Ch-ch-ch-changes

It got cold. Fast. I sat here freezing for about an hour, too stubborn to light my pec this early in October.

And then I lit it anyway.

This winter is gonna be a cold one, I can tell.

On Sunday, we enjoyed what may be one of our final nice days of the year by taking our rag tag softball team to Oguz for a tournament. We scrounged up 9 kids, hopped on a bus, and headed to the field. It turned out to be a great day. We won one of the three games, but the kids hardly noticed the losses, and were just happy to be out! We were joined by teams from Oguz, Kurdamir, Goycay, and Zaqatala. Three of our kids passed out in the back of the marshrutka on the way home they were so exhausted. (Once again, thank you to our donors to the Softball grant because we would not have gone without your help!!!)

Now, I'm still putzing around school without a schedule, hoping that something will materialize soon so I can get my own clubs started. Unfortunately, we have kids from the Russian sector school having classes in the afternoons until their school is repaired, so I'm losing rooms to have conversation clubs. My current project is graduate school applications. I did very well on my GMAT thank you, so I'm still applying to all the same 7 schools...and hating all the self-assessment essays. I'm tired of talking myself up (one reason why I couldn't cut it in the actors crowd), and I've realized how limited my vocabulary has become. Suddenly, I can't think of synonyms for 'skills' or 'experience.' It takes me way too long to get through an essay because I keep having to consult my thesaurus.

This is where being an extendee is a blessing. As all my fellow 7s are panicking, trying to say good-byes, teach, AND write graduate school applications in less than 6 weeks...I get to prioritize. For once, time is on my side. I hope it stays there for a while longer...

We hit our two year anniversary on October 1st. As in, two years in country. It's remarkable...I feel like I just showed up, but like I've been here forever. And yet I know that when I go home (or to Dubai), and start new things, this whole experience will be a distant dream. Like something that happened to a close friend...a lifetime away. That part of it is heartbreaking. I'm not worried about readjusting. I'm worried about forgetting.

Which do you believe? Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Or out of sight, out of mind?

The answer I keep coming too generally just makes me sad...