Work, basketball and an empty apartment

How days look at the moment? Lots of work, more basketball and an empty apartment where I spend most of the rest of the time. Brian has left. I have the big appartment just for myself. Feels strange to live suddently alone again. I kind of start to enjoying it. Meaning there is more and more of my mess all over the place :)

Yep, and more basketball. From time to time I went playing basketball on Tuesday when I was in Baku. Some BP people, some USA embassy and a bench of guys that like basketball. One of the guys is from Macedonia but lives in Baku for 10 (or was it more) years, as he is wife is Azeri. He is second coach of one of the 8 Basketball teams that plays in the champion league. Last Saturday I went watching a game of his team and the follow games. His team won (they are third or 4th at the moment). The game after was between the favorite (NTD, club of a guy who has a transportation company and who likes basketball) and a U-21 team (they are 5th at the moment). From the beginning, something was wrong. The 3 “Georgian” players of the NTD team did not play, there were only 6 players and they played really bad. 50% of their capacity. Surprise, surprise, they lost. For a while, there was a difference of 20 points and just in the end they started to play a little bit more up to their level. They lost with one point. In the last moment one of the players could have made 2 points, but he did not. Don’t remember why, but it was obvious that he did not want to make those 2 points… well, not surprising that coach went at the timeout to the other team to give them some advices how to win, or? Mister Transport Company is as well owner of the U-21 team and by letting them win, the team gave them a small chance to become 4th and to continue playing for the 3rd rang… who would you react? My Tuesday evening basketball friend said that he will speak with the team that is for the moment 2nd in order that they let his team win at the next game…

I was as well introduced to some girls that play as well basketball. Girls in Azerbaijan that play Basketball!!! Miracle!!! They invited me to play with them on Tuesday. There are 4 female teams playing in the “league”. According to them their team is the best. Well, I am proud to tell you then that I train for the moment with the best female basketball team in Azerbaijan. Ok, I am old and not in top form, but my level good enough, that the Russian speaking coach was asking plenty of questions. How tall I am, if I have an AZ-passport, how long I will be in AZ,… hey, she kept an eye on me during the training and gave me good instructions (in Russian!!!) how to improve my shots. It worked!!! Cool!!! Guess where I am going tomorrow at 16h ? Ok, is a little bit early, but I can justify it. I am networking and I study the Basketball world in Azerbaijan! Who knows, we are always looking for female local project coordinators (ok, for Imishli at the moment and not for Baku), its always good to know some experts for workshops, there is a volleyball team playing just after “us”,… I finally have an environment where I need to learn Russian (or Azeri). This reminds me that I made real progress with improving my French by starting to play Basketball at the time (looooooooooooooong time ago). Seems that best language teachers in my live are basketball and boyfriends :)

Hey, the girls play in a new place. Never saw just a nice indoor gym in Azerbaijan before. There is even a room where we can change cloths and take a shower!!! And we have access to the fitness room. Wow. I wonder who is the “owner” of this team…

Okay, it’s late, have a mountain of work for tomorrow and I want to leave early for basketball… good night kisses
m