Ok...I'm back!

Hello again all. This post will likely be disjointed. There is just so much to tell. So I'm going to write mostly stream of consciousness. Ok...last Sunday we went to an Azeri wedding. The chef from school got married. He apparently invited us, the director and his wife, one of the cooks and one of my paras and that was it from school. When we arrived we were treated like royalty. I guess it is a big deal to have Americans come to your wedding...actually it was just the reception. The party goes on forever and ever. We arrived at 6:00 and because we were there and maybe another 20 people where there too...one of the chef's friends that spoke English took us under his wing...insisted that the doors to the hall were opened so we could go and sit down. The person in charge at the hall then also took us under his wing. They escorted us to the very front table right where the chef would be sitting (Ilxan is the chef's name). The cook from school also arrived and he sat at the same table with us. The tables held 15 people. The cook sat across from us and down a bit. Other than that from school for the first two hours it was Tim and I. So the table...the table was covered with food. Every little tiny spot on the entire table was covered in food. I don't think I have ever seen so much food on a table. Then for the rest of the night they just kept bring more. Every 30 minutes or so it was like another course. There was not room to sit it on the table and so they just sat it on top of the stuff that was already there. It was incredible. When we left at about 9:00 there was food stacked about three high and they were still bringing out more food. They danced and danced and danced and Ilxan's mom came and got me and had me come out to dance. They had live video feed so everyone could see on video screens what was going on if they were too far away and lucky me...the video was on Ilxan's mom and me for at least 2-3 minutes. It was delightful. Ilxan's mom and dad then later pulled Tim and I both out. It was fun. Just like you might see on TV for a Russian wedding. Ilxan's mom kept hugging and kissing us. She thought I was something else I guess. She was so full of energy. We felt very honored to be there. When the director and his wife got there they said they will never forget that Americans came to their wedding. It will be something they talk about and remember forever. I felt very bad that we were treated differently that others just because we were Americans. I hate it that Americans are elevated above others in every country I've ever been in. Ughhh! This week on the 15th was the Presidential election here. I guess the last election was not peaceful so we were not sure what to expect. It was a national holiday here for election day but our school still had school. Several of our students didn't come to school. Some, parents wouldn't let them because of the last election and others because their parents were off and they weren't going anywhere. It was nice for me my class was only 14 that day. Wow! What a difference that was. I have a little Iranian boy in my class and his mother is the sweetest most beautiful thing you have ever seen. Her husband still works in Iran and he comes back on the weekend, which is Thursday and Friday in Iran. They couldn't find a good school in Iran for their son so they moved to Baku to put their son in school. He speaks strictly Persian but it's very smart and it catching on the English rather quickly. She is speaking only English to him and home and of course that is what he is getting at school, too. He amazes me with his sentences every day. Anyway on Thursday the husband came back from Iran and there were gift for me and all three paras. We all got a box of candy and the girls either got a compact with beautiful Iranian artwork on it or a wallet with beautiful artwork on it and I got the most gorgeously decorate box...they call them jewelry boxes. Every millimeter on that box is decorated and it is one of my most prized possession now. It is beautiful. I'll try and take a picture for you and put it on the blog. Obviously we haven't been putting up any pictures of late. Our internet has been HORRIBLE! Often times it take 10 or more minutes to load our homepage. There would be no possible way to upload the pictures. This weekend had been better but of course we have grades to do. Yesterday one of my paras, Shabnom is here name. She's thinking about coming to the US with us next summer and staying a little with each of the teachers. One of our teachers may get married next summer and she wants Shabnom at the wedding. They are the same age and really enjoy each other. Anyway all three of us went shopping yesterday. I needed shoes. Women's shoes are a treat and a half here. That's a joke. There are probably 3 men's shoe stores for every one women's shoe store. It's kind of funny. Anyway it's very hard to find shoes that aren't high heals because 90% of women where high heals always. Anyway I needed another pair of flat shoes that I could work in. Right now I really have only one pair that I can wear. We went to probably 10 different stores and finally I found a pair of shoes that I liked ok. Now that's a problem, too. Just because they have a shoe out doesn't mean they actually have it in any sizes. Fortunately for me they were well stocked in this shoe. Sizes are a treat here too. They have two European type sizes. One is similar to the US. In the US I wear a 9 1/2. In the European sizes I wear a 7 1/2. Also they have shoes in another European sizing and I wear a 40. At least I know now. Anyway, these better be the best shoes in the history of the freaking world because they were 200AZN which makes them about $250. Shoes are priced out of this world. However, I may have an in to cheaper shoes in the future. I discovered yesterday that one of my students parent own and store. I reminds me of like a hip Holister type store with no sexual overtones and it's only for women. Anyway they had awesome shoes there for 61 and 70 AZN. Of course they had one pair of shoes in the two colors they had them in but I can probably find out from the parents when the shipments come in and then get down there if I need another pair of shoes and of course they offer discounts, too. Another one of my families owns a very nice Turkish restaurant. Everyone is always talking about their restaurant. They have invited Tim and I to come and they will comp our meal. They are so sweet. Oh yesterday I bought Tim a present. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I was looking at the Russian stacking doll "toys". They are beautiful and I've always wanted one. While I was looking I looked up and there was a Bill Clinton set. I wondered if it was a set of President or what and asked the seller to show it to me. He begins to unstack it. The biggest and outside one is Clinton and then it opens up to Monica Lewinsky, then Gennifer Flowers, then Hillary and then a cigar. Now I do feel some sort of outrage that they all have to be subject to something like that but at the time it was so surprising and cracked me up. I couldn't stop laughing. So, we own it now...guess my outrage was short lived...this will be one of those talk pieces, I'm sure. Well, gotta go. I need to grade and then I am having my hair done here for the first time. My hair is quite long now and I desperately need it colored. Because I have US Embassy students in my class I asked about a hair dresser. There is an American hairdresser here with her husband and she seams to literally cut hair for every American here. So today I got to her. I'm a little scared for the last 9 years I've gone to the same place and I'm very good friends with my hairdresser. Hopefully it will work out. I will have the boys blog later.