Zagatala!!!

August 4, 2007

Yesterday we found out where we will be working for the next two years! PC staff gathered us all into a room passed out a folder to each of us telling us not to open them until everyone had one and then all at once we opened it. They let us have about ten minutes to read and run around the room to see where other people are going and then brought us back together and we each went up and placed a pin with our name on the city where we will be working. After the announcements were over they had cake and soda for us and we were able to talk with different staff members to find out more about the site and what the organization was like.

In this process PC identifies different sites and organizations that want a PC volunteer. Each of these has many different personalities and needs. Then the staff meets us and in one short month gets to know us and then they have the difficult task of trying to figure out where each of us would be most successful.

In each of the different interviews I’ve been saying I want to do something with youth and sport, gender issues and I’d like to be somewhere cold as far north as you can send me. The only problem was that everyone was asking for somewhere cold. So in the last interview I told my program director “alright everyone is asking for something cold and I can understand that. However, what I can promise you is this, When it gets really cold way up north I can promise you that I wont be the one complaining about how cold it is I’ll be the one out there playing in it.”

So when I opened my envelope and saw Zagatala all I could think was Yeah buddy someone’s living right! Zagatala is the most northern city PC serves. If you look at a map it may not be on there but if you find Sheki it is about two hours North of there near the Russian and Georgian borders. (You don’t have to worry dad I’m the furthest one from Iran.)

The following is the description that was in my packet. I want to ask each of you to search through the Internet and try to find anything out about the place. One of the things I may be doing is helping to promote tourism and outdoor activities and I want to find out what is already out there about the place, but I don’t have the speed on the internet to do a good search. And it will be fun for you to know more about where I’m going to be living. And then anything you find email it to me!

Zagatela region is situated within the bounds of the Greater Caucasus, in the valley of Ganikh-Arichay. There are 7 rivers flowing through the territory of the region. The relief is mountainous and flat. The Climate is mainly moderate and damp, subtropical. About half of the territory is covered by forest. There are 22 populated points on it’s territory. There are more than 70 archaeological, architectural and historical state protected monuments in this region the beauty of which astonishes everybody. They all are related to the carious periods of the history and are considered to be unique. There is one outstanding monument in Yukhari Chardahlar village located on the steep slope of the Khangildag Mountain. This monument represents the bays situated very high, made in the form of double gates with the wall altar at the depth of the central embrasure. The economy of the region is based on agriculture (grain, cultivation of Tobacco, and vegetable growing.) The food plant, nut-processing factory, tobacco, furniture, and sewing factories are functions here. The population of the region is 107,000 people and is located 385 km from Baku.

The organization I will be working for is Zakatala City Youth and Sport Office. The packet says my main responsibilities will be an English conversation club, helping with youth project planning, creating links with international youth organizations, promote tourism and outdoor activities, and organize camps.

A day after finding all this out I am still on such a high. This is really turning into all that I had hoped and dreamt about! So now this next Tuesday (a day after my big 30th birthday) I will be meeting with a representative from the Youth and sport department and then later this month I will travel out there for 3-4 days to meet my new host family and see first hand what I’ll be doing. Things are great in the AZ