Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

As most of you know by now, I am living and teaching in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  Things are much, much simpler here-- sometimes I forget that I am living in a foreign country!  I have begun exploring the region, but in a very different manner from that of Baku, Azerbaijan.

Abu Dhabi is one of the 7 Emirates.  It is the capital city, located about an hour and 15 minutes outside of Dubai (where the world's tallest building shines brightly in the desert sun).  The city is quite small for a capital, but I am enjoying the quaintness of it.

Being located on the island of Abu Dhabi has been a welcomed change-- because the weather has been wonderful!  The beaches are well-kept and the water is refreshing.


Abu Dhabi is centrally located in the UAE, and is a bright spot in an otherwise semi-finished world of construction in the desert.

More information about the United Arab Emirates.

 Home to FERRARI WORLD and racing enthusiasts!  There is a need for speed out here.  I have even found myself speeding a lot more-- driving 140-160 KPM (kilometers per mile) is normal.  140 KMP is about 87 MPH-- and that is slow, yikes!

The Grand Mosque is really amazing.  It has taken over 10 years to build/erect, and it is far from finished.  There aren't quite enough words to describe the inside-- decorations and all. 

 Camels, camels, camels, everywhere!

Dragon-boat racing-- a very new experience for me-- is quite an energizing and difficult sport available to those wanting to spend ample amounts of time on the water.  Like I said, Abu Dhabi is an island, so water sports and activities are a way of life (at least when the sun isn't its hottest or in the "cold" MONTH or so of winter).




There are many other places and sights that are interesting to learn about and explore-- hopefully I will be able to share more with you throughout my time here.  Stay warm in North Platte! 

Recent Trip to the Regions of Azerbaijan

Our Spring Break and Novruz Celebrations have ended, and now we are just waiting for the weather to get warmer! Spring has arrived, with the time change and all... but the weather isn't as pleasant as we would like!  However, I was able to travel to some warmer regions of Azerbaijan or break.

I took a few days to escape the city of Baku and explore the regions of Azerbaijan. This was a special trip because I was able to stay with villagers and visit some extremely interesting areas. The 5 hour marshuka (mini-bus) ride to Agdam Rayon was definitely worthwhile.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds for many years because of this occupied territory of Azerbaijan, and the mistreatment of people on both sides of the conflict. The city of Agdam has been occupied by Armenian military since 1993 and is located in the conflict area of the Nagorno-Karabakh regions. Therefore, this was my destination.

It has been about 16 years since the cease fire was negotiated, but the destruction and loss is still evident. Evidence of the conflict be seen in the structures, as well as within the hearts and minds of the people. Refugees from the occupied territories have struggled for many years, and their living conditions have not improved all that much. Life has not been easy for the people in the villages, refugee camps, and cities closest to the occupied territory. However, the people are very welcoming and kind. I had a lot of chay (tea), homemade bread, butter, yogurt, and cheese. I was told about what life was like before the conflict, and shown how they are surviving in today's world.

** The map shows the occupied territory and the area that I traveled to (or as close as is allowed).  
** The second picture is the home of a family of refugees.  Six people live in that 2 room house.  The outhouse can be seen to the right of the house. 
** The last picture shows a woman making tendir bread outside.  She places the dough on the sides of their homemade oven-- really great tasting bread!

The military is present along the entire border of the Nagorno-Karabak zone.  I was able to go to the Azerbaijani military line and take a few photos.  However, we didn't linger because there are still shots that are fired between the two sides-- even with the cease fire in place.

In the picture, you can see the separation of zones.  The furthest rock pile designates the neutral zone... and then further still Armenian military are stationed.  The mountains look really far away, but they aren't it was just a hazy day.

If you have a moment or two, you should really look up some of the information that is available about the Nagorno-Karabak conflict, especially since Azerbaijan and Armenia have been in the news negotiating lately.  Who knows if and when an agreement will be made though....

Letters

We received some pen-pal letters today! My students were very excited, and couldn't wait to start writing back to all of you! It was really great to see all of your names again-- brought back memories! I had to tell my students some stories from your classes-- and Madi one of them was how you were always drawing during class! Check your emails... the letters will be coming soon!

exploring...

I know that you are all preparing to end your school year-- you are so lucky!! However, I wanted to give you a few more tidbits of information about Baku before you embark on your summer journeys.

I recently went to the Mud Volcanoes in Azerbaijan. They are located outside of Baku, near the town of Gobustan. I recently read that there are a little over 700 volcanoes of this type in the world, and 300 of them are located in Azerbaijan. That is an amazing fact!

The volcanoes were so intriguing. They continuously bubble and make interesting noises-- and the mud is COLD. We were playing in them -- which probably wasn't the most sanitary thing to do because the eruptions (constant bubbling) are caused from gases making their way to the surface.




The volcanoes we climbed and "played" in were relatively small and seemed harmless. However, there are stories of people driving to close to the site and the car(s) slowly sinking into the depths. I am sure that there are a lot of old cars somewhere in the depths of the muddy/oily terrain.



It was quite impressive and mysterious-- these volcanoes are natural wonders. As I read a bit about them I found that in 2001 there was a massive eruption of the volcanoes. You should check out the following link and read up on it..... BBC News Report

The mud volcanoes would make a great field trip-- and I would love to have each of you experience them for real-- but traveling to their site is quite tricky and the roads are extremely rough-- buses wouldn't make it. They can be reached by foot as well-- but there isn't a set path. We were lucky we stumbled upon them after an hour and a half of traveling on the "rocky" mountains trails.



We also visited Gobustan again. The place where the petroglyphs can be found. It is truly a great part of history (one that I don't fully comprehend)-- the people who lived centuries ago really knew how to create, tell, and preserve their life stories. It makes me wonder what sort of things people in centuries to come will think about the reminentance of what we have left behind. What stories will our "stuff" tell them??



The cave drawings are said to have been discovered in the 1930's by quarry workers (prisoners from the nearby prison). The workers would climb a ladder to gain to access the quarry and work. We climbed the shaky ladder (even though the sign painted on the rock warned us not to climb it because it was dangerous) to the top and found the deserted quarry.





I hope to be in touch a few more times before summer comes-- so keep checking for updates.

Peace Tree

Hello Madison,

I just wanted to share some photos of the last project my homeroom has taken on.... they made a PEACE TREE. They are celebrating differences in cultures, religions, peoples, countries, traditions, and customs by learning about and promoting peace. The tree was made on Friday (the 13th of all times), but the learning and symbols of peace that will adorn the tree started in October of 2008.

It would be great if you could participate with us! I thought that having all of you help would be such a wonderful symbol of the unity between cultures and a great way to make the ties between Madison and BIS stronger. Your job would be to create an ornament of some sort that represents or could represent peace or a symbol of love and unity. Somewhere on or attached to your peace ornament should be an explanation of why that is a symbol of peace, what it means, and the significance that it holds. You will also want to put your name it or a picture, so that you will be well represented at BIS, in AZERBAIJAN.

Talk to Miss Foster about this project... I know she will help you along.

PEACE OUT! :)

GoogleEarth... shots of Baku

My brother was trying to pinpoint my exact location on GoogleEarth last night-- and in the process, he sent some pictures. It was difficult for me to get him close to my place because of the language differences (spellings and such aren't quite the same)- but we managed. To really see the pictures (because I know they are small)-- click on them and they should enlarge.

This is a picture of my street. When you find the white "C" shaped buildings, you have found my apartments. If you take the road directly in front of my apartments to the right-- all the way to the end of the picture-- you will find my school. It is pretty amazing that I was actually able to locate those two places from above-- because I can barely find them from below!! :)



This is a bit closer... but of the same area...



This is even closer... but it is of my school-- the school is to the left of the big patch of trees, right on the corner.

Black January

January 20th is a day of remembrance and recognition in Baku and all of Azerbaijan because it marks the end of a the terrible events that occurred in January of 1990. The loss of innocent civilians' lives-- when Soviet troops entered Baku under "false pretenses"-- is remembered and the people are honored.

I have attached some informational sites- so that you all can read up on the events.... of course these are just some of the many sites out there on 'Black January'.

January 20th
Black January

After visiting Shahidlar Khiyabani (Martyr's Cemetary)-- I understand the meaning behind this day of mourning and the its importance to the people here-- ultimately the events that occurred in January of 1990 solidified Azerbaijan's desire to separate from the Soviet Union. AND in 1991 Azerbaijan declared its independence.