A TRENDy Life

A few weeks ago a US Embassy staff member got in touch with me and asked if I was willing to work with some journalists to help improve their English. I didn’t know exactly what that would entail, but the idea of working with journalists sounded awesome, so I immediately said yes. I knew it would be super interesting to meet members of the Azerbaijani media and learn about their work, how they write, and what they are interested in. Generally meeting a new professional class sounded like a cool opportunity. 

What the assignment entails in actuality is working with two different news companies. With one of them, TREND News Agency, a media outlet which focuses mostly on economic news. TREND is also the only privately-owned newspaper in Azerbaijan. 

The journalists I work with there have an amazing level of English, which I was deeply impressed by. Moreover, it meant that my work with them would focus on developing their writing style and having discussions about advanced topics, which is really exciting for me as a teacher. Recently, for example, we debated Conchita Wurst’s role in the West vs. Russia dynamic. 

In addition to working with the staff on their English, I also get to do editing, which is really cool. Since my first internship, at B’Tselem (an Israeli human rights NGO), I have worked on writing, editing, social media, and other communications-related tasks so I find this kind of work very satisfying and enjoyable. In fact, upon my return to the US I hope to find a job in this field, so having this kind of experience is a huge privilege. Finally, I even got to publish an analytical piece of my own in the magazine! For a young professional in IR/Middle Eastern affairs, I felt incredibly honored to have such an opportunity. If you are curious about my piece, please follow this link: http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/azerbaijan/2275611.html 

All in all, I love working at TREND. It added a whole new, fascinating, and fun dimension to my time in Azerbaijan. Not only am I doing stuff I love to do- teaching, writing, and editing- I also have an insider look into Azerbaijan’s media and I am blown away by the high level of professionalism and integrity. I know they will accomplish great things, and I am so honored to contribute, even a tiny bit, to this amazing organization. 

#Parksareforpicnics

It’s been a long while since I’ve updated this blog; I’ve been very busy over the past couple of weeks with new courses to teach, job applications, and end of the year events… not to mention spending what little time I have left in Baku with my awesome friends.

But a lot has happened and I want to share it all with you, dear friends, family, and others back home who are reading this.

The first story I feel I have to post about is my first Baku picnic. I am huge fan of picnics and in general lounging about, basking in the sun on a warm spring day. Since Baku is full of milli (national) parks, I thought it would be an excellent idea to throw a picnic for my friends.

On of my close friends and I decided on a park called Dede Qorqud, a lavish new park close to the city center. We set the date for Easter, a Facebook event was created, and the rest is history.

So we get to the park, a bunch of us meet up and choose a patch of grass to sit on, foolishly assuming grass is for sitting. After about 20 minutes, most of the group was already there, an elderly woman working for the park authorities came to yell at us. We ignored her, but then another woman came and again scolded us for having the audacity to sit on the grass.

“Why can’t we sit here?” One of the Azerbaijani speakers asked her.

“No one else is sitting.”

“So?”

“This grass is not like the grass in America, or Europe. It’s not good for sitting.”

After some arguing, she left us be.

We sat on blankets, ate snacks, sang songs as one of my friends played the guitar, and enjoyed a relaxing day in the sun. That is until the park lady decided she had enough of our shenanigans and turned on the sprinklers to make us leave.

But we did not relent, not entirely, anyway. We resolved that parks are for picnics, not just for looking pretty. So we moved our picnic to the concrete floor near the artificial lake (the “lake” is more of a swimming pool). We continued singing and chatting, thus proving that parks are indeed for picnics.

As it later turned out, being splashed is an Easter tradition (at least in the Czech Republic and E. Europe), so even the sprinkler incident was for the best. Overall, it was an unforgettable day. And ever since I have been the self proclaimed president of the Baku Picnic Club.