Oh yeah!

My last piece on neweurasia got cross-posted on Global Voices! Awesome!

http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/-/world/central-asia-caucasus

Yay!

Post alert!

Hurrah it's a new eurasianet post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go read it please--> Azerbaijan blog at neweurasianet

<3 denise

Me in general

You know, in th elast month I've gone to see Amartya Sen (sure you noticed that!), Christopher Hitchens, and Michelle Norris (NPR)- not to shabby at all really. So many interesting people coming to campus. Better enjoy it now- leaving the ivory tower eventually!

I've been studying, studying, studying. Reading, reading, reading. Presenting, presenting (only twice!). + again on Wednesday though. My classes? Sharani's seminar on Muslim societies- GREAT! International Development? GOOD. Democratization? zzzzzzzzzzzz oh i'm sorry was I sleeping? Cause the class is BOR-RING! Why are political scientists so obssessed with theory divorced from reality? Well, everything in life has a puropse, and this class (which I'm sure other people are enjoying) has shown me that I'm not, in fact, a political scientist, as I had thought. I'm still a political animal though. And Russian: what is it about language classes that regresses you back to high school? It's fine, I'm learning, I need to stay up on the homework better so that I won't have to bribe my teacher with candy again.

Besides that, I'm just livin'. Long hauls in the carrel. Feeling less stressed though which is good. Looking forward to Halloween!!!!!!!!!

Fall = Apples

I went apple picking today. It was very very nice. I ate 3 apples minimum there and lots of berries. Now I have 1) a big bag of apples 2) a pumpkin 3) pumpkin butter 4) a caramel apple and 5) a gallon of apple cider. wanna come over?

Pictures!

What an unfortunate picture!

Me and Sen

I just had an epiphany

know what my thesis is going to be about. I know what I'm going to write my papers about this semster. Everything is coming together.

In case you're curious:

Indirect Processes and Unintended Outcomes.

That's the general idea. Of course in the context of civil society development and democratization in Azerbaijan. How most political actors don't work directly, and how policies don't usually have the intended consequences, all in the context of a state whose rules and institutions are still in flux and often informal.


yes yes yes yes yes yes

RED IN THE FACE!

Sen eat pen:
Every talk about someone and then realize that that person was in fact there?

Well, that happened to me today. But the person I was talking about is FAMOUS and AMAZING and I wasn't talking trash, but i just feel SILLY.

THe person is Amartya Sen, noble prize winner in economics, ethical development guru, basically i think he's tops! Anyhoo, he's giving a bunch of talks on campus this week (yay!!!!) so today I was having luch with two people, one who also read Sen in class with me, one who didn't know who he was. So I offered a quick explanation of his work, "transformation of the self- remember how we all debated that in class? THe concept of freedom in development, works with the UN." I many have actually said "Blah blah blah" at one point. Well, it slowly dawned on me at some point (later on) that the man at the table next to us, with 2 other guys, was almost definitely the man himself, Sen.

I don't know if he heard me, he probably didn't care if he did, and all that stuff, but gee whiz I feel like a moron!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I saw Sen- Yes!

p.s. Meagan if you read this... we shoulda asked to try his iced tea!

Hijacked by life

First: I've already killed one highlighter. Sheesh!

Second: Today I had a call from Mr. Lee, who I tutored (English) my first year here. I ran into him a few weeks ago at the Korean restaurant here in town. Well, he asked me to tutor his daughter. I said no (which I'm not good at) because I'm just to busy. He asked me to have dinner with his family (we were having problems understanding each other on the phone). Anyhoo, I went and had some awesome Bugoki and agreed to meet with her once a week. I think I'm just dreaming of free Korean food, WHICH WOULD RULE! Because it turns out they own the restaurant now! Yum.

Besides that, I'm getting into the groove of the semester. I have a lot to do, yes, but I'm not freaking out about it now. It's really interesting.

OH! And a big thanks to Rebecca for giving me her bike! It's really light and has a neat hightech looking seat that bounces and it's in great shape. It's at the bike shop getting new tubes. I'm so psyched!

Pie, neoliberalism, carrel.

I have a 10AM meeting tomorrow for class. Yes, that's right. On a SATURDAY. Because we have a 12 deadline. I think it is cray-zee! In terms of courseload, i think this is hte most I've had since my very first semester here, when I was taking all the SPEA core classes and staying up until 3AM crying in my econ book. So tonight, FRIDAY night, I am going to be reading, here, at home, all by myself. PARTY TIME!

But it is intersting, and definitely worth it! The three seminars are flowing along in a cohesive whole, covering similar topics from different perspectives. For example, the current neoliberalism- what this means for democratization, development theory, and state society relations. This has come up in each class, in its own way. VERY satisfying. But i'm reading like it's my job, 5 hours a day in my carrel, more at home.....

This gives me no time to do what I want to do, which is resurrent the IUCLU and write an article on neoliberal groups in the Caucasus for Neweurasia. And sew things. And spend time with friends.

Oh yeah! I baked a pie yesterday. A peach pie with peaches from the farmers market. It is a messy pie, but tasty.

Yeah I'm boring now.

what i do now

What I do now is read! Seriously, three seminars is going to be a lot, but since I'm not working, all should be fine. Here is my schedule!

MWF 9-9:50 4th Year Russian
M 1:45-4:15 Comparative International Development Policy
W 4-6 comparative Democracy
R 2:30-5 State and Society in Muslem Central Asia and the middle East

Yeah, I wish that Russian class wasn't at 9AM. But hopefully I'll spend the time in between that and my next class in my library carrel getting through the intense amount of reading I have in store.

Thoughts on the semester? Well, both the political science classes, being 'comparative' require that I compare two countries (or other units) in the research paper, so I won't be able to write just on Azerbaijan. I was hoping to really focus in on writing things that would be leading me towards my thesis, and I still will, just not as directly.

My professors seem very good, and the classes are good. So I will be quite busy this semester, but hopefully I will get SO MUCH out of it.

ps I here firecrackers, must be because today's a football game (who cares!)

b-town redux

I'm back now at the final stop of my journey, good ol' bloomington, indiana. Last stop, everybody off! Barb was wonderfula nd picked me up from the airport and even took me to the store. Now i'm stocked up and ready to go.

Oh yeah, somebody stole my mf'ing bike while i was away. Rot in hell, you bastard! Bike donations gladly accepted. i've parted with a few bikes over the years, so i deserve some bike karma.

I feel like i've been gone for a long, long time. walking into my apartment it was strange and familiar, all together. but here i am, i am home.

Lolu

My Lolu

Plus, I've added a whole bunch of pics to my old posts. Scroll on down!

post alert!

New post on Eurasianet!

http://azerbaijan.neweurasia.net/

It's part of a blog-wide survey commemorating the 1991 failed coup attempt in Moscow.

Enjoy!

Home! Home! Home!

I'm in Connecticut. I've actually been here since Monday, and it's Friday! When I come home I sink into slothdom and laziness.... I've had a headcold since Moscow which is only encouraging this tendency, need to call Tonette, still sitting on the couch, however.

Again, I've waited too long and don't know how to capture everything I've done! St. Petersburg was very nice, spent the second day at the Hermitage, had a nice time, came back to Moscow and had a great last weekend.

Me at the kitschy fantastic VDNX:


Me and Maren Novodevitchy monastary (it was closed when we got there, bleen!)


Me and Maren went out on Saturday night to Kitaisky Lyotchik, one of my favorite places in Moscow. There was a concert with one of the guys from 5nizza, and then dancing to the crazy music they always play. They were playing 1) blocks of 90s hip hop of the cheesy pop variety 2) retro cheesy pop (ghostbusters!) 3) reggae/dancehall 4) new hip-hop/r&b. It was so much fun, great crowd, all kinds of differeny people, exacgtly the type of fun I love in Moscow.

Pics of St. Pete:

Me at the Hermitage:


Church of the Spilled Blood, built on the spot where Alex III (or was it II?) was assassinated:


Canal:

Home is good. The flight was good. I sat next to a very nice young woman named Yulia, she's Russian, is form Kyrgyzstan, but now lives in New Jersey. 10 hours of endurable boredom, not bad. Home has been treating me good, enjoying my time with my parents, seeing my sister, relaxing, being congested.

I guess that's it! It's simply not interesting to talk about watching TV and sleeping. THe adventures are over, it would seem. I'm sure there will be more, but for now, it's just me, in the USA.

Everything was amazing.

There's no place like home

I hit that point today- the point where i want to go home. I think the combo of that last week in Baku, plus today in st. petersburg have worn me out completely and i want to sleep and relax now. Moscow as been nice, it all came back to me, and I remember my way around etc. It is super expensive though- US prices! 10 bucks for lunch! I don't spend that much at home! But fun, and alive, and all the good things that a big city can be. And comfortable!

Last night I wook the night train to Peter, shared a coupe with an anti-semite (he said it- Ia- antisemite) and a theater director and a sleeping lady. First time i slept on a train, it was nice. Arrived at 5:30AM!!! Wandered around and stuff until things started to open, saw nevsky prospect, had breakfast. went to the museum of political history- BORING! then to peter and paul fortress- OK. but i was tired, unshowered, and my feet hurt, so i ledt without going in anything there and went to the hostel and showered and had some tea. then i tried to go to the kunstkamera, but the line was INSANE! and so more wandering. i went to the place where my friend's guidebook said the central post office was because i wanted to try to call royal. the post office was NOT THERE. i spent so much time going in circles around this neighborhood. Finally figured out a system- find internatioanal payphone. go to post office, get payphone card. try to find working payphone. call. mobile phone switched off!! cry. seriously, i was so frustrated with EVERYTHING at that point. Since then i've eaten and now i'm doing email. Tomorrow i'm doing JUST THE HERMITAGE- hopefully i won't mess that up.

St. Pete is very beautiful and wonderful. I'm just having technical difficulties.

But it all adds up to me tired- physically exhausted and emotionally stressed. I'm ready for home. just a bit more fun in moscow first!

Safe and sound in Moscow

I am alive and well and in Moscow, which is a land of unimaginable luxury compared to Baku. And my god is it expensive here. Anyway, I'm staying with Maren, my old Moscow roommate, and remembering the times I had when I used to live here.... and it's cold! I can't even remember what it's like to not be hot. Wow.

Anyway, last week. Yes, I was kicked out of my apartment. As terrible as it was, I was taken in by and Azeri family, and the experience was amazing. Apart from learning so much about families here and how they work (and survive), they really took me in and i feel like one of them. They don't have much- a 2 room apartment, with 5 people there plus me. And there is only water for a few hours in the evening- the rest of the time it is water from the tub and jugs. But I was actually comfortable there.

So, Saturday I arrived, Sunday I found out I was kicked out of my apartment and returned, and Monday was nice. Then Tuesday... Tuesday the grandmother fell down on her way to mosque and broke her kneecap. The entire day was full of panic and emotion- i tried to help and stay out of the way. The hospital sent her home in a cast even though she needed an operation becasue they couldn't pay the $500 the doctor demanded to operate (which I'm pretty sure was just a bribe). So, I offered to help them, and with the help of my parents, we gave them part of the money.

Thank you mom and dad. You can't understand how much it meant to them- not just because their grandmother could get the operation, but because we helped them, just because we could, and wanted to. I can stay with them for free for life they said. And they really mean it!

So the next few days I spent with Royal, my friend from the bus. He's a wonderful, sweet, amazing guy. I won't be surprised if I see him again. In fact, ahem, he's my boyfriend. Which is logistically a problem, obviously. But love is love, and we will just have to see where life takes us.

So there you go- i packed what feels like a lifetime into that last week. Hopefully I'll send time updating more here, and get some pictures up soon this week of the regions and of Royal and his family. But it's finally happened- I miss home. So see everyone soon!

<3 Denise

First kidnapped, now homeless

Where to start?

OK, first, I have had a terrible stomachache yesterday and today. I think it was something I ate- specifically, I think I was given tap water to drink, and not knowing it, I drank a lot. Today is not as bad, but still bad. Yesterday I was miserable, then I threw up, and then I slept all day. I was so weak I couldn't move. Today it just hurts.

And now the big story. I was "kidnapped" and now I am "homeless." On Saturday, I took the bus from Ganga to Baku. 7 hours! I sat with a guy named Lolu, who was so excited to meet an American and speak English. When we got to Baku, he asked me to come to meet his family. Even though I was tired, I felt that I had to say yes. Well, I went to his apartment and met his grandmother, brother, and cousin- all very nice. Then it was getting late, and they all just assumed I would stay there instead of going home, so again, even though I wanted to go home, I stayed. I joked that they had kidnapped me.

The next day, yesterday, I was so sick. I was in bed until 5PM weak and miserable. Everyone else was out except for me and grandma. I was finally feeling better, everyone came home, we ate, talked etc. I finally managed to convince Lolu that I should go home because I had work today. So me, Lolu, his brother, and his cousin went together, planning to go for a walk after dropping my backpack off at home.

Get to my apartment, and my key doesn't work, and I can see that the lights are on. Why? My landlady had returned while I was in the regions, and moved back in!!! Her little daughters were home alone, and they would not let me in. I was freaking out, seriously. I knew that someting bad was going to ahppen sooner or later with her. So, I was calling people from work and freaking out. Finally, my landlady shows up and started yelling and going crazy immediately. She was saying that I should have been gone on the 29th or something, which is nonsense, we signed a contract until the 4th of August, when I leave. But she doesn't care. She had already gone and put all my things into my suitcase and bags. I was so incredibly mad at her for having gone through all my things. I wanted to kill her. There were so many people there, my three friends, her kids, and like 4 other people. It was an absolute madhouse. Finally, we left and took all my things with us, refusing to give her the key, which made her so mad but I just couldn't let her have it and said that I would go through the agency.

Anyway, she is a terrible human being, end of story. I stayed again last night with Lolu's family. They are great, but the place is small. THe diresctor of my orgnanization has offered for me to stay with him, but I don't know if I can get away from Lolu's family. They might be offended if I go, but at the same time, their place is small and I am an added expense. Oh well, we'll see!

So I'm homeless and sick. My god, life is just crazy! But I will survive, I know. And then Friday I leave for Moscow. My office is actually closed, I can come in only in the afternoons. So I won't achieve much this week, but given all the other stuff going on, I think it's OK!

Pics of Ganga:

My lunch- fried dough stuffed with potatoes and spices + a coke. Cost? A lot less than a buck.

At the Immamzade shrine.

Statue of Heyday Aliyev on the main square

Chess school!

Wonderful town hall on the main square

Still in Ganga

Still in Ganga, will write more because I'm more confident in this computer. I had an interesting day- and by interesting, I mean yes, interesting, but with strong hints of frustration!

I decided to only schedule one meeting so that I could have some time to see the city and surroundings. I met this morning with the Western regional center of the Helsinki Group, an international human rights group. I was very interested in talking to a human rights group out here in the regions, to see how they got on with the local gvernment here, etc.

Instead, I managed to find some pro-government, President Aliyev loving guys! Honestly, I think they may hate me. I tried to ask them questions, which they often did not understand, and maybe now think that I think Azerbijan sucks. Which I of course do not. THey hostily told me that I can't write my thesis without first reading the ancient poets of Azerbaijan, such as Nizami, who they quoted at length. I of course would love to read Nizami. Their organization is not really human rights so much as a legal rights and advocacy center. People write to them with their problems and they tell them what they need to do. I mean, this is a totally necessary activity, but I was let down that they weren't a better source of info for me. Did I mention that they share their office with a political party? On the other hand, this is reality for NGOs in AZ. Learning, learning.

After, I went out to an Islamic shrine called Imamzade. OUt of all the places listed in my guide, I thougth it sounded the most interesting. I took a marshrutka out to the train station, and then waited around for 20 until the bus (to the "meat factory") came. THe bus was crowded and I had no idea when to get off. Today was a squinty and humid day, and I was still trying to recover from the morning's interview and not let in get me down. We were giong through the countryside, and as soon as I saw something mosque-y, I went and asked the bus driver. Luckily, another woman was taking her family to the shrine, so she helped me find it.

Anyway, it was small and very run down. A wall with a dome let you in to a courtyard with a cemetary, some people selling Islamic trinkets, and a masoleum ( I don't have my guide book with me, so I can't remember the name of the person). You go in, and the remains are surrounded by a black curtain. People go around the four sides, kissing it and praying. In general it was very interesting for me to see, given that it was my first time visiting such a place. But again, a whole lot of work to get out there. It's just been one of those days!

So afterwards I just hid out in my room and watched TV until I came here.

Tomorrow, it's Baku to Baku and my life as usual! Looking at what I just wrote, it's funny- Baku is my life as usual! I wish! Anyway, one week until Russia. God, I'll be back in America 8/14.

Tomorrow moring I'll see the museums and sites in Ganga, and then I find a bus. When I get back I'll put up pictures!

sigh

i just wrote a really long post but then the computer ate it. So, in brief:

I am in Ganga. It is the second boggest city in AZ. It is quite small. People here are incredibly nice.

I've been travelling since Friday, I'm on my own now, but it's totally fine. Will put up pics and stories later!

Doing lots of interviews, learning a lot.

The post I lost was great! But i just can't sit here and write another one and loose it again, i'll go crazy. Sso that's all for now!

Pics of Sheki:


Me and Malina: Andrea and I met Malina in Lahic, she was travelling alone. I met her again in Sheki- we ate together, and went out picture taking, it was nice. She had just travelled all over Iran- for like a month- by herself! She was a very nice person.

Sheki is famous for it's silk. There was a silk scarf shop in the caravansaray, i bought 3, all for me. Scarf madness!


Hansaray, Sheki: Fantastic!


Streets of Sheki


THe beutiful caravansaray- now it's a hotel, I stayed there. Single room? 12 bucks a night!

Up at the Albanian church in Kish, up in the mountains

At the teahouse at the caravansaray

Made it

Mountains around Lahic


Seven Beauties waterfall: a little restaurant perched over the water

Hiking around Lahic


The family we stayed with outside Qabala

I'm in Sheki now, a beautiful city in the northwes of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately I can't post pics now, but I'll just tell one story.

We (me and Andrea) stayed in Lahic friday night, leaving Baku after work, making it to Lahic at 11PM. Left Lahic next day on a bus, went to Ismaiyi, where the guest house in Lahic had arrnaged for a taxi to meet us and tak us to a hotel in Gabala. All very last minute, but we went fo it. In the taxi, we were happy to be on the road, that we had made it! Anyway, things the fell apart. We told the driver that we would actually rather stay in a place outside of the city, and we discussed options, but nothing was available. By this point he had picked up someone of the street (that he knew) to "help us" find a place. They took us to a indescript business hotel that wanted 50 bucks a night, and was not in the city, or in a nice area for hiking. We just refused- things had been tense for a while already, and this was just it. Tried calling back to Lahic, but couldn't gt a hold of the guy who booked the hotel (it was NOT this one) for us.

The driver took us to find another hotel, which everyoe said was closed for renovations. Me and Andrea were just waiting to call Lahic again. The driver stopped to ask a STRANGER where we could stay. This guy ended up saying we could stay with him. I was really skepical, it was CRAZY! But me and Andrea discussed it- he was more for it than me- and we decided to do it.

And it was GREAT!

We stayed with his wife, mother, and daughter. He was also a taxi driver and was gone during the night. We played with the neighborhood children for huors, then ate, talked a lot, and had a great time. Slept great, and then we went all together to a few places around Gabala and then to Sheki. Saw some sites, and then I went to the hotel and they took Andrea to get a taxi back to Baku.

Crazy, huh? But in the end, it was OK. I'll post pics and write more soon.

Rushing

What do they want you to put down the toilet?

Me and the staff of a refugee center. We drank tea, ate cucumbers, and sang Russian songs until Oksana dragged me away:

Hello loved ones!

This afternoon I am leaving for the regions, and it has finally happened to me- i look like a granola hippy backpacker. Earth tones, big backpack, yup. But no big boots or tevas! I have my limits!

I'm still trying to set up interviews, it's all pretty seat of the pants. But I'm just crossing my fingers and plunging in. For Ganga I have a bunch of interviews planned, but right now for Shekhi I have only one! And I'll be there first! I've got some leads to hunt down though.

The last few days have been hectic. Notes:

-got my Russian visa!
-met the first reader of my "news" blog!
-had longest interview to date (over 3 hours!!!!)
-met with a lot of human rights org's recently, very interesting
-walk so much!
-yesterday was crazy windy! see frizzy head in abive picture.
-met a truly inspirational person here

Things have been good. Rest of Azerbaijan, here I come!

Partying and Working

2 out of 3 sceptics- one is obscured by the cushion. We packed into the taxi like sardines! And the last one is andrea.
A poorly taken picture of the party.


Yup, that's my life.

Saturday night I went to a party that was put together by the Alumni Network, which brings together Azeris who studied abroad. AAA is the American educated group of this, and they are great- I'm going to their offices tomorrow beacuse the new US ambassador is going to be there for a Q & A. Anyway, the party was pretty far outside of town in a big new house- like 3 or 4 floors, still empty (no furniture)- I can't wondering what the heck was going on with that place. There were tons of people there, and some people from the NATO conference. So it was good, had lots of fun, danced, drank, and then went home. Great stuff.

Went to the party with Andrea, he's an Italian who's working at the Asian Development Bank for the summer. We're plannign to go out to the regions together next week, for research and siteseeing. It should be great, but hopefully not as hot (but probably as hot). Also went to the party with a bunch of guys who call themselves the "marginalized intelligentsia" because of their skeptical views on civil society and the political situation in AZ. It was fun talking to them, and i hope to get them on tape for my reserach when i get back to Baku. I also met the guys from the Free Minds group here, a bunch of Azeri libertarians! I met one of them at the conference, met the other organizer at the party. I mean, these guys have interned at the CATO institute, it's unbelievable! So we talked about it all, and how libertarianism is possib;e/different out here in AZ. Wacky, crazy, interesting stuff.

Anyway, I've been bust last and this week with my research. Two interviews a day usually, or someting else, went to a conflict resolution training on Monday, for instance. Been meeting with human rights groups this week, which is my real specific interest, and i'm meeting 2 more today,

which is all FASCINATING, but EXHAUSTING, because (not to beat a dead horse) it is SO HOT HERE, today is over 90 and humid.

Anyway, less than three weeks until Moscow- so little time!

New post on my serious blog

Howdy! I just put up a new post on the Eurasianet blog. Check it out! It's not about shoes!

http://azerbaijan.neweurasia.net/

As usual, I hope to God it is not stupid.

I've been had!

Quick story:

If you know me, then you know that i really like shoes (cliche I know), and also that I am incredibly picky about my shoes. I've been looking for a comfortable pair of sandals for a while (as mentioned, my shoes have all fallen apart). They sell shoes on the metro and in underpasses, and i've been to a big indoor market to look around too. Shopping here ranges from normal stores, with prices marked and salespeople, to a guy with a table on the street and all the shoes in a big huge pile and you have to root around for your size and whatnot and then haggle.

So, yesterday, in my travels, I saw a pair of shoes I liked on the metro. As usual, they did not seem to have my size in the color I wanted. The seller disappeared for a bit and then came back with my shoe, my size (all of this complicated by the fact that he, like many other dudes who sell stuff outside, did not speak much Russian and me almost no Azeri). So after much deliberation (including being told that i could not walk in the shoes when trying them on, to see if they fit!!!) I bought them.

Here's the kicker!

They were not the size I asked for! I am a 39 or 40, and I asked for a 40. When I thought he was running around trying to find the 40, he was actually rubbing out the size on the shoe! The size stamped on the bottom he tried to ink over! They fit, but damn, he got me! THe shoes are fine, but it's the feeling of someone else getting the better of you. All I can do is shake my fist and realize that i lost this battle of street smarts.

MP, baby!

Woah! Big picture!

Hello all, yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Asim Mollazade, member of the parliament of Azerbiajan. He is a founder of the Popular Front Party here and now is the chairman of a new political party, the Democratic Reforms party.

Here is their website

It was quite interesting- they are super liberal, in the school of political thought sense, not in the opposite of conservative sense. If you are intersted, read the website!

Today (it's Thursday) I'm going to a conference that he invited me to, the topic isn't so very interesting to me, but the process is. So I'll go check it out for a bit. And then I have another interesting interview tomorrow!

Things are hopping here, yesterday I applied for my Russian visa and met with someone from the open society institute (yesterday was a day of walking and transportation, I was melting). Today I'm popping by the conference. Tomorrow, interview, Saturday 2 interviews maybe and a party! + one of my interviewees got me in touch with an italian guy working/interning at his organization who also wants to travel for his research and so we are going to try to travel together- it's safer, easier, and more comfortable that way.

I feel like I have so little time left here!

NATO continued!!!

Mountain singer who we found in the woods around Quba


1:30 AM: the first person leaves. Note the bust of Heydar Aliyev:


Me eating Baclava outside the carpet factory in Quba:



We will dance anywhere! In the forest where we found a traditional singer. He was amazing.

Souvenir shop:
Me in Krasaya Svoboda, a town of 6,000 Jews in Azerbaijan:

The picnic: Jaynura from Kyrgyzia and me:

Almost everyone bought a hat. It ruled.


THe most amazing sunset:


Musicians at a caravansary, Baku:


I will write about it all later.

NATO and stuff

I'm at the NATO conference. It's at a water park (see pic above for all the slides and fun) but the weather has been terrible (see ominous clouds in pic above). But tomorrow it should be nice and there will be swimming.

THe conference is on security and the intergration of this region into NATO and other organizations. IT's been pretty interesting- not all the sessions are incredibly productive (a lot are led by professors from the US National Defense University, and sometimes they seem to be saying just whatever comes to mind). Other sessions have been great, led by diplomats from NATO, and the Azeri, Ukrainian, and Georgian foreign ministries. Just having access to these people is great, and the questions and discussions with the other participants have been really good.

THere are people here from everywhere from Latvia to Pakistan, with about half from azerbaijan and a bunch from Central Asia. After the day, we walk, play games, and dance at the disco. Today is the first day we have wireless, so I really should be working on setting up interviews for next week!! But i"m not!! Monday, when we arrived, was hurricane stregth windy. The electricity was off and on all day. It's still off and on, but ususlly on! This hotel is kind of a shambles.

Anyway, I'll recap more later when it's all done.

Quba!

Monday was a holiday, Military Day, and Saturday was a day off too (I don't come in on Saturdays, so whatever!) so it was a nive long weekend in Baku. Oksana from work invited me to go to Quba with her and some people she had met at a human rights training a year before. So off we went!

Quba is 3-4 hours away from Baku. It is a small city to the North of Baku, getting towards the border with Russia. Fidel Castro jokes are not appreciated. We didn't really go to the city itself, we went out in the mountains to spend the day "relaxing."

First, I went to Sumgait, where Oksana lives. It is about half an hour from Baku. Sumgait was built to be an industrial city- LOTS of factories, making chemicals. Most of them are closed now. The city is just blocks and blocks of apartments, and a big beach on the Caspian.

When we were there, it was HOT. Brain frying hot. We walked on the beach (you can drive cars there! and most people here don't swim!) and there is a rusty boat sitting out on a pier (one of the few things the guide book mentions about Sumgait!) and hung out with her friend who works in a pirated dvd/cd shop. Oksana actually lives outside of town in "Voenniy Gorodok" which means literally "military town". It's 6 apartment buildings next to a small airbase surrounded by empty fields and the mountains. Like, the midddle of nowhere! But, everyone there knows each other, and they stop by each other's apartments to talk. It may be isolated, but it's a community! Her mom stuffed me with yummy food including blinchiki with tvorog, which i LOVE! Oksana's mom is Tatar and Bashkir, and her father is Azeri and Iranian, and so i told her that she is like an american- all mixed up!

Saturday we got up bright and early and met the van full of her friends on the road to Quba. We drove up to Quba listening to russian pop all the way. We stopped at a shrine- a domed building by the road near a rock outcropping called 5 fingers- and left some money for a good trip. Superstisious!

When we got to Quba, we stopped at the bazaar to get food- meat, fruit, drinks. It took FOREVER- because, as it turns out, THEY WERE KILLING THE LAMB! Here, the fresher the better, so the guys went and picked out the lamb and there you go! I mean, here in the USA we divorce ourselves from the idea that our meat was once a cute little animal and buy it all wrapped in plastic. But I felt bad!

IRONICALLY, we didn't even eat the lamb we slaughtered. We went to an outdoor picnic space out in the mountains where they cook your meat and serve you and everything for a fee. They mixed up out meat with someone else's, the days big disappointment.

Anyway, we sat, we ate, we played in the river, we climbed a mountain! The driver said, hey there's a waterfall around here. So we all went to the waterfall. I thought it would be a 20 minute stroll down the river. No, it was a 3 kilometer hike up the mountain! One of those climbs that you remember forever becasue of how freakin hard it was. Pictures of the waterfall etc. can be found at

my flickr account

I would put some up here, but I can't get it to work lately.

OK, the trip was almost a week ago. I'm lagging! Hopefully I will have internet access at the conference next week, in which case I should have time to post tons.

Martyr's Alley

Saturday, I met Greg (Finally! A fellow IU-er also here in Baku) and then headed on up to Martyr's Alley. I was there before, but in the middle of the night, and no pictures. So I headed back in the brutal sun, camera ready!

Up on the highest point in Baku there is a collection of memorials, putting them in a place of honor to show how important they are. To get there, you can take a funiculot train- the hill is STEEP! At the top, there is a mosque, a memorial to Turkish/Azeri friendship, Martyr's Alley, an eternal flame for unknown soldiers, plus some of the most spectacular views of the city. And apparently the grave of former president Heydat Aliyev, but I couldn't find that.

For pictures, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/denisemish

There are 2 kinds of Martyr's: those who died in the Nagorno Karabakh war, and those killed by Russian soldiers on January 20, 1990. Those who died in the war are buried in a graveyard next to the alley, slightly higher up then the path. The path is bright and the sun is strong, but the graveyard is dark under trees, and each grave is marked by a black tombstone with a portrait carved in white. On the alley, there are similar gravestones on a wall to commemorate those who died in 1990. Russian troops fired on unarmed civilian protesters amid the chaos of the crumbling Soviet Union. The level of force used by the Russians was completely out of proportion to the actual threat caused by the protestors. Among the dead are children. It is honestly one of the best memorials I've seen.

At the end of the alley you come out on a wide plaza, high above the city, with a huge tower containing an eternal flame. The city is beatiful from here. And you can climb even higher for better views.

Yeah, it was great.

Friday!!!!!!!!

The week is winding down here and we have a long weekend (no Saturday, Sunday, or Monday work (Not that I come in on Saturday. I'm an American!)) for an unknown holiday (the most info I can get is that it has something to do with the military, it's not on any official calendars that I can find).

This weekend I am going out of town to Quba (in the north of AZ, no cigar making dictators or enemy combatants). Very excited. There will be pictures.

AND, the big news is that I'm going to a NATO conference the week after next! The director of my NGO sent my resume and and they accepted me. It's called "Summer session of NATO International School in Azerbaijan “Perspectives of Euro-Atlantic integration in the region of three seas” "

It will be really interesting to be at an international conference, and the topic is interesting too!

So everything is on the up and up here. Lots of interviews, and i think i'm starting to understand some thingas about the political situation here. Great!

Pounding the Pavement

Sorry no posts, I've been busy!

Yes, I've been "pounding the pavement," running around to interviews, so much so that I broke a shoe (my nice new shoes!) and my foot hurts. I bought 2 pairs of shoes with me, and now one is garbage and the other is getting ratty. Baku eats shoes! The sidewalks (where there are sidewalks) are an obstacle course, yesterday I said to Oksana that where we were walking it looked like a bomb had hit. But that in 10 years I bet that very street will be clean and redone and very pricy. Where I work, the steeets are very narrow, and it is common practive to park half on the sidewalk, half in the street. There are even poles that people put up with a chain between them that "saves" the space for them. You are supposed to park like that! So you usually weave through usable sidewalk (where no one is parked) and walking in the street, popping between parked cars when oncoming traffic needs to get through.

WOW, impromptu discussion of walking in Baku!

Honestly, it's all part of the experience of living in Baku, all the hustle and bustle, it's actually enjoyable. And Baku is really a feast for the eyes- I've been in the same neighborhood 2 days in a row for interviews, and it's on a big hill, and I looked up and saw a great view going down to the bay, with domes of mosques and baroque facades, Baku style! Or you'll be on a busy street, pretty developed, and look down a side street and see another world of narrow streets, old ladies selling fruit, the above mentioned bombed out streets... Really great, and makes me realize how much more there is to see!

This week I've done 4 interviews already and I think I'll do two tomorrow. Today, thankfully nothing, as my feet hurt :) I really learn something new from everyone I talk to. I'm also going to meet with a journalist this week, and since I don't know much yet about the media here, and it's history, I'm excited to start getting into this area. And then, political party representatives! Wow.

And one Azeri class already, and I go again today! I'm learning pronunciation, and I can say a few things now (How are you? This is a book.) But I didn't do my homework- I'm going to try to do it today!!!