Baku news -- not much

So Baku in February seems like the longest month, despite the irony of it being the shortest. Not a single holiday, not a single break. January and holidays are a memory, but March and future holidays are still distant. Many of my students are off to Dubai this weekend to play or watch siblings/friends play rugby, so it'll be a different mood at school.

Hmm... I'm still trying to decide where to go for my two week holiday in March. Iceland, Tanzania, Turkmentistan, Yemen, Socotra, Ethiopia, Cairo, Tunisia, Balkans, Baltic, London, Myanmar, Iran, Azerbaijan and others have all been considered, but I'm waiting for the tug to pull me to where I should be going. Possibly a ski trip to Georgia and to Armenia?? All sorts of plans. I got a new passport, so it's feeling a bit empty at the moment, though I did get the "Arabic" stamp so I can go to Libya (it's such a joke, and will still require other action).

I'm going to go to New Zealand in July. I am excited and can't believe this will be my first time home in winter in 9 years. Wow, time flies. Visitors are welcome!! I would love to share my home with you. I'm planning on hiking and skiing and other fun things. I am still deciding where to go via and where to come back through--nothing can be simple, of course! Lauren, I think I'm coming to your wedding! Who else lives in New Jersey?

I have a couchsurfer staying with me at the moment -- his name's Eric and he's cycling from Aberdeen to Adelaide. Check out his blog: http://www.aberdeen2adelaide.blogspot.com/. I haven't done so many activities in such a short time in Baku for ages, but it's great as I'm meeting all sorts of different people. Sunday, for example, I went on my first Baku hash through the Industrial Zone near Ulduz metro station (which has no other reason to ever cause people to go there), and I went to a quiz night tonight and my team won. I do believe that's the first time ever.

Okay, M4 will demand a good reason why I haven't marked their papers, so I'd better go and do some to pacify them!