabulous New Year's Eve, which I think means that 2011 is going to be an equally fabulous/wonderful/amazing year!
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