It's a Small World

Originally written 23 August

This week we've had orientation meetings at the school with the other new teachers in Baku and with a group of new teachers from the school in Ashkabet, Turkmenistan. These meetings were supposed to include the teachers from Tbilisi, Georgia and from Yerevan, Armenia. When the invasion of Georgia began, all the teachers from the Tbilisi school were evacuated to Armenia. After the shooting stopped, they were brought back to their school and, at this point, still intend to start school as scheduled. Many of the students, however, are still in Yerevan, and may start school there, then move back to Georgia in a few weeks. Needless to say, both schools are scrambling at this point. So, the Tbilisi teachers couldn't come to Baku. The Yerevan teachers are trying to accomodate a number of unexpected students. Additionally, there is no border crossing between Armenia and Azerbaijan since they are technically at war with one another (even with a 10-year ceasefire), so travel is through Georgia... which wasn't the best idea.
There were five teachers and the director from the Turkmenistan school who came for the meeting. So, here's my prize winning small world moment. One of the teachers from Turkmenistan is from El Cajon, California (part of San Diego County). Not only that, she graduated from Grossmont High School - the same school my mom graduated from. Not only that, she had Don Henderson, one of my best friends from high school, as one of her teachers at Grossmont high. Not only that... I heard from Don Henderson for the first time in about 20 years on the day before I met Bethany, the teacher from Turkmenistan. He found my email contact via facebook. I am literally on the other side of the planet from San Diego (really... it's a 12 hour time zone difference between Baku and San Diego) and I meet someone who knows someone I know. Add in the odds that I just happened to get email from Don within 24 hours of meeting that person. Wow.