Returning...

While vacation is great, it can be hard to return to site. The contrast between the worlds I've found myself in is striking. Turning on a tap and having the choice between hot and cold water. Being free to go anywhere I want. Having all the opportunities in the world. Air conditioning. Or the exact opposite.

But I have big plans for the summer. Next week my summer camp starts, which will be a day camp - mainly arts & sports - for local teenage girls, 3 hours/day, 3 days/week, for 3 weeks. Then for a week in August I'll be doing a photo camp with another PCV. And my PCPP grant was funded, so I'll be doing some field trips with local youth to help them learn about Azerbaijan. And lastly, I'll still have some work at my organization to fill in the spare time.

So the summer will be busy, but busy is good - it gets me back into the swing of things after a great vacation (a posting about that will come later) and will be a great start to the end of my service.

Who Vs. How Much...

In America things usually come down to money, especially with the government. While the people obviously have some influence, whether or not things happen is usually more dependent on whether there are funds (or bonds, etc.) available. It's normal to hear how much money has been allocated in a specific year for road repairs, etc.

Here, positive change is all about who. Money from the government is around, but due to the pervasive corruption sometimes nothing happens (well, things happen, but the money doesn't always get to the community, if you know what I mean). For example, the only construction/repair I remember happening in my town in 2009 was the re-spackling and painting of the walls along a couple streets and the painting of the curbs. We had a change in region leadership earlier this year and even I can tell the difference. Roads are being improved and/or paved. The railroad crossing into town has been repaired. A road is being widened. Major construction to put the canals underground/under roads has begun (although the "like Baku" comparison is a bit of a stretch). There are more sidewalks. And numerous other small things have been done that are improving the town.

Here, one person really can make a difference. If one person stops corruption (or even just some corruption), the community members can really notice the difference. Just think what would happen if there was no corruption.


Transparency International calculates a Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which measures the perceived level of public-sector corruption in 180 countries and territories around the world. Azerbaijan was #143 in 2009. Check out the link for the full country list.
2009 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

Istanbul, Turkey in Photos...

A photo tour of the trip my mom and I took to Istanbul, Turkey in late April.

An entrance to the Grand Bazar, fishing on the Galata Bridge, Mom and I at a cooking class

Musicians on a pedestrian street, an interior wall of the Hagia Sofia, the street view from the Galata Tower

At a Whirling Dervishes show, a room in the Harem section of Topkapi Palace, Mom and I on a boat ride in the Bosphorus 

 Some discarded speakers at a local mosque, inside the Blue Mosque 

A Visit From Home...

Last month I was lucky enough to have my mom come visit me in Azerbaijan for a week. We had a great time; while we didn't have/make time to visit what others would consider the "touristy" (quotations because it's a stretch on the word touristy - tourism is not a highly developed industry here) parts of the country, she saw Baku and experienced life in my town.

Due to a late arrival (the suitcase later than her) we explored Baku on her first day in the country - walked the Old City, climbed Maiden's Tower, and even rode the metro (subway). After picking up the delayed luggage at the airport we headed to Ujar from the bus station, experiencing the normal patience building transportation schedule - "We will leave when the bus is full."

In Ujar it was a busy week. We had meals with my tutor, with the family who had me over for Novruz, with my Director and another co-worker, tea at multiple other places, and my cooking club made a full meal at my house. In between all of that were trips to the bazar, a tour of town and all my regular stops like the bank, post office, work, hair salon, etc., and the continual explanation of who the new foreigner was - although apparently it's pretty obvious we're related.

It was great to get a fresh perspective on my town and my experience here - things that a new Volunteer just arriving in the country notices are things that I don't really notice anymore, but she did. So the animals roaming the street (she may live on a farm in America, but that doesn't mean the animals roam free!), the trash and the lack of women on the street are just a few of the things that seem different to an outsider. She was surprised by how many cars are on the street - both in Baku and Ujar (apparently I made my town sound smaller than it is?) and by how bundled up people were - still layering clothing when we were wearing short sleeves (although if it gets to 110 degrees, I guess 70 is still kind of cool).

We returned to Baku via train since I was trying to give her as many different experiences as possible. It's a slightly different route into the city and you can see a lot more of the oil industry that dominates the economy here in Azerbaijan. We stopped by the Peace Corps office, did some introductions, saw a little more of Baku and then the next morning we flew to Istanbul, Turkey for a week of vacation...

The Going Rate For...

One of the things that we, as Peace Corps Volunteers, are required to do on a yearly basis is to complete an annual living allowance survey. This is then used by the country office to determine if our living stipend is enough to live at the local level, and then if it's not they can request an increase from headquarters.

So just this week I compiled my survey, and I thought it might be interesting for you to see a random sampling of what some things cost over here:

226.20 AZN is our monthly living allowance, which equals $269.53 USD. (Can any of you live on that?)

    .50 AZN,     .60 USD  1 liter Coke
    .10 AZN,     .12 USD  1 egg
    .30 AZN,     .36 USD  1 loaf of bread
  5.00 AZN,   5.96 USD  bus ride from Ujar to Baku (about 3.5 hours)
  6.90 AZN,   8.22 USD  1 kilo* cheese
  1.30 AZN,   1.55 USD  450 grams laundry detergent
15.00 AZN, 17.87 USD  1 month DSL internet
  2.00 AZN,   2.38 USD  1 kilo* tomatoes
    .70 AZN,     .83 USD  1 kilo* potatoes
    .20 AZN,     .24 USD  1 bunch of cilantro, dill or green onions
    .50 AZN,     .60 USD   snickers bar
  1.50 AZN,   1.79 USD  4 rolls toilet paper
  1.40 AZN,   1.67 USD  1 liter milk
    .15 AZN,     .18 USD   subway ride in Baku
  1.60 AZN,   1.91 USD  1 liter vegetable oil
  1.00 AZN,   1.20 USD  1 kilo* flour
50.00 AZN, 59.58 USD  1 month rent (definitely one of the cheapest) 

*1 kilo = 2.2 lbs