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.

The Summer Is Almost Over

The first picture is of the group of AZ6 Volunteers who were then not even Trainees. We were checking in at JFK airport in New York, September 23, 2008. Little could we imagine all that we would do in the next 2 years.
The second photo is our celebrating being in country 1 year, and thinking how much we had already experienced.
The third is of a fire near the Central Library. A small shop which sold household items including small electronic appliances had an electrical fire which destroyed most of its inventory.
The fourth is the entrance of the Shirvan Humanitarian and Economic College. The college campus is the building in the background and a courtyard which includes a football (soccer) field and exercise bars. It is similar to a community college or trade school in the United States.
Finally, it is our Country Director, Meredith Dalton and us. It is always an honor and an excitement when the Country Director visits on site. Meredith has an awesome responsibility for the over 100 PCVs and staff serving in Azerbaijan. The Americans on staff are giving of themselves to the Peace Corps, and their country. All are former Peace Corps Volunteers who have later become employed by the Peace Corps.
From Linda:
This week was the end of Courtyard English Club for elementary-aged boys and girls who live in our apartment complex (5 large Soviet-built apt. buildings). Usually there would average 12 boys on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 16 girls on Mondays and Wednesdays. I had no blackboard, white board, desks, walls, maps, etc. that a classroom usually has. All my materials I carried in a box. The club lasted for 1 hour each day for the months of July and August. Some children had had a little English in school but most were non-English speaking. The children would gather before I got there and were glad to see me. Often students that did not have club that particular day would stand outside the open little shelter and listen to the lessons. Children in Azerbaijan have nothing to do during the summers. Unlike in America, Azeri children seldom travel and there are no camps, summer school or sports for children during the summer. On the last day I gave each student a pencil (sent from America) and a piece of candy. They were very sorry that the club was finished.
The parents and adults have also been very appreciative that I will do English Club and not charge any money. Often the parents, grandparents or older siblings would sit or stand around so they could hear what we were doing. Most adults in the apartment complex smile and speak to me when I go out. Several have thanked me for the English Club. I now hear English words and phrases every day in our courtyard. I hope that some day there will be children who remember the American teacher that came to Azerbaijan and taught them beginning English.

From Denney:
We will have about a dozen more blog postings including this one. If there is anything subject you would like us to share our thoughts or experiences, please just add it in a comment, and we will post.

We are working with our Power of Attorney, Lyle and LaVerna Baker on our coming home. Thinking about places to live and needs such as a car. One of the goals we have set is to lose some weight in the next 10 weeks. Our friends and fellow Volunteers, Bill and Dorothy, had to return to the United States for 4 weeks in July to care for family. Bill reported that in the 4 weeks he quickly gained 7 pounds. We realize that we will eat much and not always healthy foods when we first return – oh how good that first meat lovers pizza will be!

We have begun counting the days

The photos are of random thoughts. We have about 80 days until we board a plane destined to the United States. In between our preparations and work we reflect on people and places in Azerbaijan or on our life when we return.
The first photo is of our neighbor girls when they brought to me a birthday cake. We will certainly miss the fine neighbors and will never forget them. As we reflect on the many people who have had us in their homes as in the second photo.
No matter what country, the children are always lovely, but I don’t know why the child is so scared in the fourth picture.
Finally, there is a repeat picture of the bus that goes from Shirvan to Salyan. How far we have come in these 23 months. That bus was so significant because it was our first journey outside our site community all by ourselves. We were really traveling in Azerbaijan. Now, we have been from one end to the other, north to south, east to west, and 2 other countries, Georgia and Turkey. I will say again, do not be deceived the bus is not nearly as nice on the inside as it is on the outside!

This week my counterpart, Alma, posted a video on Youtube. IREX (Information and Research Exchange) funded by USAID has training concerning using Youtube, Facebook, and other such sites as potential means of publishing the news and events of a local area. It is a great use more than just funny videos. Alma has scheduled several presentations in the library on Citizenship Journalism. So, this week she said what Linda does in the courtyard is news for our community. Visit below and comment!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJAQTdFHkl4

We are in the midst of Ramadan (Ramazan) and below is information provided by our Language and Culture Coordinator concerning Ramazan.
Ramadan, (Ramazan), the Holy holiday (this year it will begin on the 10th or 11th of August)
Millions of Muslims across the world begin fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In Azerbaijan, you will note that not everyone fasts and prays during Ramadan. More religious families will fast, while others will not. Some Azerbaijanis will join in on the end of Ramadan celebrations, in order to spend time with family and friends.

Ramadan was the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were claimed to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) fasted during this month and directed his followers to do the same. Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations from dawn until sunset. (Exceptions are made for young children, those who are sick, pregnant or traveling). Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramadan is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God and to offer more prayer than usual. Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives; it is time of worship and contemplation.

With respect to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving forward about ten days each year. Fasting starts in Ramadan from the day when new moon is seen and continues 29- 30 days. Koran says: “Eat and drink till it gets light.” At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called iftar, usually each day ends with feasts and visits to friends and family.

Since it is a festival of giving and sharing, Muslims prepare special foods and buy gifts for their family and friends and for giving to the poor and needy who cannot afford it; this can involve buying new clothes, shoes and other items of need. There is also a social aspect involved the preparing of special foods and inviting people for the iftar meal.

What we have observed here in our community is that not many people fast. If you are young, old, sick, working, pregnant, or at risk, the Qur’an states you are excused from fasting. In fact the only difference we see during Ramazan is that there is an increase in begging much like our charitable giving during the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays.

Big announcement

Our deepest sympathy goes to the mid-west and the heat warnings. To quote Bill Clinton, “We share your pain.” It seems that there are so many natural disasters right now. We follow closely the floods in Pakistan, the fires in Russia and the resultant air problems in Moscow, and the floods with landslides in China. All any of us can do is ease the misery of others the best we can. The disasters around the world certainly makes the devastating floods of Azerbaijan last May seem minor.

The summer is a busy time for me. The pictures were taken on August 13. On Monday, Wednesday and Fridays I have four conversation club sessions. The pictures show the first 2. There is an older group of university students and graduates, and then the second at 11:00 is younger children. I then have a session at 3:00 p.m. with a novice English speaker and his wife, and better English speakers at 4:00 p.m. On Tuesday and Thursday I try to save time for the computers and then 1 club at 3:00 p.m.

There were a couple of very tender moments this week. My birthday was Monday, and as mentioned before, I deeply appreciate all the cards, e-cards, and e-mails. Your support is so important. Our neighbors asked Linda what time I would be home. We had planned a special birthday dinner of chicken grill (toyuq gril) and green beans. I had to pick up the chicken and was home a little later than usual. After I arrived, there was a knock at the door, our neighbor was holding a birthday cake and the 3 children were singing “Happy Birthday” to the tune of a toy guitar which had that song on its music chip. Words cannot describe the emotion.
Yet as much as the neighbors expressions of friendship meant to me, that morning I went to the library and my counterpart wished me a happy birthday along with everyone else who passed by that day. However, my counterpart wanted to get me a meaningful present, but did not know what I might need or want. She insisted on giving me money to purchase what I might need and like. I tried to refuse without offending, but she insisted. She slipped the money to me and said that was the price – no more and laughed. I got home and the amount was equivalent to one fourth a monthly salary. I was already moved by the fact that she wanted me to have a present from her, but the amount was an indication of our friendship. It is her friendship and help which I so deeply appreciate.

Last week was our Close of Service Conference, and our date to close our service is November 9. We will receive details such as flight and travel information later, but we should leave within 24 hours of our COS date. That means we have less than 90 days to take physicals, return Peace Corps property, say good-bye, see parts of Azerbaijan that we want to visit, and wrap up our work. These days are filled with many emotions of anticipation.
We have received 2 very kind invitations to stay with friends until we find a place of our own. Our initial plans are to live with Andrew and Emily until that time when we have an apartment of our own. We have decided to live on or near the Plaza for a time. Living on the Plaza seems like a bit of a new adventure.
We will also very quickly be taking trips to see our family and friends.
Let the countdown begin.

Down Memory Lane

This week there we attended our Close of Service Conference (COS). The Peace Corps works very hard first to recruit and invite people to consider and join the Peace Corps. After we accept the challenge and responsibilities, the PC trains us for a little less than 3 months, places us in our sites and working assignments, continues to train and support us, and then prepares us for our lives after our Peace Corps experience which begins with COS.
Peace Corps Azerbaijan took us back to Aqua Park, which is where all AZ6’s began our training in Azerbaijan. The COS is actually 2 full days, and 2 days are allowed for travel 1 day each for to and from our sites.
The first picture is from our Aqua Park room those first 3 days September 23-25, 2008. The second is from our balcony during the tourist and resort season in Azerbaijan, and our COS. The pictures reflect what we have been through. When we arrived the water was gray, and the weather was windy and cool. The beaches were deserted, dirty, and had a few wild dogs roaming and savaging for food. That was our introduction to Azerbaijan, and actually the Peace Corps’ way of easing us into our lives in Azerbaijan.
For Linda and me the first time in Aqua Park is full of difficult memories. We could not sleep, we were quickly introduced to the language, and we were frightened as to what we had taken on.
There were 61 one of us who began this journey together, AZ6 (the 6th group of Trainees/Volunteers to come to Azerbaijan). There are still 52 of us serving. Only 9 people have early terminated (ET); 3 for health reasons, and 6 for personal and family reasons. That means just under 15% have Eted, and that is compared to the 40% rate for the Peace Corps. This has been an outstanding group of committed people because Peace Corps service is difficult and certainly not for everyone, and there is no disgrace or sense of failure in ET. We returned to Aqua Park and it was the last time we will all be together again in one place at one time.
The third photo is our van preparing to take our language clusters to our host families on September 26, 2008 and where we first experienced Azerbaijan life and culture. The fourth is of those at the COS, and lastly are the older volunteers who have become a group (2 are missing, Leslie, who took the photo, and Linda G. who was elsewhere). We all wanted to have our feet in the Caspian together.
During the COS we reflected upon the past 22.5 months, and then anticipated how we will have to adapt afterwards. During the discussions Linda said that she had only anticipation and excitement for our return home. First, because we will get to meet Andrew’s Emily, and second that she knows she has confidence that she can adjust because she was able to adapt and succeed in Azerbaijan.
For me the most meaningful reflection was sharing that one of my motivations for joining the PC was that I never served in Viet Nam or the armed services, and I have felt a debt to my country. I so admire and appreciate all those men and women who have served their country in the various branches of military service. But for me, Linda and I were walking one evening and she said, “Denney, you have done more for your country here than you ever could have done with a gun in Viet Nam.”
We were told by those who have experienced it that we would face culture shock and having to adjust to all the benefits of life in the United States – bring it on!

I want to thank the many people who have sent me birthday cards as I approach number 62 (now eligible for SS) on Tuesday. When I went to the post office and there were double digits in counting the number of letters, I became a bit of celebrity. Reading those cards and such kind words Linda and I know why we have been able to serve here; your support, love, thoughts, and prayers. More of our date of return later.

Finally, another Peace Corps moment occurred on the way to COS. Linda and I began Tuesday at 9:30 on a bus to Baku, met up with other Volunteers for lunch, and then made it to our room at 5:30 p.m. On the bus to catch the bus to the hotel, there were 7 of us scattered about the bus. I sat next to a woman who was kind enough to understand my Azerbaijani, spoke slowly to me and shared my responses to 2 other women across the aisle. She asked if we (pointing to the obvious group who had gotten on) were English? I responded that we were from America. I told her we had lived in Azerbaijan for 2 years in Ganja, Shirvan, Qazak, Tovuz, and Salyan. She asked what we did, and I said English language teacher (pointing to individuals of the group) and Youth work. The ladies across the aisle wanted to know our salaries and ages. I said 61 for me, and my seat companion responded with she was 61 and worked in medicine. Then I said we are given no salaries, but money for house and food. My companion relayed the message, and then turned to me with all sincerity and said “chox sagol, chox sagol”, thank you, thank you.