Mini-Switzerland - heavy on the mini

Last week Linda and I traveled to the village of Ilisu in the region of Qax. We were just a few kilometers from the Russian border. It will be the final traveling within Azerbaijan except for our necessary excursions into Baku for Peace Corps requirements.
We met the other mature Volunteers and said our farewells, and enjoyed one last adventure together.
Leslie from Salyan spent Thursday night with us, then we left about 10:30 for Hajacabul to catch a bus for Qax. I had gone to Hajacabul that morning to find out what time the bus would leave for Qax and was told 11:00 a.m. and to be there by 10:45 a.m. We arrived via taxi to the bus stop around 10:40, and the bus to Qax arrived at 11:15 and we were off.
Traveling in Azerbaijan is always exhausting for us. It is the worry about making sure of the times and destinations with our limited language skills. The bus was very nice, 55 passenger, about 10-15 years old with working air conditioning. We stopped once for a break and made it to Qax about 4:30 p.m.
We were immediately met by a taxi driver willing to take us to Ilisu and our resort, Ulu Dag. The other Volunteers had already arrived and were in their rooms. The taxi driver drove at about twice the speed that would have been sane, and somehow we made it safe and sound.
Ilisu is called mini-Switzerland by the Lonely Planet travel book which is a bit overstated. The views were lovely. We hiked about a mile to a waterfall and were greeted by workers harvesting shale. The workers were from Georgia, and they were taking the stone for walls. The truck was to travel back down the trail and all the way to a coastal city in Georgia. They say Georgians are very optimistic people.
I will share more about Ilisu next posting, but we did have an interesting experience while hiking on Sunday. We were told to bring our passports, because of the proximity to Russia there are soldiers in the area. We started out hiking along the trail parallel to the river to visit some hot mineral baths in the area. (note: Linda and I were along for the hike only.) We had proceeded about a kilometer when we were stopped by 2 soldiers who asked to see our passports or documents. Now, Linda and I had faithfully brought our passports from Shirvan and they were safely tucked away in our hotel room. 5 of the 8 had their passports. One soldier radioed in our names, and told us to wait for the soldier in charge. Sure enough in about 10 minutes 2 more soldiers came walking up and wrote down a few names, examined documents, asked a few questions. Then they told us it was too dangerous and we must not go that way. We had seen many local people walking the trail which is why we ventured out. The resort personnel said if we were Azerbaijani, it would have been OK, but they were being protective of the Americans.
This experience was the first time we had been asked for our passports outside of the airports. It was a bit unnerving in that the soldiers looked like such young men. They were very polite and friendly, and we never feared anything, but just a little nervous. It is too close to the end of the adventure to be calling the Peace Corps security officer for help.
We are under 50 days, and have scheduled our final medical exams for the first week in October. Our dreams are filled with home, and our memories are filled with our dear Azerbaijani friends.

Visiting with another PCV couple

This week we are going to get together with the other older Volunteers in a village of Ililsu near the city of Qax. So, I am posting a little earlier in the week.

Last week during the Ramazan holiday, we visited Todd and Sarah France who are AZ7’s and serve in Kurdamir. Kurdamir is north and east of us, and about a 90-minute bus ride. Todd is 30 and played in the European NFL as a kicker. Sarah taught art for 3 years in the Las Vegas school system. They are an outstanding couple with many talents. It is always a joy to spend time with them (far right in the photo).
Kurdamir is a region with over 50 villages, and the main city has a population of 15,000. We did not see any of the soviet style apartment buildings as we have in Shirvan. The France’s have rented a home that has 3 rooms and a kitchen. It was one of the nicest refrigerators I have seen in any Peace Corps housing. They also have a washing machine (a tub with an agitator which must be hand filled and drained). We were very envious of their luxury, except for the toilet, which is basically a hole in the ground. They have a cistern and overhead water tank, which they fill by buying water from a truck. The water was clean and they have a nice system. Their water heater did not work, but during the summer the sun heats the tank sufficiently for a nice shower in the evenings.
The France’s were very kind to us and gave up their bed. Their bed is very comfortable. They have an Azerbaijan mattress on the floor and foam rubber on top of it. The mattresses in Azerbaijan are cloth stuffed with wool. During each summer the wool is removed, washed, fluffed, re-stuffed, and re-sewn. The fluffing is performed by allowing the wet wool to air dry, then a woman takes a stick and beats the stick into the wool, lifts the stick bringing a few strands of wool to the air, and dropping back onto the pile. When I am running in the summer, I often hear the whack, whack, whack of those refurbishing their mattresses.
Now, the floor is very comfortable with a mattress, and many homes with many people usually stack the mattresses during the day, and then lay on the floor at night. The beds are 2 basic types. One type is a metal frame with a small headboard, then inside the frame is a metal mesh and the mattress is placed on top of the mesh. This is very soft and a little springy. Our beds in Saray during our training were of this type. We sagged into the middle. We had 2 beds pushed together, but were different heights.
The second type of bed is a board inside of the metal frame – like sleeping on the floor, but higher. Our bed board has the thinnest layer of foam rubber I have ever encountered. We have added other layers of foam rubber and it is more comfortable.
The problem for us is that the wool mattress does not stay fluffed very long. Soon there are deep indentations of each person. We often grip the mattress on opposite sides and shake vigorously to even it out a little.
All that is to say this: The Peace Corps sets aside $225 (now $275) for each month of training and service. Then at the end of service, we are given this money as a Readjustment Allowance. A good portion of ours is going for the highest quality of bed we can purchase, and never ever take it for granted!

The bus rides to and from Kurdamir were quite eventful, but usual. The bus to Kurdamir was a large 50-passenger bus probably built in the 1960’s. It was well worn, and soon after we began there was a loud, very loud thumping noise at the rear of the bus. Linda had observed that the driver and helper had been working on one of the underneath baggage areas when we boarded. Evidently, the repair did not hold, and the door was flapping. The sound was like someone slamming a metal door as hard as they could every 5 seconds. We stopped a couple of times, and finally the noise subsided. When we first heard the flapping we thought we had a flat tire because of the vibration, but that was just normal shimmy of unbalanced tires.
Our return home was on the bus that runs from Shamakha to Shirvan each day. I have included the photo of our Salyan bus again. The Shamakha bus is not quite as physically sound as that bus. I stood the whole 2 hours plus because we were very crowded, and women always get first priority for seating. I stood next to Linda behind the driver. When we stopped, an assistant would uncover the engine compartment, which was to the right of the driver. He would add water to the radiator while the engine was running. He added 10 liters during the 2-hour trip. It was over 2 hours because of all the stops we made letting off and picking up passengers for the villages between Kurdamir and Shirvan. However, the worst part of the trip was the fumes. The weather has moderated, and our return day was cool, or I’d be dead.

A little about bread

This is the last time we will be remembering the September 11, 2001 tragedy while in Azerbaijan. Linda and I, as most Americans alive at that time, remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first watched the unfolding of the events of that dreadful day. I recall the feelings after 9/11 when everyone was patriotic, kind, courteous, and caring. That period lasted far too briefly and then we went to war. Little did we realize that 9 years later we would be living in a Muslim country albeit very secular. Our Muslim friends share our pain and during a conversation club in Kurdamir this week, a young man looked us in the eyes and with great emotion said, “I am sorry that so many Americans died on September 11.”

This week the library was closed on Thursday and Friday for the end of Ramadan holiday. It is celebrated by visiting with those who have had family members die in the past year, and visiting with family. One of the foods of Ramadan is Hava, which is in the first photo. It is very simple, butter is heated and flour and sugar are fried until the brown color. Linda and I do not care for the taste, but deeply appreciate our two neighbors bringing us dishes of Hava yesterday and today.
On Monday and Tuesday this week we had media training at the IREX Media Center. Lunch was served for all those who participated. There were about 20 young adults and each day we were provided with Lula Kebabs for lunch. The kebab is a mutton sausage cooked over an open flame, then cilantro and onions are added and all is rolled in a lavash, which is a flour tortilla. The drink served is called Iran – which is buttermilk. The photos try to illustrate.
The final photo is of women making lavash. One will prepare and cook the dough, while another rolls it flat before the cooking. It takes a lot of practice and skill to make lavash quickly.

The main stable of life here is bread. The common loaf of bread is round and about 10 inches in diameter. The loaf cost 25 qepek (30 cents). The price has varied between 20 and 30 qepek in our time of service. Loaves can be purchased in every market, out of boxes on a corner, or at the isti chorek (hot bread) store. From the bakery (isti chorek) the bread is hand stacked and carried by the armful out to a vehicle either a small truck with a shell or an automobile trunk, back seat, front seat, wherever there is room. The bread is then placed in rows in boxes. I would estimate the age of these boxes at about 18 months, and they are used again and again. The bread is then taken to individual sellers and hand carried into the selling area. Placed in boxes with blankets to cover. I do not enquire as to the laundering practices of these blankets, but I would guess annually. Again the bread is placed in rows by hand, customers then come in and search through the box, handle a few loaves and select the ones they prefer. If we buy bread at the market, there is no way to estimate the number of hands, which have touched each loaf.
Linda and I buy very little of the round bread. It is difficult to toast, and we like the traditional slices for sandwiches. The purchased bread is a little chewy, but if warm, can be okay. When visiting in a home we can tell immediately if a woman bakes her own bread by the texture.
We have a market, which has someone prepare bread in what we would call a traditional loaf, and I pay 30 qepek for it. When it is fresh, it is great for our lunchtime sandwiches. Linda says all bread is good if you put peanut butter on it.
There are also many buns sold in the markets, and they are all very sweet. We have purchased and tried to use for sandwiches and hamburger buns, but the taste is just too sweet. They are primarily snack breads.
A week ago, we cooked our own hamburger buns, and I must say they were wonderful!
During the winter and spring months we have been able to purchase a whole grain bread, and if fresh is very good. I found a rye like bread, but only have seen it occasionally.
I think we sometimes dream about those homemade rolls and crescent rolls that are brought to basket dinners in Missouri – our friends, please make note.

Water, water everywhere, but our house

With the time left we will blog about our daily life and Azerbaijan culture. The pictures are from the International Museum Day on May 16, 2009 with the traditional Azerbaijan dress and musical instruments.
The name of the round drum is galval and the stringed instrument is a tar. The children were performing a traditional dance.

It is still very hot here with the temperature in the 90’s. We prepare a lot of ice each day because we cannot buy it anywhere. Azerbaijanis drink cool, but not ice cold drinks. There are many ice cream bars available, but you must eat quickly before they melt.
The washing of the carpets is done in hot weather. During the winter the carpets are beaten. Since we are nearing the end of summer, any water day there are many women washing their carpets outdoors. Our neighbors take the carpets and lay them outside on the sides of the streets, wet them, poor laundry detergent, on hands and knees scrub with a brush, then rinse and squeegee with a flat wooden piece at the end of a handle, repeating the rinsing and squeegee several times. The water comes from a hose and a lot of water runs down the street and into the courtyard. The wet carpets are then hung to dry on the clothes lines if sturdy or on the benches and playground equipment in the courtyard. Washing and drying the carpets take precedence over any other use of the courtyard. Every water day the past two weeks we see dozens of carpet washings while we walk.
With my deepest apologies to the 46% of the households in the world without running water (National Geographic, April, 2010) we think it is difficult having water every other day. In extremely hot or cold days we may only get a few hours of water on a water day. Because of where our apartment is situated and with reduced water pressure, our neighbors or other buildings may have water, and we do not. We keep the faucet on and wait, sometimes for small trickles, and sometimes a nice flow of water. This is to make a point. When we do not have water I envy those with water tanks, or those who are getting water when we are not. Then when we do not have water and I observe waste, I become resentful. This experience has made me realize what the third world must feel when they see abundance and even waste in developed countries.

Today is a market day for us. We generally buy something at a market daily due to lack of storage and freezer space. We once bought some unripe peaches, but stored them in the refrigerator because the dark and warmth helped them ripen. Anyway, it made us recall a woman named Lillian Garland who was in her eighties and would walk to the local grocery store about 2 blocks away almost every day. She would only buy what she could carry. Life is like that here in Shirvan. People buy what they can carry, and if they purchase more than that, a taxi is needed at a cost of 1 AZN ($1.25).
After visiting the United States my counterpart asked me why there were no small markets? Now the inventory of a small general market here is about like a 7/11 with better prices and some bulk items such as flour, cookies, and candy. They are important because of the carrying factor. We try to support a couple of local markets, and a larger “super market” in the bazaar. The super market has better prices, the prices are marked, a little variety, a shopping basket, I get to pick the items off the shelf, and a computer checkout.
No matter whether we buy from a small market or the super market, or anywhere, our items are placed in plastic bags. (I keep remembering seeing the Wal-mart and Hy-Vee plastic bags caught in the trees along our street in Kansas City.) These bags are very important! We use them to cover and store our leftovers, carry out our daily trash, and use to transport any items we need to take to work. The really nice plastic bags that are not transparent are used for lunch boxes, toolboxes, and suitcases.
Today we purchased a litter of milk, 30 eggs, flour, peaches, tangerines, butter and bread. We have enough bags for a day or so!
Such is a portion of our daily experience.