Halloween

Halloween is a time of fright, fear and … grey pumpkins? Besides this last irregularity, I spent this year’s Halloween surprisingly normally. Halloween began when I taught the kids everyone’s favorite song: “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!” For some reason, they loved “smell my feet” the most.

On the eve of All Hallows Eve, I carved grey pumpkins with my host sister, Nurana. I couldn’t believe I was actually carving pumpkins in Azerbaijan… but I also found it ridiculous to see a grey pumpkin. It just AIN’T NATURAL!!! Anyways, my pumpkin turned out great, as you can see below:




On Halloween, we took the kids to an event at another school. They bobbed for apples, trick or treated and the like. It was completely new and incredibly interesting for them! I also was able to watch everyone's favorite Halloween comedy about the Sanderson Sisters: Hocus Pocus! A very good Halloween, indeed :)

The day I fell out of my mother

Anadan olmaq = Azeri for “to be from mother” otherwise known as “to be born.” So when Azeris say “I was born on October 16,” they are really saying “I fell out of my mother on October 16.” Kinda funny, huh?

Anyways, I am now the big ole’ iyirmi uch, or 23 as we say in the English tongue. And because this is Azerbaijan - where adventure lurks round every corner - my birthday was an interesting one indeed.

It all began on the 14th. The English teachers gleefully told me they would take me the following day to buy a suit for my birthday. I told them a million times to not buy me anything (money is very tight here) but they insisted, saying they would be upset if I didn't accept. That night, I must have eaten something parasitic because I was sick as a dog for about 12 hours, unable to eat and head a-spinning. I was sure it was swine flu until I watched the state news, which benevolently declared (and continues to declare) that swine flu has not come to Azerbaijan yet. *sarcastic eyebrow raise* Nevertheless, the morning of the 15th, I dragged my sorry rear out of bed to go get my suit. And what a suit it is! It’s from Turkey, which over here is equivalent to Paris or Milan-like quality. It fits me surprisingly well and I feel quite chic in my Turkish threads. As I put it on in the sad little bazaar stand, I instantly snapped out of my sickness. The rest of the day involved: a surprise birthday party at school, cake, preparing Azerbaijani food for my dinner party (wrapping dolma SUCKS!) and the dinner party itself.

The 16th was equally exciting. The teachers were so happy to see me wearing the suit that a few of them may have teared up. You think I’m joking, but I’m not. The teachers weren’t finished with me yet, though. They threw me a birthday lunch at Tofiga’s house where I danced (alone?) and ate until I just about exploded. Somehow word got out to all the kids at school and I was showered with gifts as well. I didn't want to take them but I had no choice. I have to admit though, I’m glad to have them. Some of my favorites include:

a giant evil eye
a “Rulex” watch
a cigar kit
a cup and saucer kit of Mecca
a ceramic orange complete with dessert forks
a plug-in rainbow colored watermill, that spins a glass sphere

All in all, I had a great bday! I was amazed and humbled by the school’s attention to the date where I was out of my mother. They say next year will be even bigger… stay tuned! Thanks also to friends and family who wrote messages, letters, sent packages and called. Made me feel warm and tingly!

The mid-way mark

Are people still reading this blog? If so, congratulations! You have been reading this page for about 13 months, or in layman’s terms, half of my PC service!

It is interesting to think that in another 13 months, my time will be over and I will return to the ole US of A. At this halfway point in my service, it is tempting to ask myself: What have I done? That question seems a bit self-centric (not to mention depressing due to the lack of results!), so I have been trying to think of a different question: “How have I developed?” Sounds corny, I know, but you’re still reading aren’t you? I won’t bore you with this journey into my conscience; just know that I am in a state of self-reflection that a Confucian monk would be proud of.

A little funny story to end this semi-serious post: On my way home the other day, a man called out to me from across the street. Because this sort of thing happens every day (despite my apparently “Turkish” looks, I tend to stick out like a sore thumb), I ignored him and continued to walk home. Eventually, the grown man trailing after me in my peripheral vision merited some sort of response. Mustering all the coldness in my face that was able to be mustered, I awaited one of the following three, typical questions: 1. Will you teach my child English? 2. How much money do you make? or 3. Do you know (insert name here), my brother’s daughter’s uncle’s grandfather’s cousin’s neighbor’s step-mother’s son? Luckily, I was wrong. The man was chasing me down because he saw I was wearing a tie, and needed someone to knot his son’s tie for school. I happily knotted the boy’s tie, received a brief thank you, and watched the man run off to give his son the tie. Peace Corps is truly all about the little victories.

Xinaliq... "the middle of the middle of nowhere"

In order to grab some precious fresh air before school begins in a week, a few friends and I escaped on a final vacation into the middle of the middle of nowhere: Xinaliq. Xinaliq, pronounced like: [hocking a loogie noise] + [in] + [a] + [lick], is an ancient, isolated village located in the north of Azerbaijan, nestled in the barren roots of the Great Caucasus Mountains. Despite a small population of about 500 people, the village boasts its own culture, architecture, traditions, language and religious practices.

The middle of the middle of nowhere.

The road to Xinaliq was dangerous at best; snaking around mountains, cliff faces and roaring river beds. One false move in our LandRover and we would have literally fallen off the side. We even found a wreckage of a car that wasn't so cautious: five people died in what was apparently a case of drunk driving that had undoubtedly resembled drunk flying. Sad. Nevertheless, the scenery was amazing. Breathtakingly amazing. The weather was foggy, which provided a view that was both eerie and beautiful. There were some parts in the road where clouds of fog rolled so quickly that mountains appeared, disappeared and reappeared in a matter of seconds - right before your eyes.

This is one of those mountains.

Once we arrived in Xinaliq, we hiked all around the village and met with the locals. My favorite was the shepherd girl (pictured below) who watched us take "jumping" photos, like the crazy tourists we were. We stayed with a host family and ate on the floor, which made us feel very Eastern. I had some Montazuma's Revenge that night which kept me up until about 2 AM, but luckily there were primo toilet facilities. And by primo, I mean a hole in the ground with trash around it. It's always good to have reminders that you're in the Peace Corps.

School is overrated, anyways.

And that was Xinaliq. The next day we descended from our magical, hobbitish fairy land in the mountains and returned to Baku and Barda. This week I may have access to wireless Internet (!), so you may just see a video here soon enough. Stay tuned!

Da svidanya

I woke up with a cat on my head today and screamed.

The title says it all. I sleep with my door open and a cat must have come in the middle of the night and found my head to be a comfortable resting place. When I woke up, I thought it was a rat and screamed at it, provoking the host family to run upstairs, thinking I had been stabbed by some midnight assailant.



The rest of my day was normal enough.

ABLE Summer camp

ABLE summer camp, or Azerbaijani Boys Leadership Experience (Azeri: Azerbaycan oglanlar ucun liderlik tercubesi), has been in existence for four years now and is still going strong. This past week, I had the honor to participate in ABLE camp and see the great work this program does for Azerbaijani youth.

ABLE camp brings children from all over the country to a central location; this year we met in a small mountain village in the center of the country. Peace Corps Volunteers and counterparts work together to plan, organize and teach lessons & activities about leadership, community and teamwork – values that weren’t the most important during Soviet rule. I brought several kids from my region to participate and saw a change in their attitudes and composures almost instantly! Clearly, being in a positive environment with a bunch of Americans and exemplary Azerbaijani young males motivated the camp participants to set goals for their futures.

Happily, this past week was like a dive into my Scouting past. We dug through the woods for firewood and made bonfires, ate questionable food, played football (well I just watched, but you get the picture), sang around the campfire, hiked through mountain trails, etc. Despite my resolve to live in some sort of city when I’m 30, I can see myself retreating to some foggy, craggy mountain dwelling… granted the modern conveniences of the 21st century are within a few miles. I’m sure such a place exists, right? My favorite part of this camp was the 4 hour hike to a 7th century AD castle, named “Young Lion Castle.” It was, without exaggerating, hidden in the woods among ruined stone walls and worn footpaths. I felt like I had stepped into the Middle Earth of LORD OF THE RINGS! My task, which was to ensure all the kids stayed on the path, was slightly complicated by the copious amounts of wild berries along the side of the road. Every time I got someone back on the path, another kid ran off in search of an elusive berry. Then a rather portly child fell off the side of the steep, zigzagging mountain trail. Luckily a tree prevented him from falling too far.

I had often heard volunteers saying that this experience was the most meaningful thing they had done all service. I now understand why!

Barda sunrise after a storm

I see this every day when I go to work...
too bad the mountain you see is occupied by a certain neighboring country.