End of Life Observance

Last week an aunt of my host family passed away.  I am going to try to describe the mourning observations, as I understand them. 

On they day of death, the body is buried according to tradition.  Azerbaijan is a secular Muslim country and the vast majority of population are members of the Muslim faith.

The mourning period is forty days.  Days of particular importance are the 3rd, 7th and 40th days, along with four Thursdays during the mourning period.  On those days people pay their respects to the family and pray for the soul of the deceased.  I was invited to attend the 7th day observation.  The observation was held in a community hall that had five rows of tables.  Each row sat 60 - 100 people.  Approximately 600 people attended and were served dinner. Not all families' observations include dinner.  Some may only serve tea and sweets.

The dinner was prepared and hosted by family members.  The meal was served in two sittings. The first sitting was for men. An Imam spoke at the beginning of the meal.  He spoke of the deceased, read from the Quran and lead a prayer. The meal consisted of plates of the following; greens and cheese, cucumber, tomatoes and red basil, dogva  (hot or cold yogurt drink with herbs), potatoes and meat, two types of bread, tea and sweets, and helva, a traditional sweet from my family's region. Serving dishes are replaced as needed.  Helva is butter, sugar, a little flour and water. It is a little grainy but has a nutty/caramel taste.   

At the end of each sitting, the Imam gave a prayer, signaling that the guests were free to leave.  The men's sitting filled  about half the seats.  While the men ate, the women were in a different space, mourning the deceased. The women's sitting filled the space.  In between the two sittings, the tables were cleared and reset.  The serving dishes were also cleaned and replenished. As people left, they contribute money to the family.  Each contribution is recorded. People who come after one of the main sittings have started/ended are sat and settings are provided to them. The family members eat after the two primary sittings, getting up as need to meet their guest needs.

There was also lots of cold water, which was greatly appreciated by all.  It was in the low to mid 90's today and no breeze to speak of.  Some women carry fans to keep cool.  The rest of us dabbed our faces with napkins. I believe that a fan is an upcoming purchase.

The event was a lot of work and a wonderful experience.  It is marvelous to see how the family members work together to make sure that each guest is greeted and made to feel welcome. Also it is a special event to remember the deceased and pray for their soul.

Part two of my travels

After swearing in we had one more week of training then on Friday, June 21st I hopped in a car with my accumulation of stuff and made the 15k journey to my new host family.  My new family also has four members, not including the two brothers (of my host father) families who live next door and across the street.  My host sister and brother are both in their mid-twenties vs. mid to late teens of my previous host family.

Our house is on/overlooks a small salt lake.  While it is pretty from a distance, not so much close up. The house is on a slight rise.  This appears to provide for a nice breeze and helps mitigate the heat.  We have had at least one 100 degree day.  Right now it is hovering in the high 80's low 90's and we still have July and August to get through.  I've been advised to stay indoors 11-4. On work days that is easy but we'll see how it works on the weekends.

View from my room through the bedroom screen. This also overlooks the garden which is wonderful.  So far it has produced tut(marionberries), blackberries (not the PNW kind, more like blueberries), cucumber and strawberries.  It also has apple, pear, pomegranate trees.  The garden will have onion, pepper, tomatoes, garlic, beans and potatoes plus lots of  herbs.  My host mother will do a lot of canning to provide vegetables during the winter.

I have regular access to the internet, but water is not terribly reliable.  It seems to have daily issues and due to a break we lost it for over 24 hours.  Typically it is either a water pressure issue or it is turned off for a short period. While it is disconcerting, it can be coped with fairly easily.  I just need to keep my water filter filled.

I continue to work on my language skills.  I will be tutoring with my training teacher via Skype. I'm hoping that she will move to Baku shortly and I can tutor in person. My family and work will also help.

I've started going to my organization but it will take some time to learn about the org, where they would like me to focus and where their is a fit with my skills and their needs.  I'll keep you posted.

Still thrilled I signed up. More to follow. Patti

The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.

Matt, Olivia, yours truly and Kim

Swearing In

After ten weeks of training, I have made it.  As of June 14^th, I am now a Peace Corps Volunteer.  The 27 AZ11’s, as our group is identified, all made it through training without the loss of a single trainee.  We still have one week of training to complete before we all head off to our two year assignments.

 

We were bused from our training site to a hotel in Baku.  We got there about an hour before the ceremony began.  Photos galore ensued. At eleven the ceremony began.  The audience included current Peace Corps Volunteers, Peace Corps Staff, members of our host families, counterparts from our worksites, Embassy staff and representatives of the Azerbaycan government. My host mother and sister attended, or as I call them my two bacɪms.

 

I went into the Swearing In ceremony, without realizing how important it was going to be. What followed was truly meaningful and emotional. Three of my peers performed the national anthems of both counties. The Swearing In ceremony also celebrated the ten year anniversary of the Peace Corps

in Azerbaycan.  Speakers included a woman who has worked for Peace Corps since it began in Azerbaycan, the Country Director, our Training Director, a representative of the organizations Peace Corps work with, a representative of the government, a former volunteer, the US Ambassador and an AZ11.  Each speaker was wonderful.  Ambassador Morningstar swore us in. We received our AZ Peace Corps pins and IDs. 

 

Çay and treats followed, along with more pictures.  Then we were released for the day with instructions to be back at sight before dark.  We separated into smaller groups and went different ways. Many of the groups ended up in the same part of town and the groups intermingled until it was time to head for home.  Three buses later, I arrived at sight precisely at nine (the equivalent of Cinderella’s midnight).  I could still see part of the sun on the horizon. One more short bus ride and I was home.  Tired, happy and pretty proud of my achievement of becoming a Volunteer.

 

Now the work continues.  We have one more week of training. Typically we would be heading for site, but the ceremony was held a week early to accommodate staff schedules.  We have three more days of language, one of technical, a summer camp project and two HUB days.  Then we move to our permanent sites.  I am moving 15 kilometers closer to Baku. I start my work on Monday, June 24^th.  I need to continue to work on my language and will be working with a tutor to continue my studies.  It is becoming easier to distinguish words and I can for the most part negotiate the basics of life, but I have a long way to go.

 

I will have greater access to internet at my site and plan on updating my adventures more frequently.  I hope all of you are well and I wish all of you peace. Inşallah.