What do you think?

Now that you have seen some of what Ms. Clancy sees during her day, what are your thoughts? Do you have any questions for Ms. Clancy? Would you like know how to say hello and good-bye in Azeri or Russian? Be thinking of some questions for Ms. Clancy when we talk to her on Friday. Remember to get your homework done so that you are able to talk!

**Do you remember how to post a comment? If not, let me know and I will show you how again.

Ms. Clancy...

Hello, hello... I know you are all dying to see where I live and what it is like, so I am going to start with my apartment.

I have to tell you that I was prepared to come to Baku and live in a HUT! I truly thought that I would have a house with dirt floors and have to befriend bugs! The buildings aren't in the best condition on the outsides, so as we were making our way to my apartment, the hut kept flashing before my eyes. However, after making our way through the dark entrance way to the lift (elevator), I realized I wasn't going to be have to deal with dirt floors because I was going to be living on the 11th floor of the building!




My apartment is amazing (even though it doesn't have heat).






I live about 10 minutes (walking distance) from school, which is really convenient for me. Although, walking in the upcoming cold weather is not going to be fun to deal with in the mornings, or the evenings! I could catch a "bus" to school, but the buses that go by the school don't make a return route (toward my apartment). So, I walk. It is quite an interesting walk too. I see something new everyday! The guys at the meat market are warming up to me as well, always saying "Salam" and good morning in Azeri.

Hello MADISON....

I am really glad that we are starting this blog.... I can't wait to share the adventures I am having with you. AND, hopefully you will be able to connect with some of my students at BIS. Miss Foster and I thought that we should begin by giving you some information about the country I am living in-- Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is located on the Caspian Sea, which happens to be the largest LAKE in the world! The countries surrounding Azerbaijan are Georgia, Iran, Armenia, and Russia. There is a great dividing mountain range though... the Caucaus Mountains. I will be traveling into the mountains next week, so hopefully I will be able to share some new sights with you.

Azerbaijan is a former Soviet country. It has only been an independent country since 1991, so it is fairly new and is still trying to build politically and economically. The area and countries surrounding Azerbaijan are filled with a rich and fascinating history, something that ALL Azerbaijani's can tell you about (it is amazing how well they know the history of their country and the countries around them).

Azerbaijan has been in a conflict with Armenia for many, many years-- which causes a bit of animosity toward Armenians and even Russia at times. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been fighting over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. This region is currently being controlled predominately by the Armenians, but over 30,000 people died from 1988-1994, when the cease fire was established. There are still many people that are displaced because of this feud. I will go into more details about this when I post the pictures of our (the BIS students and myself) field trip. Can you infer where we took the students? If you use the clues above, you will be able to find the location of the field trip online.... try it!

I am living in Baku, which is located on the Apsheron Peninsula (I know you know what a peninsula is because I saw the maps you created last year with Mr. Johnson). Baku is a very big city that grows a bit more each day. I think that about 8 million people live in the city-- of course, they don't all live in the lap of luxury. I will have to get into that a bit later in our discussions. Living here has opened my eyes to a lot of things... and I hope to be able to share a lot of my experiences with you.

Halloween in Baku

I really missed the traditional American Halloween celebrations this year. Halloween is not celebrated in Azerbaijan because it is primarily a muslim country, and in this culture the whole "witch" and "wizard" thing isn't appreciated. Of course, Halloween means many things to many different people, which attributes to the confusion as to what it is really all about. Do any of you know the true meaning of Halloween??

Anyway, we had spirit week the week of Halloween-- and Friday, October 31st was our DRESS UP DAY! It was great! The kids had a lot of fun-- and the 3, 4, and 5 year olds all went to the older classes and trick-or-treated. It was precious!

Diwali Celebrations at BIS

Diwali celebrations took place a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to share some of the pictures and tell you about Diwali.

Diwali is a holiday celebrated in India. It is known as the "festival of lights". Small lamps-- called diyas-- are lit and placed all over the home and outside of the home. During the festival Indians exchange sweets and enjoy spectacular fireworks. New clothes are adorned (made by adding bright designs and decorations) and worn throughout the celebration. Diwali symbolizes many different things in India-- and recognizes some goddesses as well. Even though the different regions in India celebrate Diwali a bit differently, it signifies the "renewal of life"-- where the beginning of winter is marked.