To bring or not to bring . . . that is the question.

 

With my flight plan on my mind and the school year coming to an end, I am trying to figure out how I am going to move out of my house here in Latvia.  It seems like ages ago that I moved here with all my stuff.  I look around now and it doesn’t seem like a lot of stuff but to be honest I know that things are just going to keep piling up and all sorts of things will come out of this house. Not sure how I am doing to get it all somewhere.

My first big task is to figure out what will be going to the states.  On the 26th of June I am flying home for a few weeks.  Plans for those weeks:  bring things home and organize storing it all in my parent’s house, hang out with friends, catch up with family, but most importantly get my visa papers taken care of.  That is first before everything else.  I hope I won’t have to take 4 weeks doing just that.

I come back to Latvia on the 24th of July to pack up my things for Kuwait.  I hope to at that time have more of a sense of what is going.  My brother hopes to be here too to help and we want to do some traveling during the time before my flight to Kuwait.

Reality is starting to hit.  I am leaving my comfort country of Latvia to go out into the world to see what it has to offer.  Its exciting but scary at the same time.  I never thought of myself as a person to do something like this but gosh  am I ever going to just jump right in and see what its like.  I have never been one to slowly walk into the cold lake/pool, I need to jump in to get in.

I have worries but at the same time those worries are masked by my extreme excitement for this adventure.  I don’t know what to expect.  The idea that 20 degrees will be cold and 40 degrees is a normal day is mind boggling.  Especially since now here in Latvia its close to 20 degrees and that feels nice and warm.  But I suppose the change between 40 degrees dropping to 20 degrees is the same change as 20 degrees dropping to 0.  Something new to experience.

So lo and behold, I am trying to get rid of un-needed items so that I don’t need to bring as much.

Outside and Jason Mraz

How can one not like this video and song.  A reminder from childhood with a great singer.  Super cute.

All Booked!

Today I received my flight information.  August 24th!  Its pretty exciting but also kind of scary.  This is when things start to actually become real.  I am trying to stay on top of everything that I need to get done for Kuwait while also finishing off the school year here.

Things to do:
1:  Call embassy to find out my states requirements.  (I hope my parents can help with this part)
2:  background check (can't officially do this before i get my visa)
3:  medical check (also can't do this until i get my visa)
(both 2 and 3 of these need to be done in the states!!)
4:  Go to DC in June when i get home

Between all of this I need to make sure my cat gets all of her paper work done too!  (Better call the vet now).

ISR things to do:
1:  get the website to work
2:  get the yearbook done and printed
3:  update a crazy amount of work (kind of my fault procrastination got to me)
4:  get all of my personal things home from school

Everything is such a big job with so little time left to do it all in.  With hope and a little wine i will get through this.

Azerbaijan

If you would have asked me 3 years ago where this country was, I would have looked at you puzzled and wouldn't even be able to guess.  After having watched a few Euro Vision competitions I have learned that it is in Europe (kind of).  And last year when a colleague said that he was moving there with his family for his wife's next embassy post I took a moment ti find it on the map.  This year David and I decided to use the opportunity to visit Baku while we know someone there.  Our original plans where to visit in over our October break, but because of elections it was hard to get a visa so we had to post pone our trip.

As our last trip together we visited Baku just recently.  I had bought a book but had done little reading from it so we both went with really no idea what to expect or what we would want to see.  We figured with a friend in the area, he would be able to point us in the right direction for what we should see.

Baku is a very interesting city.  It easily mixes the old with the new together and is still building more and more.  Baku is the home of the tallest flag pole.  Other than a few museums and wandering around there isn't a lot of must-see things there.

We had hopes of making it out to the mud volcanoes but when we woke up Wednesday morning to pouring rain those plans got pushed aside.  But that's OK, it gives us a reason to return again another time.  Seeing that Kuwait is quite close that is a possibility for me.  Seeing that I know someone there is also a reason to go back.

All in all I liked Baku. I liked the relaxed nature, watching the crazy driving, and listening to the police yell at people to just move a long.  A very interesting culture.  Here are a few pictures but you can also see all of my pictures via my picasa album.