Linda's List

The first picture is of the remembrance of the Khojaly tragedy on February 26, 1992. There was a program at the library and the schools. Khojaly tragedy took place during the Armenian armies advances and occupation of the Nargono Karabakh and 7 surrounding regions. It was a war between 1991 and a cease fire in 1993. The lands are still occupied by Armenia forces and negotiations are going on to resolve the issue. During the war the village of Khojaly was captured by the Armenian forces, and civilians were passing through a corridor leaving their homes. 613 civilians were killed in an ambush as reported by several international organizations and press corps. As far as I can ascertain the Azerbaijani citizens would like the tragedy and war crimes recognized by the world community. This is important as you may know because of the Armenian pressure on the United States House of Representatives to pass a resolution concerning alleged genocide in 1915 by the Ottomans. For more information you can visit the web site www.justiceforkhojaly.org for information. I warn you the pictures and descriptions of mutilations are graphic.

The second picture is of a program at Linda's school. March 8 is International Women's Day. It is similar to our Mother's Day, but includes all women. All women are honored and presents such as flowers, perfume, and assorted gifts are given. Linda worked with her counterpart on musical parts of the program. The children sang English language songs and performed other musical numbers. The picture is of the finale.

The third photograph is of Linda's Program Manager Flora and Linda's counterpart Matanet. Each were given a beautiful rose in honor of the March 8 holiday. Flowers are always given in odd numbers because even numbers of flowers are given to remember the dead. It is an insult to give someone 2 flowers, and bad luck to be carrying 2 flowers.

The final photograph is one included in my photo project. This is a national dish, xengal. It is like a square noodle like dumpling. They are boiled and served with caramelized onions and yogart.

We are so looking forward to our return home to family and friends, we miss you all so very much. Our work here has been rewarding in many ways, but it coming to the point where when we once faced challenges, now the circumstances become frustrations. We truly love our Azerbaijani friends, co-workers, and contacts, but are as much as we love them, we miss all of you. It is ironic that when we do leave for the United States, we will begin to miss our Azerbaijani friends as we miss you.

Below are Linda's thoughts:

During the month of January, there were several complications (cold weather, sickness, days without gas) that negatively impacted my attitude. One day during my daily devotionals, I made a list of things for which I am thankful. I have kept this list handy in my Bible to keep me focused on good things.

I give thanks for:

Having a good, loving husband

Having been placed in my good school

Having good neighbors

Having a comfortable apartment

Having wonderful support from friends and family in America

Having Internet to contact family and friends

Having good food

Having a good counterpart at school

Having good Peace Corps support

Having good Peace Corps friends

I still miss home, family and friends, but I also realize that there are good things for which I am thankful.

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!

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.

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

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.

We Received a Little Snow

I am late in posting the blog this week. As you can see above we had a little snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. Nothing like all of you have had in the United States. All of these pictures was take by Rovshan. He is one of the most talented and likable Azeri young men I have met. He always seeks interesting subjects, and has a good eye for angles. The first three are beautiful shots around Shirvan while the ATV shows interesting men, especially the guy smoking, and the final is universal with children and snow.

One day this week we did not have electric power at the library due to repairs in the neighborhood. It was quite cold in the library, but my counterpart took the opportunity to request some electrical repair. We have an old extension cord that the plug had broken. I suggested I buy a new one, but she insisted that the repairman could fix. Sure enough the electrician came soon and replaced a wall socket and the plug on the extension cord. He carried his tools in a plastic sack.

Tools are precious here in Azerbaijan and many workers cannot afford electrical power tools. I had tried once last year to take a picture of the welding apparatus that was being used to make repairs. A big battery with wires attached and the craftsman not wearing any type of safety equipment. Often ladders are not available. I came across a man putting up a sign on a building. He was standing on a chair that was standing on a table and he was looking for some kind of stool to go even higher.

I have witnessed workers on apartment building ledges with no safety equipment whatsoever. I know in the United States we get burdened down with safety and working condition regulations, but I assure you I will never complain about them again.

The normal procedure for buying goods in the markets are to stand in front of counters, tell the clerk what you would like item by item, then the total is added up on a small calculator (usually two or three times). The clerk then shows the total on the calculator to the customer who pays. Items are placed in plastic sacks and the matter is closed.

We have a new market in Shirvan. It has 4 grocery carts and 4 hand held baskets. Items are placed on the shelves where everyone can examine the products and the prices are clearly marked below. We get to wheel the cart around and chose what we want, then check out at a small stand with a bar code reader and computer. Our items are scanned and the subtotal is clearly shown. All we could say is WOW!

I have begun a new program at the library on Saturdays. I use the library's projector, our computer and speakers to episodes of Monk. I show 2 episodes with the English sub-titles. The participants can hear the English and see the words. The English is spoken so fast, that people struggle at times to understand, so the use of the sub-titles helps immensely. There have been as many as 12 and as few as 6. Everyone loves the character of Adrian Monk. I know they are understanding most of everything when the participants laugh at the right moments. Their reactions are appropriate, and I know they are having a good exposure to the language.

There is a question and answer period following each episode to discuss slang, phrases unknown, and cultural differences.

Next week is our Mid-Service Conference. We will be in training sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, and travel on Tuesday and Friday to and from the Baku/Sumqayit area. We get to stay in a nice hotel with nice hot showers! Everyone will be in a good mood.

My thanks to Barry Bohlman who sent us an external hard drive. I have already backed up our computer and loaded some entertainment packages. We appreciate so much every one's love, friendship and support. We just can't say it enough - THANK YOU.

Linda Visits a Kindergarten (pre-school)

PICTURES: Hopefully many of you will recognize my mother, decked out in her purple outfit. She is now 88 and has been a resident at her nursing home now for one year. Of course, adjustment had been difficult at first, but Katherine reports she is happy and doing well. Katherine is so good to go and see her every day and the staff says Katherine spoils her. Kim and John also support mother in many ways. They each take mother on outings. The second photo is of my sister Katherine and her husband Larry. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary while we were in Azerbaijan. Being separated from family and missing significant events is at times difficult, but we hope to make up for it in the future. We look towards celebrating mother’s 90th on June 19, 2011.
Linda is working with 2 junior high teachers in Harrisonville in a pen-pal project. Linda has 11 participants, 6 boys, 5 girls. These two are handsome representatives. This week Linda has mailed their letters and pictures to the teachers in Harrisonville. Last year Linda worked with about a dozen college students in a pen-pal project with students in Archie, Missouri.

Everything is fine in Azerbaijan, and in fact sometimes I wonder about what to write because everything seems so normal and routine now. The marketing, water preparation, and repairs all seem quite boring. However, two weeks ago while we were in Baku for a dentist appointment, we had guests the night before and I had been text messaging them on my phone while we were on a bus. When we transferred busses I put the phone in the outside pocket of my jacket, something I rarely do. The bus was crowded, and you probably already guessed, my cell phone was stolen. It is a bit inconvenient while I wait to see if the police find the phone through the IMEI code. The Peace Corps can contact me through Linda’s phone, but Linda and I are limited in contacting each other.

I have begun a new program at the Library. I show 2 episodes of Monk using a projector focused on a white board each Saturday at 11:00. We add the English subtitles. The university students and graduates follow along, and have come to love the character of Monk. We all forget how fast Americans speak and our extensive use of slang.

This week Linda and I visited a private pre-school in Shirvan. The couple that run the pre-school had been active in local government and have now purchased the facilities of a once government run pre-school-kindergarten. The couple were a host family for an RPCV, Karen Wrightsman, and are quite familiar with Peace Corps.

Linda returned on Friday to observe and the following are her observations:

The kindergarten is privately operated. The public school system in Azerbaijan does not provide kindergarten; so parents must pay for private kindergarten services. The kindergarten I observed is housed in an old Soviet building that the owners have repaired. Kindergarten opens at 6:00 in the morning and closes at 6:00 at night. The children are served breakfast and lunch. The 4-5 year old class had 14 students that will all be going to first form (first grade) next year. Their teacher has a degree from college (college is a two year program in AZ). She had an assistant that does not have a degree. The children said poems, counted to 20, named pictures of domestic animals, and vegetables – all in English. Their pronouncing of English words could be improved, but they were close. Each room has a large room with child-size tables, a TV, teacher’s desk and a cabinet with supplies. Adjoining the room is a bathroom and a sleep room. The facilities were very clean and modern. Each child has a bed and takes an afternoon nap. Academics are done in the morning and also after naptime.
The other classroom I observed had 13 students, ages 5-6 who will be going to first form next year. They have the same schedule, room, supplies and curriculum as the previous room. These students also recited a few poems and could introduce themselves.
The school has a large room for assemblies and a kitchen for food prep.
There are rooms for children from 9 months to age 6 years.
A person for America that saw this kindergarten would think that the kindergarten programs in Azerbaijan are wonderful. However, only some larger towns have kindergartens and this one is one of the best in the area. The cost is 60 manat per month per child. The original cost per month was 20 manat. However, now because the facility is so much better, the cost has gone up to 60 manat per month. They added cost is put back into the kindergarten so that constantly improvements are being made. A teacher is usually paid 150 – 250 manat per month. So many teachers and other people would not be able to afford this wonderful kindergarten. All these children were very nicely dressed. I saw no child that appeared to have a handicap. Three-fourths of the students were boys. (Most Azerbaijanis still feel that education of males is most important). Clearly, kindergarten is available, but only to those families that can afford it or will strictly budget their resources for early education. These students do get a wonderful start in English education.
They requested DVDs so their children could hear spoken English. They have one (Children Little) that they have played until it is worn out.

We are happy to hear that the weather has moderated, and know you are always in our thoughts and prayers.