Post #21: An Email to AZ8's (Coming to Azerbaijan at the end of September!)

Along with some of my fellow AZ7's, my email address was sent to the members of AZ8's who will arrive for training at the end of September!  The idea is that we are meant to be resources for the group just like AZ6's were for my group.  We're all very excited for them and want to be as big a help as possible.  I've decided to post this email since it looks very similar to some of the other emails I've been writing and since it answers many of the questions that are being asked.  

Dear_____,

First of all congratulations on your acceptance to the Peace Corps! I along with the rest of the current volunteers are very excited for you and the rest of AZ8 to arrive! Good luck over the next month and a half at home, and we'll be ready for you when you get here.

About my work: I'm a 25 year old Youth Development Volunteer living in a city called Mingechevir, population 100,000. I was placed with the Ministry of Youth & Sports, but I mainly just use their offices for meetings and English conversation clubs (They view me as a "Volunteer for the Youth of Mingechevir, not just their volunteer"). The conversation clubs I mentioned are places where Host Country Nationals get the opportunity to practice, improve and speak the English they've learned in school. They are usually staple projects for YD's and other volunteers especially early on in service. Not only are they projects that really help the locals (there usually aren't other opportunities to practice English in a conversational setting; not even in schools), but they also give PCV's the chance to meet a lot of wonderful locals who will most likely be big parts of their service in the future; people who become close friends and usually end up participating in other projects as well.
Some current projects I'm working on include a civic engagement project where a group of 15-20 young adults meet to create volunteer and community service projects and then execute those projects when the planning is complete. I also work with the nation wide Peace Corps Softball Program, where PCV's work in their own communities to put together a softball team. These teams then travel to meet each other for tournaments during Spring and Fall. I believe the funding for travel and all the supplies come from grants PCV's began during AZ3/AZ4.
Other great examples of current YD projects are all kinds of sports projects (softball, futball, volleyball, yoga, etc), art projects, photo & camera projects, environment projects, computer lessons and more. PCV's have also done lessons & trainings on awareness issues for things like AIDs, environmental impact, human trafficking, democracy & human rights,and health.  Also each summer different PCV's from all over the country put together camp projects that can last anywhere between a weekend and 3 weeks with all sorts of activities and lessons.
Packing: You can find just about all the toiletries you need in any market, in any town. This includes soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, toothpaste & toothbrushes, toilet paper, etc. The only things I can't find/have difficulty finding are eye contact solution (I wear contacts & decided to bring them even though PC recommend that I just wear glasses), floss & mouth wash. Also conditioner isn't as easy to find as shampoo.
Electronics: Definitely bring a laptop if you have one. The Internet is spreading like wildfire right now in Azerbaijan and more & more volunteers have Internet (Dial-up & DSL) in their homes. Just like the toiletries, you can buy batteries here just about anywhere, so your other electronics will be good to go too.
The Host Family experience is very interesting because it gives you such an incredibly up close view of Azerbaijani culture. You'll probably eat just about all of Azerbaijan's national meals while living with a family. I actually like most of the foods here; however some people do not. It's not a huge list of meals, and it's a typically more oily than what we tend to eat in the States. Bread is a staple at breakfast, lunch & dinner. Also, if you like spices you might want to bring your own. Since most Azerbaijanis do not really cook or even like spicy or seasoned foods it is difficult to find them in stores outside of the capital, Baku.
Some volunteers choose to stay with a host family after the mandatory 4 months is up (you will stay with a host family during training for a couple months, then 4 months with a host family at your site once you have sworn in as a PCV). I still have a positive relationship with my host families, but I'm an individual who likes to have a bit more independence so I moved out. The good thing is that the Peace Corps and the host families have a contract where the host family agrees to certain things like allowing the trainee/volunteer to have their privacy, provide meals for them, etc.; simple things like that.
The most challenging part of living in Azerbaijan is probably that Azerbaijan as a whole is still getting used to the presence of foreigners in the country. This usually means that they are not as aware of or used to some of our Western cultural norms. A few examples are mixed gender sports & activities, women driving cars, men wearing shorts even when it's blazing hot, and men doing domestic chores. Don't think that these things do not exist here because they do in certain parts of the country. What I'm saying is that as a whole and on a large scale these things can be difficult to find, and hard for a lot of locals to see as normal. Gender roles as a whole probably fall into this category as well.
Also, the Soviet and Post-Soviet education systems and government here failed and continue to fail to focus on critical & creativity thinking tools as key components of education. A lot of people learn to memorize dates and pages better than most Americans I know but sometimes thinking independently and creatively can be a serious struggle. However, many PCV's try to incorporate critical thinking skills and encourage independent thought in many of their projects.
-One of the the best parts of serving in Azerbaijan is that the make-up of this country is incredibly fascinating. It's a blend of Middle Eastern Culture & the former Soviet Union; very unique and not exactly a blend that can be found in many other parts of the world. Although Russia and Iran are two very very different places, you can find both of their influences here; again very fascinating. And since this country has not had a lot of foreigners here (especially from the West or the United States) there are a lot of opportunity to share whatever you can/want to share about the US and American Culture, and a lot of the time people are interested in what you have to say.
-Since the country is about the size of the State of Maine, it is easy to travel to see other PCV friends and participate in their projects.
-Many Azerbaijanis are actually very hospitable to guests, and to us as foreigners. Over the last 10 months I've had bus rides, hair cuts, tea and food paid for by complete strangers. Sharing Azerbaijan's culture with you is typically something people are very happy and excited to do.

I hope this was helpful and if you have any more questions or want more specific details about the things written above please don't hesitate to ask. Take care and talk to you soon.

Sean Patrick Murphy
United States Peace Corps Volunteer
Azerbaijan, 2009-2011
Youth Development, Mingechevir

------Comments From Last Time-----

Rob: Speaking of Top Gun, I just watched it again last week but this time it was one of those "Mystery Science Theater 3000" things, where the two guys are doing commentary and cracking jokes about the movie the whole time.  It was pretty great.  You know what else was great? Talking to you the other day man.  I'm very thankful that you're kind of a night owl. Keep staying safe out there on the mean streets brotha.

Post #20: Quick recap of April, May & June

(Pictures: Hannah & me in Baku, Softball Program, Travel Club BBQ, Volunteer Group)

Beginning of April: I moved into my new apartment which is on the top floor of a 5 floor apartment building. It’s actually a pretty nice place; running water & electricity. It’s also very close to the center of town. I’m very pleased

April-early May: Hannah visited Azerbaijan for 25 days! It was a great trip. We traveled and saw a lot of different parts of the country. Another big part of the visit was that she got a chance to meet most of the volunteers in the country, at least almost all of the AZ7’s; the group of volunteers I belong to. She met all of my close friends & actually got a chance to meet a good number of my Azerbaijani friends and youth who I work with.

It was a blessing getting an opportunity to spend a month with her and for her to be able to see what my life is like over here. It was a wonderful time, and it is a memory that will last forever.

May-June: New work and developing some projects:

1) New Conversation Clubs: If I were to divide up my service chronologically, the first part of my service (the first 4 months as a volunteer –not a trainee- was my introduction) was all about community integration and learning about my community. Conversation Clubs were not exactly something I was looking forward to, but honestly they gave me an amazing foundation to build off of. All of my current friends were originally my students in conversation clubs. People I have worked with on other projects came from these groups too. They were so fruitful for me at the beginning that I’ve decided to continue new ones. Plus, they give people an opportunity to speak and practice English & interact with each other outside of normal social settings.

2) Softball: The Azerbaijan Peace Corps Spring Softball Program ended with Mingecevir as the champions! It was a wonderful season. There are about 6 official teams this year, and it was a lot of fun. It was a great opportunity for boys and girls to spend time together as equal teammates and to learn about sportsmanship as well. The new season starts in the fall.

3) Travel Club: I’ve been here for 9 months now, and I can honestly say that I’ve seen more of this country than most Azerbaijani’s have or ever will. Traveling is not a big part of the culture here; it can be expensive, especially if you need to stay in a hotel. Luckly there are PCV’s all over the country so I stay places for free

Anyway, this is a group of youth (boys & girls!) who really wanted to see a beautiful part of the country in the North. Long story short, we put a lot of planning together and finally got a trip together and went last week. It felt like an American BBQ, and everyone had a lot of fun experiencing something they never really thought they ever do.

4) Volunteer Group!: Context: Volunteerism is almost non-existent in this culture. It’s actually very very difficult to explain why any of us are here & why we don’t work for money. I hope to blog more about Volunteer Group in the future but I’ll tell you these facts:

a) It’s made up of all Azerbaijani’s between the ages of 15 and 30

b) It’s a group that told me THEY WANTED to start the club; it wasn’t any idea that started with me!

c) We just completed our first project at an Internally Displaced People (IDP) school, and it was very successful

Current Hobbies I’m working on:

-Brewing: I have some Ginger Beer that I started in June. We’ll see how it turns out in a week or so.

-Guitar: I finally picked up the guitar and have been doing my best to teach myself. I’m that that good, but I can strum out a few songs. I bought a guitar off a member of AZ6.

-International 5K Club: between June 14 & August 9 I am part of a group that has vowed to complete 5,000 pushups during the 8 week period. You can check us out on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=127061160658625&ref=ts

-----Comments From Last Time------

Heather: Didn’t mean to be Debby Downer for ya, pal. How is summer going anyway???

Fill me in when you get a chance. I don’t get a chance to read your blog on a regular basis, but when I get the chance to I love keeping track of what you’re doing.

Brad:

For the record, I’ve never seen/heard anyone else pull of sarcasm with as much class as you do. It’s actually marvelous, and quite unique too. Now that you’re finished with the regular school year, how is summer treating you? Are you finished with summer school? What are the plans for next year?

Julie: Thanks Julie, hahaha. How are you these days? Are you still working and living in PV?

Barry: I don’t plan to write a letter to SSP Counselors until I am privileged enough to join their ranks. Congratulations on 5 year! I think/hope you know how thankful I am & how fortunate I feel that I got a chance to get to know Barry Goodballet. Yet another thing I can thank SSP for. Truly though, you were a wonderful counselor in 2006 and have been a great friend ever since then.

Breea: That’s awesome; thanks for that. It started as just a letter I wrote so that I could simply focus all the thousands of thoughts I was having about SSP and all of you guys; sort of a mediation technique and relaxation exercise. Then I just decided to post it so whoever wanted to see it could.

Congratulations to you and your staff on the completion of week 1!!! I hope to see pictures next time I get the internet. As I write this you’re probably doing supply runs in town and starting on the prep necessary to get week 2 off on a good note. Best of luck to you and the team Breea!

Post #19: A Letter to SSP Staff Members

A little context:
This week over 40 staff members for Sierra Service Project (www.sierraserviceproject.org) began their training for the summer. As mentioned in my last entry, that organization means a lot to me and I have been thinking about this group during much of my spare time for the past week. I’ve also been reflecting on just how important staff members and the employees of SSP have been to me over the past 11 years of my life, and how because of them I am where I am today.


Dear SSP Staff,
I know you’re very busy with Training Week right now and I want to say I’m extremely excited for you and wish you the best of luck in the coming weeks. You are in a very unique position right now. You have a very important role to play this summer and because of that role you will have countless opportunities to make huge impressions on the lives of many people; young and old.
There is no question in my mind that the life path that I am currently on would not be possible without the influence you (SSP Staff Members) have had on me. To sum up a long & boring story I’ll just say that without your presence in my life I would be a completely different man. The sense of self-worth and self-respect I had in high school and now carry with me today came from my experiences in your camps each summer when I was a teenager. I didn’t really know what those things felt like before then. It was important for me to know during each year that there was a very real setting outside of high school where peer interactions between all high school social classes could be uplifting and positive. You gave everyone the opportunity to meet each other on the same level and to develop into young adults side by side. These experiences were made possible because of your example of the “New Standard of Cool,” where harsh and sarcastic jokes & behavior were no longer the main form of communication and interaction between youth. Instead, those things were seen as immature and were unwelcome in the community you built. It was a safe haven for all of us, whether we were dorky 14 year olds who literally feared our peers, or the popular kids who were afraid to take off their cool jacket because they were so nervous of what everyone would think if they acted a little differently than what they were used to. I can’t thank you enough for being the amazing sources of encouragement, empowerment and love that everyone needs during those incredibly awkward teenage years. Some do need it more than others but the great thing about what you do is you give everyone the chance to participate in a community driven by lessons of self-worth and real Christ Love. You also always did a great job protecting that community when some of us broke rules and tested boundaries, which could have had potentially negative effects on others. In those cases you punished us (rightfully so), but when the punishment was complete you gave us second chances and did not label us right away as problems or trouble makers. Those were great lessons in forgiveness.
The atmosphere that surrounds you is so powerful that it has the ability to influences major life changes on everyone who experiences it. And honestly, that goes for many adults as well. I think it is a true testament of your hard work and your ability to positively effect other people’s lives that there are counselors who return to your communities for 10, 15 or 20 plus years!
What you do in the lives of those volunteers is extraordinary. Understand that it’s not necessary for you to have a deep conversation with someone for you to make an impact in their lives. There are staff members who have taught me big life lessons and inspired me simply through their behavior and interactions with others throughout the week. You will make impacts in the lives of people who you have very few words with but they will remember you and your influence on them for years to come. You are truly tools of God this summer and the amazing thing is you won’t even be able to recognize all the ways you will be serving some people
Keep in mind that regardless of whether this is your 1st summer or your 6th you too will have opportunities for personal development and growth. Other Staff Members continued to mold me and shape me every single year I served on staff. I can’t tell you how many times over the past 8 months I’ve thanked God for the lessons I learned and the skills I acquired while working at SSP. My life right now would be a much bigger challenge if it weren’t for my experiences on staff, along side so many incredible individual. You are my inspiration.
Thanks to all of you unique role models working on staff and the year round dedication & efforts of the individuals in the office in Carmichael, Sierra Service Project is a force that offers powerful new perspectives and pathways for the volunteers to explore in their own lives. You truly are modern heroes and thank you in advance for what you will do this summer. Good luck and God bless.

Post #18: Month of March. + SSP Shout Out!

To anyone who is still reading this I really do apologize for not posting with any regularity. Again, April will probably change that since I will be moving into my own apartment! That will be an exciting day and I’ll be anxious to share it with you. The latest I’ll be moved out will be April 10 which will be the end of the mandatory 4 months that must be spent in a host family.

Let me give you the high-lights for the month of March:
1) VAC Meeting: VAC (Volunteer Action Committee) is a committee of elected individuals who represent the volunteer community to PC Staff on all sorts of issues (medical, our stipends/allowance, living arrangements, & anything that volunteers have concerns about). Every Peace Corps Country has this committee. These meetings happen four times a year and our first one of 2010 was March 6th.

At the end of training in early December ‘09, the 62 trainees that made up AZ7 (the 7th PC group of volunteers to serve in Azerbaijan) elected me and 3 other individuals to be their representatives.
On March 6th the 4 of us and the 4 VAC members of AZ6 met with PC Staff to discuss issues that our fellow volunteers had expressed concerns about. Early on in the day we did elections within the 8 person VAC committee; VAC President is always held by a member of the senior group (AZ6) while Vice President and Secretary go to the freshmen group (AZ7). I was elected VP, but only after a tie vote of 2 to 2 sent us into a tie-breaker of pulling names out of a hat. That's democracy for you. Politics is dirty...

When I first heard about the committee I wasn’t really sure if it was actually a vehicle to help improve the lives of volunteers or if it was similar to a “lame duck student council” that just sort of did nothing while looking like it was something (to anyone who served on a student council I’m sure you did a great job and weren’t a lame duck).
But honestly when the Staff meeting was officially over I couldn’t help but feel extremely accomplished. There were several issues that we brought up during the meeting that the PCV community was overwhelmingly skeptical about the Staff actually changing their positions on. For example; in many countries, PCV’s are not allowed to live with each other. Another issue was in regards to people receiving their monthly stipend; we receive our money from a bank accounts that the PC set up for us. However the bank we use does not have a presence in a number of communities where we serve and the volunteers there have to pay a fee. To give you some perspective, that fee equates maybe 10 rides on a marshutka/mini-bus, or maybe 16-18 eggs. These were issues that had been brought up in past meetings but were met with resistance each time. However, by the time the meeting ended both of these issues & others were addressed and the policies have been changed! Volunteers of the same gender who live in the same community can now live with each other. Also, the individuals who live in regions without our bank will be receiving and additional supplemented allowance to counteract the fees they face.
The meeting also gave me a very close look at the Senior Peace Corps Staff in Azerbaijan and to make a long story short, I’m very happy with what I saw. Our Country Director has been in this position I think for nearly 1 year and is an individual who really does a great job as a leader and is very thoughtful and receptive to legitimate and genuine concerns.
The next meeting is in June.

2) Fun PCV Gatherings: There were 3 of them this month; The Mustache Party/Fried Food Fest on March 7th which I mentioned in the last post, St. Patrick’s Day which we hosted here in Mingecevir, and then a trip down South with my close group of friends from training last weekend to a city called Lankaran. All gatherings were fun, therapeutic and are now good memories.

3) The Novruz Holiday: Novruz means knew day and is the ancient celebration of Spring in this region of the world. Try to imagine Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving and New Years all rolled into one, and include a lot of people jumping over bon-fires. Also, I found out that a lot of guys shoot of guns for fun during this celebration and actually had one pointed at me and a group of guys I was standing with by a complete stranger (not a stranger to the other guys; they were all friends, and even though the action was done in jest, I definitely felt a bit of anxiety when I realized a gun that just went off was pointed right at me by an individual I had never met).

I really am sorry about not writing more frequently. I have been very blessed by a lot of your support in emails and by people commenting about things I write on here. It really has been fun for me, and I really enjoy hearing from you. I’m not trying to neglect this blog, and will hopefully be more on top of things in the coming weeks.

Shout Out For SSP!: For those that don't know, Sierra Service Project a non-profit organization that works in marginalized communities such as American Indian Reservations, South Central LA and in Honduras. It is an organization that is geared towards youth development and community service. It played a huge role in my personal development and in short, it has given me a lot of focus one my life goals as a Christian and as a human being. During March, SSP hired all the staff members that will be leading the different sites for the summer of 2010. Congratulations to everyone who will be involved with SSP in some way this year. It breaks my heart that this will be my first summer since 1999 that I will not be part the SSP experience, but I am excited for each and every one of you!

Check out http://www.sierraserviceproject.org if you want to donate or see what this great organization is up to! I know for a fact that I would not be serving here in the Peace Corps if it were not for the experiences, ideals and sense of self worth that I gained by being part of SSP.

------Comments From Last Time------

Nate: Now-a-days I'm just rock'n the sweet mustache. I'm pretty proud of it, but I'm sure your looking unbelievably manly right now. I've always envied your facial hair, but I think you already knew that dude.

Barry: My main man! How are you? I can't imagine a better homecoming than seeing all of you looking like you just came down from the mountains sporting epic facial hair.

I get updates here and there from Hannah and it's always good to hear about you and the SDUMC crew. Give everyone my best!

Post #17: A Fight In My Honor

(Pictures: Group Pic of Mustache Party/Fried Food Fest; Some friends visiting Ming; Me and my host bro Gutrat)

I know I’ve been off the grid for over a month here. For that I apologize. My access to a more reliable Internet source should drastically improve in April when I move out and am living by myself. I have one main story to tell from the past 4.5 weeks, and then will sum everything else up in a short closing paragraph.

I know that a minor theme in recent entries has been my relationship with the host family. Long story short, the 22 yr old host brother (the one that ‘helped me out in the shower’ and have had several issues with ever since moving to Mingechevir) and I decided that we did not like each other. Well actually, without getting into too many details (A similar situation with the shower, but this time I was using the squat toilet…other stuff too) I ended up telling him that I was fed up with him. He didn’t like that at all so for about a week he and I didn’t even speak. Although his constant back-handed joking had stopped, I soon decided that I wasn’t very comfortable completely ignoring him or with him completely ignoring me. So what I decided to do was to have him play a role in my Azerbaijani Language lessons. I made a large amount of vocabulary words with index cards and handed them to him. We spent a whole week with him sort of playing teacher, not only with the words but with my pronunciation which has been my biggest problem from the start. What this ultimately did was give us something to bond over, gave him a sense of investment in improving my life here, and gave us something to do with each other while we just sat around the house; kind of just hanging out.
I’ve had a few weeks to reflect now, and I still think that the biggest success I’ve had while living in both host families has been turning this antagonizing relationship into a legitimate and trusting friendship. Really, Gutrat (pronounced Good-Rat….which I know find a bit ironic) is someone who has had my back several times since then. This goes for everything from when I am leaving the house and everyone asks where I’m going, he says “It doesn’t matter where he’s going, let him go in peace.” Or when I confess that my stomach hurts and I urgently need to use the toilet, he’ll go round everyone up and tell them he needs them inside for something to make sure no one is near the squatter while I (most likely noisily…sorry) take care of business.
Really he has my back on everything, but unfortunately I think it has gone a little too far at some points. The best example of this is while Gutrat and I walked down our street (he and I going to our respective work places) a couple guys our aged said something to us. It looked like my host bro knew them, but he immediately turned hostile towards one of the boys. Bantering words turned into angry expressions, expressions turned into a toe to toe staring contest, and then staring turned into a fist melee. The 2nd boy & I had to come between them and pull our fighters apart. As we walked on I asked him what that was all about. He said never mind, but after a few second said the guy insulted me.

Now, I’m sure I’ve heard whatever the boy said countless times since being here from other random people. It is what it is; most people are kind, some people are rude. This goes for ever culture. I really think Gutrat made it a bigger deal out of the whole thing than it needs to be and just knowing his personality, he can be a bit of a drama queen with things. Harassment isn’t an overwhelming part of life here as a foreigner but it does happen here and there (I’m saying that as a man. For women the story can be a bit different at times; this will probably be the next/first topic for the private email list- coming soon…I promise…I hope). Although the whole interaction was a bit odd and uncomfortable, I’d be lying if I didn’t feel a little bit good about a former adversary standing up for my honor.

The rest of the month was a blast. Mingechevir was sort of a destination spot for some good friends of mine and other volunteers all throughout February and it was great seeing people. There was also a great party that a fellow Volunteer hosted called the “Mustache & Fried Food Fest,” where everyone had to be wearing a real or fake stache; boys and girls a like.

My goal is to have another blog up by next Monday at the latest. Have a good week!

--------Comments From Last Time---------

Rob: You got me. I actually ran to Baku, and carried 6 other people on my back while I was in snow up to my belly button. Miss you brotha. Still waiting to hear about when you'll get a plane ticket out this way. With your back ground I think you'd really appreciate it!

Heather: HA! laughed out loud when i first saw that! You're right, I should have; totally has been known to work in the past

Nate: double HA! I hate my spelling, and thank you for mentioning it; I'm sure plenty of people who read this thing have been thinking it for a while. Miss you too man.

Post #16 Braving the Blizzard

Entry #10 I posted a blog with several questions I had been asking myself since arriving in country. One of those questions was "would I die in a marshutka," (Mini-bus/van). Well, Friday Febuary 5th I can say that I had some close calls.

I began my journey from Mingechevir to Baku; usually a 4 hour marshutka ride. Many of us planned on meeting there to watch the Super Bowl. I had been told there was going to be a huge blizzard hitting the country that weekend but figured I could complete my travels before the storm really got going....

About 1.5 hours in, snow had started falling and the landscape was blanketed in white. It was at that point I recieved a call from one of my fellow volunteers saying "Sean, the storm is really bad in Baku and roads are begining to shut down. The wind is insane and the roads are covered in ice. You might not want to get on the bus after all."I responded saying that I was already on my way and chuckled at my sercomstance.

Soon after the call ,I recieved a text that went out to all the volunteers from the Peace Corps Staff urging every PCV to not travel at all do to the weather. Public transportation was being shut down and the roads all over the country and especially near and around the capital Baku, were extremely dangerous....

So here is what the rest of the day had in store for me:

1> Once the roads became ice, the marshutka began fishtaling every once in while. At one point we were no longer parrallel with the road we were on. Twice we were skidding exactly perpendicular with the road.

2> As the weather was clearly getting worse I could see more and more vehicals that had lost control or

skidded off the road and became stuck off to the side or even in ditches....we kept going.

3> White-out conditions: about 5 hours into it, the wind was so bad and the roads so icy that when we were going at a snails pace we were actually being pushed sideways. The result of this was similar to bumper cars. Slowly, we bumped into other vehicals, and they bumped into us. This was made worse by the fact that we couldn't even see other vehicals until they were touching us at some points.

4> 3 different times, all of the men passangers got out of the marshutka to push the van out of being stuck. We were lucky to have all of us. Some cars that we passed didn't seem to have a chance.

5> The finale: as we were stationary in a long line of automobiles because of an accident up ahead, I watched all sorts of vehicles slowly moving passed my window going the opposite direction. I looked forward a little bit and saw a big bus moving towards us as normal. But, I noticed the back wheels were spinning a little funny. Just then, the bus started to fish-tale and the back end began to swing. Other passangers noticed as well and began to yell, moving to the other side of the marshutka. The bus literally hit right next to my window. Ironically, the icy roads were kind of our saving grace. Because of them, my van slid due to the impact rather than remaining in one place which would have probably resulted in a serious accident. No one was hurt, but we did need too remove ourselves from being stuck yet again.

8.5 hours later we made it to the bus station in Baku. We were safe! Everyone congratulated each other and shook the hand of our driver. In Azerbaijan people simply do not interact with each other on public transportation. However, because of the traumatizing experiences we had all shared that day, there was a sense of comradery that we shared. For the rest of the weekend there was a travel ban and people were not allowed to leave the city. Some of my friends who were planning to come into Baku on Saturday and Sunday simply couldn't leave their communities because no one was willing to drive on the roads. The next few nights I slept at a US Embassy worker's house along with some other volunteers who had met this person before. He was an incredibly gracious host & it was very relaxing...and warm.

Reminder: If you want to join the Private Email List mentioned in Post #15, just send your email to seaninazerbaijan@gmail.com and say who you are. I haven't sent one yet, but it'll happen eventually.

Pictures: I wasn't really in the mood to snap pictures during the crazy ride but I did manage to get a couple during the more mellow part of the trip. The other pictures are from the Super Bowl at 4am in a hotel in Baku.

-----Comments From Last Time-----

Rob: Hey buddy boy. Hope'n things are going well on the mean streets of SF. Hope you're staying safe. I remember you mentioning your roommate it has actually crossed my mind from time to time.

Breea: Glad you liked the reference. New you would. hope the first couple weeks back at school have been nice and exciting. Enjoy it!

Post #15: Azerbaijan's 9/11

My surroundings remind me every day that I am not in America. Usually it hits me early in the morning as I pass newly chopped off cow & sheep heads with their tongues hanging out and their eyes still staring at me. I can appreciate that they will provide fresh meat in dinners that night instead of shipped meat that has taken days to arrive. Everywhere I go I hear music. Sometimes it’s Azerbaijan’s ancient & national music, and some times its 50 Cent latest hit, from 5 years ago.

Unfortunately not all aspects of Azeri culture are as colorful as these examples. In fact some things that I encounter on a daily basis are rather dark and can be a bit uncomfortable. One issue that is EXTREMELY noticeable in every day life here is the remembrance of a war between Azerbaijan and the neighbor to the west; Armenia. It is a very very sensitive subject and I have been asked countless times (almost literally by every new person that I meet) if I’ve heard about the Armenians and what they did to Azerbaijan. It is also so sensitive that we as PCVs have been told time and time again not to express our own opinions about the matter, and it’s best just to say “I have heard about it. War is very sad,” or “Yes I’m so sorry to hear about the conflict,” or something along those lines. I hear about it everyday; if not in conversation then on the TV every night with my host family.

I’ve debated with myself for about a week about how to write this post. If any of it is unclear in anyway then I apologies, that’s not my intention. But I’m also not surprised since I’ve recently found it’s kind of hard to express my own thoughts on the matter on this public blog.

Here is the shortest and hopefully most none-biased explanation I can give of the war:

After the Soviet Union Collapsed, Azerbaijan and Armenia went to war over a region known as Nagorno-Karabakh. This is the southwestern region of Azerbaijn, neighboring Armenia. It was officially part of Azerbaijan but there was a majority of Ethnic Armenians living there. The legacy of the war is that Armenia currently occupies Nagorno-Karabakh which makes up 20% of Azerbaijan. The war is still technically going on but because of a cease-fire agreement that both countries agreed to there has been no officially fighting since 1994.

Ever since then, Azerbaijan’s culture/government/citizens/etc., have really made sure that they don’t forget that they were pretty severely scarred & defeated. People are still passionately angry about it. Even many of the youth that I work with, some of whom weren’t even born yet, are just as enraged as the rest of the population. Without getting into details I can honestly say that I have never known the hatred & the lingering feeling of victimization that exists here; which of course I am thankful for but also saddened by…

The 20th of January 1990 (Yirmi Yanvar in Azeri) is when Russian troops, still inside Azerbaijan, wounded and killed hundreds/thousands of civilians. This was also when Armenian tanks and troops moved into Azerbaijan to fight for the Nagorno-Karabakh region in.
Yirmi Yanvar is now a day to morn the people lost in the Armenian invasion and Russian attack; including all Azerbaijanis who lost their lives during the Conflict with Armenia in the years following. Everyone goes to their city’s cemetery where people who died during the conflict are buried. There they pay their respects and lay flowers on graves. The government controlled TV channels, which are all the channels in Azerbaijan, show 20th Yanvar themed broadcasting all day long (Movies, “news”, interviews, etc.).

On the 20th I went to the cemetery with several of my conversation club members. We then walked around the city and they told me what they knew/felt about the situation. They explain it to me as “Azerbaijan’s 9/11.”

I really am glad to have had the opportunity to pay my respect with them, and it really seemed to mean a lot. Truly, war is sad and the after effects are terrible. Azerbaijan does still have an IDP population (internally displaced peoples) that is 16 years removed from the war.

There are however, things surrounding the conflict that are used today that I believe are a disservice to Azerbaijan, and I’m not talking about evil Armenians on the other side of the border...

It is an issue that has to be tip-toed around a lot here. There are topics like Nagorno-Karabakh and other things that I really want to share with people who are interested enough to read this blog. And since Azerbai-Sean has become my official Peace Corps journal, I want to try and capture as many of my experiences and thoughts as possible. Yermi Yanvar and other things have made me realized that I am not able to do that here; on this public blog.

So what I’ve decided to do is create a way for me to chronicle my more personal thoughts and opinions on different things that I encounter here via a Mass Email list. I’d like to invite anyone who enjoys reading this blog to receive these emails. All you have to do is send an email to seaninazerbaijan@gmail.com and include your name/who you are. I will add your email address to the list and you will receive my more candid emails whenever I write them. This way I will be able to have a forum where I can be a bit more open about certain subjects that I would otherwise be uncomfortable posting here on the main blog.

I don’t see myself using it on any regular basis, and I’m not sure what it will include (possibly rants, culturally sensitive subjects, my own personal frustrations with specific things, etc.). Do not feel pressured to join this list. Again, it’s more for me so that I can keep a well rounded account of my time here while still keeping the main blog focused on being a tool for people interested in the Peace Corps and service abroad and to communicate with you all back home.

Thanks & take care!

-----Comments from Last Time------

Breea: Thanks for the continued prayers & well wishes. Flogging Molly reference: I know you'll never "turn your back on me," you'll "never let me down!" Good luck starting this finally semester. You're basically "within a mile of home!"

I feel incredibly dorky...but I love it.

Caroline: Great to hear from you! Congrats on all the developments in your life. And yeah, 3 Cups of Tea was amazing. I'm on the last 20 pages of Mountains Beyond Mountains, and for anyone who enjoyed 3CT, it's a must!