Salyan

 

Since the end of December, just as the new year was about to roll in, most universities in Azerbaijan went on winer break, which will last until the middle of February. As a teacher, I also get vacation time by default. One of the things we were asked to do during this vacation has been to visit American Corners in the regions, a request I was delighted oblige. It’s a great opportunity to really promote cultural exchange, my raison d’être in coming to Azerbaijan, and a chance to see Azerbaijan beyond Baku.

The first place we were sent to was Salyan, a town located about 2-hours south of Baku. To be honest, I was not expecting much of the visit and thought it would be 100% work- come in, talk to the kids, go home. I was pleasantly surprised.

We were greeted by one of the English teachers, who was very interested to know how our journey was. She took us to the American Corner, which is located in the town library. There we were greeted by a couple of really kind and welcoming young women, both of which were eager to get to know us and ask questions about the US. They were also very enthusiastic about learning English; one of the young ladies in particular was very keen on improving her skills and hopes to go the United States one day, a statement which I was really impressed by seeing as I am a great one for working and studying away from one’s home country.

After tea, the ladies took us on a tour of the town. Our first stop was one of the town’s old mosques; it was built several centuries ago, but recently had to be reconstructed due to structural damage. Next we visited the local Heydar Aliyev Center. I had been to the one in Baku, which is of course architecturally striking and has a really nice museum showcasing artifacts of Azeri culture. This one was quite different; it similarly had photos telling Mr. Aliyev’s story, but it also serves as a community center fully equipped with a computer lab, language center, library with books in at least 3 languages, a chess room, and an art studio. It’s good to know the government is investing in creating spaces for people in all parts of the country to develop themselves beyond the classroom.

My favorite part of the tour was the last one- the local art gallery. On our way there, incidentally, we ran into one of the famous local singer. “His name is Shahin, like Shakira.” One of our new friends joked. Anyway, we walked into this space full of locally painted works. The gallery owner, a famous painter in his own right, greeted us himself and showed us through the gallery. Here is one of his works:

 

It is a painting of Ismailly Rayon (a region of Azerbaijan). He is a very gifted painter, who in addition to running a gallery and creating art also teaches in the gallery studio.

The day commemorating the Khojaly Massacre is coming up in about a month, and in preparation for that the students painted on the subject:

While evidently the images are violent and unsettling, I appreciate the effort. Having worked for the Peacebuilding and the Arts program at Brandeis, I truly believe art can play a huge role in helping people deal with national trauma and conflict. It’s a medium of expression and expression is the first step of coping and moving on. I hope this serves a platform for people to confront their emotions about these awful events, pay respect to the dead, and find ways to to overcome the pain and make peace.

Upon the conclusion of our tour, we got lunch at the American Corner, which was prepared for us by our new friends. I never cease to be amazed at how kind and generous people here are.

Meeting the young students was also a lot of fun. My students in Baku are all in college, so of course they are in their late teens. These kids were ages 8-14 or so (a few were older) and I was not sure I’d be able to work with them, because I am not used to teaching children, but the meeting went swimmingly. It was the first time I faced a group of students who were not all over their iPhones the entire session. The kids were eager to play games, they were funny and cooperative, and they seemed to really enjoy all the activities we had prepared for them.

Overall, the visit was a great success. I cannot wait to check out ACs in other regions.

Further reading: 

• http://azerbaijanamericaalliance.org/Khojaly-Massacre

 

Shahdağ

5am. Sunday. My alarm goes off, to my dismay. It was time to get up and get going.

The gas in my apartment was out so my apartment was frozen, so I rolled out of bed and quickly wore the warmest cloths I could find. I packed some vegetables I had left, and skiddadled to meet my friends at the appointed meeting spot.

About 12 of us rendezvoused and hopped on a small bus in the cold, dark morning ready to set off on a 3-hour drive to Shahdağ. Shahdağ is Azeri for “king mountain”, and is a skiing resort in the northern part of Azerbaijan.

For clarification, I do not ski. I tried once, about a decade ago, failed miserably and decided it was not for me. Why did I go, then? Baku, like any big city, can be tiring. Getting away to a place with fresh air is an opportunity to relax, see something new, and have some fun with friends.

Having decided to wash my hair and blow dry it until 1am the night before, I spent most of the ride up to Shahdağ sleeping. Once we got there, I settled down at the cafe, ordered some hot coco, and spent the day with the other non-skiiers in my group of friends. Of course we did not spent the whole entire day sitting inside; we also went up on the lift to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular, and playing around in the snow was fun. It was reminiscent of home, as Boston is often covered in snow during the winter months.

 

All in all, I had a great day and I cannot wait for the next adventure!

Jazzerbaijan

In the beginning of the week, a friend invited to go to a jazz concert. Since I have little to do with my free time other than read al-Jazeera in Arabic and I’m an extrovert and therefore cannot stand to be alone, I agreed. To be perfectly honest I have never been hugely into jazz; I have a Rahsaan Roland Kirk album on my iTunes that someone recommended and I like it okay, but other than that I really don’t know too much about the genre. Thus, I was not sure what to expect.

The concert hall, which called the Mugam Center, is a really beautiful venue. It is located on the shore of the Caspian sea, on what is called “Boulvar”, across from the Four Seasons. This is one of the most modernized and beautiful parts of Baku. Already, being there was a treat.

The concert was also really good. The introduction was in Azeri so I don’t actually know what was said, but I heard the words “America” and “New York” after the artists’ names so I’m guessing one or all of them were trained in the States. And they are excellent. The set was fun, touching, and inventive. The group fused elements from traditional Azeri music, called Mugham, with jazz which I thought was very cool. They also performed a jazz rendition of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky that I liked a lot.

Overall it was a really nice concert with impressive young artists. I definitely plan to make an effort to see more.

20 Yanvar

Today, January 20th, marks a day of mourning- Black January (or Qara Yanvar in Azeri)- in Azerbaijan. While most businesses remain open, many people got the day off and symbols of grief were spread out throughout Baku. In the metro, for example, red carnations with black ribbons were hanging everywhere and sad music was playing the background.

So what happened on Jan. 20th?

The year was 1990. The USSR was crumbling, and the nations under its occupation were gradually seeking independence. Azerbaijan, which had been under the Soviet thumb for some 70 years was among those nations trying to achieve freedom. Matters reached a boiling point when the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR tried to legally annex Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that remains under dispute today (see my article about NK for more details about that). Azeris took to the streets in early January, demanding sovereignty and separation from the USSR. The protests lasted for several weeks, until the central authorities in Moscow dispatched military and KGB units to Baku.

On the night of Jan. 19th, close to midnight, the Russian armed forces attacked the Azeri protestors. The unarmed Azeri civilians were crushed by tanks and fired at with guns; the bloodshed lasted for three days and according to this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1477933.stm) BBC report, led to nearly 140 deaths and between 700-800 injuries.

Thus, today Azerbaijan remembers its fallen brethren, who died fighting for liberty.

This year, Qara Yanvar coincides with MLK Day in the United States. As Azeris commemorate the sacrifice of those protesters who stood up for independence, we Americans remember a man who became the symbol of fighting for justice. Both leave us with an important legacy: nothing come for free in this world. If we want to change things, to move forward, we have to constantly toil and strive for better. In the words of the great Martin Luther King, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”

May all those who gave up everything in the fight for justice rest in peace, and may we all learn the important lessons they taught us not with hatred or animosity, but with a desire to move forward and improve the world by means of peace and through love for all of humanity.

Veggie Time

In some ways, being a vegetarian in Azerbaijan sucks  because many local recipes are use meat. Basically all the local meat dishes I’ve seen look delicious (and based on the fact that the non-meat stuff is, I’m assuming I’m right), and I cannot enjoy them. Not only am I missing out on good food, I’m also missing out on a cultural experience (though I have tried dolma once, for the sake of cultural participation, and I liked it a lot).

But where there is darkness there is also light: the vegetables in Azerbaijan are not only cheap but also fresh and tasty. Azerbaijan is known for the high quality of its produce, and not without cause. Really, they are very, very good. When Ambassador Morningstar came to my university (ASUE) he made note of the as well, and said Azerbaijan should export its produce because it is THAT good. I could not agree more.

It is such a treat for me to have access to produce that is organic, tasty, and reasonably priced. In the US organic produce is pretty expensive, in fact even regular produce is fairly pricey. I’ll never forget the first time I went food shopping in DC- my cart was full of fruits and vegetables, and maybe some milk and eggs, and my tab reached almost $80. Here I can by my weekly intake of veggies for about 15AZN (roughly $20).

Thus, although I cannot enjoy meat I have found myself experimenting a lot with all sorts of vegetables. I am currently obsessed with beets and take every opportunity to use them in my cooking. I have experienced a lot of success, too. Before coming here I was a mediocre cook at best, and now I van make some mean dishes.

For you veggie lovers out there, here a couple of recommendations:

1. Pinto Bean Salad:

– Cook pinto beans in water with minced garlic and salt

– Cut up red bell pepper, cucumbers, and radish

-Toss together with lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper

2. Beets with Onions: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beets-with-Onion-and-Cumin/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

There are many, many more ideas out there, this a mere sample.

And the best part? All are 100% good for you.

Homecoming

Istanbul is a glorious city. There is stunning architecture, great food, tons of culture; it’s cosmopolitan and “authentic” (I hate this word, but can’t think of another one at the moment) at the same time. 

I had a lot of amazing moments there, the chief being my emotional visit to Sultanahmet Mosque. When I first started college I wanted to be a lawyer; I was hell-bent on going in, getting top grades, and going to some fancy law school. But then in my second semester I took a course about Islamic art and architecture. I needed to fulfill my creative arts requirement and it seemed like a good option on account of my Moroccan heritage. It was love at first sight. Not only was it a great class because of the structure, the reading, and the awesome lectures, but also because it went beyond the task of talking about art. The discussion of architecture was a tool through which we talked about the history of Islam, political development in the Islamic world, and how this world intersected with the West. Thus, the class provided me with a lens through which I could understand the current troubled relationship between the two worlds that I partially part of. This understanding led me down a new path: I wanted to better understand the Islamic world and work on bridging the gaps between it and the so-called West. It was a raw and perhaps naive interest, and today my view on this issue is far more nuanced (though the desire to work in the Middle East/North Africa/Central Asia) has not subsided. Of course the great mosques of Turkey were part of the course, and visiting one of them at last was a really meaningful experience. 

I also loved the hamam experience. I had already visited on in Morocco, which was also fantastic. I love having this all-women’s space where there is no body-shaming, judgement, or invasion of one’s personal world. It’s a place where women can relax, rejuvenate, and feel secure. Of course the awesome spa experience added to positive vibe. 

Overall, my Turkey trip was a success. And then I came back to Baku and… I felt at home. I miss Turkey, but coming back felt right. In fact, when I went to my office when I got back and received a warm welcome from everyone. It felt really nice to have my colleagues welcome me back into the fold like family; they said they missed me and honestly I missed them, too. In that moment, it became clear to me that I have found more than a host country in Azerbaijan, I found another home. I have problems here, sure. But maybe that’s precisely what makes this place even more like my home: I care enough to pay attention, to take issue with thing. I feel comfortable enough to love and criticize at the same time (much like I do back home in the States). 

So really my travels have been very meaningful and helped clear things up. I am happy to back and excited for a whole new semester with new classes, travels to the regions, and (inshalla) moving forward with my research. 

New Year’s Extravaganza

It started with a short cab ride from my place to the downtown metro station, Sahil, where I met up with one of my fellow Americans. We continued on a small tour of the city to collect a couple of our friends and then hopped on a taxi to get to the bus station.

Unfortunately we did not account for the immense amount of traffic on the road and we spent a good long while driving. In fact, we got nervous that might miss the bus (I for one was not so nervous, because I assumed the bus would leave late anyway). Finally, we got to the station and handed the driver the 6AZN agreed upon beforehand but then he went crazy mad and yelled at us that we needed to give more because of all the traffic. To make his point, looney driver guy held my suitcase hostage and refused to give it back until we coughed up some extra manats. After settling that issue, we reached the bus and the rest of our friends at last. Of course I was right and the bus left 45 minutes after its scheduled time, but no big deal.

Being on a bus for 7 hours straight was not the best experience, but it was a fun ride. There’s nothing like a road trip with friends, though. And since it was pretty late I managed to sleep through most of it.

We reached the border at around 7am, it was still dark out. The bus driver told us to get our things and get off to cross, and added “I hope there are no wolves”- I’m still not sure if he was joking or not.

Standing in line at the Azeri crossing was pretty much a nightmare. We stood around for a long time, people were pushing and shoving from every direction… it was crazy. Things were even heavier at the Georgian border with hundreds of people trying to cross to spend New Year’s in Tbilisi. It was definitely an experience.

We survived border-gate, only to stand outside in the freezing morning cold and wait for our bus to get there and take us the rest of the way to Tbilisi. We were waiting for a while when we finally realized that the bus driver had no intention of going to Tbilisi, but planned to turn right back around and go to Baku to save himself the the time and cost us extra money. Luckily a few of group members were Azeri speakers so they got him to fulfill his contract, but of course that had to be an ordeal as well. It’s pretty wacky how to travel in this region, because of the way things work (or rather don’t work). It’s especially frustrating to deal with when you have barely gotten any real sleep and your body is aching from being cramped in a tiny bus seat. But that’s all part of the adventure, and now when I think back to it I laugh.

Besides, we made it to Tbilisi in about an hour so all’s well that ends well.

As soon as we got to our apartment, we changed and went off to explore. I have never been to Tbilisi before so it was a really hie experience. It’s quite a quaint city, and the air there feels more fresh and crisp than in crowded, construction-filled Baku. It was especially nice to walk around outside after spending so many hours in a stuffy bus.

 

We got some delicious Georgian food, like khachapuri and khinkali, which was extra amazing because I was starved. Generally Georgian food is pretty awesome, I highly recommend it.

After a big old lunch we went for some more exploring around the old city and saw some sights like Abanotubani and Sioni Church. I was particularly interested in Abanotubani because the facade reminds me of the Meydan in Isfahan, which I studied about in a course about Islamic art in my first year at Brandeis. Point of fact, this was the class that made me fall in love with Middle Eastern studies so seeing things like that always brings back fond memories and makes me happy.

 

New Year’s Eve in Georgia was fantastic. We were running late so we ran down the street to one of the bridges where we planned to watch the fireworks. It was beautiful; the colorful and abundant fireworks filled the night sky and reflected in the water. A good start for 2014. After the fireworks we went on the funicular to see the gorgeous view of the city.

For the way back we were thankfully able to catch the train, which meant not having to deal with the border hassle and having more space to move about. It did take a really long time though, and the train is literally as hot as hell. So after a 20-hour ride we were back in familiar old Baku. Home sweet home… more or less.

I came back to the unpleasant surprise of not having any hot water or heat (they are still out and going to be for a while, lucky me). After 20 hours in a train though I was going to take a shower one way or another, so frozen water it was. Not my brightest idea, I must confess.

Anyway, after that whole mess I was invited to a dinner party by one of my colleagues. It was really nice. I was exhausted from the train and semi out of it, but the dinner was a lot of fun. In the typical Azeri fashion, the hosts were extremely gracious and generous, offering unending amounts of delicious food and tending on the guests’ every need. Did I mention the food was amazing? Because it was. I especially liked the plov, a rice dish which you eat with varying toppings. In this case the sauce was this thing with onions and chestnuts, which I loved. The deserts were also spectacular. Most importantly everyone was extremely nice and inclusive, I got to talk to a lot of cool people and everyone was genuinely interested in getting to know each other.

Funny stories, crazy adventure, delicious food, and most importantly good company: all in all I got to welcome 2014 in a really fantastic way.