Yaz Haradasan? (Spring, where are You?)

Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." ~Robert Byrne

Winter is that time that exist between Christmas and Spring. It is cold. It is wet. It is long and in short, it sucks.

Honestly, I thought I had dealt with some pretty cold winters having been from the Northeast.  Silly, silly girl… I clearly didn’t have a clue. Winter in a mountainous reason of Eastern Europe is a whole new ballgame.
Harsh Winter Kills Scores in Eastern Europe - Aljazeera
Eastern Europe Scrambles to deal with Brutal Winter - CNN

In my final placement interview during training, one thing I really wanted was to be somewhere with mountains. My program manager willingly obliged and off I went to Quba, with the Greater Caucasus Mountains practically in my backyard. I have had a chance to live in a region with such stunning backdrops to daily life.

 

My Street!

 This is grand and all, but then the snow set in. The first few days of excitement and snowball fights are now a distant memory.

The primary source of heating in most Azerbaijani homes is called a peҁ. It is a gas-based, sometimes wood burning metal contraption.

Peҁ in my Office

We have been without water (with the exception of last Thursday) for almost 2 weeks. Picture a peҁ with buckets of snow next to it, in an effort to melt it so that we can “shower” and wash the dishes and clothes… yes really. See below.

Washing my socks in melted snow water. My host mom (left)

Last Thursday I got to shower for the 1^st time in 9 days! Haha I honestly am weirdly getting used to it, which does not bode well for my single-status. I sleep at night with Extreme Expedition Long Underwear underneath heavy pair sweatpants and sweatshirt with 2 pairs of wool socks, a hat, and gloves…In short I look like a homeless person.

It is here that I would like to make a dedication to my two most valuable possessions (see picture to the right).
1. My Peace Corps Issued Brown Monster (it’s not what you think) Sleeping Bag and...
2. My Grelka (Russian) Hot Water Bottle Heater (English)

Without these two things, I could not survive the winter here.




So that is my vent about winter in Azerbaijan. I am ready for it finish, but in the mean time I'm making the best of things.

** Update 9 February 2012** With the exception of 3 rare days, not together, we have now been without water for over 3 weeks. Since 16th January. Also the temperature in Quba yesterDAY was -14C (about 6F).