Friday, February 26, 2010

Spring is around the corner











Pictures: These are again from participants in my conversation clubs. The first is a game played during the spring celebration of Novruz. Last Tuesday was the first of four Tuesdays which celebrate; water, fire, air, and earth. Each Tuesday a bonfire is built with the final Tuesday having the biggest and most bonfires. A person will jump over the fire three times, leaving all the bad things in his character in the fire and getting ready for the new year. This game is with 2 eggs, usually hard boiled. The shells are clashed to together and the one that breaks is the loser.
The second picutre is of a nice catch in the community of Salyan. The fisherman is the brother of Nigar, one of the conversation club photographers. The next 3 photos is the process of preparing "tendir chorek" - oven bread. The oven is a large clay container, a fire built and the container walls become very hot. The fire is dosed and the bread dough is sprinkled with water and stuck to the wall. The bread cooks, is quite tasty especially hot with white cheese - yummy!
As stated above the anticipation of Spring has begun. Even though 4 weeks away from the official holiday everyone is ready. There was a large bonfire outside our apartment building this past Tuesday. We could hear the excitment and then watched from our balcon window young men and boys jumping over the fire after it had burned down to a reasonable size. Note: no girls took part. The gender differences in Azerbaijan are quite significant. One of our primary messages is that women/girls have abilities, talents, worth, and should strive for their goals.
There will be more about Novruz as the holiday approaches.
This week we had a surprise. Our neighbor came to visit on Friday evening with a relative who spoke English quite well. They asked to come in, and the purpose of their visit was to request that we share our home with them for an Engagement Celebration. The daughter Shirboni will become engaged on March 7. The groom comes, brings flowers, jewelry, and the commitment is made. Family and friends gather, have photos and share food. The future bride and groom wear their very best and most beautiful clothes.
During the 3 hour or so celebration men are in one area, and the women are in another. Our neighbors requested that they use our home for one of the areas. We are so honored! Words cannot describe the feeling we had of acceptance. We were so happy that our neighbors felt comfortable enough to share this with us. Shirboni has spent several hours reading with Linda in between her university studies. After they left, Linda was in tears of joy. It will be one those "Peace Corps moments".
To all those still surrounded by snow and cold - Spring is just around the corner!





Saturday, February 20, 2010

Health and the Peace Corps












The picutres are again from the participants in conversation clubs. These are part of the finalists for the exhibit of 50. Please feel free to comment below on any of the pictures and I will pass along to the students. Yes, I have walked across that bridge.
The Peace Corps is very concerned about the health of Volunteers. The medical exam during the application process is to be quite vigorous because we naturally are exposed to more health risks and have limited access to health care facilities and resources. Linda and I have been quite fortunate and generally in good health. The medical team has had to pay little attention to us.
We have a Volunteer who turned 80 while here in Azerbaijan. Recently she moved to a new host family and was out in the shower area when she lost consciousness. It may have been an hour or so before anyone found her. The local emergency medical was called as was the police. Once the Peace Corps was notified, she was transfered to Baku and tests were run. She has stated that she is fine and the tests were all negative for any problems. However, the decision was made that she be returned to the United States. She was disappointed, but we certainly understand the position of the Peace Corps.
This past year a 23 year female Volunteer died in Moraco due to a sudden illness. The Peace Corps attempts to keep us as healthy and protected as possible. It is also the responsibility of the Volunteers to eleminate as much risk as possible.
We are very careful about our water, food, cleanliness, and hygene. While other Volunteers may chose to stop boiling their water or not take health precautions. This past week we had to make a day-trip into Baku for medical follow-up and dental care. The 5 hours on a crowded mini-bus and 3 hours on crowded city busses leave us exhausted and exposed to many common illnesses. Linda missed a couple of days of work due to feeling ill after the trip. Luckily we will not have to make any more of the daytrips for a while. Once the weather gets better, everyone gets healthier.
We very much appreciate the medical care we receive. We were given flu shots and H1N1 vacinations this year. A few Volunteers did not want to take either, but it was mandatory. It is an awsome responsibility to care for the health and safety of over 100 people.
We look forward to the coming of spring and hope the weather improves for all of you in the United States.




Friday, February 12, 2010

Do We Make a Difference?







Pictures: Out of the Mid-Service Conference I committed to a photography project. We brought 2 digital cameras with us to Azerbaijan. One of them has a view finder, but the LCD is broken. conversation club participants take the camera for a couple of days and are asked to take interesting pictures. We then discuss the pictures. Now we are going to chose 50 and print and display at the library. These are four of my personal favorites. I am always impressed with the natural photographic ability of some people. Each photo is beautiful in its own way, please feel free to comment below on the photos.
Peace Corps Volunteers want to make a difference wherever they serve. We are always looking for a demonstration that perhaps we have positively affected people and sites. For me it was a Monday. I have been assisting one young man make job applications via the internet. I have especially been helping with the cover letters and some language in his resume. For example, when the application asked about work experience he lists his previous jobs. When the application asked "Why did you leave this position?", he would respond with "to get a better job." I suggested to change to "accept a better job." That does not sound like he is constantly looking to change jobs. Then we work on customizing the cover letter to the specific type of organization or company he is applying to. He gripped my hand one day to express appreciation and said something to the effect that he knows he applies to several positions and does not get a job, but every time he applies he learns something new. "I cannot thank you enough", he said, to which I thought "Men da" - Azerbaijan for "me too".
One of the patrons of the library is a young woman who has graduated from the college in the area of computer information. She comes to the library to improve her English and has begun to voluntarily help students with Word and Excel while she continues to look for employment. The man referred to above, she, and I were walking. She seemed a little down emotionally, and the man filled me in. He had recommended to a friend who was looking for computer help this young woman. Today she found out the company was to hire someone else. The point of the story is this: they did not know each other before they started coming to the library. Networking and referring people for jobs outside of family is not common. But, these two were exceptions and I felt I had been a part of it.
That same week, an older patron of the library had recommended a talented young man for an interpreters position. The common factor was the library. We all make our differences in our own ways.
In Azerbaijani schools it is common that if a student falls behind, little is done to help them catch up. Teachers refer to them as "lazy" students who sit at the back of the classes and teachers do not called upon them for answers. I have tried over the last year to model classroom accommodations that can be made for these students. I have talked with teachers about techniques we could use to help certain students. Most of these accommodations are very easy. One little 5th form student with very thick glasses was moved to the front of the room to better see the board. A 9th form student with cerebral palsey was allowed to enter late and go directly to his seat without a lecture about being late to class. When these simple accommodations helped these students be more successful, then it became easier to add other accommodations. Now we are moving into instructional accommodations for students that probably have learning disabilities. There has been a change in these students' interest level, participation rate and academic performance. Recently during our Mid-Service Conference, the TEFLs (Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) during one of our break-out sessions, brainstormed simple classroom accommodations that could be made here in Azerbaijani classrooms for students with academic, behavior, attention and physical problems. Since there are no special education services in Azerbaijani schools, these classroom accomodations are the most realistic solution at this time.
Finally, our Program and Training Director sent this to Linda:
"Our contact at HQ sent out a newsletter with a few stories from posts in the region, and this one made me think of you. I sat in on part of the TEFL sessions at MSC and remember you talking about classroom accommodations. It's really nice to have volunteers in country with so much prior work experience -- your expertise and love of teaching really came through, and your ideas were simple and easily implementable. Take care, Kristina.
Kazakhstan PCV Builds Self-Reliance
This sucess story from an anonymous PCV in the Organizational and Community Assistance Program (OCAP). Get out your hanky!
'When I first arrived at my organization I was introduced to a little girl in a sheelchair. She was 7 ears old and a total sweetheart. She was told that I would be helping her in school and making sure that she was able to participate in a regular education class. She has cerebral palsy which can make many typical activities difficult.
My first few days in class this student would continually ask me to do things for her. She was alwyas pointing out the things she couldn't do. I quickly realized that it wasn't that she couldn't do things it was that no one had ever told her to try and do it for herself. Slowly I started weaning her off asking for help. At first she would whine and whine and say she couldn't do it without even trying. Finally she would give in and discover that she was in fact able to do many things. Now I can go whole class periods without her asking for help and even sometimes refuse help when its offered. She has gone from saying "I can't" to "I can." On days when seh's tired she'll sometimes look at me with a sad face and ask for help but before I can an answer she knows enough to do it herself. She's started focusing on her skills instead of her disability.'"
Everyone can make a difference.
God's speed, Denney and Linda


Saturday, February 6, 2010

Mid-Service Converence











This week was the Mid-Service Conference for all AZ6 Volunteers. It was a time for reflection, planning, sharing, and inspiration. We all traveled to the Neapol Hotel just outside of Baku towards Sumqayit. The facilities were very nice and the food was terrific.
The pictures: The first is of a man of Turkish origins whose name is Guven Guven (see below about inspiration). The second is of our Program and Training Director Kristina Kavalunes introducing Guven. Kristina has served in Africa as a PCV, and in Eastern Europe, and now in Azerbaijan as Peace Corps Staff. While we were at the conference a snow storm descended down on Baku. The fifth picture is of the AZ6 Volunteers enjoying a meal during the extra day.
Kristina was attending a Rotarian meeting in Baku, and after the meeting Guven introduced himself to her and said he was a beneficiary of Peace Corps Volunteers. He asked to share his feelings about Peace Corps with her. After she listened for awhile, she knew we all needed to hear what he had to say.
Guven was born and raised in Turkey. At age 14 in 1964, 2 Peace Corps Volunteers, Mister Rafferty and Mister Ruth, came to his school to teach English. In Guven's culture in the 1960's he had to ask permission to leave his home. His experiences were all very limited, and here before him were 2 young men, less than 10 years older than himself who had traveled 4,000 miles to live and work in Turkey. Their example and teachings made him begin to think of things that he might accomplish. It was their presence that had a most profound affect on his life. After Guven shared his deep appreciation for the effect of Peace Corps Volunteers upon himself, a Volunteer asked, "and how has that affected your children?" Guven said, "My father had always limited my sister because she was a girl. She could not do many things that boys could do. He made her feel she was sorry that she was a female. I said to my God, my daughter will never feel such sorrow. My daughter has studied in Canada and accomplished much, and I am very proud of her." -- Drop by drop a lake is made.
The meeting was a time of reflection and it is amazing how far we have come personally in our service. We shared our friendships and deepest feelings for our counterparts and Azerbaijani friends. We shared projects and accomplishments. We also shared our frustrations and looked for ways to be better this last year of service.
We also began to look beyond our service. There was a panel of 5 RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) who spoke about their adjustments and experiences following Peace Corps service. The younger Volunteers were very much interested in how best to enter the job market and graduate studies. They told about readjustment to the United States. We always think we will have no problems stepping back into our familiar culture and lifestyles. However, it will take a period of adjustment.
One of the best experiences from an RPCV was that of Karen Wrightsman who had served here in Shirvan. She moved to Washington D.C. after Peace Corps and began a new career direction. Shortly after moving to a new apartment, she got lost on her way home. She asked for help from the bus driver, who did not want to be bothered or take the time to help. She asked for help from businessmen, and everyone thought she was strange when she asked "Can you tell me how to get home?" It began to rain, she was cold, and she began to cry uncontrollably because if she would have been in Azerbaijan, the bus driver would have made sure she got home, and others would assist her.
The bad news was the snow storm. We awoke on Friday to travel home, only to be told we would stay another night in the hotel because of dangerous travel conditions. You can imagine the issues without the snow moving equipment, snow prepared vehicles, and inexperienced drivers. We entertained ourselves with games, movies, and lengthy conversations. It really was very nice, until Saturday when the Peace Corps said we must move from that hotel and start making arrangements to return to our sites. Linda and I were quite fortunate and made our way to our bus station and had begun our journey home when I received a call. The Director of Safety and Security had decided it was too dangerous to travel by bus today. I said, "too late, we are already rolling towards Shirvan." We made it home safe and sound while others are having to spend another night or two in Baku.
For some Volunteers it was a blessing in that now a few more will gather and watch the Super Bowl together. The problem being that the game begins at 3:00 a.m. Monday morning here.
One last word about Mid-Service Conference. Our Country Director, Meredith Dalton, said that because of logistically issues we will probably begin Close of Service within 30 days of December 9. That means, it certainly looks like we will be home for Thanksgiving. Inshallah - God willing.