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!