Almost normal

I like Fridays and no exception in Masalli. I look forward to sleeping in on Saturday. I didn't think it would be hard to get used to getting up at 7AM, but it is. I usually put on a robe and walk down the steps, out the front door and across the yard to the haman (2 tiled rooms - one with squat toilet and the other with a sink and shower. I've made up a new law like Murphy's law: the frequency of pee-ing is related to the number of toilets available. Americans go to the toilet a lot. Azerbaijanis don't – and they drink a lot of tea!

Now that I've discovered school starts at 8:30 instead of 9, I hurry to catch the marsrutka that stops at 8:25 right outside the door to our yard. It would be a 3 minute ride to school if the road were paved. Instead it is unpaved and full of holes making it the roughest, dirtiest, dustiest road around. The driver weaves from side to side making it about a 10 minute ride. After school I have to walk home that same road because the marsrutka does not travel in that direction. I endure dust being kicked up by the numerous heavy-duty trucks that use this road. I also look forward to Saturdays for a shower.

I noticed a number of changes at my school thanks to the new school director. For one thing, the teachers as well as students are not allowed to leave when school is in session. Secondly, 2 English teachers now teach primary students basic English vocabulary (colors, numbers, etc.). So today I put some decorations from the USA on that classroom wall. Then as I watched from the back of the room I noticed an abacus. What an interesting contrast, so of course I got out my camera and took today's photo of Teacher Shalala. Don't ask me about the prevalent use of Roman numerals. This territory has had many conquerors!

Photo Day and 1st Day of School

Photo Day

Many times I traveled the road going south from Masalli to Lenkaran. And many times I wanted to take pictures of the things I saw along the way. But it is not possible to ask a marsrutka driver to stop for photo ops. His job is to get passengers from point A to point B in about 40 minutes. People just don't care about the scenery because they have seen it many times probably.

But sitemate Sally reminded me that we had talked last year about hiring someone to drive us along the route so we could do just that: take photos for memories when we return to America. Sally is leaving in June after nearly 3 years and she knew someone who would drive us.

So on Tues (another no school day) we hired a good taxi driver and invited an English-speaking friend Javida to come along us as we took pictures. We started out about 10AM and Sally immediately spotted an old bus stop from soviet times. The local people had made a mosaic depicting typical scenes – selling vegetables and weaving items from yarn. The bus stop is no longer used but the mosaic remains.

 It had only been a week since my return and I was flooded with memories along the way. Since it is early Spring, the flowers and trees are budding and not in full foliage. I saw boys keeping their cows from wandering onto the highway, Mercedes and Lada cars careening along, men sitting on their honches while their sheep safely graze, other men having tea at a cayxana (chai hana = tea house) sitting at tables under trees , small shops for car repairs and car washes, lush green acres of flat fields with hoop houses for early vegetables.

We stopped to take photos at a river where many men catch sturgeon to sell; a rookery for herons; a sign honoring an Azeri hero, a house built during the Russian era, a crumbling train station, a memorial to fallen soldiers and their weeping women. We stopped to buy tandir bread, then took the road thru Lankeran to Lerik which overlooks a valley village. Onward to a hike to a hidden waterfall that I know my hiking group would enjoy.

We topped off our day with a dinner at the best restaurant in Lankeran, Levengi. Most restaurants outside of Baku do not have open eating areas, but have private rooms for dining. No one knows if you are there and you don't know who else is in the restaurant – unless you bump into them in the restroom.

A full day taking over 100 photos!

First Day back to Digah School

I arrived at school at 9am via marsrutka with some girls I knew from last year. I was greeted by the new school director, but unbeknownst to me the school day now starts at 8:30am! I was earnestly greeted in the teachers' room by many non-English speaking teachers who remember me. And in the hall many times I could hear shouts of, “Miss Peggy Xos Gelmisiniz” (hosh kelmisiniz – Welcome).

Since this will be my last 2 months of Peace Corps service, I will observe and coach the English teachers instead of co-teaching with them. It was heart-warming to know that the youngest teacher now begins each class with asking the date and the weather! Yes! As I suspected, the newest teacher Shalala has adapted new language teaching methods the best. Unfortunately she has also been assigned a class with less able students and no books. But she used the time to write their lesson on the board and encourage all.

I stayed the full class day and walked home about a mile. Ay! How could I forget how dusty and lumpy the walk home could be? But my host mother was waiting with a full plate of rice and chicken.

Some Things Never Change

It's Monday the first day after the Novrus holiday and there is no school. The casualness of school attendance is a reminder of the seeming inconsequence of education in Azeri lives. I'll admit that it is very important for some, but not enough IMHO. It always amazes me how many excuses people have for declaring a school holiday. I'm thankful I missed the beginning of the school year because it takes until mid-October for the teachers to finalize their teaching schedules. What a waste of time.

Now that I've got that rant out of my system, I'm feeling much better. Since there is no school today, I can go to the stationers and purchase poster board, vinyl, and markers for making classroom posters. However, last night one of my English teachers told me that all the posters I made last year are gone. That means that the English teachers have not been using any of the visual aides I created. That pisses me off. This time, I will teach them how to make their own! Wish me luck with that! Grrr!

I did go “guesting” last night to the home of Mehpare, one of my English teachers. She lives with her 35 year-old son, his wife and their 4 year old girl. Another daughter and her 2 young boys were also visiting from Sumgayit. Due to a windy, chilly day, we all sat in the kitchen for tea and later had a huge meal of spaghetti and pizza. Here's 1 photo I took of her grandchildren before my camera's battery died.

Mehpare shared lots of baby news since I abruptly left last July. Irada's daughter Leyla had a baby boy March 23rd – her first grandchild. I had attended Leyla and Hussein's wedding last Spring. History teacher Vusula had twins and I attended her wedding also. And English teacher Akbar will be in grandpa in April and I attended his daughter's wedding too. 

Mehpare: The Russian teacher's daughter will have a wedding on April 6. 

Me: I have a dress!

Day 2 at Georgie's House

No one was stirring when I finally woke up about 8:30AM. The weather was cool and I needed to walk outside to the hamam – shower room and toilet. It is brand new, built about 2 months ago. Valentine was concerned that my room was too cold for me, but to me it is so much warmer than Minnesota and I slept well.

There's nothing like waking up to a rooster crowing. The house has a dirt yard that wraps around the front and back with about a dozen chickens scratching. The trees in the front include a magnolia and other fruit trees just starting to bloom.

I spent some time writing while drinking tea and eating sweets. It seems like the Novrus holiday is an excuse for eating lots of treats. It is also a tradition that people come to visit, and a number of relatives came by the house. Once again Georgie's 85 year old grandma come over. She wants to come to America with me and also wanted to know if I had any gold. She seems interested in comparing American vs. Azerbaijani cultures, and I love to tell her – thanks to Georgie interpreting.

Surprisingly the bazars are also closed today. I arrived in time to miss 4 days of school too! I heard from both my younger English teacher Shalala and her father. Late in the day I got a phone call from Ayas the son of my first host mom and dad in Sumgayit. I told them I miss them too and plan to visit them in April. Inshallah!

In the afternoon, I went with Georgie to feed the chickens. I tried to scatter some feed but they would not come near this stranger. We picked up 5 warmish eggs and put them into the refrigerator. I also watched a Disney program with him and his brother Igbol (who I call Edgar). It was a pretty quiet day.

I heard from Sally that she still has some of my things from the house that I rented. Georgie told me that everyone laughed saying, “Peggy's gone. Oh good more furniture for me!” I think it is mostly a fan, modem, and an oven. I'd sure like to know if any pots and pans are at her place. I know many women in Masalli I'd give utensils et al too. Not sure yet where my bicycle is, but everyone asks me about it.

I am drinking lots of tea again including about midnight. It's really hard to refuse when everyone else drinks tea that late in the day. Of course I had to get up about 1AM to go to the hamam. I'm also falling asleep as I did in the past to a podcast. Seems like I've been here before.

Traveling to Masalli

Wednesday March 20^th the first day of Spring is busy for Novrus holiday travel. I was prepared to take a taxi to the bus station to catch a bus to Masalli. But before I left the hotel I got a phone call from Capt. Amil who was on duty Tuesday when I sent him a text message. It was so good to hear from him and he offered to meet me at my hotel and get me on a bus. I am so glad he did. Holiday travel is a zoo. We took a taxi together to the bus station and he negotiated a seat for me on a bus to Lankeran.

It was just one year ago that we met traveling by bus together. Everyone travels home to visit family for this holiday, so the station and busses are jammed with travelers. TV stations reported that travel was going smoothly, but apparently no one had actually been to the bus station to see the commotion. You just can't believe everything you see on TV! (Later, Georgie told me some believe that if they told the truth on TV people would panic and stay home. Businesses would lose money. Really?)

Waiting for the bus, Amil and I had time at the station for tea and talk – lots of things to catch up on. When the bus finally arrived, again he made sure I had a window seat. The bus had 50 seats so they put stools in the aisle to add another 10 more passengers.

It's difficult to describe the feeling of traveling the same road I'd taken many times before. I found myself looking out the window for landmarks, but I especially enjoyed seeing trees budding and green grass (that is, where there was grass!) At a new tea/restroom stop, an English-speaking AZ girl and her mother approached me timidly to practice her English. That is always so endearing to me but even more so when they later offered me my first taste of shakabura since I arrived in AZ. That's a holiday sweet treat filled with ground almonds. A treat in many ways.

Other passengers were looking out for me to tell the driver to stop at the correct intersection nearing Masalli. Georgie's house is right around the corner from a large supermarket and he was there as soon as I got off the bus. He and his brother Igbol and 4 year old cousin were home while his parents were visiting relatives. So I spent some time with them re-telling and apologizing for coming a day late.

I called Konul to let her know I was in Masalli, so she had Sadig pick me up from Georgie's house. It was so good to see her and her children Aytan and Layig. Sitemate Sally was there too and we stayed for my first meal back: roast chicken and plov. It seems so normal, but there are times I want to pinch myself to believe I'm here again.

By 9 pm I knew I needed to go back to Georgie's and see his parents for the first time since I returned. His grandmother and 2 cousins came to visit, so we had tea and sweets again. Best of all was showing the little girls Georgie's Visual Dictionary (My sister Sarah sent it to me last year in a package).

Georgie's mother Valentine had prepared a bed for me in the guest room and it was after midnight when I finally went to bed.

Back to Baku

My head is still hanging low over missing my plane connection in Istanbul Monday afternoon. I had plenty of time after a 10-hour flight from Newark, but misjudged the time for my flight to Baku. I waited over an hour for the gate number to be posted. And when it was, I went to the gate, sat down, and watched other flights depart. I listened to several gate-change announcements but it never phased me that the gate for my flight may have also changed. My jet-lagged, sleep-deprived mind registered a 15:55pm departure as 5 o'clock.

My stomach churned when I realized what had happened. I searched in vain for the word Baku on the departure board. I looked at my boarding pass and then at the current time. It was over an hour past my departure time. I was very upset with myself. Am I getting old?

I had to get over it and shift to problem-solving mode. I went to the Turkish Airlines transit desk where they readily changed my flight, and let me use a phone to call the Peace Corps 24 hour duty officer. They in turn called Macie, our Azerbaijan Director. (After that I had to wait another 6 hours in the airport for a 10:35pm flight to Baku.)

Missing that flight changed so many things about my return to AZ. First, it meant that PC driver Rashid had to pick me up at the airport at 4AM instead of 7:30PM. Think he was very welcoming? No. Think of him driving like a bat out of hell to drop me off at the Ambassador hotel. No chit-chat but thankfully he kept my 50 pound bag in the SUV so Imran could take it to Masalli.

Rashid did tell me that PC staff decided I should sleep in and come to the PC office at 10 AM. That meant that I would not get a ride with Imran to Masalli and my new host family. I knew everyone was waiting for me there and I messed up badly. I would be a day late for everything!

I needed an alarm to wake me Tuesday morning at the hotel. I was still in a fog but managed to put on my all black outfit – perfect for Azerbaijan. I walked 4 blocks to the PC offices and felt very welcomed. In fact, the staff had prepared for my swearing in with tea and cake in the conference room. It was the first time that the Country Director Macie had personally sworn in a Volunteer. Thrilled to hug Dr. Guney and so happy that I was near tears.

Everything seemed so normal. I went to the PC lounge and met up with 2 AZ9s. Driver Rashid drove me and the new training director Rita to the US Embassy. After that he took me to get a new phone number and then back to my hotel. To try to make amends for his inconvenience, I gave him the rest of Pearly's homemade fudge. I did need another night at the hotel and spent time re-entering phone numbers and sending text messages.

I talked with sitemate Sally and Konul in Masalli to let them know about my delayed arrival, then fell asleep to the BBC on TV.

The Day Before Departure

I can't believe how rusty my writing has become. The words just don't fall into place and I search for something interesting to say. Bear with me.

It's Saturday morning the day before I fly from Minneapolis to Baku. That sounds easy but it's really a long time from early Sunday morning departure to Newark, change planes there for flight to Istanbul, then change again to Turkish airlines for my flight into Baku. I arrive Monday evening March 18th in Baku.

It's a bright Saturday morning in March and all's well. Only an inch of snow overnight instead of the 5 inches predicted but it is cold. I've already changed the bedding and took a load of laundry downstairs. Someone is frying bacon in my building. Salivate. My thoughts go to the luxury of a washer and dryer. I won't have those for the months I'll be in Azerbaijan, and I'll be bacon-less.

My big red duffel bag sits on the floor in my living room. I've already packed some school supplies and gifts into it, but there are piles of clothes I'll also need to squeeze in later today. For sure I'm taking a nice dress for any weddings or dinners. I've pared down the clothes I'll wear daily to school - everything will go with black. I'm taking tennis shoes plus black loafers and high heels - can never have enough shoes.

I've set aside the clothes I'll wear on the plane: blue jeans, black top with 3 little pins (Irish clover leaf, Peace Corps logo with AZ and American flags, plus an American flag), pink fleece jacket (always a reminder of General Mills friends), heavy socks to wear with my hiking boots, and my black raincoat. I'll top it off with the beautiful scarf from friends at St. Joan's. And just for these long flights I'll put on elastic stockings. It's a thrombosis thing.

In a little while, I'll phone my 99 year old mother for our weekly chat. I'll do that again next Saturday from Azerbaijan but then I'll dial her phone via my computer. It seems so normal.

Later today my son Anton and my friend Pearly will come over to load the duffel bag into her car. If I'm not too stressed, Pearly and I will head to a grand St. Patricks Day dinner at the home of longtime college friend Phoebe. Then a sleepover at Pearly's and an early morning ride to the airport.

It's time to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer so I'll end this post. I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to write again. I'm so looking forward to seeing my English teachers, students, PCVs and staff. I'll arrive just in time for the great celebration of Novrus in Azerbaijan.

I like to add at least one photo to each blog post, so here's the comfortable bed I'm leaving behind. 

Reflecting on Life in USA

It's been 7 months since I abruptly returned to the US with a broken shoulder due to a traffic accident in Turkey. That was not at all how I envisioned my Peace Corps service ending. As it turns out, my injury didn't end my service because I've been medically cleared to return to Azerbaijan. Regardless, these few months of recovery have given me a chance to muse about life in the US.

Returned PC volunteers often mention reverse culture shock, and I've had mine. Most incidents involve either a supermarket or Target - just feeling overwhelmed by all the items and choices. Most memorable was overhearing an adult whine on her cellphone that she couldn't find a certain trinket at Target. Really? Can't live without it? I cringed.

Another thing I've noticed is the fast pace - including rapid speech. It took several times for me to understand a clerk saying, "Doyouwantcashback?" How was I to know that some stores now allow you to put cash on your debit card. Guess I should have been thankful that I didn't need to dodge traffic on my way to an ATM.

Watching television offers another insight on American life - especially the advertising. I didn't realize how many American men have either low testosterone or erectile dysfunction thanks to an abundance of drug ads! It's the American way to see a problem and create a solution. No effort made to discover the cause or if there's really a problem, just sell a pill directly to the consumer. Anyone else notice the proliferation of drugstores?

My weakness is kitchen gadgets - things I sorely missed in the Peace Corps. Here I treasure my jar opener, garlic press, rubber scraper, pastry cutter, rolling pin, baster, zester, thermometer, aluminum foil and so much more.

What else have I noticed that's changed in the past 2 years? Cameras on cellphones mean people taking pictures of restaurant meals. I snapped this breakfast meal just before I dug into it at the Uptown Diner. I'm heading back to Azerbaijan and already missing a hearty breakfast with hash browns and sausage!

But dreaming of Novrus treats like these to come.

Getting Ready to Return to Azerbaijan

Monday morning March 4th, I called the Peace Corps Country Desk officer for Azerbaijan to find out the status of my return after being Medically Separated in Sept. 2012. Jessica's voice was so upbeat that I knew my return to finish my service was still on track. No chance of being "sequestered," i.e., the PC budget cut for this final portion of my service. I had been getting mentally prepared to hear that my return had been axed.

My worry was for naught when Jessica said she had already checked on available flights to Baku. In fact she connected me with the travel agent who set up my flight from Minneapolis to Newark to Istanbul to Baku. Leaving early March 17th and arriving the evening of March 18th in Baku!

My mind was going so fast after that phone call that I bundled up against the latest snowstorm and headed over to the Y to walk, walk, walk! So many things on my mind from packing to arranging with someone to stay in my condo for 3 months. I sent out a "mass" email and later discovered some names were missing from my "friends and family" group. 

One essential thing was to call my 99 year old mother with my news. We had a great chat (which always includes politics) and I know she's looking forward to again sharing my printed emails with her mealtime friends. Here's a photo of us together last Fall. 

Once again my friend Pearly will faithfully print and mail my emails to mother. I plan to supply Pearly with paper, envelopes, stamps, and an ink cartridge or two before I leave.

On the Azerbaijan end, the Housing Coordinator has phone numbers for my English teachers and is arranging housing for me in Masalli with a host family. PC staff in Baku has been the best.

But this time I have different expectations compared to my initial Peace Corps experience. I know the community, the teachers and students, and much about the housing and what life will be like. I am really excited to see everyone again especially my former host family and other volunteers.

And best of all, I will arrive just in time for the first day of Spring! Novrus! The best place in the world to be is Azerbaijan for celebrating Spring! Truly a new beginning!