First Month Photos

The crazy amount of shoes in front of our house during Cavid's party. This is unfortunately only half the picture. Double the amount seen and that's what was really out there. Just like Japan!

Friends and relatives preparing a ridiculous amount of salad for the party. This photo was taken behind our house.

The Kabobs! Azerbaijani food is absolutely fantastic!

Our host uncle grilling some goat kabobs. They were tasty! This photo was taken in our back yard. There is a huge garden with all kinds of vegetables as well as apple, pomegranate, persimmon and pear trees!

The living room at our host families home. Extra tables were brought in and set up for Cavid's party. There was a ton of food and drink.

A pier out into the Caspian Sea. Rather close to the hotel in which we stayed during our first week in Azerbaijan.

One of those Crazy mud volcanoes. The mud is actually quite cold. Did you know: 50 % of the world's mud volcanoes are in Azerbaijan!

Emma and Friend 3 - happens to be married to Friend 2, from Kentucky. More jumping over the streams of mud.

L-R: Friend one - Went to William and Mary, Modern Dancer, Me - Mathias, Friend 2 - Other young married man, from N. Virginia. Jumping over a stream of mud from one of Azerbaijan's mud volcanoes. By the look of it, I must have been very excited.

Emma looking out from atop a rock formation in Gobustan. The Caspian is just beyond the top of the photo.

Emma and me in Gobustan. We are standing in front of a series of cave drawings, or petroglyphs, somewhere in the range of 7500 years old. I believe we were looking at etchings of cattle... at least that is what the guide told us.

Tim thinking about how he wants to master the art of "vowel harmony"... good luck friend, good luck.

This is the apartment building in which one of the volunteers we visited lives. It is about 4 stories high and the apartments run the width of the building, giving the renter two balconies. Very nice digs.

This is my "language cluster" at school. From left to right you have my Azerbaijani teacher (just her back), Number 1 - Language Expert from Maryland, really likes Bond movies, Number 2 - Retiree from KC MO, came with her husband, Number 3 - Drummer, Fan of the Russian Language, Number 4 - Went to U of Rochester, from Boston = Sox fan, and Number 5 - From Wisconsin, likes the Brewers, makes a great Bloody Mary or so I am told. I used numbers to keep their identities somewhat unknown. Tricky-tricky. Albeit, I did describe what they like and where they are from.

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Mathias