Salam, (hello)
It’s been a while
since my last blog entry. It’s been a time of settling in… and then settling in
again. On Dec 7th, the day after swearing in as a PCV (Peace Corps
Volunteer) I moved to my new home in Azerbaijan. I moved to the small city
(although it really feels like a small town) of Sheki. Sheki is in the northern
part of Azerbaijan. It’s old, historic (places a couple of thousands of years
old) beautiful, paved with cobblestones and a place that tourists come to.
There are people who are well off, poor people and many in between. And most
importantly for me at least, many youth to work with… many opportunities. Unlike
my first PC experience, PC Azerbaijan requires volunteers to move in with a
host family and stay for at least 4 months. They strongly encourage us to stay
with host families for our entire service, but after 4 months we are free to
find independent housing… if we can. After 2 weeks I had to move to a new host
family and start over. (because of a couple of things that the house didn’t
have which was in the PC contract) Starting over with a new host family was
stressful. I didn’t really want to do it, because moving is hard and moving in
with strangers is always a challenge (especially if you throw in the language
barriers) But, after settling in some (still haven’t put up my pictures… that’s
always my last step of “making home, home”) I’ve decided that this move was for
the best. The new host family is wonderful, my room is great and meets PC
expectation and I truly feel at home. So, it may be just about time to put up
my pictures!
I’ve been in Sheki for
about 5 weeks….Azerbaijan for almost 4 months. (23 to go) And in some ways it
seems like it has been much longer. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad
thing. I came to Azerbaijan hoping that
I can help. That I can make a difference with the youth here. I’m assigned to
work (as my primary job) at the Sheki branch of the University of Languages. I’m
working with university English students age 17 and older. They want to learn.
The students and the university want me here. (which is not always a given)
Even though there are definitely times of stress, times where language and
culture is a barrier, times when I feel completely out of control (I hate that
feeling, but being out of control is good for me) and times when I wonder if I
can really make a difference… despite all of that (or maybe because of it) I am
content. I get to work with kids. I can ask for nothing more.
Even though I’ve
already begun activities with youth, my biggest concern is whether or not I can
convince them that they have worth. That their opinions matter. I was listening
to a sermon from my church on line (the joys of internet… much different than
Lesotho!) and one of the things said was: “Words create worlds. What are my
words creating?” I’ve been thinking
about that for weeks. With the Azerbaijani, are my words truthful and kind? Do
they encourage and build up? And the same for my fellow PCV’s…This is a
wonderful experience but it can be very stressful. People are coping with the
challenges of living thousands of miles away from home, learning the culture,
trying to communicate. PCV’s are supposed to be a family to each other. Am I a
good friend to other PCV’s? Do I encourage? Do I support them? If I am to be honest, the answer is (for both
Azerbaijani and PCV’s) sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes my words do build
up, but sometimes I’m so wrapped up in my own problems that my words don’t
build up… and are sometimes hurtful.
This is a quote that
really says it: “The effect that words can have is incredible: to inform,
persuade, hurt or ease pain, end war or start one, kill thousands or even
millions of people. They can get your point across, or destroy any hope of your
ideas ever being understood.”
This is something I
will work on during my service… and for the rest of my life. What kind of
worlds are my words creating?
Im sharing some pics:
My new house and a few other random photos. I hope the New Year is getting off
to a great start for everyone. I miss you all!!!
the wonderful mirror in my room
this bear has seen a lot of the world
the radiator (very uncommon) that keeps my room warm. In the backround on the upper left my water filter and the electric kettle to boil it
an extra bed in my room piled high with blankets that I must leave alone... part of my host sister's dowry
the crib in my room I use for storage
sitting room
my room in the middle. My host brothers is on the right, and my grandfathers is on the left
My squat toilet. Legs are getting strong
the hamam. the shower area with the fabulous wood burning stove which heats the water and keeps the room warm
pech (wood burning stove) in the teachers lounge
conversation club
university
university
host brother shoveling snow off the roof
one of the teachers at the university at her house for dinner
PCV's in sheki celebrating Shani's birthday (shani is in the middle)
Piti, cooked in the clay pot... very tasty
the road to my house
meat market in the bazar area... sheep heads
the market by my house
yes people eat all parts of the animal
my house. the nice green one:)
my room
big closets inside, not many shelves:)
