Eurovision Win

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/world/asia/16azerbaijan.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

The day I left, Azerbaijan won Eurovision. This article explains what a big deal that is. Congratulations, Azerbaijan!

Global Perspective

Here we see the Caspian Sea with a view of Baku. One question I am to answer in this blog is: How does the experience of this trip inspire a global perspective in my classroom and school? I have to answer with another question: How could it not? Especially as a journalism teacher, I can see how my future discussions of free speech and the relationship of the press to our government will be drawn in sharper relief for me. But I have also seen how average citizens everywhere can work toward improving their lives, becoming more educated, setting goals, following dreams in different ways, with small steps that can add up over time. The college students in the Intelligent Citizen center, my host teacher Halima and her newsletter students, the young people taking extra English lessons, the journalists at the Media Centre, the Azeri English teachers spending their free time getting more training are all part of a world picture that will stay in my mind when I'm back at Cypress Bay High teaching my own students to ask questions, think critically, and look beyond our classroom to the world.

Music School

On my last day in Ganja, I took a van/bus to Yeni Ganja (New Ganja) and visited a music school there. I saw a dance class, where the students practiced to live music (you can see the musicians at the back on a small stage), and peeked in on some one-on-one lessons where students learned to play the national instruments. I was surprised to find that this music school is a free public school. Students go to their regular education school either from 9-1 or 1-5 and have the other section of their day to have music lessons (or not). The first picture is of the front of the music school.

At Halima's School

The children at Halima's school were absolutely delightful! They were friendly and curious. I told them about my school and about myself and then we did the interviewing lesson. In these photos you see me teaching, then a view from the lobby out to the schoolyard, a hallway of classrooms, me sharing the Silly Bandz I brought as gifts, and then children in the schoolyard drawing with sidewalk chalk. Halima said this is the first time she's seen them play with chalk, but I felt a strong connection to it since at Cypress Bay there are always different chalk drawings in our courtyard. To me, it was such a simple toy making a strong tieback to home. And what are they drawing here? Mickey Mouse, of course!

An Afternoon Out and About

Here are a few of my favorite images from our outing after my session with the college students. The food in the first photo is perojki, which is fried dough with potato inside. We bought some at this walk-up window. We also visited a farmers' market and a shopping area that reminded me a little bit of Chinatown in New York. I've included this photo of an apartment building because it shows how satellite dishes are everywhere. And, we also walked through a small amusement park complete with rides, popcorn (popkorn) machines and bumper cars.

Presentation with the College Students

Today I used my Powerpoint presentation on "Tips for Student Journalists" for a session with the college students at the Intelligent Citizen center. We talked about brainstorming story ideas and how to choose stories that will interest their audience. One of the trends they brought up was gender issues. Although there are certain restaurants and other places women don't go, the students said it is not because it is forbidden. It is more of a cultural discomfort, the feeling of how others view the women when they go to such places. The young men, the college students, think that the women can and should go to these places, but it can be difficult. There are women who need to be the first ones to go and break this negative view. We discussed how this can be an excellent topic for an opinion piece or feature story. The students had wonderful ideas and I enjoyed this session very much.

City Life, Country Life

Halima and I walked through a commercial area of Ganja to take a van like the one marked with the number 2 to visit her friend Leyla who lives in a more rural area. These vans are a form of mass transit. (The one pictured here is behind a sign for Lotto.) The first three pictures are from Ganja, and then the other two are at Leyla's. The pet dog does not come inside the house, and neither do the shoes. When we enter homes here, we put on slippers or just wear socks. We enjoyed tea outside while Leyla's mother prepared dinner inside the house. While the roads and sidewalks in the more visible parts of Ganja have been paved and renovated, most side streets are bumpy with potholes. Some of the roads we took to Leyla's house were not paved. As Halima and I took the van back to Ganja, it was raining, so the ride was bumpy and splashy. Both in the city and in the countryside, one can see chickens. Outside the city there are other farm animals walking around on the side of the roads: cows, donkeys, horses, sheep. I have seen shepherds at work with their flocks. There is a mixture of old and new, city and country. As we sat having tea at Leyla's, she brought out her laptop so I could show them a video of Cypress Bay!