The Storeys Visit Oz-erbaijan Part 2: Ismayilli, Lahic, Sheki

Visiting my host family was the most nerve-wracking part of the trip. I wasn’t so much worried about how the two families would get on, but more about what we’d do and how much talking I’d have to do. The trip turned out to be both exhausting and exhilarating, proof for myself that my language was better than I often give myself credit for.

The first day was probably the busiest in terms of translating, and it wasn’t till we got to Istanbul that my mind really got to rest. Some brief respites came with visits from my sitemates, who helped give a tour of Ismayilli, and a neighbor English teacher. Still, my families had a lot to say to one another, and basically only me to do the saying. My host father has some English, and he quickly dubbed my sister Santa Elena, and gave her a nice book of traditional Azeri designs, writing a sweet dedication on the front page. My host mother welcomed us with a great lunch of plov and fresh veggies from the garden she had made for the occasion.

The next day we spent in Ismayilli, visiting my school and attending some of the clubs I do. My main counterpart, Humay, met us at the school, though it turned out the school director was in Baku. We joined my students for our hiking club, walking out to the big park and visiting the history museum there (where they have a real chunk of meteorite!) and Ismayilli’s Heydar Aliyev Museum. It was really fun for me to see how my students acted in these museums, truly rapt with attention, absorbing intently everything they saw.

During the day we had our big meal of the visit—sheep kebab. The reason this was a big deal was because it meant buying a sheep for the meal. And then having it killed, skinned, cut up, and then cooked on the grill. My family elected not to be present for most of this, so I had to be the messenger, running back and forth between host family and butcher and American family. When it came time to eat though, they were there.

That evening we went to baseball practice, which I run with my sitemate, Allie. It was so nice to have a couple other people giving the kids attention and encouragement. Once we’ve got enough equipment—which I’ve been told has finally arrived—we should really start having a lot of fun.

And so we come to the travel portion of my family’s visit. On Wednesday we went to Lahij, a small mountain town, and Thursday we went to Sheki, a larger historical town.

The night before Lahij, it had rained heavily, so we were worried that the road washed away. This is not an exaggeration. Well, the road was still there, so we went. Sheki was an easier, albeit longer, drive. Amusingly, the road to Sheki is good until you hit Qabala, where the president is rumored to have a home, and afterwards, the road gets bumpier and the light posts disappear. A might suspicious, methinks.

These two days made for fun days of exploration, not just for my family, but also for me. This was my first time in Sheki, and I got to play tour guide in Lahij.

The final night in Ismayilli, my host mother cooked some wonderful dolma, of the sort that is stuffed peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. We were called away to meet my school director at the central park, but when we got back, we spent a while talking with my family, a nice, relaxing end to the trip. Sitting outside in the garden, amongst the flowers, under the stars.

The next morning we said a sweet goodbye. My host mother threw a glassful of water after our taxi (just the water, not the glass) as a sign of good luck.

I never doubted that my family would want to visit, and I have been fortunate that I have known they love me and are proud of me. I know that if I had chosen to do something besides Peace Corps, they would still have been proud of me. But their visit meant a lot to me, and having them see my clubs, school, and community was refreshing and encouraging.