Breakdown

"I need this here

Old train to breakdown

Oh please just

Let me please breakdown

I wanna break on down

But I can't stop now

Let me break on down"

Like many volunteers I talk with, I have started to feel like my service is not like how I would had imagined it.  Now my experience is the opposite of many but I still have similar insecurities.  I started to work on a list of my strengths and weaknesses - so that I could enhance the strengths and ameliorate the weaknesses.  One of my greatest weaknesses is the language - I feel that this problem is the root of many weaknesses.  Examples of the snowball effect:  I am not able to present without a translator (I feel like a lot is lost in translation and I'm awkward when I present with one), I can't communicate with the farmers to learn more about their issues, I am only able to connect with English speakers in my community (so my range of people is limited), and I want the people in my city to know how much I appreciate being here (I feel that learning the local language is one step to acceptance). 

     Now since my life here seems to be on a bullet train, I've been developing ways to stay at site more often as well as take some much needed breaks from life, work, and community.  On one of these lovely breaks on a Sunday afternoon I was flipping through some flashcards left by a previous PCV and I came up with these following photos.  I love to be creative and artistic, so I had a BLAST taking all these and running around my house thinking of funny scenarios.  I hope you enjoy the silliness that is me and soon understand that my brain learns better when I'm in this state.

The word that started it all.  I promised myself to greatly improve my Azerbaijani over this summer.

Söz vermək = To Promise

Təmizləmək = To Clean
...and they are not.

Çalışmaq = To Try
You can do it, little grapes!

Gülmək = To Laugh

I nestled this card in these beautiful roses because "gül" means flower.

Tapmaq = To Find
I found FREE food!

Düzəltmək = To Repair

Fikirləşmək = To Think

Qaçmaq = To Run

Təkrar Etmək = To Repeat

Tutmaq = To Hold

Dincəlmək / İstirahət Etmək = To Rest

Tanımaq = To Recognize
This found camel's name is RIGGINS! You better RECOGNIZE!

Görmək = To See

Arzu Etmək = To Wish

Sevmək = To Love

Yalan Danışmaq = To Lie

Xoşlamaq = To Like

İçmək = To Drink

Öyrənmək = To Learn

Oxumaq = To Read

Təsəvvür Etmək = To Imagine

İstifadə Etmək = To Use
Yeah.. I'm thinkin that this light switch is...NOT being used.

Ümid Etmək = To Hope
The random plug that just hopes to be used.. outside.

Planlaşdırmaq = To Plan