Stargazing in Baku: Where has October gone??????

Please tell me I'm not the only one asking that question? September seemed to drag along, taking nearly 3 months for those 30 days to pass. Then came October, and now, one week later, it's almost November. Maybe the month has passed so quickly because it has been so busy. Time flies when you're having fun, right? This is actually the first Friday night I have spent at home in several weeks. It's kind of nice to be sitting in my living room watching Indiana Jones race through the reptile train car (thankful it's him and not me!), pondering all the things I would like to do this evening. There're those gloves I've been meaning to finish, and those papers I could grade, masters' homework, my phone to dry out, the blog for my kids to sort out, a house to clean, pictures I could organize, exercise, and of course update this blog.:)
So, what has been going on? Well, the month began with our crosscountry trip to Georgia (the country, not the state). I was one of the coaches (which, if you know me at all, is a huge stroke of irony!:)). It was neat to get out of the country and see a little of Georgia, which I have wanted to do for a long time. The bus ride took about 13 hours going, and about 11 coming back (the time difference was primarily related to the amount of time we spent at the border. We saw just about every bathroom between Baku and Tbilisi. More on that trip go come.
Then, there has been teaching. That's pretty much self-explanatory. I will just say that I have an incredible group of kids that I am so proud of! We just finished up Parent-Teacher Conferences, and I have redone my bulletin board (a big step for a dedicated once-per-quintile bulletin board changer!:))
There have been Azeri lessons! I'm excited to actually begin to learning the language of the people surrounding me. I've made friends with the girls who work at the store near my house. They are soooo sweet. Last night I was over at the store, and (with my very poor comprehension) pieced together the story of a girl who works there losing her house.:( Please be praying for her!
Hanging out with friends (including 2 camping trips!) has also kept me busy. I will write more about the camping trips later.:) For now, you may be please to know that Azerbaijan actually has trees that change color! Getting out into nature and seeing green was fantastic. The weather has begun to get chilly and rainy. I have heard rumors that it's supposed to get sunny on Monday. We'll see what actually happens.
I went to my first official reception wednesday night. The family of one of my students invited me to a reception celebrating the Czech national day. The party was at the Hilton Baku (my first time there). Again, I will write more about that later. It was an adventure.:)
Final note: have I ever mentioned that one thing I am thankful for is weak plumbing pressure? Weird, right? Let me explain. This summer I was reminded of this fact when I accidentally flushed one of my earrings down the toilet. Watching in dismay as one of my current favorite pieces of jewelry disappeared beyond any hope of recovery, I found myself wishing it had happened in Baku. "If this had happened in Baku," I thought, "the earring probably wouldn't have gone down the toilet and I would have been able to rescue it." However, since it was not in Baku, said earring disappeared forever (or at least from my life). This whole background story leads me to tonight. Tonight at school I accidentally dropped my phone into the toilet. I leave the actual details to your imagination. Now, if this had been another place, that might have been the end of my phone. However, it has been rescued, and I was relieved and extremely thankful to live in Baku. My phone is currently drying out. Hopefully, it will recover from it's dive and live to work another day, though the poor thing might never be the same again.:(