Chay is a huge part of life in Azerbaijan. You can not have a conversation, a meal or even a thought without drinking tea. This isn't bad for me, I've always loved tea and find myself drinking it more and more at my own will. Even in the summer, when it is 100 degrees and humid, we all drink tea before we do anything important, its just the Azerbaijani way. Most of the tea they sell here is grown down in the south in Lankaran, near the Iranian border. When driving away from the main town and out into the villages you can see the many fields of tea growing along the side of the road. This is all black tea, which is the tea of choice here, but they do dry many kinds flowers and other plants to make special healing teas for when you have a cold. Azerbaijani's never drink tea by itself. In the mornings loose sugar is poured by the cup full into the breakfast tea. Anytime after breakfast a sugar cube in the mouth is OK, maybe chocolates, or my favorite, home made preserved fruit. The glass in this picture, an "armud stakan" (pear cup), is a very typical, very Azerbaijani cup to drink your tea out of. Tea drinking is an art here and tradition worth noting.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Chay
I recently took this picture while having tea, or "chay," with Zeynab and the informatics teacher at my school and thought it was kind of cool. We all had a break from classes at the same time so we had a little chay and chat session.
Chay is a huge part of life in Azerbaijan. You can not have a conversation, a meal or even a thought without drinking tea. This isn't bad for me, I've always loved tea and find myself drinking it more and more at my own will. Even in the summer, when it is 100 degrees and humid, we all drink tea before we do anything important, its just the Azerbaijani way. Most of the tea they sell here is grown down in the south in Lankaran, near the Iranian border. When driving away from the main town and out into the villages you can see the many fields of tea growing along the side of the road. This is all black tea, which is the tea of choice here, but they do dry many kinds flowers and other plants to make special healing teas for when you have a cold. Azerbaijani's never drink tea by itself. In the mornings loose sugar is poured by the cup full into the breakfast tea. Anytime after breakfast a sugar cube in the mouth is OK, maybe chocolates, or my favorite, home made preserved fruit. The glass in this picture, an "armud stakan" (pear cup), is a very typical, very Azerbaijani cup to drink your tea out of. Tea drinking is an art here and tradition worth noting.
Chay is a huge part of life in Azerbaijan. You can not have a conversation, a meal or even a thought without drinking tea. This isn't bad for me, I've always loved tea and find myself drinking it more and more at my own will. Even in the summer, when it is 100 degrees and humid, we all drink tea before we do anything important, its just the Azerbaijani way. Most of the tea they sell here is grown down in the south in Lankaran, near the Iranian border. When driving away from the main town and out into the villages you can see the many fields of tea growing along the side of the road. This is all black tea, which is the tea of choice here, but they do dry many kinds flowers and other plants to make special healing teas for when you have a cold. Azerbaijani's never drink tea by itself. In the mornings loose sugar is poured by the cup full into the breakfast tea. Anytime after breakfast a sugar cube in the mouth is OK, maybe chocolates, or my favorite, home made preserved fruit. The glass in this picture, an "armud stakan" (pear cup), is a very typical, very Azerbaijani cup to drink your tea out of. Tea drinking is an art here and tradition worth noting.
Monday, May 2, 2011
May Day and Soviet Workers Day
Hanging out at Zeynab's house is a normal, everyday thing for me. She and her family have become my home away from home-my family away from family. Yesterday was a warm, humid, rainy day and was the day that used to be workers day during soviet times (and May day, I brought Zeynab flowers, but didn't ring the bell and run away). And, since so many family members just happened to be at Zeynab's house yesterday, we had a make-shift party outside while they made "lavash" (thin tortilla type bread).
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Gestures of Kindness
I told this story to my mom last night on the phone and she thought it was incredibly sweet so I want to share it with all of you.
Yesterday was my second gardening club of the season and one of my students brought me a tree start that she had dug up from her own garden to give to me to plant in mine. She brought it over in a bucket dripping with water. We planted it together in one of the newly tilled corners of my garden. It was a very thoughtful gesture of kindness, she is only 10 years old.
After that all of the students and I planted sunflowers along the perimeter of my garden.
Also, side note, if you read my last post, yesterday was April 13th and it snowed here! Zeynab can predict anything!
Yesterday was my second gardening club of the season and one of my students brought me a tree start that she had dug up from her own garden to give to me to plant in mine. She brought it over in a bucket dripping with water. We planted it together in one of the newly tilled corners of my garden. It was a very thoughtful gesture of kindness, she is only 10 years old.
After that all of the students and I planted sunflowers along the perimeter of my garden.
Also, side note, if you read my last post, yesterday was April 13th and it snowed here! Zeynab can predict anything!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Gardening in Spring
As Zeynab and I were walking to the home of the boy we tutor today we were talking a lot about gardening. She asked me about my first gardening club yesterday and if I figured out how to use the shovel I had borrowed from here :) and I was getting her advice on when to plant certain things. She told me this story they have about starting to grow your crop in the Spring and I want to share to with you.
There was an old woman. She had many goats. All winter long she feed them grass that she had dried from the Autumn before and they stayed healthy and strong all winter. After March was over and April beginning the old woman poked March and Winter in the eyes and said I have won! All of my flock has survived the winter, I beat you. March and Winter did not like her saying this to them at all so the saved three days of Winter and sent them into April. They killed all of the old woman's flock while she was gloating. These three days are April 13-16 and that is why they say here never to plant your crops before the 16th of April. If you do, winter will come again and freeze everything you plant.
There was an old woman. She had many goats. All winter long she feed them grass that she had dried from the Autumn before and they stayed healthy and strong all winter. After March was over and April beginning the old woman poked March and Winter in the eyes and said I have won! All of my flock has survived the winter, I beat you. March and Winter did not like her saying this to them at all so the saved three days of Winter and sent them into April. They killed all of the old woman's flock while she was gloating. These three days are April 13-16 and that is why they say here never to plant your crops before the 16th of April. If you do, winter will come again and freeze everything you plant.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Blustery Day
The sun is out but the wind is blowing; today was a little nippy.
These are the clothes lines of the families below me. I just loved how they looked in the wind; I have a weird obsession with taking pictures of full clothes lines, including mine. I love that we dry our clothes this way! Although, I'm not going to lie, oh I cannot wait to have a washing machine!!! My poor hands :)
A little later when I looked out the window though, some of this family's clothes had disappeared! They are lucky that tree was there to catch it (although, I'm not sure if they will be able to get at it). If I lost something off my line, especially in wind like today, it would be long gone! There's nothing there to catch it!
Anyway I just liked the first picture and then thought the second one was sort of fun. Just a typical day in the AZB.
These are the clothes lines of the families below me. I just loved how they looked in the wind; I have a weird obsession with taking pictures of full clothes lines, including mine. I love that we dry our clothes this way! Although, I'm not going to lie, oh I cannot wait to have a washing machine!!! My poor hands :)
A little later when I looked out the window though, some of this family's clothes had disappeared! They are lucky that tree was there to catch it (although, I'm not sure if they will be able to get at it). If I lost something off my line, especially in wind like today, it would be long gone! There's nothing there to catch it!Anyway I just liked the first picture and then thought the second one was sort of fun. Just a typical day in the AZB.
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