Welcome To The Zoo

robo cop

2008-04-21T01:35:00.000-07:00

My whole town is being robo-coped, as it has been adequately named. EVERYTHNING is being fronted in this hideous silver and rarely gold, metallic looking paneling – every store business and building – it is not optional and I am told the stor owners have to pay for – that is not optional either – We are having an entire town “beautification” projects right now – all front streets are being

my poor soul

2008-04-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

I get to take a trip to Turkey so I just read the lonely planet book for it – now I am reading the one for Azerbaijan looking for finding hiking places – and in the north there are some really good ones and in the south is nice and tropical –They are nothing close to as complimentarily about Azerbaijan as they are about Turkey, which is understandable and justified, but what I would like to

2008-04-06T03:09:00.000-07:00

the inards of what was a movie theater during soviet times - it now houses IDP's like most building but they evidently never cleaned it out Ahhhh, the river /junk yard / landfill - how niceThese men are fishing - with two car batteries and a net - if we had thought to catch the ducks a little earlier or these geese a little later you would have seen come mad/freaked out poultry hauling ass.

random

2008-04-06T02:59:00.000-07:00

The little girls here are very shy with me – though fascinated -they watch me from a safe distance, whispering then will turn toward me with round bright eye – scoping out whatever the just discussed - Our house is full of little girls, cousin and daughters of whoever – most 5 or 6 yrs old – so far only savinj will talk to me – probably because she sees me everyday-She is also the one who like to

Novrus pictures

2008-03-31T05:29:00.000-07:00

Novrus

2008-03-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

We just finished up our Novrus holiday. It is in celebration of spring and all Azeri people will tell you the calander new year may be January 1st but this is the real new year – the time of year when life returns and everything is growing – I think they are write – I was also told today that during their days in the soviet union they were forbidden to celebrate Novrus – but I think that was not

is work is work - and thats is as in work

2008-03-16T01:44:00.001-07:00

With spring has come more work for me – Most people join the PC and are in a hurry to do something – anything – change something – get people going – Well they tell you flat out that at first there will not be much to do – that you have to make sure you are doing thing for them or things that they don’t really want in your eagerness to do something – and that even when you find people it will

spring

2008-03-16T01:30:00.000-07:00

Spring oh Spring la di da – its shiny it bright it makes me light – oh la da da dancing a jig - if only I was irish and the river dance did not look so much like the azrie stomp these days – la fa di da, springThe apricots are the “1st”to come into full bloom – well the first of the fruit trees – there were some before it but they are not fruit trees – the weeping willows are early to bud too and

2008-03-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

hey all

2008-01-27T04:15:00.000-08:00

Ilham Aliyev passed through Barda the other day – for several days before they tossed paint on walls and swept some – moved dead animals – the day of all streets were closed – the cops drove around in their VW’s yelling on their loud speakers – finally he arrived – he passed through the main part of town with about 15-20 other big black tinted windowed SUV’s and several cops, going about 90

its not so bad

2008-01-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

I have been at site for a little over 3 months – the first 6months are supposed to be adjustment - figuring out what to do – and it turns out getting over my own disillusionment and frustrations and actually finding what I can do – I think this is why so many volunteers here are so negative –I was really surprised when I got here – everyone was so dispassionate, unhappy , I though god –well I

the freedom of filth

2008-01-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

1-12-08So the "severest winter in 73 years" seems to be letting up – that is to say there was not any snow today and I saw the sun – Not that there is 3 feet of snow and sleet all day – but it is cold as hell and because it is usually not this cold here they are just not ready for it – there has not been any water sense last Saturday and it does not seem clear when that will let up – consequently

oh the snow

2008-01-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

1-5-08So its been one hell of a day today – I woke up to the wonder of snow – yea – being from South Carolina that’s exciting – and then made the wise decision to go for a walk in the woods – the only wood in town – which are slowly being chopped up for firewood by the local IDP’s – Of course this morning there was more slush on the road than snow – If I had been smart, after the first big truck

2008-01-04T04:19:00.000-08:00

where the poor carrot farmers in the village have to wash carrots - in a mub pit with ducks barefoot stomping on themThe eglish language club threw us a christmas/new years partypretty lights of baki out of my hotel windowpart of the gafgas mountains - I can see it from my house on a clear day and not a all some othersmaking homemade vodkapeople drying wool on the pavment outside of what used to

2007-12-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

death - oh what a pain

2007-12-01T06:01:00.001-08:00

I went to my first funeral the other day – well at least part of one – Funerals here are as multilayered as weddings are – Me and Famila were joking that the two hardest things to do in Azerbaian are get married and Die. When someone dies there are 7 initial days of morning the 7th being the biggest, followed by every Thursday for four Thursdays then the 40th day after is import ad they are

one more shot

2007-12-01T06:00:00.001-08:00

11-23-07/11-24-07 Im sitting in my room retyping something that I have already typed. I hate doing that. The rats are hard at work above my head. Technically I am retyping it because the file was ruined. This is because my computer is very old and I have not been the easiest on it. So it has become a little temperamental. It occasionally turns itself off flashing a rainbow of colors and screaming

2007-12-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

2007-11-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

oil

2007-11-21T01:07:00.000-08:00

I love you all and we have power at work for the first time in about two weeks - praise the lord I'm not freezing today - I asked about it the other day and was told it was becasue we would not pay them bribes. Luckely they can evedently only abuse one person at a time for so long, or we paided a bribe. Who can really know. Speaking on azerbaijan's crappy courruption. I was reading an article in

2007-11-20T02:05:00.000-08:00

11/16/07I’m headed to Goycay today for thanksgiving – I little early but we cant get leave during the week. I think pretty much everyone else is going to Baki for the annual thanksgiving dinner. I think it is usually over 100 people and that is just too many people for me and thanksgiving. I think thanksgiving is actually one of my favorite holidays. I love the food, I loved the cooking, and I

2007-11-14T01:10:00.000-08:00

Somethings a littel Ratty

2007-11-14T01:06:00.000-08:00

11-14-07A couple of weeks ago Ryan told me he had a rat in the attic above his head. It scurried around, making little pitter patter sounds and he did not like it because it was creepy and sounded like someone else was in the room. I told him to be nice, it was probably very nice and this had been its house before his. They heard me! The other night I heard little pitter patter over my room. I

2007-11-13T02:08:00.000-08:00

The Anti Whine

2007-11-13T01:51:00.000-08:00

After it has been pointed out in one way or another I see that mast of my posts seem to have bitter undertone to them. I am sorry, it just turns out that I use my blog forum to vent – and I think it is important for people to understand the problems. So no doubt, I will be writing lots of depressing stuff. But don’t mistake the downbeat posts I my write for the experience that I’m having. They

The Sound of Love

2007-10-22T01:36:00.000-07:00

Well maybe not love but it sure envolves a lot of yelling. Two things recently have made me think more and more about “love” in Azerbaijan, or the lack of – First is the amount of attention that I now get, which is one of the reasons the transition to my new site has seemed more difficult than the initial transition to Azerbaijan. The second being that I just talked to a friend from home who just

The sitting monkey act

2007-10-22T01:34:00.000-07:00

I’m at my new site and have started at my organization. I guess I have really been here almost a month now. We are all placed with organizations but are expected to only help there and then work on an equal number of independent projects. My organization is an agro marketing center. There is only one man who works here, and one girl who volunteers as a secretary of sorts, I imagine to gain skills

Perceptions

2007-10-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

So I’m washing cloths today – A Lot of Them – I’m not so consistent with it. I was given many warnings about cloths washing. Mainly that my host mom would stand over me like a hawk – because she would expect me to be completely inept and force me to scrub until my hands were raw. I cringed, then I got lucky. Turns out my mom was a little more progressive and had more of a live and let live

Night Trains are Glorious

2007-09-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

THE NIGHT TRAINI took a train back from my permanent site visit back to site. The trains here only run at night for the most part. This is because they use the tracks for hauling cargo “oil” during the day. We left at 10pm. Now usually trains are associated with speed. This was not the case. Some are very old, mine, and slow. It took us 8 hours to do what took us 5 ½ in a big buss going over very

Traditional Dancing

2007-09-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

I saw some beautiful Azeri art work - this is just a little of it -enjoy

a running list

2007-09-01T02:35:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would start an ongoing list of likes and dislikes ... here we goTHINGS I LOVE-Azeri humor – say in Barda-Call to prayer-That they are soooooo generous-Take you right into their family and make you a part of it-Always willing to help-Martshukas-Watermelons are dirt cheap and delicious all summer- all fruits and vegetable are wonderful and FRESH-They do A LOT for you-their sense of

few pics

2007-08-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

me with ryans host dad - i love grapes below - this is a woman's (qadin) salon - the VIAGRA womans salon - thats my kind of salon!!<- business woman by day - house builder later that day - and they are thrifty - this is made od mud bricks, card board, and random wood. below - me and tarzan - the first "pet" dot i'v seen. they are still pretty rough on her so I play with here a lot - they seem

Welcome to the Girl Scouts

2007-08-29T05:53:00.000-07:00

So here I am, and it is not what I thought – I think something led me blindly here, or maybe I’m just a fool, because if I had taken a good look at it before I would not have come. Sure it is not the place that I had thought or the conditions, ok that’s fine, but I skipped right over the government part, the bureaucracy, how could I. It’s here. But I am only in training and I have been told that

Sorry it took so long

2007-08-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

So, Salam,Here I am – almost a month and it is hard to believe. It seems longer and shorter all at the same time. I have settled into my GREAT host family. A lot of people seem to have some issue or another but I have had none. My mom Shahla, my dad Rasim and two sisters, Vusala and Gunel (16 and 14 respectively) are wonderful. They are already crying about me having leave in two months and say I

so off I go

2007-06-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

I am flying to Philly tomorrow. The nervousness has just kicked in and I wish I had been more prompt with shit so I could be in bed now. This is just a nice break from last min. packing. - love you all - keep in touch.mere

To The Wire

2007-05-22T18:33:00.001-07:00

So, there is almost exactly a month left. Ouch. It is getting hard to tell the nervousness from the excitement, well not quite but there is definitely a lot of both. I have resolved to get all formal work that I need done done THIS WEEK. Otherwise I will just be running around like a chicken with my head cut of till I leave. - Today I got my Durable power of attorney, medical power of attorney &

Mixed Reviews

2007-05-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

I joined this Azerbaijan Network on face book. I have met the nicest and most interesting people. Marines-people form Azerbaijan-people working with different companies-and those who just moved for other random reasons. They are almost all young, so I guess my demographics will be off and I am going to miss out on a lot of info, but it is still a world of help. Everyone seems to genuinely want to

Philadelphia, here I come

2007-04-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

I finely heard where I will be leaving from. Good ol Philadelphia. I don't really know anything about it. I was sort of hoping west coast, but oh well. They sent a note that was stern. I think they just want to scare us into good behavior so we don't all show up and make a fool of ourselves and them first thing. They will give me a plane ticket, but I think I may try to drive, so if there is

Power of Attorney?????

2007-04-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

SO...... Power of Attorney....... Does anyone know anything about power of attorney/durable power of attorney or medical power of attorney? I am trying to take care of all that right now and am stumped. I am looking for forms online but have know idea which one I should use. I would love any help. Mere

To Pack or Not To Pack

2007-04-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

something another girl from our group sent us last night and think there are I know I really need to start getting some stuff together but I am having a hard time of it. I have a lot of stuff I just cant seem to keep it in one place. I am an incurable slob sometimes. And I just keep pulling things I have put inmy bag out and using them. I was readinga few things I am missing. I kept hearing

Off We Go

2007-04-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I got my Peace Corps invitation. I was hoping for Africa, afraid to get freezing eastern Europe and love what I ended up with. I am going to the Republic of Azerbaijan. To be honest I did not even know where it was when I first heard of it. Turns out is is a secular Muslim country located on the Caspian sea. (the lighttan/cream colored one) They are surrounded by Russia,