The Alphabet Party

A few days ago I was invited to School Number 3’s Alphabet Party (the English version). Now I had absolutely no idea what this was (I’ve had very little exposure to the schools), but I was available so I went. It turns out that it was an event to demonstrate the English that they’ve learned so far. Other teachers, the School Director, mothers, grandmothers, a musician and cameraman were all in attendance (but no fathers or grandfathers). Apparently they learn some basic English before 5th form (grade) but 5th form is when they start learning the alphabet and grammar. So I heard the alphabet, the seasons and months, and then some songs, poems, and a story, all in English, performed by the 5th form class. I’ve never been to a school program before, but it was definitely more elaborate than I was expecting – props and multiple costume changes included. Near the end people began to speak – the School Director, etc., and then all of a sudden I was asked to speak. And while the rest of the day was entirely in English, everyone else was speaking in Azeri, so that’s what I did. Off the top of my head I said thank you for the invitation, how it was interesting to experience Azerbaijan’s culture because we don’t have a day like this in America, and that if you want to learn English the basics are important. Apparently it was mostly correct – but I kind of wish I had known ahead of time so that it could’ve been better. Oh well. Then the day concluded with tea and cake with some of the other teachers – one of whom I’d actually met before through my sitemate. And while I have a feeling that some of the speaking was just memorized, it was still a neat experience to see what they are learning and doing in class.

  

An Apprehensive Visit To The Dentist…

We’re now halfway through our actual service (the two years didn’t actually start until training was over and we were sworn in as Volunteers – December 10, 2008) and the mid-service things (like dentist and doctor appointments) are starting. Last Friday when I was in Baku I had a dentist appointment scheduled. In general, I don’t like dentists. I’ve had a lot of dental work done and some of it left me with bad memories. So suffice it to say, I did not have great hopes for this dentist. Other Volunteers had said good things, but in my head I was trying to be overly pessimistic, so that hopefully my visit would exceed my expectations…

And oh my, did the visit exceed my expectations! When I walked through that door I may have well walked through a portal to America. America in the future even, as this dentist was more modern than any I had been to in the States. I was greeted in English (although I did hear both Russian and Azeri during my visit) and asked to complete a form in English. I heard other patients speaking English in the waiting room (and they were not other PCVs). The cleaning room I was taken to was spotless, and while part of the cleaning seemed familiar, part of it also seemed new and high tech. Then I was taken to an x-ray room and when the technician took the x-rays they immediately showed up on the computer screen in front of me. No lighted box with the developed x-rays in front of it, but on the computer screen with the technician saving them to a disc to be included in my file. Then the dentist came in and reviewed everything, and I was on my way, discarding my plastic shoe covers on the way out. And while yes, I do have a cavity that will be filled later this month; I am definitely at ease with the thought of going back there.

Disclaimer: This is the service that PCVs receive, and it is not representative of the general population. While we do live at the level of our communities in terms of our living stipend, our medical care isn’t included in that. The PC Azerbaijan office has two doctors on staff and when dentists and hospitals are needed, they are generally the same facilities that Embassy employees and expats use.

Welcome!

http://en.trend.az/news/politics/foreign/1596971.html

Today was moving day! Yesterday 64 new Volunteers swore in (see the local news article - sorry, I couldn't get the link to work; you'll have to copy and paste) and today they lugged all of their stuff to the regions to meet their new host families and organizations. No one new came to Ujar, but I have new neighbors in some closeby towns. PC Azerbaijan is now 119 strong!!

Back To Training...

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a training session for the AZ7s, the Trainees who arrived in October and will swear in as Volunteers next week. The session that I helped with was called “What To Do When There’s Nothing To Do (Problem Solving)” and I was there along with another Volunteer. We brought very different experiences to the session – she had almost too much work to do right from the very beginning while I definitely experienced a lot of downtime in the beginning. We talked about our experiences – what our challenges were/are, how we solved problems, what we did upon moving to site, and much more. It was almost more interesting to just answer their questions. They all have their permanent site assignments and are getting an idea of what their next two years are really going to be like. Before receiving site assignments it all seems a bit hypothetical – there’s really no way of knowing how they’re going to use all this information that is being given to them. For example, the other Volunteer that I presented with lives in the second largest city in Azerbaijan, has multiple English speakers at her counterpart organization, and very rarely uses Azerbaijani, whereas I’m just the opposite since I’m in a smaller town, without English speakers at my counterpart organization, and I rarely use English. But that’s something that is specific to each Volunteer, the city/village they are placed in, the organization they will work with, and the community projects they will undertake.

It was kind of surreal to be back in the familiar environment of Sumgayit – going to the same internet café, eating at the same restaurant (even recognizing employees from those places), etc. But there were obviously new things there too – different Americans, a new bus station, and of course, I understood much more of what was being said. Due to the travel time necessary I stayed in Sumgayit for two nights, which made it a great time to get to know the new Volunteers. I stayed with one of the Trainees (at her host family’s), chatted with the Trainees before and after the session, had tea with one who wanted some more discussion because he’s going to an organization that’s very similar to mine, and even went to a conversation club that a couple of the Trainees were participating in. It was a great addition to the Thanksgiving weekend (I went to straight to Sumgayit from Baku) and I’m excited to get to know these Volunteers once they move to their permanent sites and they’re in the “real” Azerbaijan out of their training environment. They are super excited to move to the regions and get to work, and hopefully that will help to reinvigorate the rest of us as we, the AZ6s, move into our final year of service. Due to the time it takes to integrate and increase language skills, most Volunteers say that their second year is much more productive than their first…so let’s see what we can do!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This past weekend was Thanksgiving for the Azerbaijan Peace Corps Volunteers. We all gathered in Baku, staying with hosts from the US Embassy and USAID, and had our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday afternoon at the American Embassy's Deputy Chief of Missions' house. I arrived on Friday and got to know my host – she actually went to my college’s biggest rival, small world, huh? Saturday morning we did some walking around town as she just came to this post in September, so we all learned new things about Baku. That afternoon we all gathered, and I think everyone but 3 or 4 people were in attendance. It was great to see everyone, some of whom I hadn’t seen since we swore in almost a year ago! Our dinner was potluck style and it was fun to have a combination of American classics like apple pie, turkey and stuffing along with Azeri salads and vegetable dishes. Following dinner we had a talent show which included everything from lip synching to air guitar and drums, push-ups to singing. That evening was filled with a free phone call to America and a Wii tournament. The next morning we went to a Christmas exhibition at a German center downtown – there was everything from children singing Christmas songs to gingerbread houses. It was our own little Black Friday :) Then it was to the staple of every Baku visit: CitiMart, an amazing grocery store where you can buy things that you can’t get in the regions, even if it is super expensive. So I picked up a few things, had lunch, and headed out of town. And even if there was no football to watch it was still a great day filled with friends, food, and lots of things to be thankful for.

So this was the first time I had stayed with an expat in Baku. I rarely come in just for fun and when we come in for official Peace Corps business we’re put up at a hotel. All I have to say is wow! There was really no difference between her apartment and facilities in Baku and what you’d find in America. We live as Volunteers with just our living stipend and it becomes hard for us to remember that Baku is actually in the same country we’re serving in – it’s like another world – but that’s partly why no Volunteers are placed there (there’s money, thus development, in Baku). So many things that Volunteers don’t have, things that can easily be taken for granted in America, were right there in her fabulous apartment (you know, things like flushing toilets, showers and amazing heat). While I could never live like that in my region it was a nice break from the reality of life for a couple days. Now if only I could’ve taken her washing machine back with me…

My Ever Increasing Patience...

My patience has grown by leaps and bounds since I arrived in Azerbaijan. Here's an example of that from last week.

Last Thursday I had an errand to run. I'm working with some youth who want to plant some trees at their school and I arranged through a fellow PCV to get 75 free trees. The only thing was that I needed to go two hours west to pick them up. So the Director of my organization volunteered to take me/go with me (he has a friend with a car) even though the project isn't affiliated with my organization (how amazing is he!). We left the office at 10:30am and travelled as planned to Ganja, two hours west. There we picked up the trees and headed back east. We stopped quickly before we left the city for doner, a cheap sandwich-like meal that is sold on the street in the larger cities, and then headed for home. We travelled great for a little while, until we came to a road block. So we followed the detour. Now, there are not many main roads here, so we went very far out of our way for this detour - at least 45 minutes. Then we came back down on the east side of the city where the detour began. Unfortunately at that point the road was still closed. So the driver and my Director were out talking to the road patrol, and we were eventually allowed onto the road. By this point there is also car trouble; the car I was riding in had to be jumped to start. So we thought we were ok - we had gotten on the road. But after we drove for a short bit we were diverted into a gas station parking lot, where we sat for at least a half hour while they cleared the road so the presidential motorcade could pass. This was why the road was closed. I would guess that at least 15 - 20 kilometers were closed at a time. When we left the gas station the car had to be jumped again, and nothing electrical was working (lights, wipers, etc.) so we stopped by a service station. This was another long wait - at least 45 minutes - while we waited for the correct person, while he checked out the car, while he searched for and found the part we needed, and then finally while he installed and tested it. From there, we were finally able to get back to my office, unload the trees, and be done for the day at about 6:30pm. Have I mentioned that it rained all afternoon? I also got a call that I had a package waiting for me at the post office and I didn't get back in time to pick it up. But these things were out of my control and I just sat in the backseat patiently waiting for the issues to be resolved. There was nothing I could do and being impatient wouldn't have made a difference, except for maybe making the time seem even longer. This is just one of the many changes I have noticed in myself since I began my time here...

So I Ate Pizza With Carrots On It – And It Wasn’t Even That Bad…

One of the social activities for women here in Azerbaijan is cooking – they love having guests and feeding them. And apparently this starts at a young age. They cook much more than I did as a teenager. I have a group of girls that comes over every couple of weeks and we cook together. We have made everything from mashed potatoes to salad and pizza (an American version and an Azeri version) to cake. And I love it! I’m exploring new food (I’m growing!) and giving these girls a place for social interaction (and I thought there was nothing to do in Northern Michigan). There’s no special focus on English, we just spend time together and speak whichever language they want – there’s one girl who knows a decent amount of English so she usually speaks it with me, while the others know very little English so we speak Azeri. We spend a couple hours preparing everything, we eat together, clean up, and then end the day with tea. And thrown in the midst of all that is an insane amount of picture taking. I love the fact that the more time I spend with these girls the less I think of them as Azeri and more as just teenage girls. Everyone has their thing, but it’s not related to their nationality – there’s the one who’s always in charge, the one sneaking a bite before it’s ready, the one trying to escape the work, the one taking pictures, and the one who goes along with everything…. Now if only I could get them to try the American food that I bake…

Peace Corps Volunteers = Cultural Exchange Agents

Being that I am 29, single, and living in Azerbaijan, a question that I am repeatedly asked is if I will marry an Azeri. While I’m not so close-minded as to rule out the entire Azerbaijani male population, the odds are quite low that this will happen. First, I haven’t become fluent in the language or met a man who is fluent in English (at least in my region) and I think that’s kind of important. Also, the division of family work is very different here. Women do pretty much everything related to housework, cooking, family rearing, etc. (even when they also work outside of the home). The parts that I have seen men participate in are house maintenance (plumbing, electrical, etc.) and farm work. So this means I have very entertaining cultural exchange conversations relating life in America to life in Azerbaijan. What, men cook in America? Yes, men cook in America and they also clean and do laundry and help with the kids. By saying that I would like to marry someone who will share those things with me has brought some Azeri men (co-workers in their early 20s) to laughter. But it’s true – I remember being a kid and my mom would mow the front yard and my dad would mow the backyard. My mom would cook some vegetables and my dad would cook the meat and that would be dinner. If my dad was in town and my mom needed something from the store, he’d stop and pick it up. If my mom was busy and there was something involving me or my brother, my dad did it. So while this is all true, there is also an ulterior motive behind these conversations – afterwards people are not quite as insistent about trying to set me up. (Herein lies some of the pros to being a married Volunteer, no set ups attempted and the locals can see these things in action.)

Happy Birthday To You...

In the past couple of weeks I’ve been to two different birthday parties. They were both for teenage girls (cousins, in fact) and were great fun. They were something that the girls pretty much organized themselves – everyone (five guests including me at each party, to the second one I brought another PCV that was visiting me for the weekend) arrived in the late afternoon, we had tea (of course), cake and fruit (and “pizza” and salad at one), and then we had a dance party. And then we were each home by 7pm. This wasn’t a family celebration but a celebration with their friends, and they had a lot of fun. So as far as traditional Azerbaijani birthday parties, I’m not sure what qualifies – I think it would be different with the rest of their family present. These parties also weren’t exactly the same as each other – there was essentially a meal at one as well as candles on the cake that the birthday girl blew them out. And both birthday girls made their own cakes. (Check out the picture below – there’s glitter and everything!) Their friends brought presents for them, things like figurines, jewelry, and a jewelry box. So I guess my point is while there is a little difference between parties in America and Azerbaijan (although it’s been awhile since I was at a teenage girl’s birthday party in America) they’re still teenage girls who just want to spend time with their friends.

A Familiar Environment In An Unfamiliar Place...

Sometimes as Peace Corps Volunteers we become so accustomed to our lives here that we don't really realize what we're missing until we experience it again. I had one of those experiences this past weekend. (Yes, I'm still in Azerbaijan.) Being a primarily Muslim country, there is not an abundance of churches to be able to attend here in Azerbaijan; in Baku there are only a handful, and even less that are in English. But this past weekend a friend had an apartment in Baku, so I and a few others came in and stayed with her and then went to Baku International Fellowship Sunday morning. It was like going home - familiar music, friendly faces and the commonality of the English language. There is a large population of expats living in the Baku area because of the oil industry (other reasons too, but that's the big one) and this church initially grew out of their desire for a religious environment for their kids and themselves. It has since grown and there are Azeris attending along with foreigners. It was truly one of the most diverse places I've been - locals as well as people from pretty much all of the continents - Asia, Africa, Europe, North America...Azerbaijan isn't the first place I'd think to hear Spanish, but that I did! This environment is something that I miss incredibly. Church has always been a second home to me and while I feel comforted by having a group of friends here that completely gets that, it's still different than not having the familiar environment of a church body. It was so nice to worship in this place that seems so secular and to realize that I'm in the country for the same reasons as many of the other people that I was worshipping with: to serve others. And while I've been here for over a year now and it was the first time I was able to attend, it definitely won't be the last.

Now We’re The Veterans…

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, AZ7s, the new group of Volunteers, have arrived. They arrived on October 1st and have been in training since then, and will stay there until they swear in as Volunteers (now they’re considered Trainees) in mid-December. Well, with the exception of the past few days. They had their Volunteer site visits and I was lucky to be able to host two new CED Volunteers (this is a great change from last year, where we visited random Volunteers instead of Volunteers in our same sector – CED, TEFL or YD). They arrived on Sunday afternoon and left on Wednesday morning, and the purpose of the visit was to see what life is like as a Volunteer in the regions, outside of their training “bubble” where they can still speak English everyday and have a set schedule. And while there’s not much to see in my town (it’s not one of the few tourist locations that Azerbaijan has) we had a great time. We had social time with Kevin (my sitemate) and the Trainees that came to visit him, explored the bazaar, made normal PCV visits to places like the bank, post office, multiple stores, cooked non-Azeri food and they also came to work with me on Tuesday. I know one of the main things I came away with from my own site visit last year was how much I would really use Azeri once I moved to site, and I think that’s true for them too – I only use English for a couple classes that I teach and then every other interaction I have is in Azeri – at the bazaar, the post office, with my Director, etc. They also bombarded me with questions about my experiences and got answers that will hopefully help them as they prepare for their service. Some of the questions were the following: What/who helped you when you moved to your permanent site (learning your way around, starting work, etc.)? Can you buy peanut butter anywhere in Azerbaijan? How much do you communicate with the Peace Corps staff once you’re at site? What’s your money situation – is what you’re given enough? What are the conferences that happen later in our service? What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about Azerbaijan/your site/Peace Corps? How can I influence my site placement? And on and on. But that’s okay, my group was exactly the same way last year. Now they’ve returned to their training environment and I’m sure they’re all comparing notes on what they learned and experienced on their site visits (along with where they want to end up, I’m sure)…

And while this site visit is mainly for the benefit of the Trainees, it was great on my end too. The Trainees really re-energized me as I look towards the remainder of my service and what I want/need to accomplish by then. It was kind of surreal today to talk to my Director – he had an application for a Volunteer (a different organization that he knows the Director of) that was too late for this year, so it will be considered next year, and while I was telling him this he told me that we’ll want to apply for his organization next year too – and if approved that person will replace me when I leave! That kind of brought it home for me how fast this time has gone and how quickly the rest of the time will go…I better get back to work!

House/Living Arrangement Number ? Since Arriving In Azerbaijan (Another Move)....

#1 A hotel just outside Baku for the first few days after arrival in country.
#2 PST (Pre-Service Training) host family until swearing in in mid-December.
#3 Permanent Site host family for the first four months of living in Ujar.
#4 Finally able to live independently; so I moved to what I thought would be independent housing.
#5 Due to unrealized expectations in #4, moved to another house last Saturday.

Housing can be a challenge (an understatement) in this country. Once we move to our permanent site the only involvement that the Peace Corps plays in this is working with our counterpart to determine our host family and approval of independent housing should we choose to live on our own (some Volunteers stay with a host family for the entire two years). And living independently is not as easy as you might think – there’s no rent.com or classified ads. There’s the old saying of “it’s all who you know,” and that pretty much sums it up. Both of my “independent” housing arrangements have been found by my Director/counterpart (partly because he’s wonderful, partly because it’s very helpful because it’s a male dominated society). The first was supposed to be great. The landlord was going to be moving to Moscow within a month of me moving in, so it would be exactly what I wanted, which was to live alone. Well, that month came and went. I heard a few excuses and delays and then it was time for me to go to America on vacation. I tried to have my landlord teach me about the house because she would probably be gone when I returned (the gas, the water, etc.) – every house in this country works just a little bit differently – but she said she would still be around when I returned. So I went on vacation and tried not to think about it. But when I returned she finally gave me the definitive no, she wouldn’t be going to Russia. Very frustrating, since that was why I moved there in the first place. I thought I’d try it out and see how it was with her still there, but that didn’t last too long. Once I found evidence of her going into my room when I was gone (amongst other things that I’ll leave out of this) I was ready to find a new place. So my Director and I went looking (and he went talking to his friends). Found a great place and had it approved, it just took awhile to finally move in. And last Saturday was finally the day. One of my co-workers came with a friend and his car, helped me pack it all up, cart it to the other side of town, and drop it in my new doorway. I am now on the first floor of an AMAZING house and eventually there will be someone in the second floor, but right now it’s empty. And even though it’s a house, there are separate kitchens on each floor, which was my main goal – a kitchen of my own. Yay! So I have a kitchen, bedroom, living room (with a tv my landlord left that even has an English channel!) and bathroom facilities. I’m at least settled in the kitchen, and slowly getting unpacked in my bedroom. Let’s just hope this is my last move…

Life Without The Letter W

In the Azeri alphabet, there is no W. And, as suspected, this makes life quite interesting for someone whose both first and last names begin with W. It invites double takes and long looks at my passport, with local officials trying out different ways of saying my name. And once they know how to say it, everything is fine (it’s a lot easier to pronounce than the “th” sound, which also does not exist here), but that doesn’t solve the problem of how to write it with a keyboard that doesn’t have Ws. And due to my location in the country and its proximity to the train, that’s how I usually travel going to and from Baku. So my collection of names from my tickets is as follows: Vendiy, Vendy, Venim, Vendu, Vendi & Vende. Which unfortunately just prompts more looks, because now my ticket doesn’t exactly match my name in my passport. Oh well. Life with a different alphabet.

Other Volunteers also have their own stories. Sue chose to go by Suzanne while here because her name means “water” in Azeri. And it must take forever for Kim to explain her name, which means “who” in Azeri. This is my friend Kim. Who? Kim. Who? Kim? But that’s the nature of the world, interacting with others and learning about their cultures through the names used – whether they are American names and how they rarely (in my experience) have other meanings or Azerbaijani where names routinely have other meanings – flower, kind, child, we found (finally having a boy after multiple girls), enough (girl after multiple girls), truth, dream, etc. Interesting, huh?

The Chance To Go To America…

This past week I took a neighborhood student to a test in a nearby region, one of the six test locations offered throughout the country. This test was sponsored by the FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) Program. It was the first step in their selection process to spend the 2010 – 2011 school year attending high school in America and living with an American host family. The first step consists of 16 multiple choice questions. The next step, which occurs the next day, is a pre-TOEFL/essay test. Next is an official application and individual/group interviews, followed by the final selection. Each step must be passed to move on to the next step. From previous years’ participation it’s estimated that over 2,000 students took the first test – and only 45 students will end up as exchange students.

My student, Fidan, did not pass the first round. She was definitely disappointed but seems to have bounced back a bit since the test a week ago. The eligible age range is a span of about 2 1/2 years, and she’s young enough that she’ll be able to try again next year. I think taking the test was a good experience for her, and now she’ll know what to expect next year. Hopefully this will also provide some motivation for throughout the year; this year was kind of a last minute decision. Now more preparation can be done on a regular basis, increasing her English knowledge and confidence. And while the odds will probably be about the same next year, the opportunity doesn’t stop there. There are undergraduate and graduate exchange programs available. And English is becoming increasingly important in the business environment, especially in Baku. So her thirst for English will hopefully only help her in the future…

How To: Eat Pomegranates

I’ve said to many people that I have a new favorite fruit after living in Azerbaijan: the pomegranate. And I get the same quizzical look from most of those people, the look that means how do you eat a pomegranate? They’ve recently become popular in the States for drink flavors and bath product scents, but not so much for eating (at least I had never had one before I came to Azerbaijan, and I know many other people that have never had them). Pomegranate season is in fall/early winter (unlike most food in America that you can buy during any season, I couldn’t find them when I was there in June). So here are your directions:

Step 1: Buy/pick the pomegranates. According to Azeris you know they’re ripe when they’re big and make a hollow sound when you tap it (kind of like checking a watermelon to see if it’s ripe).

Step 2: Tear the top (the stem) off – it will leave a small hole.

Step 3: Cut two shallow lines extending from the hole made in Step 2. Make the cuts deep enough to cut through the skin but not so deep that you cut the fruit inside.

Step 4: Place pressure near the top (near the hole) with your hands and then pull your hands apart, thus breaking the pomegranate in half.

Step 5: Pick out the pieces from the inside and eat as many as you want at once. Enjoy!

Happy Anniversary!

This week marks one year that I’ve been in Azerbaijan (along with the rest of the AZ6 group). While the experience as a whole is definitely different than my expectations, it’s still a great experience that I wouldn’t change for the world.

Here are some highlights:
- Meeting and interacting with all of the other great American PCVs who are also here to give of themselves.
- Sharing a Thanksgiving experience with a local family.
- Having our entire group of 61 Trainees survive training and swear in as Volunteers (apparently this is extremely rare).
- Trying new foods (if you know me, you understand that this is an accomplishment).
- Demonstrating how there are multiple ways of achieving the same result – I may cook differently than you, but in the end it’s still an edible meal…
- Surviving a summer where it’s above 100 degrees on a daily basis (and that’s considered mild).
- Being able to carry on full length conversations in Azeri without help (granted, some hand gestures, drawings, and synonyms are used).
- Celebrating new holidays like Women’s Day (Anyone need some perfume? I have plenty!) and Novruz (Why don’t we have a holiday in America that includes jumping over a fire?)
- Making do with what’s available – no take out, no delivery, and no pre-made meals.
- Not having to go through a summer without a camp experience.
- Appreciating inventions that I never really appreciated before – like long underwear, my -20 degree rated sleeping bag provided by PC, and water filters.
- Taking an amazing trip to nearby Tbilisi, Georgia with even more amazing friends.
- Meeting people who are challenging the norms and traditions of the local culture.
- And finally, knowing that I am truly making a difference. I know that I have touched people’s lives just as they have touched mine, and even though it may not always be in a concrete way, it’s still just (if not more) as valuable. And there’s still over a year to go…

Normal Chores Just Take Longer…

And laundry is one of them. The majority of people don’t have washing machines, and the few that do usually just have agitators (an electric machine that essentially just moves the laundry around – no spin, rinse, etc.) that they only sometimes use. So here’s the process:

Step 1: Determine what laundry is actually dirty (no use washing something that’s only been worn once).

Step 2: Fill a tub with water and add soap. Swish it around until it’s bubbly and add the laundry.
Swish the laundry around so the soap is mixed in.

Step 3: Let the laundry sit for awhile.

Step 4: Return to the laundry and wash any stained clothing in the exact spot needed.

Step 5: Rinse and wring out the laundry.

Step 6: Hang the laundry on the line to dry.

The Peace Corps Tells Us We’ll Feel Like We’re In A Fishbowl, But Are We Fish?

Before I left the States to begin my service in Azerbaijan I was bombarded by paperwork. Lots of it. Some was required paperwork, of course, but there was also a lot of paperwork on what to expect as a Volunteer. We’re told all about the "fishbowl" experience, something that we’ll feel like we’re in because of the constant eyes on us. And now, after almost a year of service, I’ve determined that I don’t feel like a fish. Fish belong in a fishbowl. I feel more like a bird or a rabbit in a fishbowl. It’s almost like the accident phenomenon – why is traffic moving so slow if the accident is on the other side of the highway? Ahh, yes, everyone has to try and see what happened. I’m something strange, something new and different to look at and talk about. And it doesn’t go away. I live in a big enough town that I won’t know everyone and I’m continually seeing people I haven’t seen before. In a town where up until last week only four foreigners (and now there are two) lived, heads always turn when I walk. More people than the one I’m talking to listen to my language skills. And definitely more people know who I am than I know who they are. Now I’m not saying that it’s necessarily a bad thing. Statistically speaking a PCV is much safer when they’re known in the community than when they’re not. And it definitely helps the PCV’s work in the community when people know who they are and what they’re doing. But every so often it can be overwhelming and frustrating. It’s the complete opposite from the anonymity I could experience in America. I want to be able to go to the bazaar and back without being stared at. Without being asked what Azerbaijani food I like. Without being asked if I need a taxi. Without being asked if there is a certain food in America. Without being asked if I know a previous Volunteer that left before I arrived. And on and on. But it will pass. Over time I’ve learned what I can and can’t deal with depending on my mood, and I adjust accordingly. I choose more carefully what to do and who to interact with and the rough patch will soon be behind me, and I can move on in my work and life.

Just a glimpse into the not always perfect life of a Peace Corps Volunteer in Azerbaijan…

La Hic (La Hij)

This past weekend I left Ucar and went to a village in the mountains called La Hic (pronounced La Hij). La Hic is a town known for its metalworking, especially with copper. We went up Sunday afternoon by bus – it was about an hour and a half from Ismayilli, and you have to go to Ismayilli to get to La Hic. It’s amazing, but I think that this weekend was one of the first times in this country that I’ve actually felt like I was “in” the mountains. In other places I’ve been near or in the mountains, it just didn’t feel the same – I felt like I could see the mountains but wasn't in them. Part of that is probably related to the narrow, winding road that we took to get there (good thing it’s decent weather right now, there are definitely times in the winter and/or heavy rain/fog that the road would be impassable). We wandered around the town area, and walked all the way to the mostly dry riverbed at the other side of town. We also wandered through the shops, the museum, and watched some of the metalwork being done. It’s a beautiful place with stone roads and fresh springs throughout. It’s one of the few places outside of Baku in Azerbaijan that tourists go, and that’s apparent by the spattering of English you hear by the shopkeepers as well as the fact that there are decorative items for sale. We also hiked out to a little waterfall about 2km from town. It was an interesting walk – the path is the riverbed, so we navigated rocks and jumped from one side of the water to the other. Without the path being labeled we missed the big waterfall, but it was still a beautiful place to wander around. It was a great little retreat, both to get away from the normal routine and the heat (lots of people in Azerbaijan go into the mountains in the summer to get away from the heat as well). Now it’s back to normal!

A Week Away From My Organization...

Once a week throughout the summer, and all of this week, I’ve been participating with a girls’ summer camp here in Ucar. We met at a local school every Wednesday from 9am – 12pm and then every day for this week, the last week of camp. The camp is open to girls in 6th – 9th form, which means the girls are about 12 – 16 years old, and my sitemate, Candice, invited them through her contacts at the local schools (she’s an English teacher).

So the girls come when they can – about 25 – 30 on a regular basis, with 6 girls having perfect attendance – and each day of camp consists of three components. First, we have a lesson, and the lessons cover topics like role models, diversity, leadership and creativity. We talk about what these things are and have discussions that hopefully expand their thinking on each topic. Then, we have an art time, and we made things such as pencil holders, yearbooks, collages and picture frames. The majority of the items we used are available here in Azerbaijan so the girls could continue to make any of the projects they want at home. Lastly, we have a sports/activity time. We played volleyball, did yoga, had a dance party and finally a water balloon toss.

Early in the summer one of the girls came to Candice and me with the idea of taking a trip somewhere together. After looking at how much time we had and the transportation available, we decided that a day trip to Ismayilli would be do-able. So we left Ucar at 8am, traveled to Goychay to change busses, and then went the rest of the way to Ismayilli. We were there by 10am and made the park in the center of town our base. We ate our sack lunches in the park, wandered around the bazaar, bought ice cream and basically just had a nice relaxing day. It was great to see the girls in a new environment, one where they don’t have to be as concerned about the community that they’re in because they don’t know anyone. They were just themselves, teenage girls, not someone’s daughter, granddaughter, sister or niece. We stayed in town until about 2pm, then we headed back home. When we got to Goychay (where we needed to change busses), we made another stop. There is a Volunteer in Goychay who recently opened a girls only internet club, so we stopped there. It was our goal to give these girls exposure to a place that they can go, and it’s an easy trip for them, only about 20 minutes from home. There are many internet clubs in Ucar but it’s not socially acceptable for girls to go there. I’ve been a few times, but I’ve never seen an Azerbaijani female at one. So this gives them an option – most people don’t have computers or the internet at home – of where they can use and learn about the internet and computers.

Camp has been an incredible experience! The majority of the girls that attended participated in the lessons and activities and had a lot of fun, and I had a lot of fun with them. I love that age group and since I don’t work in a school I haven’t met that many youth. The girls have already been asking for most of the summer if there’ll be camp next summer (my female sitemate leaves at the end of the month) and I’m definitely going to try. I’m excited to make it my own and see what can be done for these girls. There aren’t many social activities in the community and this gives them a chance to get out of their homes, meet other girls and learn and experience new things. And I already have a list of ideas started for next year…I can’t wait! 

Summertime in Azerbaijan (With Daily Showers)!

So since I’ve returned from a trip to America in June I’ve noticed a change in the social schedule in Ucar, and it’s mainly due to one thing: the heat. It is consistently over 100 degrees where I live (80 degrees while walking to work at 8:30am is pretty refreshing)! In May and June there were many people walking around town in the afternoon – visiting with friends and neighbors, doing errands, etc. It now looks like a ghost town from about 1:30pm – 5 or 6pm, when the heat begins to subside. Everyone hibernates inside – some people are at work while others are at home sleeping or surviving in front of a fan. And those that must be out are staying on the edge of the street, as close to the shade as possible. Then in the evening normal life resumes.

My own personal schedule hasn’t changed too much, but because of the heat there hasn’t been any interest in afternoon English classes at work. So I have morning classes, do some computer work, and head home sometime around mid-afternoon. A nap usually follows. Then I’ll do some work at home once it’s cooler. Meals are also dramatically later in the heat – who wants to cook over a stove when it’s that hot? If there’s even cooking happening in the first place – watermelon is really popular and in season now, and it’s not uncommon to just eat fruit and veggies all day. Now if only I could buy my watermelon a little closer to home…

Happy Birthday America (in Azerbaijan)!

So I’m a couple of weeks behind, but here’s what happened for the 4th of July in Azerbaijan. The holiday was on a Saturday this year, so even those people who have a “normal” work schedule were able to participate. There was a large gathering on the east side of Azerbaijan and then an “America Day” that I traveled to in Mingecivir. It was organized by the PCVs in Mingecivir, of whom there are 7 or 8 (it’s a decent sized town). I wasn’t the only one that came to help; there were about 25 – 30 PCVs that came from throughout the country to help out. “America Day” was set up in a large field near the town stadium and it was an afternoon of fun. There were stations set up that groups of youth rotated through (about 75 youth came) and they experienced things like kite flying, frisbee, soccer, relays, an obstacle course, arts & crafts, face/body painting, etc. After rotations were finished a large game of softball was played. It was fun to show American traditions to the youth of Azerbaijan (cultural exchange goes both ways). My station was more informational than activity based – we had a large map of America and we talked a bit, but mostly answered questions: Which state is the best? (Michigan, of course!) What state is [insert PCV name here] from? What states have mountains? Where is it hottest/coldest/etc.?

So that lasted all afternoon and then later the PCVs gathered at the reservoir for a bbq and beach time. There were hot dogs on the grill (granted, the buns were just normal bread wrapped around the dog…) and watermelon to eat, and it was an incredibly relaxing time to just hang out and be with fellow Americans. AZ5’s time is winding down and they were all talking about their future plans and departure dates (late August/early September) – it doesn’t seem like it’s already time for my group to be the veterans here, to be answering questions from the new Volunteers that will arrive in September, but it’s almost upon us!

Back to "Normal"

Well, America was amazing. I had a wonderful time seeing family (even meeting family I had never met before) and friends. It was interesting to find things that I missed, but that I didn’t realize I missed until I was back in America – like good, strong water pressure.

So as promised, here is my list of things from Azerbaijan that I missed while in America:

- Walking: I walk EVERYWHERE here. It’s nice to have that time to think, see what’s changing in the community around me, say hi to people I know, etc.
- Public Transportation/Not Driving: While there are certain deficiencies in the system here, it’s not very hard to travel throughout the country for a fairly inexpensive price. Also, while I do miss driving, there’s something to be said for not doing it as well. It’s nice not to have to worry about directions and the other driver (well, at least a lesser amount of worry because it’s out of my control).
- People: I’ve met some pretty amazing people (Azerbaijani and American) during my short time here and I definitely missed my interaction with them.

So it was hard to return to Azerbaijan, but I’m back, settled into my routine again, and looking forward to a productive summer and fall!

A Reflection...

Some of you may not know, but I’m headed home to Michigan for a vacation later this month. (If you know my Grampa, don’t tell him; it’s for his 100th birthday party!) So because of that, and as it’s been over eight months that I’ve lived in Azerbaijan, I thought I’d provide a list of the things I miss from America.

- Convenience: Being able to buy everything you need at the same store, availability of pre-prepared foods (from take out at a restaurant to packaged pasta sauce to microwave meals), washing machines, fast internet, etc.
- Driving: Volunteers are not allowed to drive (although with the way some people drive here I’m okay with that rule).
- Entertainment: Having no options of things to do socially – no movie theatres, bowling alleys, concerts, malls, beaches, etc.
- Gender Issues: In America, it doesn’t matter if I’m a man or a woman when I go to a restaurant but here it’s just not socially acceptable for a woman to do everything that a man does. Even just a young woman sitting in a park can be looked upon negatively.
- Religion: It’s not absent here (I hear the call to prayer from the mosque every day) but it plays a different role in life. It’s hard to explain. And there aren’t many options for religious community outside of the mosque – maybe that’s the best explanation: in the States religion is expressed much more through community while it seems to be expressed more individually here.
- Western Plumbing: Enough said.
- And last but definitely not least, my family and friends!

Disclaimer: many of the items listed do not apply to Baku (the capital).

Later this month expect a reflection of what I miss from Azerbaijan while I’m in America…

A Quick Trip Across the Border...

A couple weeks ago I ventured to our neighbor to the northwest, the Republic of Georgia (Georgiastan), with some friends. We decided to go to Tbilisi, made a reservation at a guesthouse (where Georgia PCV’s stay when they come in for official PC business), and that’s all the preparation we did. We came from four different regions and met in Shemkir, the city where Chris and Katie live. It’s the furthest west out of our group, so it made the best starting point. We all gathered on a Saturday night so we could leave first thing Sunday morning. Getting to Tbilisi from Shemkir took three separate busses. One from Shemkir to Gazakh (a decent sized city further west), Gazakh to the Red Bridge (the border), walk across the border, and then find a new bus to go into Tbilisi. The border was interesting – definite differences between the two countries in their facilities and approaches.

After leaving Shemkir at about 8:15am, we arrived in Tbilisi at about 1pm – even with the border crossing and multiple bus changes. We made great time! That afternoon we just walked around, explored, found a restaurant, etc. Traveling can be exhausting. Monday we did even more exploring. Visited some churches, explored parks, went up to the city wall/citadel, the botanical gardens, etc. We even saw a Heydar Aliyev Park – Heydar Aliyev is the former president of Azerbaijan and you can’t travel a street in Azerbaijan without seeing a statue, billboard, quote, museum or park named after him, something we didn’t expect to see in Georgia. We also met up with a friend of mine – Natia is from Georgia and was a FLEX (exchange program) student in Jenison last year. So she showed us around a little and took us to a great Georgian restaurant. Georgian food was great – dumplings, cheese bread, etc. Tuesday we looked for some souvenirs (met a fellow American working in Azerbaijan on vacation in Tbilisi – small world, huh?), went to the sulfur baths, ate Chinese food and visited the zoo. There are currently protestors in Tbilisi – opposition to the current president/administration and how the war was handled last year – and we passed their cells (sleeping areas) and also saw a march going on across the river (we were there on a national holiday). And we played a LOT of cards every night. The night before we left the woman who runs the guesthouse came and talked to us about the news from the day – apparently the opposition had blocked some transportation. We weren’t too worried, but did talk about some of our options in case we had trouble the next day. It ended up being a waste of time – while it took us forever to find the bus that went to the border, everything seemed normal. We ended up with seven people (six of us plus the driver) squished into a little hatchback jetta – or something similar – for the 45 minute trip to the border. Little bit of conversation at the border, then the trip back to Shemkir, and the following morning back to our respective regions.

All in all: a great, memorable trip to a place that’s as close as the next state in America. There were definite differences from Azerbaijan, but it’s hard to tell how many of them would hold up if we had traveled outside Tbilisi. Azerbaijan is in the middle of everything geographically and there are certain things that seem to be more European in Georgia whereas it may be more Central Asian here in Azerbaijan. But those are just thoughts – it was only a few days. Hopefully more travels will come later in my service as there are many nearby places that would be exciting to visit.

Note: Pictures are impossible to upload with dial up, but I’ll try and add some to this entry and others later this month when I have access to faster internet.

Approval!

I found out recently that my grant request was approved! So what that means is that once I receive the grant funds (in late June/early July) I’ll be working with my organization to expand one of our computer learning branches and open a new one. It’s exciting news because the new location will be in a village outside of the city (about 25 minutes outside) that only has one bus route to the city each day (meaning they don’t have easy access to our center). And this will be the first public access that the village (population of about 1,200 people) has to computers and the internet, including even in the school. While we don’t have the money yet, things need to start soon. We’ll start training the new teacher at our center in the city and start recruiting students. That way, when we receive the money we’ll just need to make our purchases, set everything up, and start classes. Let the to do list begin!

Chickens! Cows! Sheep! Oh My!

Last weekend I was checking out my hometown newspaper online and I found the most ironic article. If I hadn’t come to Azerbaijan, it would have just been a normal article, but now that I’ve lived here it’s anything but. “Residents Want to Raise Chickens in TC” had me laughing out loud because it’s an everyday, normal occurrence here. My guess would be that about 50% of people have chickens in their yard, and most likely other animals too. My host family during training lived in an apartment so there were no animals there and my host family in Ucar did not have animals. But my landlord does. There’s a rooster, six or seven chickens, and some chicks. It’s also not uncommon to see a couple cows wandering the streets, snacking on the grass growing on the side of the road. So pets are rare (why would an animal live inside?) but barnyard animals are as common as tea (really, it’s a miracle if you can go a day without drinking it). I grew up on a farm so the being around animals isn’t all that strange, but doing it in an area where there are lots of people is; even more odd is that none of them are fenced in. They just seem to wander – for example, my landlady’s chickens usually stay on her property due to the gate/wall, and inside there’s a coop for them to sleep in but they randomly walk everywhere. Sheep are shepherded through the city, albeit in smaller herds than outside of the city, and cars are accustomed to waiting for animals to finish crossing the street. At least here people know where their food comes from!

It certainly does say something for the patience of Azerbaijan people as a whole. How do you think that’d be received in the US? I can just picture it in my last apartment complex…

Working Together and a Trip to Baku...

Last week the Peace Corps put on a Project Design & Management Workshop for Peace Corps Volunteers and their counterparts. I was able to attend with the director of my organization; so last Wednesday we traveled the 4 hours to Baku together. The Peace Corps put us up at a local hotel and that evening was free as it was our travel day. My director, Alimusa, went to see an old friend who lives in Baku and I went out to dinner with some Peace Corps friends.

Thursday morning we arrived bright and early at the Peace Corps office and started the workshop. The first day was a lot of review for the volunteers as we had covered a lot of the basics during training (at least during CED training). But it was new for the counterparts, many of whom were not directors or co-workers, but interested community members who have worked or will work with the volunteers. The training was completely bilingual, everything that was said was translated into the other language – if the trainer led a session in English, the translator would translate to Azerbaijani; if a question was asked and the response was in Azerbaijani, the translator would translate the answer to English. At times it could be hard to follow because the language would shift – one minute I would need to be listening to the presenter and the other to the translator! So day 1 was a lot of project planning basics and PC grant information. The day was topped off by a trip to CitiMart (the amazing store that is the only place I know of where you can buy peanut butter in Azerbaijan) where I treated myself to ice cube trays, pb, brown sugar and sweet and sour sauce; then we ate dinner at McDonald’s and went to the store for English movies.

Day 2 of the workshop was definitely the better of the two days. Not that day 1 was bad, but day 2 was much more practical and hands on. We worked with our counterparts on a potential project and went through all of the project planning steps. Side note: A few weeks ago Alimusa and I had discussed potential projects to work on after I had submitted my grant application. So because of that I had three or four ideas in mind that we could discuss. But it turns out that we planned a completely new project! This was kind of frustrating because as much as I’d love to do all of these projects (he has some great ideas) it’s just not feasible to do them all at once, especially with the magnitude of some of them. But we talked over the project to determine what it will entail, who we need to talk to, what the timeline should be, the potential costs, etc., etc. And now it will just be a matter of putting that plan into action, meeting with our contacts, finding money, and so forth.

Alimusa told me that he really liked the conference. I could have taken anyone, but I chose to take my director because he has all these ideas for our organization and community and I thought it would help him think through the processes and determine the feasibility of them. It was definitely interesting to see the varied English abilities among the counterparts – some speak very good English while others, like Alimusa, know none. This is also because the workshop was for all three areas (CED, TEFL and YD) and depending on the area in which a volunteer works can determine how much English language interaction they have/how many people they know that speak English.

We ended the session at the end of the day Friday and Alimusa headed back to Ucar that evening. I’m a poor PCV with just a living stipend, who am I to not make use of an available hotel room? So I stayed until Saturday. I spent most of Saturday in the PC lounge using the internet (it’s fast and unlike at my organization, I don’t feel guilty for using someone else’s computer) to do research and catch up on my email. That afternoon I took the train back to Ucar and enjoyed what was left of the weekend! Now to see what progress we can make on this project!

The Cycle of Volunteers...

So the normal lifespan of a Peace Corps Volunteer is approximately 27 months: 3 months of training and 2 years of service. Before our group, volunteers always arrived in Azerbaijan in June. With our group the arrival changed to September. What this means is that in September, the AZ5 group of volunteers will be leaving and a new group, AZ7, will be arriving. And this is really just a long way of saying…

If you're an AZ7 who's found my blog, welcome! I had my invitation by this time last year and we’ve heard that many people have already been invited and have accepted that invitation. I know I read some volunteer blogs before I left to try and learn more about the country and the Peace Corps; real information from real volunteers instead of Peace Corps publications. We’re looking forward to meeting you this fall! If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment or send me an email!

It's Finally Time!

So that title sounds really exciting, but I thought it was worth mentioning something very mundane and kind of entertaining. I stopped wearing long underwear and started wearing sunscreen on the same day. While it’s been spring for a while now, at work we have no heat (a couple of small space heaters for the winter) and it’s a concrete building that just does not warm up quickly, even if it’s warm outside. So because of being inside I wore long underwear through the end of April (with the exception of a quick walk to the store or just being at home). The walk to and from work was sometimes a little toasty, but being warm at work made up for it. But now it’s what I would consider hot. This past weekend was in the 80’s and it’s just spring. Apparently it reaches about 40 degrees (Celsius, of course) here in the height of summer. For those of you who are Celsius challenged, that’s about 115 – 120 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hot. (For anyone who doesn’t know me well, summer is my least favorite season because of the heat.) And I’ve started applying sunscreen as a part of my daily routine because I was outside this weekend just walking around town and got a little sunburned. And with walking 25 minutes to work each way, it’s definitely needed, at least for now. Maybe by July I’ll be accustomed to the sun and won’t need it. We’ll see. I’m already enough of a conversation piece for the people of town, I’d prefer to not make it worse by looking like a tomato. Stay tuned for before and after (May and September) pictures…

Ahh, the Joys of Living Alone (For the Most Part)…

So I’ve now been moved out of my host family and living on my own for three weeks. Yay! I knew I missed cooking for myself, but I didn’t quite realize how much! I can now cook for myself whatever I want whenever I want it. Well, with the constrictions of the ingredients I can get locally. So no peanut butter, chocolate chips, brown sugar, cheddar cheese or pre-packaged beef (I don’t really have the desire to buy it from the butcher and grind it myself). And if I don’t feel like eating I don’t have to explain it to anyone.

And I can also come and go as I please. No one needs to know if I’m coming home for lunch or asks me why I came home at 6:00 instead of 5:30. And while I recognize that that’s what a family does, it was just a hard adjustment to make after being on my own for so long. In my new housing I just let my landlord know if I won’t be home for the night so that she can lock the door. The house is set up so that there is a porch with three doors opening off of it: one is the kitchen, which we share (to date no problem there as their schedule is completely different than mine), one leads to my area and the other leads to her area. So while there were a few questions the first week as I learned my way around the house and she saw that I really did want to be independent, everything seems to be going smoothly now. And soon she’ll move to Moscow.

Even though I was very excited to move out of my host family’s home, I think host families are an important part of the Peace Corps. I met a number of people through them and experienced local holidays with a local family, which wouldn’t always be possible on my own. While you can experience a large part of a culture by living in it, there would definitely be parts I would’ve missed by only living independently and never with a host family. So while they are definitely not family, it was not a bad experience and I will look back on it positively, and I will continue to see them as long as I live here.

A Cash Based Society...

Here in Azerbaijan, things like debit cards haven’t really caught on. I have a debit card that I use at the ATM when I need money (the Peace Corps deposits our monthly living allowance in a local bank account) but there’s nowhere else that I can use it, with the exception of maybe a few places in Baku. Everyone just uses cash. I use cash to pay my rent, buy food at the store, buy a train ticket, buy more time for my cell phone, etc. But the strange thing is that even though we are in a cash based society, many, many Azerbaijanis have had to learn to use the ATM. All government positions – teachers, doctors, transportation workers, pensioners, etc. – are paid via direct deposit into accounts, and they access that money via an ATM card. The banking system here is still fairly new (rebuilt after becoming independent in 1991) and many people don’t put their full trust in it. What that means is that most of the time when people get paid, they withdraw everything and operate in cash only. The worst time to go to the ATM is at the end of the month when the pensioners get paid. The crowd is insane! And there is no such thing as a line; it’s just a clump of people gathered around the ATM.

Normally there’s no wait, but for those couple of days there can easily be 20 or 30 people waiting to use the ATM. And sometimes you’ll get there and an elderly person will give you their card and tell you their pin number because they don’t know how to use the ATM. I once waited behind someone who helped four others with their transactions. The hard part of transitioning to a cash based society is that I actually have to plan ahead for what purchases I’ll be making to ensure that I have enough money before I go to the store. Coming from a place where I usually had just enough cash to grab food at a drive-thru because I would use my debit card for everything else, it’s quite an adjustment.

You're Not Scared To Live Alone?

In Azerbaijan the Peace Corps requires Volunteers to live with host families for the first four months after they move to their permanent site. The Peace Corps finds host families for us during training and they work with our counterpart organization to find host families for us at our permanent site. Then we’re pretty much on our own. We either have the option of staying with our host family (renegotiating our cost and what they provide for us, which not many people do) or finding a place in town to rent. I knew from the beginning that I would want to live on my own. There’s nothing wrong with my host family and it hasn’t been the bad experience that some people have had (or an exceptionally wonderful experience either) but it’s just hard to be living with someone else after having lived alone for so long, especially when they don’t understand your language. When everything else I do is in a foreign language it’ll be nice to have a little sanctuary of my own, a place where I don’t have to be “the American,” I can just be myself.

Most Volunteers have to go out searching and talk to everyone they can. But my Director (the Director of the organization I’m placed at) is AMAZING and told me that he would take care of it. And he does know more people in town than I do, which definitely helps. So a couple of weeks ago we went and looked at a house; it’s actually where the Volunteer before me at my organization lived. It was a hit! I’ll have two bedrooms – one of which can serve as a living room – and a kitchen. And the basic facilities, of course. The owner is moving to Moscow at the end of May, which is very common here in Azerbaijan. It’s estimated that almost 2 million Azerbaijanis live and work in Russia, and since Azerbaijan has a population of only about 8 million people, that’s a pretty big percentage. So I’m moving in on April 11th and will technically just be renting a room and sharing the kitchen until she leaves, and then I’ll have the place to myself. And my favorite part is that there’s a porch, which will be especially nice during the hot, hot summer that we’ll have here. I’m so excited to be living on my own, and especially to be cooking on my own. Part of the host family agreement is that they provide food for us and while I haven’t had to cook anything with my host family, it’s not exactly what (or when) I would be eating if I could cook for myself. Mmm, spaghetti and omelets and cold beverages…

People seem surprised that I want to live on my own. The norm is to go immediately from your parent’s home to your husband’s home – and sometimes when young couples get married they even live with one set of parents for awhile. Whenever I mention it to someone they ask if I’m afraid to live on my own and seem surprised that I’m not (even though I haven’t heard one bit about crime in the four months that I’ve lived in Ucar, so I’m not sure where the perception of fear comes from). But telling my host family was no big surprise. I had mentioned it to them periodically since I moved in that I wanted to live on my own. But they definitely tried to change my mind. The public services (water, gas, electricity, etc.) can vary from one area of town to another and they definitely went on and on about how great theirs are. But I’d gladly have gas or electricity a little less regularly and be on my own. And the best news is last: while the house is not exactly on the same street where I live now, there’s a back entrance only two doors down from my current house, which makes for easy moving! The countdown is on!

Novruz: Celebrating a New Holiday...

Novruz is the holiday that occurs on March 21st every year – the literal translation to English is “the first day of spring.” According to the people I asked, Novruz is celebrated in all Muslim countries (predominately Muslim). The four Wednesdays preceding the holiday people light fires in their yard or in their common area / the street if they live in an apartment. The four Wednesdays traditionally each have a meaning: fire, water, air and ground. Then everyone jumps over their fires three times, as doing this is supposed to leave all of your troubles, pain, sickness, etc. from the past year in the fire. And on the actual date of the holiday, the 21st, there is a big dinner and more fire jumping. For this big dinner the women are baking for days in advance. They make sweets that are only made once a year – baklava and other very rich treats. My host mother was full of activity for the entire week – preparing, baking, cooking, etc. The schools are closed for two weeks for the holiday but before they leave lots of classes have Novruz parties for the students (kind of like our Christmas parties). So the preparations at home aren’t made by just the mother but usually the kids too, since they’re home from school. (I say kids but I’m not sure if the boys help out; there aren’t any boys in my host family). At my house, with my host family, our big dinner consisted of appetizers (nuts, raisins, candy, baklava, and more), salad (a mayonnaise based concoction with eggs, potatoes, carrots, and peas), bread, then the main entrees – yes, I said entrees – dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice, meat, etc.), plov (rice and chicken along with raisins and chestnuts in a sauce) and plain chicken. Then it was time for more of the sweet stuff and fruit. The few times I’ve eaten baklava in the U.S. the portions have always been very small – it’s so sweet it’s almost overpowering – but here the portions are like a small piece of pie! After a few bites I have the following thoughts going through my head: I wonder what something this sweet is doing to my teeth? How slow can I eat this to ration the sweetness before someone comments on it? I want to learn to make this before I leave Azerbaijan! How many pieces do I have to eat before I can turn the next one down and not offend someone? (Not that it’s not good, it is, but it’s hard to eat consecutive pieces of something so sweet!)

Many towns also have special events planned for Novruz. I had a few days off from work so I went and visited a few friends in Mingecivir. In Mingecivir they had a huge celebration in the central area of the city on the morning of the 20th. Different groups of people would put a display together and be responsible for their assigned area. For example, the local college put together a group performing traditional Azerbaijani dances, next to them was a group with traditional Azerbaijani food, and on and on. I missed these performances, but there was even a tightrope walker and strongmen! There’s also a Novruz tradition that involves eggs – is it a coincidence that Easter is about the same time of the year and there are also eggs involved? You hard boil eggs, dye them (sound familiar?), and then have contests with them. Two people each take an egg and then knock them against each other, and the person who breaks the other’s egg wins! Now it sounds like the wishbone at Thanksgiving! One interesting aspect to see is that you don’t just go to the grocery store and buy egg dye – you use natural ingredients! Eggs can easily be dyed red by using the outside of a red onion. But I’m not so lucky and my egg broke right away. Oh well. It’s about the experience, not winning, right? Mingecivir also had a huge fire, which I’m not sure if it would’ve even been possible to jump over. It was great to experience holidays in a couple different places (at home with my host family and in Mingecivir with friends) and see more than I would have in just one place. So now it’s officially spring and everything from the past year will remain in the fire. That can only mean good things to come!

You Don't Have Women's Day in America?

Last week, March 8th, we celebrated Women’s Day here in Azerbaijan (and in many other countries throughout the world). It’s just like it sounds – a holiday for women because they are women. Personally I don’t understand it. Why? It’s celebrating something that you can’t control and on a day that has no significance (in contrast to say, Independence Day or Veteran’s Day). But it’s just like any other national holiday, only with presents! People get the day off work and the schools are closed. Students bring presents for their female teachers, men bring presents for their female co-workers, etc. I now have an excess of perfume (a very popular gift here) as well as artificial flower bouquets. I asked if there’s a Men’s Day and was told that there was when Azerbaijan was a part of the Soviet Union but that there isn’t now. So while I think the idea is nice, it just seems like it’s emphasizing women, and why would you need to emphasize women if everyone is equal, especially if there isn’t a Men’s Day? Isn’t the best way to recognize equality to show it with equal treatment?

A Pantry, What's That?

It’s hard for me to explain differences between America and Azerbaijan without making huge generalizations – people are unique and different from each other in Azerbaijan just like they are in America. But here is one difference that I have noticed in more than one place…

Normally, I go home for lunch each day (as the majority of people do) and my host mother has prepared food for me along with the rest of the family. A couple of weeks ago I went home and was unexpectedly alone. Who knows, maybe my host mother had gone to work or the market. But I had no way of knowing when she would return, and she has said in the past that her kitchen is always open to me, so I began to forage. I was amazed at how little they keep on hand and as I thought back to my host family during training it didn’t seem any different. Here’s what I could find: onions, potatoes, eggs, flour, tea, jam, bread, butter/oil and pickled veggies. Now this isn’t because the family I live with eats only what I mentioned. Here, it’s not uncommon to go to the market every day and buy fresh produce. You buy what you need for that day and maybe the next day, but that’s it. Why buy what you aren’t going to use immediately? Since it’s fresh, it would go bad. My logical mind is thinking that there are good and bad sides to this: fresh food every day is great (tasting and for your health), but ugh, going to the market EVERY day or two! It seems like such a waste of time! But I was one of those people who would go to the store once every three or four weeks and really stock up. Even those people who go to the store once a week in America have a pantry that would probably produce great curiosity on the part of an Azerbaijani. There’s also the little issue of power here. Even if you wanted to prepare something in advance you would need a place to store it, and while most people have refrigerators the power goes out almost daily and the outage can vary in length from a few minutes to hours. So it kind of defeats the purpose of a refrigerator. So there you are, a little information about one of the many differences I have found between Azerbaijan and America (there are many others but this one’s easy to write about).