Waite, Azerbaijan?

ABLE 2010 - The Movie

2010-08-09T11:18:00.003+05:00

At the end of July the US Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) in conjunction with the Returned Future Leaders Exchange Program (RFLEX) put on a week long camp called the Azerbaijan Boys Leadership Experience (ABLE) 2010. We invited over 45 high school boys from all over Azerbaijan to come and learn about Leadership, Teamwork, Creativity, Gender Roles, Volunteerism and Project Planning along with learning new fun games like American Football, Capture the Flag and Ultimate Frisbee. After the camp is over, the boys are expected to teamup with themselves and their local PCV to implement local community projects, such as teaching other students about ABLE, doing a trash cleanup, or conducting a fundraiser to help needy families among many other projects.

This is the first year I attended ABLE and I have to say it was the funnest week I have had yet as a PCV and a smashing success. I cannot wait until ABLE 2011. Below is a short video/slideshow showing what we did at ABLE 2010.

Talysh Sock Store

2010-07-15T21:34:00.000+05:00

We just launched a brand new Talysh Sock Stores with Google Checkout so all major credit cards are accepted. Talysh Socks come from the Talysh Mountains in the southern part of Azerbaijan. These are colorful, heavy wool, hand made socks. There is hardly anything better at keeping your feet warm and they make excellent presents. Also by buying these socks you are supporting the local community as 100% of our profits go to local community projects. So head on over to the Talysh Sock Store and check it out.

Phone Company FAIL

2010-06-19T22:49:00.000+05:00

Yesterday the phone lines in the street fell down, or as the I was told, the power line burnt through the phone line. Anyhow no phone line means no Internet, so it immediately became a priority for me. I called my contacts (via cell phone) and they in turned called the phone company. We were told the workers where done for the day so we would have to wait until tomorrow (lets keep in mind this is effecting everyone on my street not just me). Well the next day the phone people came out, but we were told they didn't have any cable... We could pay them money today for them to buy the cable to put in the street or else wait until Tuesday when they would have time to get more. This prompt more calls. Later in the afternoon they came back and actually fixed the line. However when they were finished they told us we had to pay them for their time, taxi rides and their lunch... and this if for a problem in the street, which is their fault and their property, for a service I am already paying for. After a few more calls, they decided to leave me alone and not ask for any more money. Oh the joys of living in a developing country and the excellent and timely customer service.

AZ8 Spotted In The Wild

2010-06-19T22:38:00.000+05:00

The first AZ8 (the next group of Peace Corps Volunteers coming to Azerbaijan in October) has been spotted in the wild, he has a blog called Neither East nor West: Life at the Crossroads. We don't know much about the newest member of our family but I am sure we'll get to know him real well in a couple months.

I had been concerned about the newest group of volunteers since they have not shown themselves online until now. Last year AZ7s started getting invited in February and we had our Facebook Group started in April and by June it was in full swing. However, as the saying goes, it is better to be late than never and I am looking forward to meeting more AZ8s online and providing them with my sage advice.

Hot, Hot, Hot!!!

2010-06-09T20:29:00.002+05:00

It is no secret that I do not like heat, and I really hate it when it is hot and I have no where to go to get away from it. Well today was a milestone in the summer's heat here is Lankaran, it hit triple digits, 100 Degree Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). The cherry on the top, was that I was told today by a local, that it was not too hot yet and that it would get much hotter...

Couchsurfing

2010-06-01T19:03:00.000+05:00

I am really not sure what has taken me so long to create a Couchsurfing.org profile, I mean it has been something I have wanted to do for a very long time, even before the Peace Corps, needless to say it better late than never. I am hoping to host some cool people and in return be hosted as I travel around the World. Feel free to take a look at my profile and let me know if your travels will be bringing you through Lankaran, Azerbaijan.

Freestyle Dolma with Momma Rima

2010-06-01T00:36:00.011+05:00

As I mentioned the other day, this random women barged into my yard and pretty much demand grape leaves from my grape vines, which I gave to her. In return she said she would teach Aaron and I how to make dolma the next day as long as we went and got the supplies. Well today is that next day, Aaron and I went out and got the ingredients and sure enough she came over. Below is a fun video that Aaron and I put together of our adventure in the kitchen (note this is my kitchen). Oh, and yeah it tasted great, I mean do you see all the butter we used...

UPDATE: For ingredients check out Aaron's Blog.

Randomness

2010-05-30T18:45:00.000+05:00

Earlier today, Aaron and I were sitting around my house debating if we should go to the bazaar during the heat of the day when most people would still be open or wait until later when it was cooler but most people would be close, when a random lady opened my gate and walked into my yard. After some initial confusion, she explained she wanted my grape leaves to make dolmas with. We helped her climb up on a table to pick off the leaves she wanted, during this process she asked if we knew how to make dolmas and invited us over to her house tomorrow to learn. I will keep you posted on whether this really happens or not and how it goes. On a side note, dolmas are the best food here, in my opinion, however I prefer the cabbage version, although the grape leaves ones are also awesome.

Writing Olympics Needs You

2010-05-30T18:31:00.000+05:00

The Writing Olympics which is a Multi-Country project (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova) which promotes essay writing in English and now needs some money to complete the project. You can read the lead Azerbaijan volunteer's plea for money on his blog, Aaron in Azerbaijan. If you want to skip the sob story and just give money then head over to the Peace Corps Writing Olympics donation page. The project is still looking for USD$900 (you don't need to donate all of it, $25 would be great, but if you want to donate all of it..., that would be beyond awesome) and they need it by July 1, 2010. The clock is ticking, do the right thing and donate to a more Peaceful World.

Thanks

The Case of the Stolen Garbage Can

2010-05-30T18:11:00.000+05:00

Garbage cans are not common in Azerbaijan, most people pile their garbage outside their door once a week to be picked up, or just randomly throw it on the street and it never gets pick up. When I moved into my new house I thought I would introduce my neighborhood to the trash can, so I went out and picked up a large garbage can for 4 AZN, filled it with garbage, and on the appointed day placed it outside my gate. As a precaution of someone taking the can I wrote my name several times on the can and lid. When I got home later in the day I noticed my garbage... and my can were gone. I asked around and I was told the trash people took it... So much for the garbage can idea. I have now gotten myself another garbage can, use it to keep my yard clean and orderly, and then on the appointed day I empty it on the street like everyone else and take my garbage can back inside with me.

While I was writing this post the garbage official came by to collect the money for the pick up service. I found out that it cost 3 AZN/month for the service. Hopefully they will use the money to educate the public and their employees on garbage cans and their purpose, Inshallah.

Health & Safety

2010-05-28T00:21:00.000+05:00

I have thought about writing about Health and Safety issues in Azerbaijan and how local views on these issues seem so foreign to me, I just could never figure out how to put it into words. Well a fellow volunteer has written a great post of this subject which completely captures what I wanted to say, so go check it out:

Lost in Azerbaijan: Health & Safety

Random Acts of Mailing

2010-04-25T22:17:00.000+05:00

A while ago I had asked for people to mail me goodies and that I love postcards... well the other day I went to the Poct (Post Office) to check my mail and I had a postcard from Malaysia, and I thought to myself, I don't know anyone in Malaysia right now. Well it turns out there is a gentlemen there who reads my blog and decided to mail me a postcard, so a hearty thank you goes out to him. If anyone, known or unknown to me wants to send me a postcard please do so, my mailing address is:

Eli Waite
Tələb Olunanədək
Mərkəzi Poçt
Lənkəran, AZ 4200
Azerbaijan

Facebook Like

2010-04-25T22:11:00.000+05:00

As you may of heard Facebook has recently made their "Like" button more widely available. As a result I have decided to remove the Google Followers widget, which no one seemed to know what it was for, and replace it with the Facebook Like button as everyone and their mothers seems to use Facebook these days. I have also added a Facebook Recommend button to the bottom of every post in case anyone finds a particular post so interesting they want to share it with all their friends on Facebook.

If you are interested in adding a Facebook Like button to your blog or website then go here.

If you want a Facebook Recommend button at the bottom of every post check out the directions here.

Your Help Is Needed

2010-04-22T20:15:00.000+05:00

One of my friends here in Lankaran, Shams, is trying to raise funds to attend the Global Village for Leaders in Business and Industry at Lehigh University. She already has a partial scholarship from Iacocca/US State Department, however she still needs to cover her plane ticket and meals. She has setup a fundraising page with the American Council. There is also a deadline of May 10 for her to raise the needed funds, any help that you can provide her will be greatly appreciated, even if it is just $10 or $20. Below is a letter from her:

My name is Shams Alizada and I am FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange Program) alumni of 2008-2009.

I am 18, and live in a small city in Azerbaijan called Lenkoran. I have mother and 3 sisters. I lost my Dad 4 years ago. That was one of the challenging periods of my life. In Azerbaijan fathers are like girls’ big supports, they take their daughters from place to place, solve their all problems, give them money and etc. Since I lost my Dad, and have a single Mother who works as a teacher I had to overcome all my challenges by myself. I failed a few times, but failures didn’t stop me. I got more encouraged and succeed a lot.

I graduated High School, and got accepted to Lankaran State University with no tuition fee. At the same year I got FLEX scholarship, and went to study in USA. Studying in USA taught me a lot. I learnt how to overcome challenges and interact with different kinds of people. I improved myself, experienced different culture as well I shared my own culture too.

Recently I was informed that I have been awarded an Iacocca/US State Department full-tuition scholarship for Global Village 2010 in the amount of US 6500 $. The program’s purposes are to increase business and industry knowledge, enhance leadership and entrepreneurial skills, and develop global and cultural networking among the participants.

Earning this scholarship is one of the biggest successes in my life. It will influence to my future career on business field. I live in a rural area where female leaders are hardly accepted by most people. The most suitable jobs for females are: doctor, teacher, nurse. Even if we have very few women who do work in business field, most don’t have educational backgrounds in this field. Business opportunities are held mostly by males. So this program is giving me a great opportunity to get more educated in business field and to be able to realize new international projects in the future. It will influence to my plans five years from now and the whole my life. After five years from now I will have graduated from university. I will apply to study my master’s degree on international business in USA, because USA is a democratic country and have an improved educational system. I see myself as a highly educated person with great professional and personal skills five years from now. I will apply my gained knowledge in my country, realize international projects and be able to bring innovations to my country. By that time female leaders will be more accepted in my country. I want to be a role model for them.

Unfortunately the scholarship does not provide the airfare ticket and meals. The airfare ticket is for 1700$ and the cost of meals and personal expenses estimated at between USD $900-$1600 during the six-week program. I have to have all money until the May 10^th.I feel sorry that I and my family can not afford it too. I live with a single Mother who gets 160$ Manat in a month and I get stipend from university that is 34 Manat and all of our expenses are included to this. I really need the support. I hope you can help me to make my goals to real. Any amount would be appreciated.

--

Shams Alizada

FLEX/16

My Yard

2010-04-22T19:52:00.000+05:00

The fruit trees and vines in my yard have started to bloom and today I noticed the pedals from the flowers were beginning to fall and I wanted to share how beautiful it is with you before it is all gone. I am not sure exactly what type of fruit I will have, I know there will be some sort of grapes, might try wine making, and a variety of others growing on the trees. I also just setup my hammock under the big tree, it was quite amazing to look up through the branches and watch the white flower pedals fall down on me, it was almost like snow. Below are a couple more pictures of the yard from different angles:

My Blog Got Mentioned on Another Blog

2010-04-22T15:28:00.000+05:00

OK, so maybe not too relevant, but another blog, just wrote about my blog and it is in Russian (you can use Google Translate to get an English version), it is the first time this has ever happened to me, at least to my knowledge. The blog is Back in Yerevan and he wrote about my Talysh Sock Ordering Form [Thank you].

The United States Postal Service Sucks

2010-04-21T20:03:00.000+05:00

When it comes to International shipping from the US most people assume that the bottle neck is in the International part, not the US part. I mean the United States Postal Service (USPS) has these great computers and scanners and automated systems that things just zip from place to place, I mean a Priority Mail package from New York to LA takes what 3-4 business days... Well for me, I have had several packages sent to me in Azerbaijan and the USPS has held on to each one for almost a full month before sending it over seas. The package I received today took 23 days to get from Arizona to New Jersey before it left the US. Once it left the US it took six (6) days for to get in my hot little hands. For the record all the packages were mailed International Priority. And for proof here is the tracking record directly from the USPS:

Class: Priority Mail International Parcels
Service(s): International Parcels
Status: Arrived Abroad

Detailed Results:
Arrived Abroad, April 19, 2010, 10:31 am, AZERBAIJAN
International Dispatch, April 16, 2010, 7:52 am, FOREIGN CENTER JERSEY CITY NJ 099
Arrival
Acceptance, March 24, 2010 4:07 pm, SAHUARITA, AZ 85620

Talysh Socks

2010-04-21T19:41:00.000+05:00

As some of you might already know I have inherited the Talysh Sock business here in Lankaran. Until now I have been taking orders by text message, email and Facebook messages, which was getting very tiresome. To make my life easier, and hopefully yours, I have created an online ordering form. Now this form is very limited, as you can only submitted one pair of socks at a time, but you can do it over and over again to your hearts delight or until you run out of money (If anyone wants to help me setup a better system for free, please let me know). Currently my only customers have been Azerbaijan Peace Corps Volunteers, but I hope to change that and have people from all over the world ordering. If you want to be a test subject for international ordering, I would love it, in the comment area put in how I can contact you and we'll work on the shipping details and cost. Payment would be done through Paypal.

For those of you who don't know about the Talysh socks, well here is the run down. Previous Peace Corps Volunteers contacted some Talysh people, who live in the Talysh Mountains (South Azerbaijan, down by Iran) and are known for making these very colorful and warm wool socks. These socks are made from scratch, I hear, but have not confirmed, that they even make their own dyes to color the wool. These socks are very thick and are normally used to wear around the house like slippers but I have known some people to actually squeeze them inside shoes, to each their own. The idea behind the project was to create extra business for these sock makers and to use the profit from selling these socks for local community activities.

I hope some of the current volunteers would be kind enough to write in comment area about how awesome these socks are so that we can get some International orders. Once again if you want to place an order you can find the order form here.

Hiking In Lerik

2010-04-19T17:20:00.003+05:00

This last weekend I got to do a lot of hiking in the Tallish Mountains outside of Lerik, which was absolutely beautiful. Spring has defiantly arrived in the mountains, everything is turning green and the flowers are beginning to bloom.

Now there are no "trails" in these mountains at least not that we could find, so we followed animal trails, Sheppard trails, dirt roads, and the tried and true method of, "let's go that way." Luckily there are many little villages scattered throughout these mountains in which we could ask people which way we should go, however this did not always turn out the way we wanted. For example there was one man we met who invited us for cay (which we assumed was tea, not river, the word means both). After a quick deliberation with our group we decided to join him. Our first clue that he was leading us astray was when he stopped at a market and picked up a six pack of beer. He then led us up a

mountain in the opposite direction we wanted to go. At first we didn't complain or protest because we did not want to be rude, but when we reached the top of the mountain and there was no house to be seen we put our foot down. We decided to sit on the top of the mountains for a bit and get some refreshments. We finally broke free of this man and headed back down the mountain and in the direction we had intended to go along, two hours later.

Outside of that one little hiccup it was a great adventure, two days of playing in waterfalls, sitting in grass, stumbling through deadly vines and getting sun burnt. I cannot wait until next month when it is suppose to be even more beautiful.

Random Rocket

2010-04-19T16:43:00.000+05:00

One of the activities that my site mate, Aaron, and I do is walk around town and be seen. I know it doesn't seem like much, but one: we have quite a few nice conversations with locals, two: it makes sure a large number of people see Americans and three: it lets us find really random stuff. The other day we found this rocket perched in someone's yard. Unfortunately there was no one around to ask about it, but we deduced to was for holding water. Most people around here have large elevated water holding tanks, normally the shape of a box, but for whatever reason these people liked the rocket shape instead. We are still interested in figuring out how these people acquired this rocket though, however that will be for another day.

Peace Corps Volunteers on Twitter

2010-04-14T21:49:00.003+05:00

I don't know if anybody else has been looking for Peace Corps Volunteers on Twitter but if you have I have compiled a list of people I have found. You can find the list here. If you know of any Volunteers on Twitter that I don't have in the list please let me know in the comments or at @eliwaite.

Where Have I Been

2010-04-14T21:37:00.000+05:00

It's been a while since I posted anything and I wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive. Where did I go? Well it is more of, what happened to me. In late February there was a power surge at my house and my computer happened to be plugged in and on. Luckily the power brick absorbed the surge protecting my computer, but killings itself. At this point I had two options, take a trip to Baku (at the cheapest about US$20, but probably more like US30-40) and pay US$160 for a new cord now, or pay US$80 for a cord in the US and have it sent over to me for US$40 plus other goodies but have to wait several weeks. Seeing as I am a cheap skate and I like more stuff, rather then less I opted to wait. Thus when March came around I decided not to pay for Internet, as there was no reason since my computer was essentially dead. Around mid-March my charger showed up and I thought about paying for Internet, but then I realized I would be moving to my new house in about a week, no reason to pay for a month of Internet at a house that I would only be there for a week. Then at the end of March, when I moved into my new house, I was told the Internet company would not prorate, so I decided to wait until April.

Now that April has rolled around I got Internet re-setup, however on April 3 I took off on a week long trip. I am now back in Lankaran at my own house, with my own Internet and you should be hearing a lot more from me now.

The Doorknob

2010-03-17T19:55:00.000+04:00

The Doorknob: News Desk : The New Yorker

Peter Hessler at The New Yorker has written a great article about the Peace Corps. It is a bit long but I highly recommend taking the five, ten minutes it will take to read it.

Cool Contact Tab

2010-03-17T19:10:00.002+04:00

This has nothing to do with my Peace Corps service or maybe it does, seeing as this is how I decided to spend my day. Anyhow, I spent the majority of the day creating a really nifty slide out tab for my contact info (yep right over there on your left, go ahead put the mouse over it, see what happens).

For those of you who might think this means my computer is better... yeah, not yet, I am borrowing a friend's computer (and their Internet).

Film Club

2010-03-02T20:12:00.000+04:00

I wrote a little while ago about how the government here makes it difficult to do projects. Well yesterday I had my first experience with this. There is a group of Volunteers and locals who want to do a film club, similar to what they do in Sheki, show an English movie once a week and invite everyone and anyone that wants to come. The film club would serve two purposes to share the American culture with the local people, and help people better their English. Due to the largish size of the audience that we expect we need a theater type place. The two theaters in town are both owned and operated by the local government, so we make an apportionment with them and went to chat with them. Being that I am new at this I expected them to say sure, just make sure you have a clean up crew... however this is not how it went down. The meeting involved a lot of phone calls to other offices, with the final answer being that we needed to come back next week with ten example movies for the officials to review. Now the officials, for the most part, do not know English or do not know it well enough to understand the movies, so we have to write up descriptions about each movie. Then after they have finished watching ten movies they will let us know if it olar (permitted) to show the movies or if there are more hoops to jump through.

I never though a simple movie club would cause so much trouble, but this is the way of things here and I am learning a very, very important lesson... how to deal with government officials.