Happy Thanksgiving from Azerbaijan

We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We hope you are all with family and friends.
The second in command at the U.S. Embassy in Baku, Don Lu, opened his home to the AZ6 Volunteers for a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, November 21. There were 50 of 55 Volunteers attending. Don Lu is a RPCV who served in his 20’s. He is very impressive and has helped us to understand Azerbaijan’s current political situation.
The second photo is of the PCV shoes left at the door.
The Third photo is of Thanksgiving table and you might recognize mashed potatoes and stove top stuffing. The fourth photo is of Denney carving the turkey (see description below). Finally, there is a picture of Leslie Schoolfield, an AZ6 in Salyan, Denney and Linda celebrating Thanksgiving in Azerbaijan.

It has been a full week with being in Baku last Saturday for the Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Don Lu. There was a lot of delicious turkey and soft drinks provided by the Embassy. The AZ6 Volunteers each brought a dish. There were lots of apple dishes, potatoes, pasta, salads, pumpkin pies, and even one pecan pie. The food was wonderful, and the housing for U.S. officials is really fantastic.
After the dinner all the Volunteers had a talent show (more next week with pictures). Then we were hosted by Americans living and working Baku. Linda and I were hosted by Peter and Stephanie Stasser. Peter is with the Department of Justice and works with prosecutors helping with procedures and techniques. They have 2 college age children. Stephanie’s father was a university professor in Thailand. Peter was a prosecutor in New Orleans and has served overseas in Malawi, Georgia, Philippines, and now Azerbaijan. They will be leaving Azerbaijan in the next 6 months for a new assignment. They were very kind to us. Peter drove us to church on Sunday. They have a lovely home, and Stephanie is quite an artist. We had wonderful conversations with them. It was a fantastic break.
It is interesting though that boredom can be a problem for everyone serving overseas. When we returned to the Stasser’s home they were watching a DVD of season 3 of the Beverly Hillbillies.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in the traditional manner. We had a turkey, it is small and here in Azerbaijan it is called a chicken. Linda put together wonderful green beans, mashed potatoes. We were going to have a wonderful dessert, but the electricity went off about 2:00 p.m. and was off until 5:30. So, you might note in the pictures above, we celebrated by candle light.
On Friday we will travel to Barda to spend time with our friends Bill and Dorothy.

When there is a significant American holiday such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, Volunteers do not work. Then Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (November 27-30) has been declared non-work days by the Milli Mejlis (Parliament). The non-work days are to mark Qurban. Qurban means sacrifice and is a significant remembrance in the Muslim world. It is a time when sheep are slaughtered as a sacrifice and those who are able will give meat to the poor. Families may go together and slaughter one sheep. The remembrance is of Abraham’s going to sacrifice his son Ishmael, but God provides a lamb instead. The term slaughter is not used, but instead “cut” indicating how the lamb is to be killed. The lamb is pointed towards Mecca, a prayer is said, then the throat is cut. After the lamb has bled to death, the head and the legs at the knee are removed. Then the meat is butchered in the customary proportions.

Any time during a Muslim holy day there is an emphasis on charitable giving, similar to our providing meals during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We wish for you the very best, and thank you always for your support. My brother John and his wife Kim called us Thanksgiving morning here. It was so good to hear their voices, and we begin to look forward to being reunited. A special thank you to all those who sent Linda a birthday card. The church in Archie was especially well represented. Linda and I are faithful to send our birthday offerings to the Missouri Baptist Children's Home through Hopewell Baptist Church.

On a sadder note, the Peace has lost its fourth Volunteer this year due to death. It was a 23 year old young woman, graduate of Stanford, serving in Monaco and died following an illness. For more information on the Peace Corps go to www.peacecorps.gov