home...

Sitting on the porch swing with my family, while my nieces and nephew catch lightning bugs, makes me so happy. It is so good to be back in the US-- eating steaks and pork chops off the grill. I can't tell you how many mornings I have woken up ready to enjoy my cup of coffee on the porch or ready to start my day by doing the chores (taking care of the horses). It is such a good feeling to be home.

I am still keeping busy, especially with my nieces and nephew around, but it is an enjoyable busy. AND, I am documenting every moment-- pictures of the horses, the landscape, flowers, the kids, the dogs and cats, family escapades, water parks, beaches, picnics, water games in the yard, farm visits, fishing frogs out of the pond, and the rain. All of this in only a week!

When my computer returns from its visit to the "doctor" I will upload some photos, but for now.. this is my nephew and I with the neighbor's starter calf.


I am off to PA this coming weekend (for the 4th) and then on to NY for a week of working on my land and camping!! SOOOOO glad to be home! I love the summer!

airports...

So Rauf got me to the airport with plenty of time to spare-- so I had time to get lost and make a new friend. I made it through the first security checkpoint and the passport checkpoint without a problems, but then I don't know what happened. While checking in the man behind the desk told me that my bag was too heavy-- I hate repacking while a line waits-- it was a rather quick exchange of some books into another suitcase, but still. Then he checked my bags and I was to be on my way-- but which way? When in doubt follow the crowd-- because for some reason when you need assistance all of the workers aren't anywhere around. Needless to say, I made my way (and mind you the airport is NOT big) to what I thought was the gate check. I waited there for about 20 minutes because it was closed off (the security guards were behind the "tape" talking). Jeffrey came sauntering by and we chatted for a little bit and then went to get coffee. This is the point that my new friend (the BMI desk man) started really assisting me- he called to me after allowing the pilot and flight crew through the security checkpoint and told me that I needed to enter on the other side of the big round cement thing-- duh! At this point I wasn't as much of an idiot as later in the morning!

So, I make my way to the checkpoint and think -- "Ah, I can do this." -- recalling the procedures I followed when leaving in December. My carry-on, laptop, shoes, etc... make the trek through the machine and I step up to the big tube (remembering that I had to raise my arms and face the machine). I entered the tube, put my feet in the right direction, hands are raised, and nothing happens. I look to my left and the "checker" is chuckling a bit and waves me through the tube! Guess I didn't have to follow the only signs I understood! Ughh!! I quickly gathered my things, sat down at the gate that was printed on my ticket, and put my headphones on. About 10 minutes later, just as I was recovering from the mornings idiocies-- my friend peaks his head around the corner and say, "Come onto this side. Plane leave from this gate." AHHH-- at this point I just wanted to get onto the plane!

I am now in London-- and I believe that my issues have been resolved -- probably because I am paying attention and the signs are in English! I am here for another 2 hours-- hopefully without any incidents....

DID I MENTION THAT I AM HAPPY TO BE ON MY WAY TO THE STATES-- I HAVE ALREADY STARTED SHOPPING AT THE STORES IN THE AIRPORT (IN LONDON OF COURSE).

enjoying some time off...

Thursday night was cooking night -- SUSHI! It was another successful and delicious meal. Chef's sister was the only one that had rolled sushi before-- so thankfully she took charge of that sector. We had tempura, sushi rolls, teryaki brocoli and chicken, and a soup (that was supposed to be miso soup-- but there were some improvisions).


Friday morning I met Laiza and Olga for coffee-- our plan was to enjoy some coffee and then walk downtown to shop a bit. Unfortunately, my day didn't start out quite as planned, the bus I took had changed its route-- and I was unaware of this fact, until I was quite far from my destination. I ended up having to take a taxi- and explaining where Baku Roasting Company is wasn't the easiest thing to do-- thank goodness for Olga. After coffee we did enjoy the walk to old city. We shopped a little and learned a lot about some of the historical pieces that you can find in the carpet shops. I didn't buy anything-- but I really wanted the hat!


While we were wandering the pray call sounded-- and I tried to video it because I don't hear it often on my side of town. ** click on the picture to hear the video.


Saturday morning was the last round of frisbee for Irina and myself-- and it was so windy that we had to play inside. I am going to miss the routine Ultimate matches and lunches afterwards this summer.

Later in the evening Dave and Alecia hosted a celebration on their rooftop. It was a beautiful night-- a bit chilly but being there made me really want to have a place closer to the city. We had a huge game of Catch Phrase going-- where we discovered the true "weakest link"!

wandering around...

after i was checked out of school on Thursday, Hayyam took me on another city adventure/tour. he was originally going to take me to some shops that had some Azerbaijan souvenirs, but instead we visited many random and different shops nestled into little crooks and crannies of the city.

we started out taking the bus from school to Ganglik, and from there we made our way to the 28 May area. even with Hayyim's insistence, I refused to take all of his "short-cuts". the first was one where we would have had to climb and then walk along a stonewall, but Hayyam didn't know where exactly it took us. i vetoed that one instantly, even though i had my camera and could have documented the whole thing. we did take a off the trek sort of "short-cut" onto tracks that used to carry a train for kids. the train used to run from the zoo to McDonald's-- what a treat for the kids! it wasn't a very scenic route because of the garbage that has made its way into the trees/wooded area. Hayyam said he wouldn't take his son on the train if it was working because it is too dirty-- and i am assuming many other parents feel the same way. in this respect the culture of throwing trash out the window of a car, or throwing your family's trash bags on the side of the road, and just the laxed attitude that "someone else can pick up after me" attitude boggles my mind. either way it the train route wouldn't be an ideal picnic spot for a family of humans-- but the chickens, stray dogs, and cats were all enjoying the various scraps they were digging out of the bags.

we made it back onto a road that led us through various buildings and mini shops. one of the shops was a chorek (bread) shop. Hayyam wanted me to see how Tandir bread was made, so we went in and asked woman baking if i could take some pictures. it was truly the neatest thing to watch. the bread is made inside a mud packed oven that has obviously hardened and turned into a a kiln of sorts because of the heat. the one the woman was using was gas, but Hayyam said that wood oven are still used and that the bread is baked inside of those is the best.

when the dough was ready she spread it a bit and then stuck it to the inside wall of the oven to bake. it was so great-- we didn't stay to see what happens when the bread is done baking, but i assume it falls from the wall and is then scooped up and sent to the various markets or shops. i want to go back and watch the process from start to finish sometime.

our tour lead us to a Mosque that has been closed due to a bomb or grenade threat-- i don't really know the whole story, just that the Mosque is still closed because of the incident. it sits on a hill and is quite majestic at the right angle. we circled up to the top of the hill and walked near the entrance-- it was beautiful. down the hill a bit there were shops and alley ways that led to homes within the buildings. a couple women were outside with big buckets/tins and a hose (the Azeri hose without a nozzle) cleaning wool. we stopped to watch what they were doing because i was intrigued me, especially after Hayyam explained that they were cleaning out their mattresses. the wool (stuffing) was being dumped out of the bed made from material sewed together. it was then washed and hung in the alley way to dry. very interesting.

when we finally made it to the 28 May area, we decided to take the metro to the old city and wander around there for a little while. while in the old city we stopped at a few carpet and scarf shops-- where Hayyam encouraged the shopkeepers by telling them that i wanted to try things on-- and then he of course laughed while i cordially tried on a billion different things that i was not interested in buying. though in retrospect it was fun.

we had a good, but tiring day of walking around for 4 hours. Hayyam finally admitted that he was going to miss Emily and i this summer-- of course he is, who is he going to pick on while we are gone!??!!

end of the year fun

yesterday the kids in my reading class were able to turn in their book counts for water-balloons-- balloons that they were able to throw at me. it wasn't the best of weather conditions to be wet and outside, but we still had a blast-- and all of us got wet.


after the water-balloons, some of the kids had their end of the year water party. they were wild-- and having way too much fun! :)

chai, "magic", random events, and graduation

chai
this past week i was finishing a short novel with some of my students-- and they were required to follow the instructions set forth in the book (trying to be a perfect person in three days). we had a good time laughing at the ridiculous things they had to do-- wear a stalk of broccoli for 24 hours, not eat for 24 hours, and finally doing NOTHING. of course, i adjusted their requirements a bit (a picture of broccoli, not eating snacks in between meals and no sweet drinks), so that parents didn't think i was completely out of my mind.

so we made it to the final challenge-- doing nothing-- on Friday. the students were supposed to literally do NOTHING. however, the book's instructions did allow them to drink weak tea and go to the bathroom, but that was it! this was quite the challenge for a couple of the students-- they wanted to give up before they even began, but they didn't . i was quite impressed by the fact that two students lasted 20 minutes and the third lasted 40 minutes. the funniest part about the whole final challenge was that the chai (tea) was actually something that they liked. the intention of the author was to make kids drink something they didn't enjoy-- and for most American children, tea isn't a choice drink!


"magic"
the little ones were reading a story about OOBLECK this week-- so i made some for them to play with. the first day i stirred the mixture like the magicians in the story, so the kids immediately thought that we were making magic. therefore, the OOBLECK became known as "magic". the faces they made while playing with the concoction were priceless.


random events
in homeroom, i thought it would be fun to have a relay race (passing an orange from one teammate to another teammate without using hands). unfortunately i was correct in assuming that 10 and 11 year olds would be able to do this activity. one of my students said, "I never want to get that close to a boy's face! Anyway, my father would not allow it." i had to laugh and make adjustments....

we have assemblies every Friday to celebrate student success and show off the learning that has been taking place. i am always amaze at how excited the students are to be rewarded-- they sprint up to the stage and are grinning from ear to ear. so cute. this week we had some performances from the foreign language classes-- i didn't understand what they were singing though. :)

graduation
the four seniors are officially done and have said goodbye to BIS. it was a beautiful graduation ceremony with the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan speaking, among a few others. Farhad and Keisuke spoke on behalf of the class (of four)-- it was a sweet walk down memory lane and a heartfelt thank you to all that had touched their lives. it is hard to imagine BIS without those strong-willed, loud, good humored kids. i am sad just thinking about it.

our "CLUB" is now missing the "A".

Triathlon... note to self...

This past Saturday and Sunday was the 5th annual Baku Bicycle Club Sprint Triathlon, and yes I partook in the events. My team, Emily and Patsy, did fabulous! Emily swam 500 meters, I rode the bike about 12 miles, and Patsy ran about 3 miles. Sounds easy... but "note to self"... training for such an event will likely increase the amount of pleasure you get out of it!

Emily swam on Saturday, after not being in the pool for almost 2 years. She did super though-- I was so proud! 7 min. 52 sec. -- the fastest woman's time (I believe). She was like a seal gliding through the water with ease. I would have drowned on the third length, but not Emily! 20 lengths, under 8 minutes, without training--- FABULOUS! However, what I didn't realize is that by having her place so high... I would be at the front of the pack of bicyclists! UGHHH!!

Click on the picture to watch the finish...


Sunday morning arrived before I wanted it to-- and the weather was not so inviting. It was windy and cloudy. Actually windy isn't the right term... we had hurricane force winds... well maybe that is a bit too strong of a description, but trees were definitely bending! Anyway, Emily and I had a plan... we were going to catch the dreaded 203 bus and make it out to Stone Pay-- our ideas never work, either that or bus 203 just doesn't like us! We got on the bus with zero problems, but yet again it turned in the wrong direction-- so much for our plan. We ended up getting off the bus, walking a bit, and then catching a taxi. All worked out though.

Patsy met us with the bike I was to ride and asked if I wanted to take a practice lap (to know the course). I am glad that I didn't take that lap because I don't think I would have gotten back on to do the 12 laps that were yet to come! I knew that not training, the wind, riding a new bike, and the running of the mouth were not good combinations-- and that the race would be ugly for me-- but I didn't realize that I would feel like I had done 5 laps after completing only 1. It was exhausting. Fighting the wind, uphill, staying as low as possible so that I wasn't blown off the bike... was extremely unpleasant. After Dave lapped me, for the third time, I really truly thought I would never finish the 12 laps. Whether the cheering squad knew it or not... they were a big help.. they are the ones that kept me on the bike-- angry face and all!

Click on the picture to see the best part of the course.....


Patsy was off in a flash... I am not even sure that I crossed into the gates (after my hour long "leisure" ride) before she was off and running. The runners were doing the same course, but in the opposite direction. Unlike me though, she ran with a smile on her face.


I am not sure where or how our team placed, all I know is that we finished. It just felt great to say we had done it. The other Evil Eyes finished as well-- Dave took the third place trophy for the men (individual competitors) and Amy, Jess, and Sara came through the gates leaving the windy track behind them!

After everything was all said and done, we went into TISA (to escape the wind) and enjoyed an indoor picnic. We had quite a wonderful cheering section rooting us all on every step of the way... so it was terrific to be able to sit down and enjoy the accomplishments of the day with good company.


Big note to SELF: TRAIN for the next big event, and be sure to smile while passing the "cheerleaders"!

Cooking Night and Book Club

Baku is warming up.. and the nights are beautiful.

We had another fabulous meal for the weekly "cook club"-- Mexican, homemade tortillas and all! It has been a long time since I have had Mexican food-- and it was FANTABULOUS! Chef did it again-- with the help if Jess and Karin! We even had spiced hot chocolate for dessert-- very spicy, very delicious, very good end to an already great evening.


Book club met on Friday at The Brewery. I got a little ahead of myself-- and wanted to wish Amy an early Happy Birthday--- hence the fantastic party hats! It was another super night with the girls-- and we even discussed a few magazines and books! Not too bad for this book club. :)

5 fingers-- Besh Barmaq

We took the 10-14 year old students on a field trip last week-- to Besh Barmaq, which means five fingers. It is about an hour or so outside of Baku... and then you drive up the side of the mountain (another 15 minutes or so in buses). It is really beautiful terrain.


When we reached the point at which we could drive no further-- we learned, from the men with the horses and the little trinkets that were being sold, that all of the women had to cover their heads and shoulders. It was a hot day, and the none of us realized this from the start, so we had to use sweatshirts that we had (thankfully) brought. It made for a long, hot climb up the 693 steps (Laiza counted for us-- she is crazy).


The steps weren't all "easy" like the ones shown above-- they progressively got more narrow, stepper, and some were even a part of the iron ladders that needed to be climbed. It was definitely a trip for older students. However, on the way up we saw many older women (I mean older!) making their way to the top to pray. It was amazing.

We also made our way through lines of men and women begging along the steps, boulders, and "tunnels". Some of the students speak Azeri and said that they were saying things that make others feel guilty -- and the students felt like they had to give money. It was hard to pass all of them by without taking note of the conditions in which they are "working" and maybe even living. One area even had a gravestone -- the girl was 16 when she died and her grave is located 3 quarters of the way up Besh Barmaq-- women were using the shade of the area and the hole in the back part of the boulder to store their belongings. It was very interesting-- and so sad.


When we all reached the top-- we were met with a "fan club". Suddenly we were all celebrities because we were such a multi-cultural bunch. A few boys were obsessed with taking photos, a man insisted upon having a few people talk in English to his wife (on the phone), and we (meaning our school) was asked to "sponsor" or help fund the Besh Barmaq area. It was quite comical really, 18 of us scrunched on a landing, at the top of a mountain, getting photographed (or rather being asked to get photographed).

While inside the "house" at the top-- which was a place of prayer. I learned a bit more about Besh Barmaq. According to one of the men in the "house", the rock being covered by the white enclosure is the meeting point of two prophets-- or rather their spirits. It is said that if you make the pilgrimage on Friday the spirits may appear, to those that believe in Allah, and grant a wish. We were told that everyone was welcome, but only Muslim believers would receive their wishes from the spirits. However, on the way back down the mountain a heated discussion about this took place-- which left me thinking that each person that visits that site will believe what they would like and take from it what they want. There were candles burning between boulders, prayer cloths/rags hanging from various trees, and many stones that have been smoothed by so many hands making gentle touches, making it hard to determine exactly what religious influences or how many religious influences were present.

The bottom of Besh Barmaq didn't quite represent a place of holiness or sacred ground-- it was littered with trash and innards of sheep or something very similar. It was actually quite sad to see such a beautiful place not taken care of-- by the visitors, people making the pilgrimage, or the men and women asking for money along the way up the mountainside. We were all a bit turned off by the area below that we decided to find a picnic spot elsewhere. This didn't quite work out because the countryside wasn't safe-- according to Hayyam (Khayyam or Xayyam)-- too many snakes. Upon a bit of insistence, he checked out a spot and as he took his second step into the grass, he quickly retreated to the bus saying there was a snake. I didn't see it-- and he didn't get a picture-- so we are still wondering about this little piece of information. :) We did find a chai house that had tables, so we picnicked there.

It was a good day. I enjoyed being away from the city-- yet again-- and look forward to more excursions and explorations.