Saturday, July 31, 2010

Up, up, and away






The photos are of the third leg of our trip to Turkey. We saw Istanbul, the ruins of Asia Minor, and finally Capadocia. Capadocia is a collection of 5 regions or like counties in the states. Because of volcanic activity, earthquakes, and wind it has a unique topography. It is famous for “fairy chimneys” which are rock formations that grow from the earth. The wind eats away at the softer rock and the tops are made of a harder substance leaving a mushroom like effect.
We saw some of the most beautiful scenery in the entire world. It rivaled Alaska. One way to see it is from a hot air balloon. One person traveling in the area many years ago suggested how nice it would be to see the beauty from a hot air balloon. Now there are over a dozen companies offering the experience during the tourist season.
The ride begins with a pickup at the hotel at 5:00 a.m. and then driven to a remote gathering area. Everyone watches while the balloons arrive on trailers and the preparation process begins. We wait anxiously to discover which of the many balloons will be ours. Finally we were taken to ours during the final 30 minutes of filling with hot air and righting the gondola. There were 4 sections with 3 people in each section in each gondola. What an experience! Our pilot took us high and low over the majestic geological wonders. After a little more than an hour, we landed gently. The euphoria spread amongst all the passengers as we awaited a champagne toast and the receiving of a certificate of flight.

Our hotel was one of many “cave hotels.” Small boutique hotels, which were once, cave homes, but now remodeled into hotels. It was a great 3 days with the only hitch being that it began and ended with overnight bus rides. In Turkey the intra-transportation system are buses. The buses are much like the nicest buses you would see in the US. We were served tea and coffee, made comfort stops of about 20 minutes, twice. The problem is sleeping is difficult, but it was much easier the return trip when we knew what to expect.

Once again leaving our trip to Turkey and back to our daily life as Peace Corps Volunteers. Linda is assisting a private kindergarten one day a week. The kindergarten building was once a government building and was purchased by an entrepreneurial couple. They began their private kindergarten four years ago. They reinvest the tuition into remodeling and equipment. It is a combination daycare and educational institution. The teachers work with the children to learn Basic English skills and prepare them for the first form (grade). Linda and I toured the building together, and then Linda arranged to assist. The facilities were quite impressive by Azerbaijan educational standards.
The kindergarten has classes year round, and even though the building is impressive – there is no air conditioning. There are no fans even in the napping area. For practical reasons the little boys run around in their underwear and light tops while the girls little shorts and tops. The main teacher that Linda works with is Gunay. Gunay uses any and every thing that Linda suggests and provides. She is one of the most impressive and hard working teachers Linda has met.

On a practical side soft drinks are available in abundance at every market or shop. The standard carbonated drinks are Coca Cola, Sprite, Fanta, local brands, sometimes Pepsi, and Dusesh. Dusesh is a carbonated pear flavored drink and is very tasty indeed and a nice change of pace. Anyway, the point of this is that diet drinks are nowhere to be found, but there is a Coca Cola Light and a Pepsi Light on rare occasions. We have made good friends with one of the closest shop owners. He speaks a little English and always greets me with “How are ya maaan?” He would sometimes have Cola Light and I would buy and mention how much my wife enjoyed it. He has begun ordering Coca Cola Light a case at a time. A case being 12 1-liter plastic bottles. Whenever he gets in a case – I buy it. Now, that is quite unusual, and I have been seen carrying these cases of Coca Cola Light to our apartment.
This week Linda was teaching about food in the courtyard club. She asked what drinks they like, and one boy responded with Fanta. Then one boy pointed to Linda and shouted “Cola, Cola, Cola” and pointed to Linda. “Mister Denney…” he could not form the words, but pantomimed out carrying a heavy load. Oh well, we will be remembered here in Azerbaijan!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The Weather Has Improved






The pictures are of the Roman ruins in ancient Ephesus. The hoard of tourists are making their way to the library which was the third largest in the world during its time. We visited Ephesus, Pergamum, and Hieropolis. The scenery was wonderful, but ruins are ruins after a while.

The weather here has moderated a bit. This summer we have had electricity every day, and it has been rarely off even for an hour or so. The water on the other hand is scarce even after all the flooding. We have access to running water every other day, but the water is usually very muddy in the mornings. We have moderate water pressure for about an hour on water days. The water begins to flow around 6:00, and we begin transferring settled water into usable water containers, and refilling the settling containers. Boil and filter all day. Our showers are primarily bucket baths, but when we can we rinse off in the evenings to help cool off.

Linda invited Irada to tea today. Irada is an English teacher at school number 18. She is always looking for new teaching techniques and ways to improve her teaching. Irada’s English speaking is very good, and it is always a joy to spend time with her. She lives with her mother who is 77 and still an active Azerbaijani literature teacher. Irada was a counterpart for a younger AZ5 Volunteer. Irada is very kind and has only spoken kind words for the Volunteer.
We shared with her the photos of our trip to Turkey. We had tea, brownies (thank you Nancy), Turkish Delight (candy from Turkey), and a little cake that Irada brought for us. Irada shared that she is attempting to join AZETA (Azerbaijani English Teachers Association). She traveled to Baku, but their offices had moved. Irada is determined and will try again in September.
AZETA has 6 branches. Each branch will have activities to assist its members in improving their English teaching skills. As with any organization, interest ebbs and flows. It is an excellent concept and many Volunteers try to assist in their activities.

Linda’s courtyard clubs continue and are very good. They not only provide an educational and constructive time for the children, but they enable parents to see interactive teaching methods. A byproduct is that all the surrounding people know Linda and respect all her efforts. Some of the mothers come and listen and participate in the activities.

Activities at the Central Library were very busy this week. I am having great participation in the 10:00 MWF club with the better English speakers. We have 3 new participants at the 4:00 p.m. MWF group who are also the better English speakers.

One of the young men at 4:00 p.m. is a vegetarian and practices Yoga. He is a university student with the Russian faculty. He has brought new interest into our group.
Another young man is from the private Turkish school here in Shirvan. The private school provides an excellent educational opportunity, but only for males.

As always we are thankful for all the support we receive from family and friends in the United States. As we enter the final phase of our service here, we realize even more how much you have meant to our work.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

It is so hot...






This week we take a break from pictures from Turkey.
Someone asked what we are doing this summer, do we get the summer off? For Linda school is out, but she has Courtyard English Clubs. If you read the blog last year, you know that Linda discovered that many of the children in our 5 apartment quadrangle have little to do in the summer. She began by posting notices in the buildings if anyone was interested they would have the lessons. After 2 months she had over 40 children 2 days a week. Many adults took notice of what she was doing. One grandmother who teaches at Linda’s school number 9, came to school in the fall and told everyone how Mrs. Linda had taught her grandchild English in the summer. Linda did teach greetings, colors, days, family terms, numbers and as much as she could some basic English words.
I thought the best result was that parents could see interactive teaching methods and what those methods could teach in an enjoyable and productive way. The educational system is still rote and recite. Linda uses games and activities to create thinking as well as memorizing vocabulary.
Linda has conducted 8 sessions, and again has over 40 students. Not all of them arrive on time, and the two pictures are of those who are prompt.
For me, the summer is always great! There are university students home in the summer who want to practice English with the best English speakers at the library. We get to discuss important and relevant issues. Linda envies me when I come home at lunch with such excitement about what people are thinking and saying. She is working on colors, and we discuss the middle-east issues, democracy, cultures, and history.
About a month ago I wrote about a group of us going to Qobustan. Qobustan has cave drawings dating at least 10,000 B.C. It is a rich historical for the entire world, much less Azerbaijan. Many Azerbaijanis study and learn about Qobustan, but never visit the site. We arranged a bus and took a group to Qobustan. Everyone had such an inspirational and fun time that they wanted to travel again. So, on July 10, we took another journey.
This day trip was to Shamakha which was once the capital of Azerbaijan until it was destroyed by an earthquake. Rebuilt, it is has beautiful nature. Outside of Shamakha is an observatory which has 6 telescopes, one of which is active while the others are under repair. We visited the Observatory after going into a forest for a picnic.
After the observatory tour we visited the museum of M.E. Sabir, a satirical writer who died in 1911. His commentaries were important for the citizens of Azerbaijan to move ahead with the rest of the world in technology, science, and politics. He inspired many other writers.
The journey was 3 hours each way. We left Shirvan at 6:00 a.m. and returned at 7:00 p.m. Everyone was overjoyed, and Linda and I were exhausted from the heat and physical demands of the trip.

IT IS SO HOT…
We never realized how mild last summer was. This summer is “normal” with temperatures in the 40-45 Celsius range. For my non-mathematical friends, 104 – 114 range. It is so hot the chickens are laying hard boiled eggs.
My cousin Melissa says it is just like south central Texas. The problem here for the Volunteers is that we never cool off. There is no place that is actually cool. The coolest building I have been in is the store where we buy chicken and eggs.
We “sleep” under fans, and hope. Azerbaijanis think that sleeping or being in the direct path of a fan is unhealthy. We are just hot and trying to survive.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Fourth of July Revisited






The photographs are all of Haggia Sophia which was a church built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It was built on a site which had previous churches destroyed by fire and earthquake. It was the largest church in the world at its time. When Justinian walked into the church the first time, he was reported to have said, “Glory to God that I have been judged worthy of such a work. Oh Solomon, I have outdone you.”
The architecture is remarkable with no pillars of support for the dome. It was a church until 1453 when it became a mosque and the Christian symbols were covered. Then, in 1935 it became a museum and restoration began.

Next week will be pictures from old Ephesus.

We hope each of you had a great Fourth of July. We had originally planned a quiet time at home, but on Thursday evening we received an email inviting us to be two of ten Volunteers to go to the United States Embassy in Baku for ice cream, soft drinks, and patriotic music to celebrate the holiday. And, the guest of honor was the Secretary of State.
As many of you may know, Hillary Clinton had been on a very strenuous tour of several countries in our area. On the fourth she flew in to Baku and was greeted by the Foreign Minister. They then met with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and his wife Marhiban. After the meeting with the Azerbaijan President, she meet with a group involved in the freedom of the press in Azerbaijan. Last year, 2 bloggers were arrested and are presently in jail. There have been some calls for their release. During the meeting this situation was brought up by the organization.
We have had many conversations about the importance of freedom of speech, responsible journalism, and news reporting. It was very encouraging and inspiring to see this issue addressed. Of the leaders of the organization, half had been educated in the United States. One of my conversation club members wrote “Democracy cannot be brought to any country from without, but only can be achieved within by its citizens.” The United States cannot bring democracy to any country, but can only provide for citizens education and help enable citizens who want a democratic process to achieve that themselves. That is one reason Linda and I teach children, youth, and adults, and try to represent you the people of a more perfect union.

We have a picture in the library of one of the monuments dedicated to the victims of Soviet violence against the people of Azerbaijan, and its title is “Freedom Is Not Free”. We are thankful for all Americans who have worked and died for our freedoms.

After the meeting with the journalists, Hillary came to the Embassy on her way to the airport and Armenia and Georgia. She only had a few minutes to address the approximately 300 people. The participants were Embassy staff (American and Azerbaijani) and their families, American organizations working in Baku staff and families, and the Peace Corps staff, family, and 10 Volunteers. Two of the Volunteers also brought a softball team of Azerbaijan youth which represent one of their projects.
The Secretary of State had only a few minutes, and she spoke briefly and essentially affirmed the importance of this young republic and thanked all those working to help the country’s democratic process mature. It was one of those “Peace Corps Moments” for us. She had her picture made with the youth of the uniformed softball team, and walked the garden area shaking hands. Yes, Linda and I both had the privilege to shake her hand.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Happy Birthday USA







We wish everyone a happy Fourth of July. Peace Corps Service has made us appreciate the United States, our freedoms, prosperity, openness, diversity, education, freedom of the press, and foods. We will hopefully never take for granted those national attributes, and we ask you to celebrate the birth of our nation for us. Even with all the problems, issues, and difficulties you face in the United States, it is a time to celebrate.

Our photos continue to be from Turkey. We took well over 1000 digital shots. We have deleted 200 or so, and will continue to pare down the number. The first photo is of the Spice Bazaar. All tourists are taken to 2 bazaars. The Spice Bazaar is known for its aroma of spices and the availability of items such as caviar. The other bazaar is the Grand Bazaar, which has over 4,000 small shops. The atmosphere in both is hustle and bustle. People can barter the prices, but generally the shops give a reasonable price on the smaller items.
The largest mosque in Turkey is the Blue Mosque. It is the only mosque with 6 minarets. The sultan who built the Blue Mosque died within a year of its completion. It is still an active mosque, so tourist must be courteous of the worshippers during prayer times. There are no furnishings other than the lights and carpets. The third picture is of the dome, which is supported by four large columns. One of the columns can be seen in the fourth photo. To the far left of the column is a stairway upon which the Friday sermon is delivered. The religious leader does not go to the top, but only halfway to symbolize humility before God. Before microphones and sound systems an assistant would be in the cube like area and repeat the sermon for those farther away.
The final photo is Linda entering the women’s section which is very small because very few women attend the prayer times, and usually only during Ramadan and Qurban. Namaz (prayers) are said anywhere.

We are settling down into the summer routine after our trip to Turkey. The weather is hot and dry here. Many more homes have an air conditioner for one or more rooms than when we arrived almost 2 years ago. We estimate 1/5 of the homes have an air conditioner. We use 2 small fans to cool down. The hot dry air now brings dust with every breeze.
In the fall, winter, and spring generally Azerbaijanis do not drink anything cool. But, in the summer we can buy cool drinks (cola, water, juice, etc.), which are kept in a refrigerating unit. Sometimes they are cool to cold, but most of the time just a little under room temperature. That is why we enjoy being in our own apartment. Even though we have a small refrigerator, we have ice trays, and iced drinks. The first thing Linda wanted when we returned from Turkey was a glass of iced tea.
Another joy of summer is that is the only time ice cream is available in the markets. The quality and variety is not Baskin Robbins, but some of the different bar treats are quite good, and bring joy to a hot day. It reminds us of the hot Texas summers as children and the happiness of going out to our local ice cream parlors for an ice cream cone. I still recall going to Polar Bear for lime sherbet cones.

Again, happy Fourth of July and God bless America.