Linda Gets on a Bus to Salyan

This past week has been the celebration of Novruz, the new year for the earth. It is the beginning of Spring when the plants turn green and life is renewed. Old mistakes are forgotten, and new opportunities are seized. Part of the celebration in Shirvan is the planting of flowers, and we wanted to share the photos with everyone.

Certainly one of aspects of life in the United States that we miss is the freedom and independence that an automobile brings. We are at the mercy of public transportation and it has brought us to a new appreciation for all those dependent on public transportation in the United States. The buses here do not run on schedules, but at the descretion of the driver who wants a full bus. Someone pays the right to run a route and then keeps any income - so the more full and more people the more lucrative. We find it very uncomfortable, but for us it is only inconvenient. Linda recently went to Salyan to visit another PCV. Linda was on the bus awaiting departure when an elderly heavy woman tried to get on the bus. As hard as she could try to step up, she could not, and finally put her knee on the step and literally crawled up the steps of the bus. Her stop? She stopped at the cemetary on the outskirts of one of the villages to visit the graves of family during the holiday.

Often the older women in Azerbaijan are very heavy. It is due to a lifestyle of no exercise, poor diet, and economy. To eat healthy foods is very expensive in all cultures and countries.

On the good news/bad news genre, we have downloaded SKYPE software and have used it to make calls to the United States for only 2 cents a minute. The bad news is that at times our internet connection which is dial up is insuffecient to carry the voice satisfactorily. When I am at the library I will be able to use it more successfully, but with the 10 hour difference in time to the central time zone, not very realistic. If you have used SKYPE and have any advice for us, let us know.

Now, good news/good news! The Peace Corps has three goals and the third goal is for Volunteers to share with people in the United States about the cultures in which we live. Two weeks ago, we received a wonderful package and letter from Richard and Gloria Bray. Gloria wrote, about watching the opening ceremonies at the Winter Olympics. She noted with excitement the entrance of the 2 Azerbaijan athletes. She wrote that many more people now know where Azerbaijan is and about its culture because of our blog and letters. That lifted our spirits immeasurably as we realized that we are fulfilling that third goal. Thank all of you for your caring.

The other good news is that in Afghanistan there have been 3,500 laptop computers distributed to students through One Laptop Per Child (OLPC, www.laptop.org). We firmly believe that the defeat of terrorism is dependent upon the education of young people, especially girls. The making of women second class citizens is wrong wherever in the world. (Note: women in Azerbaijan had the right to vote before the women of the United States.) You can find more information at the website listed above.

My mistake - last week I said that due to Daylight Savings Time we were 11 hours ahead - that should have been 9 hours, and after Sunday we will be back to 10 hours difference.

This and That - Happy Novruz - Bayraminiz Mubarek

Pictures: We attended a program at School Number 10 which honored the poet Nizami, and the first picture is of the poet (born 1141). He wrote about 7 beautiful women from 7 different countries represented by their costumes. During the program each of the 7 beautiful girls performed a national dance. The boys liked most the Arabian beauty and her belly dance. Cell phones came out and videos and pictures were taken a plenty.

There are 2 national foods. The brown sweet is called hava. Hava is prepared by frying floor in butter and then adding sugar. It has an unusual taste, and is often served to visitors who come to mourn a death and during the holiday of sacrifice, Qurban. The other national food is Khengal which is a thin dumpling, boiled, served with yogurt after topping with caramelized onions and meat.

This and that

We are presently 11 hours ahead of the Central Daylight Savings Time. On Sunday March 28 Azerbaijan will begin Summer Time. We will set our clocks up then. Today officially begins the Novruz holiday and I will not go back to the library until March 29. Because of the week long holiday, the pension deposits were made to the banks this week. Also, we must get our money now because the ATMs will run out of money this week and not be replenished until the 29^th. So, consequently daily life the past few days add a few twists.

On Thursday Linda traveled to Salyan to visit with another PCV, Leslie. I went to get my semi-annual haircut after work. The day’s weather began pleasantly, but while I was in my chosen “kishi saloun” – men’s salon, it began to rain heavily. I had to walk the near mile home in cold hard rain, but on my way I passed an ATM with about 15 women and 30 men lined up waiting for their turn. Now, when I use the term line, it is a crowd. There is really little order to it except that women are generally given a little preference. A person may get to the window, and then have the cards of family members and/or neighbors as well as their own. I have watched as a patron will withdraw from 5 different accounts.

On Friday, I went to the post office to check about packages. The post office is always busy because there is where the phone bill, gas and water utilities, mail, outgoing packages, and electricity is paid. Because of the holiday there has been a rush to mail packages to relatives all over Azerbaijan and Russia. So, every time I have been in the post office this week, there has been about 40 people. Today, there was about 50. I was most concerned about getting any packages, because the 29^th of March will be my next opportunity. We had 2 packages, but due to the mass of humanity, I told the man in charge of packages I would be back in the afternoon.

Note about packages: If some in Azerbaijan wants to mail a parcel it is best to bring the items to the post office unpacked. The preferred method is the man in charge of packages, notes what you have, provides a box and packing, then securely tapes your package with packing tape – lot’s of packing tape. Paper work is extensive, money is paid, paper work is attached, and in only 30 – 45 minutes, you have finished mailing a package. Yes, about 45 minutes per person.

Note about electricity: The old method of paying for electricity was that the meter was read and a man collected the money on the premises. Often that led to small corruption with an extra manat or 2 being added in to everyone’s bill and pocketed by the reader (yes, it was a very good job). Now, to eliminate corruption, we have a computerized meter. We purchase electric credit in advance, using a “charge card” we access our meter and our balance is shown. As the balance approaches zero, we buy more credit.

Now, that is great. Except, the concept of buying a month’s credit at one time is not readily adopted. When I buy credit – I buy one month’s amount because I do not like standing in the lines (crowds). While I am buying, people are purchasing from 1 to 7 days worth of electricity – often 5 manat at a time. That, of course, means that most people must purchase credit often. With the holiday approaching, it is a necessity to have your credit purchased. I bought my electric credit last week late in the afternoon, when lines are very short.

All that is to tell you about Friday’s pick up of our packages. As I reentered the post office in the early afternoon there were 40 people or more crowding around the 3 people taking money, processing cards, and giving receipts. I had to wait about 45 minutes for my packages to be processed because of all the paper work the package clerk had to catch up on from the morning. He had completely shut down his window and had to tell a lot of angry people that they would not be mailing anything out this late, his computer was down, and no one could pay their phone bill, all the while he is smiling at me and asking me to sit and wait. He takes exceptional care of us and was going the second mile for me now.

While waiting I watch the crowd around the electric window. The clerks are always friendly and very hard working, but the crush of the crowd was getting to everyone. I looked up and there were 6 arms stretched out through the window, all shaking their money for attention. One little woman (to indicate her age – she was not married to Moses, but I’m sure knew him) screamed to be taken next – shouting takes place, and I’m uncertain order will be maintained. Somehow, it all works. It makes the DMV in the United States look like a stroll in the park.

The Engagement Tradition

Pictures: The table is set for guests to arrive, the giving of the ring, the women's side, the men's side and the families (Girl’s father, mother, future groom, future bride, his mother and father).

The Engagement Party

Last Sunday, March 7, will be a day we will never forget. Actually it was March 6 and 7. As mentioned in last weeks blog we were asked by our neighbor Saraboni’s family if they could use our home to host the men at the engagement ceremony of Saraboni. It was a great honor for us to be asked, and my conversation clubs said it was an indication of great trust.
My apologies to any of the family if I do not have all the details correct because the process is “foreign” to us.

Saraboni and her fiancé, Samir’s families have known each other for years. His family lives in Baku and her family here in Shirvan. When a man finds a woman he would like to marry, two female members of his family approach the mother of the girl. The girl’s mother asks her daughter if she would agree to the marriage. If the girl agrees, then his parents come and meet with her parents, again the marriage is proposed and she has the option to accept or decline.* The commitment is then to be formalized at some point in the near future.

Your invitation to the formalization is now extended. It begins for us on Saturday evening March 6 at about 8:30 p.m. when Saraboni’s female members of the family knock and say they are ready to begin arranging our living room. Our table was extended, unnecessary furniture stored in our bedroom, a table is brought in from a neighbor, and the table is set with everything but food. Every dish is touched by at least 10 different people, each person moving and placing the dish in the exact place. The glass is moved a half-inch left, then a quarter inch back to the right. Plates are exchanged, forks are adjusted, and the process takes about 2 hours.

Linda retired to bed at about 10:45; whereas, I had already sought the shelter and privacy of our bedroom once the furniture was moved. Linda observed the meticulous detailing of every piece of cutlery, napkins, glasses, and dishes. We were told the festivities would begin at 1:00, but maybe noon the next day.

The girl’s door is decorated with a red ribbon and a carpet is on the landing outside the door. During the night the women prepare the food, chicken, salads, grape leaf dolma, beef and potato stew, sweets, and bread.

I went running on Sunday morning returned at 9:30 to food on the table and many people in our house preparing for the first guest to arrive. I looked at chicken, two salads, assorted sweets, I quickly cleaned up and got dressed for the day. At about 11:30 there were four brothers of the father of the bride in our apartment making small talk. We all went over to Saraboni’s home, and then we were quickly ushered back to the men’s area. The girl’s men relatives gathered and we all await the arrival of the future groom and his family.

We were sitting and chatting, then about 1:30 Linda comes in and says there is a bit of panic on the future bride’s side. Why are they so late? A call was made and they were on the way from Baku, but running late. At 2:20 horns honk and four automobiles arrive with great fanfare all decorated with red ribbons. The entourage comes up the stairs bringing gift baskets. The man’s family presents the gift baskets, then all men are in our apartment. Introductions are made, first the eldest brother of the girl’s father, then the man’s father introduced all his family and guests.

The next order of business was the drinking of tea. The formal meal is preceded by a small glass of hot tea along with various candies and sweets. After the tea was removed, the dolma was placed on the table. Once bread is brought in, then the meal begins. There is a pause while the ring and accompanying jewelry are shown, then taken to the bride’s side for presentation.

After the dolma, came the stew like dish. While eating the oldest gentleman in the room stands and gives words of praise for the families and endorses the character of the future bride. Men stand and give words of welcome and best wishes. I shared our deep honor at being included in this very special ceremony and expressed our love for Azerbaijan and its people, and culture.

Meanwhile on the bride’s side the same meal is served, the ring is accepted, women talk, and there are no formal speeches. There is dancing at one point, and with the cutting of the cake the ceremony ends.

The men’s side has concluded by this same time, and farewells are shared until the actual wedding. Now that the couple are engaged they may also meet to better get to know one another in a public or chaperoned setting.

Then came the cleanup. We concluded with returning all the furniture to its rightful owners and places by about 6:30 p.m.

*Note: The girl is given the option of refusing the proposal. Depending on the degree of traditional culture in the family what may happen if she declines. In the most conservative family that I have had contact with, the daughter who was 18 did not want to marry that young and wanted to study. Her father wanted her to marry the man in his mid-thirties, and gave instruction for her to marry. In honor of her father she then accepted. It is this latter case that gives us pause within our sense of individual choice and freedom. We indeed have cultural differences which are difficult for each of us to understand.
When we tell people our sons are not married, we are often viewed as having abandoned our family to come to Azerbaijan. The family commitment here trumps everything.

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