Novruz Bayramı

It's official - Novruz is now my favorite holiday. This festive celebration commemorates the coming of Spring, and in Azerbaijan it is officially observed (workers get those days off). Why is it my favorite holiday? Because it's awesome. Why is it so awesome?

1) Fire!
For four consecutive Tuesdays, you celebrate a different element (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water) and jump over bonfires. A few days after the fourth Tuesday there is an even bigger celebration, with more fires! Fire is awesome. They are warm, they are cool to watch, and what could be more exhilarating than the fear of getting your crotch burned as you soar over the top of giant flames?

2) Papaq Atmaq-ing
On the last Tuesday, it is customary for children to take a hat and go knocking on people's houses, asking for sweets. It's like an Azerbaijani version of trick or treating! I partook in this tradition this year, except instead of a hat I went around with a plastic bag (I asked some friends and they said this was okay, it didn't have to be an actual hat). I went out with Löki and Könül, and we made some random boys we saw on the street take us with them as they went around the neighborhood. We would run up to someone's door, yelling "BAYRAM PAYI! BAYRAM PAYI!," knock on their door really loudly, leave our bag on their doorstep, and then run and hide. At this point my remorse would set in and I would just come out of hiding and say hello to whoever came out to give candy. I never did much trick or treating as a child (it's hard to do that in the Heights, we usually went to our aunt's building or to the local bodegas and instead of awesome candy, would get pennies, candy corn, and those cheap little butterscotch candies), so as a 24 year old trick or treating in Zaqatala, I was having a BLAST!

3) CANDAYYYYYYY!
(Yes, I know I put an extra 'A' in the word candy.) I love sweet things. I love candy, chocolate, cakes, cookies, any/all other kinds of sugary pastries.... I'm surprised I have any teeth left considering how much I love to eat desserts and candy. Two of the main foods of Novruz are şəkərburə and paxlava. The former is a half moon shaped foldover-pocket of dough with a sugary-nut mixture as a filling. (They kind of remind me of tiny, fat pastelitos). Paxlava, according to wikipedia, is 'Central Asian Turkic' in origin, and was very popular in the Ottoman Empire. Unlike the baklava familiar to most Americans, Azerbaijani paxlava is not made with filo dough -- it is a much thicker and heartier pastry. It is basically layers of dough and nuts drenched in honey, and it is DELICIOUS. It is tradition for families to make homemade şəkərburə and paxlava for the holiday, or at least have some in the house. Besides these two incredibly sweet & delicious desserts, there is also all the candy that I scored from people's houses during the papaq atmaqing! Basically I have spent the past two weeks going into and out of sugar comas. It's been wonderful!

4) It's time to PARTY
Here in Zaqatala, the Novruz holiday is like a preview of the awesomeness that will happen in the summer. Many people come to the region to spend a week with family or just spend some vacation time, which means that the town fills up with people walking around the park and the plazas (which is exactly what will happen during the summer). I love when there are a lot of people in Zaqatala, because everyone starts hanging outside, by their houses or in the park. It reminds me of summers in NYC when people would just chill on their stoops and the street. The past two Novruz Bayrams that I have been in Zaqatala there have also been huge festivals sponsored by the local government. The festival was like (what I assume) a County Fair is like in America...there were attractions (a tightrope walker, a model airplane demonstration, wrestling demonstrations, judo performances, traditional dance performances), fair food (tea, kebab, peroshkis, qutab, and other pastries), a lot of picnic tables, and a concert at the end featuring singers from all over Azerbaijan and several dance groups performing. There were tons of people there too, it seemed like the entire region was celebrating. As the sun started setting, more music was performed and youth started forming impromptu dance circles in which they showed off their dancing skills! How cool is that?!?


BEST HOLIDAY EVER!

How to Go Guesting (Part Two)

(Read the previous post for steps 1 & 2.)

STEP THREE: Show up.
This step seems obvious, but yea... if you tell someone you're going to go visit them, you should probably go visit them. Or at least let them know you have to cancel. Once you have arrived at someone's house, you will probably sit down for çay. This is major talking time right here - if it is someone you have recently met, you will probably go through the usual questions (where are your parents? do you miss for them? are you married? why not? would you like to get married in Azerbaijan? can you teach my son/daughter English? which do you like better America or Azerbaijan? etc...). The guesting experience will become much more enjoyable once you get to know the people you are guesting with and can move on to more meaningful conversations. At this point, if you are only guesting by having some çay, proceed to step 5. If you are there for a meal, go on to step 4.


STEP FOUR: Pace yourself. Binge eating never feels good.
After you have had a few cups of çay, you're probably hungry for some real food. If you are in a casual setting they will usually clear the table, wipe it down, and bring out the bread and dinner. Nuş olsun! Start eating. It's okay if you are the first one or the only one eating, they usually expect you to start as soon as the food is placed before you on the table.
If you are in a more formal setting (aka if there is an array of salads on the table and/or there are actual place settings), you will begin on the first course. Easy there, cowboy. Yes, that mayonnaise salad is delicious, but remember that there is more food coming, and if you eat too much of it now, your stomach will not be happy with you later. Restrict yourself to one or two slices of bread with the salads.

Next come the heartier foods. Typically I've had some kind of dolma at this point, either grape leaf or the 3 baci (eggplant, tomato, pepper), as well as fried potatoes and maybe some kind of meat (fried chicken perhaps). Feel free to continue stuffing your face. You might start to feel like your getting full. Once you feel your body start to tell you that maybe you should stop eating, you should stop eating. Let your stomach chill out for a second, because guess what? There's more food coming YAY! The last thing to come out is usually plov, rice with sauteed onions or chestnuts or beans or chicken or all of these together. If you felt full after the salads, you're probably in pain at this point in the meal. Your host will expect you to eat (or at least taste) everything that is brought out... so if you don't try something, be prepared to explain why not.


Once everyone is done eating, the table will be cleared away to make room for more çay. If you have any room left in your stomach, go ahead and devour whatever dessert has been laid out. If you have absolutely no more room for food, try to take the smallest piece and at least taste it (did you eat too much bread early in the game? Rookie mistake!).


STEP FIVE: Go time.
By this point you've probably engaged in all sorts of conversations, and maybe had a few pleasantly awkward silences. Don't worry about those, they're part of the natural flow of conversations. You're probably looking at your watch and thinking, "whoa I've been here for X hours already? how did that happen?!?" Time to make your exit. Thank your host for everything, and explain that you must go ("I have class early in the morning/I must speak with my parents on Skype/It is late I must sleep"/etc.). If they are really insistent on you staying, partake in another cup of çay. When you are ready to go, stand up and put your coat on (if you brought one)... it'll let 'em know you mean you're not kidding, you are actually leaving. Thank everyone again, shake some hands, give some hugs/kisses, and make your way to the door. If it is late at night and you are a female, they will probably want to escort you home. Accept this. Thank them one more time, and make your way back to your house. You did it, YAY!


Note: If you are a male, guesting may also involve drinking alcohol, which may involve giving toasts, which may mean a completely different guesting experience. Prepare yourself accordingly.

How to Go Guesting

guest (n.) - a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.

to guest (v.) - the act of going to another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party. Related forms: 'to go guesting'

One of the main ways PCV's get to know their community is by going guesting. Azerbaijani people describe themselves as qonaqperver, or 'hospitable.' This is definitely true of virtually everyone I have met here in Zaqatala. It is not unusual for someone whom you have only met for five minutes to invite you to their home for çay.

The upcoming week will be characterized by a rise in these invitations to go guesting, as we are approaching the holiday of Novruz. This is my FAVORITE holiday in Azerbaijan, it celebrates the coming of spring and you get to jump over bonfires, throw hats at people's front doors to make them give you candy, and everyone makes homemade şəkərburə (not sure how to spell that) and paxlava. (If you want to read more about the Novruz holiday, which has its origins in Zoroastrianism, check out the All-knowing Source for Everything You Ever Wanted to Know.



So in honor of how much I will be stuffing my face at other people's houses over the next week and a half, I have put together a How-To cheat sheet detailing what a successful guesting experience is all about.


STEP ONE: Say yes.

People will want you to come to their house, the offers aren't too hard to come by. The hardest part is actually accepting, because many of these offers will be made to you in a casual conversation in the middle of the street as you're on your way to a convo club or class. Sometimes you just won't be in the mood to go over to someone else's house. Maybe you're having one of those days where you just can't communicate in Azerbaijani. It happens. Whenever you're ready to make the (usually at least an hour long) commitment, Say YES. When you are propositioned to come have tea, say "SURE! Let's go right now!" Or, say "SURE! Right now is not a good time, but I will come by at [some time] later today." If you are postponing the guesting, (and not just doing one of those "sure I'll go" when you have no intention of ever going), make sure to actually set a date and time. You should also ask them for their number, so you can call a few hours ahead of when you will actually be going.


STEP TWO: Bring something.

Whenever you go guesting at someone's house for more than just çay, (a meal perhaps), it is common etiquette to bring a gift to the host. Usually that means some kind of sweet pastry or çay candy from the store. Some of the things I have given include: those delicious wafers they sell by the kilo, those small milk candies, homemade persimmon bread, a 2-liter of Pepsi, a bottle of sparkling cider, and homemade cookies. You don't have to break the bank, the gesture counts more than whatever it is you're bringing. And if it is someone you know well, they probably don't expect you to bring anything at all.

There's more, but this post was getting long so stay tuned for Part 2 of my super incredibly helpful guide to guesting.

Women's Day - 8 Mart

In many countries around the world, including Azerbaijan, March 8th is designated as International Women's Day. According to the information bible known as Wikipedia, "in different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements."

In Azerbaijan, it is more of "an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day." This year I attended a Women's Day party in Mingechevir, which was thrown by the GTM organization. GTM, the Gənclər üçün Təhsil Mərkəzi, is also the host organization of one of the Youth Development PCV's in Mingechevir. Her counterpart organized and was the host of the party, at which there was music, dancing, KARAOKE (!), cay, and this delicious cake:

(I ate three slices.)

Women's Day is one of my favorite holidays in Azerbaijan, especially because it celebrates all women, young and old, mothers, daughters, wives, everyone who is a female gets to be celebrated! I even got a sweet text from my host brother saying "Happy Holiday Sister!". Why isn't this a celebrated holiday in America??

Things I've Found in AZ: Chickenheads!

If you read that title and thought of the Urban Dictionary definition of 'chickenhead', my apologies for the misdirection. I'm referring to actual chicken heads, as in the skulls of poultry. Let me get to the point of this post before you start thinking I'm insane...

I was walking down the street the other day with my sitey Löki, when I noticed something on the ground:

Obviously the first thing to run through my head was "Uhm wait, was that what I think it was?" Yes. Yes it was. I pointed it out to Löki and had to take a picture of the outrageousness of the situation.

So many questions! Why is there a chicken head in the middle of a sidewalk, not even near a garbage area? Was someone too pressed for time and was forced to walk and decapitate a chicken at the same time? Where was the body? Why did they just leave the chicken head there? Whoever owned the rest of the chicken, did they wonder what happened to the head when they got home and realized it was gone? How long had that chicken head been there, just hangin' out on the street? And most importantly, why did the chicken cross the road?

50 Years of Peace Corps

Today, March 1, 2011, marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Peace Corps (by an executive order issued by President John F. Kennedy). As I have already mentioned, I am currently a Youth Development PCV in Azerbaijan, where there have been Peace Corps Volunteers since 2003.

Okay so if you read the previous post (or you just know me) then you know my parents are Dominican immigrants. My father (who will be referred to as Papi from here on) was born in the 1950's in a very small village in DR. When I was applying to Peace Corps no one in my family really know what the H PC was, except for Papi because he was familiar with el Cuerpo de Paz (Peace Corps in Spanish). I asked him how he knew the organization, and he briefly mentioned that there was a volunteer in his village when he was growing up. I didn't really question him further at the time.

Fast forward about two years. There has been a lot of talk lately about the Peace Corps because of its anniversary, with many people retelling stories of their service and the communities and people they met and worked with. All this reflecting got me thinking of that conversation with Papi, and made me want to find out the story behind it. And so I got on my Gchat (free phone calls to the US and Canada!) and called up the old abode. The following is a (very loosely) translated version of his Peace Corps story (I left a few things in Spanish, deal with it!):

It was in the 70's, I was in the 7th grade. It was an American from Nebraska, named "Hall," I don't know how to spell his name. He seemed young, I think maybe he was between 35 and 40 years old, but he could have been younger, tu sabe como lo gringo envejecen ma' rapido. He was in the town of Padre Las Casas, stayed there for about two years I think, living with one of the Segura's. I remember that he stayed for two years because he even started a Boy Scout troop in the town. He got so many kids to join, Fernando, Fellín, most of the boys were in it. I wasn't in it, because it was only boys from the town and I was in Los Indios [which is a tiny village on the outskirts of Padre Las Casas]. Either way, it wasn't in the era of my youth, I was in 7th grade and the other boys were older. He also had a cinema, and they would show movies there, some Mexican movies in Spanish. Hall spoke Spanish. I think of all the people they sent there, Hall was the one that worked the most, he was a good person, very sympathetic.

One time, I think it was in the 60's, they sent 2 viejitos, maybe it was '67 or '68, they were married. Roma and Lutero were their names. They formed a group for housewives, and did other things like that. And another time too there were two volunteers, one named David and another whose name I can't remember. Those two did many things too. I couldn't participate because I was too young, but [your cousin] Urbano, [your uncles] Máximo and William took part, in the 60's. David taught them to do arts and crafts, and they made so many things. I remember that Máximo made a fish out of a cow's horn in one of the arts classes. It was so beautiful, and they exhibited all of the works everyone made. The thing is that over there [in DR] people don't know how to appreciate things, they don't save anything... that would've been something wonderful to still have.

I don't know if they have sent more people after David. I think Hall is probably still alive, he seemed so young. I think them being in Padre Las Casas was very good. They helped the youth a lot, showed them so many things, so many ideas they didn't know before. All of these things have great value, they help in the development of a community.

A lot of current PCV's have parents or family members that were Volunteers in the early days of Peace Corps -- I have the reverse. Papi and other members of my family benefited from having Peace Corps Volunteers in their poor, rural community in DR, and now almost 50 years later I get to pay it forward... in Azerbaijan. Who knows, maybe in another 40 years there will be a young Azerbaijani-American in the Peace Corps blogging about how their parents knew a Jessica! Peace Corps isn't just about the transfer of technical skills from Volunteers to members of their communities -- it's about forming connections with people, creating memories, however small, that continue to enrich and inform our lives as citizens of the world. Hopefully Peace Corps will continue to celebrate many more anniversaries.

Happy 50th Birthday Peace Corps!