August 19, 2011
COS (Close of Service) conference is next week. The event marks the beginning process of the end of our Peace Corps commitment. Any “work-in-progress” project has to be wrapped up or transferred to the AZ8s. For the next two months, we, the AZ7s will be dealing with lots of administrative procedures, filing out tons of paper works and forms, scheduling medical checkup, sorting out our personal belongings, donating some of our clothing to charities, arranging travel plan, closing Peace Corps meager allowance bank account, attending the conference, exit meeting with our country director, telling our Peace Crops stories, exchanging good wishes to other PCVs and saying farewell to Peace Crops staffs in Baku, etc. It is hard to believe that the end of my Peace Corps journey is actually near. Time flies.
Few nights ago, I looked up to the sky and saw a plane flying out of Baku. I pictured myself on that plane looking down to this dusty town that had been my home for more than two years, sadness surged….…. Maybe because of the emotional stress, I became sick next day. I have not been sick for a long time. The daily exercise keeps me very healthy in Azerbaijan, but Friday morning, I woke up with a sore throat, running nose, and headache. Saturday, with 101 degree fever, I could not do anything except sleep and sleep. But 24 hours later, I fully recovered with just minor cough. In the past, a cold usually lingered
4-5 days, but now it only lasts 48 hours. I have grown much stronger physically. It all due to the daily run/walk. Exercise indeed does my body good!
When I return home, I will keep up with the discipline, exercise everyday. But I realize that something will be missing from that daily routine. For sure, there will no more olive trees growing along my running path, no more breezes blowing in from the Caspian Sea, no more “Salam” greetings from my Azeri friends, no more little kids running after me and definitely no more staring from a stranger.
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