Sunday, April 27, 2008

Spring Sprang!

I hear it's just getting to be Spring back in the good old Willamette Valley! Well... it's Summer here, so I thought I'd post some pictures of our Spring here in Mingechevir!

Spring was full of friends, family and fire!

My mom and step dad came for a visit in March... pictures of that will follow in a blog when I get a package with photos from mom...

We went up to Qebala to visit a friend and got to see what life is like in the village. Some of you might remember last summer when Russia wanted the US to use a radar station in Azerbaijan instead of Poland or wherever it ended up. The radar station is in Qebala and you might be able to see it in the photo of me and Gulnaz...

Novruz is THE holiday in Azerbaijan. It is the Azeri New Year. I think it's Muslim as well. It is made up of the four Thursdays before the Equinox and the Equinox itself. Every Thursday represents either fire, water, wind or earth. People jump over fires to leave all their troubles behind them in the old year. We had a great dinner with our family while mom and Steve were here, and yes, we did jump over the fire! We also had a fun dinner with our friend Elvin and jumped over more fires. We went to some celebrations in town, ate lots of baklava and did some heavy duty egg fighting...

We also had the Writing Olympics. I'm on the committee for this, so I wanted to be sure Mingechevir had a good turn out. And did we ever! We had 65 students from 12 different schools come to participate! We also had 6 university students particpate. Out of those 71 kids, we had 13 regional winners, 3 national winners and our friend Elvin placed 3rd in the national contest! Yay Elvin!! I was really proud of my students and happy that Mingechevir will be well represented in the book we publish of all the winners from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.

That's pretty much our Spring in a nutshell... check out our Picasa album for all the photos!!

Happy Spring!!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Azerbaijan and Peace Corps

So, from the title of this post you can probably guess what it's for. This idea spawned out of a few e-mails that we have received over the past few months, so we decided to keep it around for posterity. If you have any questions about anything Azerbaijan or Peace Corps related, please feel free to e-mail us at: jesse (at) velcrotoes (dot) com or carolyn (at) velcrotoes (dot) com. Before we get to the questions, we want to extend a warm welcome to the next wave of Peace Corps Azerbaijan volunteers, AZ6. So, without further ado:

Did you bring a computer with you? How does having/not having a computer workin your life as a volunteer?
I think there are probably 3 volunteers who didn't bring computers. It works very well to have a computer. You can save time at internet clubs if you can write emails at home and take them on a flash drive. If you or your host family has a land line, you can use dial up internet at home. We watch movies all the time on our computer. It pretty much kept us sane during cold winter nights! :) The PC lounge in Baku has a DVD library where other PCVs add and take DVDs. There are also a couple stores in Baku where you can buy 3 manat DVDs of films that are just coming out in theatres in the States. So, if you don't bring a computer, I would highly recommend at least bringing a portable DVD player!

Do you find that being married alters your experience or not (especially for Carolyn-how is being a married woman different from being single?)
Being married is very different than being single. There are pros and cons. First, depending on how old you are (we are 26 and 27), you will constantly get the question, "Where are your children?" or something similar. It is quite strange to them for us to be as old as we are and to not have any children. We just say, "We can't have children and be volunteers at the same time. We will have them in 2 years, God willing."They understand this phrase, God willing, or Inshallah. Second, I feel that I get less harrassment from men because everyone knows I'm married, so that's good. There are some harrassment issues for single women in Azerbaijan, but that also varies from town to town. Don't worry about it, though! Third, you get twice the living allowance! Yay! When the time comes to move out on your own, you will each get the allowed amount, but you will only need to get one house! For example, you both will get 85manat (or so) per month for housing, but your rent should be around 80 or 90, so you get to pocket the rest!

How much Azerbaijani did you know when you arrived?
None. Well, we knew some animals, but that's all. Don't worry about language. I don't think anyone knew more than a few words (numbers, animals, greetings). If you want to get a jump start on it, there is a great free program called Before You Know It that will get you some basic words.

Are can openers really that hard to find?
Yes. Bring a can opener (or a swiss army knife with a can opener on it), head lights and a cork screw if you like wine (although Azeri wine is not especially well-known for being good).

New 6/19/08:
We thought since people are starting to prepare for leaving for AZ in September, a packing list or two might be helpful. Here are two lists, the first assembled by AZ4 and the second a rough outline of what we took.

In addition to those things we'll list some things that might seem frivolous but ended up being some of the stuff that made us happiest while we were over there:
  • Down Comforter
  • Cotton Sheets
  • Good Pillow
  • Laptop
  • World Poster and Atlas
  • Headlamps (one plus a spare)
  • Frisbee
  • Flash Drive
  • Photographs: Family, Homes and whatever from America to start conversations
  • Card/board games. Think Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan.

And some stuff we wish we wouldn't have taken:
  • Bathroom stuff, i.e. shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc. You can buy almost any brand of this you want over here.
  • Snow boots/pants. Chances are you won't be in a part of the country where it snows and if you are you can have someone ship them over later.
Additionally there is a listing of other volunteer's blogs, full of information here.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Azerbaijani Cuisine

Hi everyone! Time for the next installment of my editorial blogs. I’ve decided to go a bit of a different route this time, delaying my bazaar expose for a few months to let the local fruits and veggies reappear. So, you might be asking yourself what this one is about. Brace yourself, because here comes:

“Azeri Cuisine”
or better known as
“Uhm, I’m Not So Sure About This…”

Azerbaijani cuisine has a long history and the people here are very proud of their foods. As Peace Corps volunteers we were amazed and intrigued at the strange and interesting food that we encountered during our service. Then the second week began and the wonder began to wear off.

Due mostly to the constant repetition of eating with a host family, many volunteers have found the food situation in Azerbaijan to be a bit tiresome. True, there is some variety lacking in the diet and true, the nutrition of the meals leaves a lot to be desired, however there are some real treasures in this country. The country has an amazing talent for the food they make and if you are lucky, you can have some truly exquisite meals here.

So here we go, on our culinary “Tour de Force.”

Dolma
Now, I’ve had dolma in the States before, but nothing like the dolma that exists here. Dolma is essentially a meat and rice meatball wrapped in a vegetable. There are many kinds of dolma, mostly differentiated by what the meatball is wrapped in. There are of course grape leaf and cabbage, the most common. Then there are the slightly more exotic kinds that tend to be seasonal, like tomato, pepper and eggplant. And lastly there are the specialty kinds that I’ve only heard rumors about, so far I’ve only heard of potato. With Carolyn not eating meat here, we’ve discovered that meatless dolma is referred to as “liar dolma,” which makes me smile every time I hear it. Liar dolma is normally made with rice, carrots, cabbage and pomegranate seeds inside. I find dolma especially delicious on the first night and following day. The next two days of leftover dolma are not quite as good.

Kebab
Everyone here thinks that Azerbaijan is where kebab originated. Whether this is true or not, kebab seems to be very prevalent in this part of the world. There are two main types of kebab: lule and tika. Lule is ground meat (usually mutton) mixed with herbs and salt that is formed into…well, I don’t know how to describe the shape better than saying “turd-like”… lengths about 8 inches long. Tika is chunks of meat (again mutton) and each piece has some sort of bone in it. Where these bones come from on the animal is a mystery to everyone except the butcher I’d imagine. Now, don’t go thinking there’s a lack of variety here for kebabs. Oh no, they will kebab anything: fish, chicken, pork (if you can find it). I’ve even spoken to a volunteer whose host family kebabed a turkey for her “Jesus Holiday.”

Ash/Plov

If you ask any Azerbaijani what their national dish is, chances are this will be the first thing out of their mouth. Plov is another staple of Azeri cuisine. Although you really only see it at big family gatherings or weddings or funerals, you can always count on someone having a big steaming plate of plov. Plov is a rice dish that is made with dried fruit, chestnuts, chicken and saffron. At wedding ceremonies there is always a special time of the night when a plate of plov is brought out and presented to the bride and groom (usually near the end). This is no ordinary plate of plov, however, partly because it roughly the size of a small village and partly because it is covered in sparklers that are threatening to burn the whole place down. Needless to say it is very exciting for a number of reasons.

Dovga
This soup is rather infamous with the Peace Corps crowd. From what I have found, we may be some of the only volunteers who enjoy it. This soup is made from sour milk (like a thin yogurt) and is cooked for about an hour or two over low heat. Greens are mixed in (what exactly these greens are, I have no idea), but they are mostly flavorless and provide the soup with some substance. Dovga is normally served cold in a cup or small bowl and one can drink it, although I like stuffing it full of bread and letting it soak in. Our host mother makes an awesome Dovga, and that may account for our liking it so much.

Piti/Bozbash
These are two dishes that are extremely common in the day-to-day life of an Azeri. I am not exactly sure how it is made, but I will give it a shot. First they fill a pot with water then throw in a half kilo of the fattiest mutton you can find. Add quartered potatoes and boil all day to extract all the fat from the meat to soak into the potatoes. Now here comes the variation: Garbanzo Beans! In Piti, you add beans to the mix, while in Bozbash you just leave it be. I have eaten by far more Bozbash in my time here than Piti, in fact I have eaten so much bozbash in my time here that since we’ve moved out on our own and started cooking our own food, that I’ve actually come to miss it. At least for a minute or two.

Borsch
This is another soup, which is normally made in the winter. It’s a great hearty soup that is perfect for warming you up on those cold winter days. From what I can tell its base is beets and cabbage. Along with the beets and cabbage are onions, carrots, potatoes and mysterious seasonings. I think most people are fond of this soup, even our site mate Cindy is learning how to cook it!

Levenge
This dish I’ve heard all about, but never had the chance to experience it. This is because it primarily comes from a region in the south of Azerbaijan, around Lankaran. Essentially it is a whole chicken that is stuffed with nuts and other things then baked in a wood oven. I’ve heard it is especially delicious and I look forward to trying it soon.

Kete/Qutab
Kete and Qutab are made the same way, just with different things inside. First you must make a lavash round (kind of like a tortilla). This is done usually on a dome-shaped piece of metal balanced over a fire. You then fill the tortilla with filling, depending on what you are making. For Qutab it’s meat and for Kete it’s the mystery greens. The greens look like spinach, but are a bit more acidic. There also might be some parsley, coriander or green onions. After filling the lavash, fold it in half, cover it in butter or oil and throw it back on the grill to warm everything up. I suppose it’s kind of like an Azeri Quesadilla without the cheese. While they are pretty good, it’s hard to eat more than one due to the amount of grease.

During Novruz, the spring celebration holiday that was this past week, there was a city-wide celebration in the center of town. During the celebration every school in the city set up a little area and commenced cooking copious amounts of Kete. Of course since we are the main attraction wherever we go, we were bombarded with offers of free Kete. We managed to get away with only a few handfuls (and a couple pocketfuls) of Kete, sweets and fruit.

Hash
BOM BOM BOMMMM!! (Ominous music booms). This is the most “unique” dish in Azerbaijan. The one you see on the Travel Channel and immediately say to your spouse “Hey I heard there was a fascinating special on Sub-Particle Quantum Physics on PBS today, let’s watch that instead!” Yes friends and family, this is the cow-head stew. First you must buy an entire cow head. Horns and all. Then, you take a blowtorch to it and burn off all the hair. Next, put the head into a pot and boil overnight. The next morning, get up early and nush! Traditionally this is served with vodka, I can only presume to get the taste out of your mouth after eating it. I have only had the leg-and-hoof variety of Hash, but our site mate Nate has eaten head Hash and said that the taste most closely resembled what cows smell like. You know, when you are driving past a dairy farm and you smell that smell? That’s how it tastes. What a way to start your morning!!

Tendir Bread
Now, if you haven’t realized already, bread is an all-important part of any meal here in Azerbaijan. It should be at every meal and make sure to have plenty of it! We recently hosted a meal for some Azeri friends of ours and made biscuits, which we considered to be a bread substitute. Oh how we were wrong. They sent their son out to run to the store to fetch a loaf for the table. What egg on our face! However, not all bread is the same here. There are many different kinds, but by far the best is Tendir. This is made in a wood oven and from what I know they make the dough then slap it onto the side of a dome-shaped oven to cook. It is absolutely delicious, especially when it’s hot and fresh. So if you ever find yourself in an Azeri restaurant, be sure to request the Tendir bread.

“Nush Olsen”
This actually isn’t a food, but a saying. It translates into English as “Bon Appetit.” I find it funny that a word, when translated into English can only be approximated by a French word. Anyhow, this is said whenever food is presented or whenever a person enters a room where people are eating. I love this saying. In fact it is one of the things I think will be permanently replaced in my vocabulary. I’m not sure what it is about it, but there’s something particularly satisfying when you set a plate down in front of someone and exclaim “NUSH BABY!!!”

Pictures: 1. Cabbage and grape leaf Dolma, made by our host mother. 2. Lule Kebab at a local restaurant. 3. Ash made by our host mother. 4. Dovga made by our host mother. Not the best picture, but you get the idea. 5. Dushbara soup at a local restaurant. Not really piti or bozbash, but greasy enough to be honorary bozbash. 6. Borsch, not our picture. 7. This is actually our Thanksgiving turkey that we cooked up, since we have never actually had this dish. 8. Kete that was made by a friend of ours. The picture after that is Mike at the Novruz celebration with his share of the loot! 9. Hash (before picture) Again, not our picture. 10. So if you look closely, Bonnie is putting a candle on my Tendir bread for my birthday :) 11. Nush Baby!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Inflation

I think this is a very interesting image. It shows inflation changes from 2007. If you still aren't sure where we are, look for the little orange country right above Iran and to the left of the Caspian Sea. Then look at our fellow orange countries... Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Myanmar...


I'm not really allowed to give any political opinions on this blog since it's open to the public, but I thought I would share this.
Me and me fellow volunteers have been filling out living allowance surveys, hoping that our monthly stipend will refect the information on this map. For example, last year bread cost 20 qepik. Today it is between 30 and 40. That's a 50% increase! Can you imagine if you went to Safeway today and bread had increased 50%?
On another note, Peace Corps Volunteers in Ukraine are now getting their living allowance in Euros. That doesn't seem right for some reason.
Just something to think about...
-Carolyn