Week 8
My parents visiting was the big event this past week. I wanted everything to go well for them and I’m pretty sure they had a great time. They were able to see all the parts of the city that I love – Park Boulevard, Port Baku, Fountain Square, Old City, and we did end up taking a trip out of the city for a day at the beach where they were able to try some super authentic and local cuisines. It was fun to see their reaction to the city since it is hard to remember my own, as it got lost in the whirlwind of starting work. They couldn’t get over how clean the city is compared to places they had been before, such as their previous stop Milan. They were impressed with the wonderful gardens that hugged the sea front, the stone walking streets, and the charming architecture of the city. While I am not homesick, getting to see them was quite refreshing and is definitely a highlight of the summer.
Work is just as ratcheted down as ever now. Things are moving at full speed and the amount of documents coming my way to edit is getting thick. We now have some more people in the office, visiting from our other branches. As a result, we are beginning to run out of chairs & desks for everybody! Once Tim gets back, I anticipate my new ‘desk’ to be a spot in the conference room. While this is fine for me, I can tell that the crowd is starting to be a bit exhausting for the office. That being said, the work that we need to get done is getting done & some of the extra pressure & personnel are certainly helping to accomplish this.
At this point in the summer, it has certainly started to feel much more like a home, rather than a temporary destination. My work has become routine and my social life has become regular as well. The research I have been tasked to do at work has been coming along quite well and there is talk of it being translated and used with their work later in the year!