Study Abroad Azerbaijan

Public School in Azerbaijan

2009-07-31T16:54:00.009-04:00

Public education for everybody is one of trademarks of a progressive society, yet the reputation of public school can be unfavorable. The public school we visited in Baku contradicted this unpopular reputation. The classrooms has been recently equipped with SmartBoards, which are projection screens that allow the teacher to use their computer via the board. When we observed English classes the teachers used their boards to keep students interactive with the material. The feel of the classrooms were very similar to the Heydar Aliyev School. The students were eager to answer and ready to speak in front of the class. A theme in the Azeri classes we have visited is the fast paced environment of the classroom. The students were preparing for the final exams, so the school was quite empty. We got to tour the new gym facilities, which were outstanding. We were all impressed with the large classrooms and the teachers.

I saw something in this pubic school that I have not seen before that I liked. There are certain days that teachers sit in on other teachers’ class, so that they can give them feedback about their lesson. This helps teachers to keep improving all of the time with the help of their colleagues.

--Catherine

Hospital Visits

2009-07-31T16:32:00.008-04:00

SURPRISE! I ended up in a hospital. Even bigger surprise: they took incredibly good care of me. No one knows what to expect when they visit a foreign emergency room, but I hadn’t even heard of this country until last December, so my knowledge of the nation, let alone the medical system, was entirely limited – so much that I didn’t know if someone would poke at me with sticks, or if I would be wrapped in golden blankets. I mean, who really knows?

I do. And, shockingly, my experience was more like the second option. Of course, nothing gilded was involved, but not only did I get my own room, I got a team of doctors and nurses, a medical examination, and a CORRECT evaluation the first time around. They attached me to an IV and I immediately felt better. I had to return three times for further treatment, and then I was strong enough to continue treatment by antibiotics after that. Funny enough, one of the medications they prescribed is only available in four Middle-Eastern countries. Pff FDA ShmeFDA, it worked for me! The only unfortunate piece of the experience was that my insurance was not accepted in their system, so we had to pay cash up front and file for insurance once I got home.

-- Katelyn

The Land of Fire

2009-05-27T08:09:00.001-04:00

On Thursday, May 21, we learned the reasoning behind Azerbaijan’s pseudonym: the Land of Fire. Within a forty-minute drive outside Baku we saw a mountain spewing fire called Yanar Dag, one of several mountains in Azerbaijan that erupt in flames when heat and gas combine. The natural gasses from within the Earth ignite when they meet the hot air in the atmosphere, creating the perfect sauna for a photo-op! Everything made sense after we saw the natural fire; with inexplicable flames shooting from the side of a mountain it was no wonder the Azeri people used to worship fire. People tend to explain the inexplicable with either magic or deities, and in this case it was believed that fire was a divine spirit since there was no reason behind it and it provided heat, a way to cook food, and light. This practice of worshipping fire became known as Zoroastrianism.

We also visited the Ateshkah fire temple just outside of Baku City. The fire was in a circular pit in the temple in the center of the complex, which originally contained rooms for traveling merchants and their horses as a Karvan Sarayi. When Islam became the religion of Azerbaijan around the ninth century, the temple was destroyed. Later, Indian monks and merchants, who still practiced Zoroastrian religion, sponsored the restoration of the temple. Enjoy some pictures of Ateshkah, as it was restored and presented to us.

Our Weekend Getaway to Sheki

2009-05-25T13:20:00.009-04:00

On our drive from Baku to Sheki we saw rolling hills of farmlands, fields of poppies, tree covered mountains, and snow capped mountains in the distance. The picturesque countryside was like scenery from a fairytale. The Caucasian mountains looked like crumpled blankets sprawled across the land. The drive there was a trip in itself, and we spent a great deal of the ride hanging out of the car taking pictures.

When we arrived in Sheki we found out that the road to our cabin had been washed away from the heavy rainfall the day before. This kind of rain is typical for Sheki because the river that runs through the town catches all of the water coming from the mountain. The roads in town have trenches about 2 feet deep to help contain the rivers that form in the streets during the rainstorms. These rainstorms are called “sels”. Thank goodness we did not arrive during the “sel”. We parked the cars and got into taller cars to take us on a back road to our cabin. Our ride was like the computer game Oregon Trail, except it was real life! We traveled down narrow stone streets in a small village in the mountains, woodsy back roads, and then across a river- all in a car. Once we arrived, we had a traditional Azeri meal family style. There was a traditional folk music performance celebrating a female composer Shafiga Akhundova from Azerbaijan being filmed in the same place.

Shekhi has some very ancient places to visit such as the Xan Sarayi’s palace that was built in the 18th century. This palace is indescribable because it is so magnificent. There were gorgeous old trees that were planted around 1530 that looked like the guards of the palace.

We also visited an Albanian church from the 5th century that had the walls of a pagan temple from the 1st century B.C. buried underneath it. It’s almost unimaginable how old this place is. This church is one of the oldest standing churches left from this time period in Caucuses.

We stopped to see the 18th century hotel Karavansaray that was a resting place for merchants on the Silk Road.

We experienced some of Sheki’s famous sweets in a candy shop. All of the sweets such as Sheki baklava and various candies are made by the shop owners.

Thoughts About the Heydar Aliyev School

2009-05-21T12:53:00.003-04:00

Language is an important part of a student’s education in this school. All students begin learning four languages in the first grade: Azeri, English, Russian, and Arabic. In grade six they also start to learn another modern language, either German or French. As I have learned in my short time here, nearly all language classes begin with a simple “How are you today?” and with writing the date on the board. In addition to this, many teachers ask their students to describe the day’s weather. This light conversation puts students in the right mindset for class, as was the case in a third grade level Russian as a foreign language class that I observed. After a brief discussion about how nice the weather was, the teacher transitioned into teaching the students about the four seasons of the year. By taking a concept, in this case the weather, that the students were already familiar with and building onto it, the teacher was able to build on what the students already knew.
After calling each student to the front of the class to talk about the day’s lesson, the class was allowed to ask that student various other questions in Russian, such as “What is this called?” (pointing to a body part) or “What is your favorite fruit?” This was a brief review of the past lessons and allowed students to strengthen their speaking abilities and listening comprehensions, and also tests the knowledge of the individual answering the question. This encourages students to have the same knowledge level as their peers, and be comfortable in front of the class.
“Today, I started to get acclimated to the classrooms in the Azeri school. I am no longer lost in the school, and I am not so surprised at the difference in the culture of the classroom. Although most of the teachers use some of the same methods in their classrooms, I am starting to see differences in their teaching styles… The teachers here use almost 100% positive reinforcement. If a student is not staying in their seat or speaking out of turn, they will be ignored. The students who get the most attention from the teacher are the students who answer frequently. The students would rather get a question wrong and receive feedback than be invisible,” (Manci, C. May 19, 2009).
“The first thing I noticed going to the next class was that the relationship between the teacher and the students was very friendly and open. It was a six grade English class, and Ms. K. was the teacher. The students gathered around her desk before class began and they all talked and laughed until the bell rang. While most students were talking to Ms.K., some were getting started with the lesson before the bell by writing the date and the day on the board.” (Knapp, K. May 19, 2009)
The next class I observed was an eighth grade level class which was taught by Catherine. Part of her lesson involved the students reading aloud about Johnny Appleseed. While the individual students read aloud, I noticed a few issues that they had with pronunciation, such as saying past tense words with an “-ed” ending as a separate syllable, or pronouncing “wild” as “willed.” These are common pronunciation mistakes that even some young native English students might make, and could probably be remedied by hearing more native English speakers, so that the students could hear the correct way to say the words.
Despite these mistakes, the students still seem very comfortable speaking in front of their classes. The teachers tell us that the students are nervous because they have guests, but I find this hard to believe, because overall the students still perform outstandingly.

Shirvanshexlar Sarayi

2009-05-20T15:43:00.001-04:00

The first part of the city is now known as Old Baku City, or “Icheri Shahar.” It was built during the twelfth century and has since been surrounded by increasingly new architecture. One such building is the Shirvanshexlar Sarayi, which has a beautiful architectural mixture of plain stone and intricate carvings that line the windows and doors both inside and out. It was built in the fifteenth century entirely of stone, even the old baths, which had hot and cold running water in 1438! We also saw a private collection of artifacts from the time period that included money and household appliances dating from the tenth through nineteenth centuries.

Azeri Dance Experience: Georgian Treasure and The Azerbaijan Ballet

2009-05-19T08:33:00.017-04:00

The origins of dance go very far back for the people of Azerbaijan. We got a healthy dose of dance during our first weekend in Baku. Friday we saw a performance of Georgian dancers, and then Saturday we visited the ancient Gobostan caves that had depictions of people dancing. That night we also saw a wonderful performance at the Azerbaijan Ballet Theater.

The Georgian dancers gave a good glimpse of the dance culture in the Caucuses. We were very entertained at the women gliding about the stage and the men leaping and bounding. I learned about another culture of dance that has a different technique, presentation, and abilities. I was also interested to learn that this dance style heavily focuses on the male dancers. It seemed like the men dancing were having more fun than the audience.

Our trip to the ballet was surprising. It was a modern ballet performance of a classic piece accompanied by a live orchestra, which is what I was not expecting. The performers wore soft ballet shoes (not Pointe shoes), which is unusual for a professional company in the US. These performances would be more cutting edge in the US and would be mainly presented with modern music and mainly attended by other dancers. The choreography was modern in the style and the dancers used props like chairs. There was a live classic orchestra playing. The acts of the show were quite short, but it was enlightening to see modern Azeri take on classic Bolero ballet. No matter what style of dance they are doing, the Azeri people love dancing. Dance is a force of nature here that one has to experience.

*Click here to see the Georgian national dance.

These volcanoes are made of mud!

2009-05-19T08:19:00.001-04:00

This excursion was the most fun I’ve had getting dirty in a good while. The drive there was both beautiful and exciting. We drove up on a mountain and down dusty unpaved roads to arrive at our destination. At the pinnacle of this mountain, we found some great piles of dirt. However these, were no ordinary piles of dirt—they were explosive. Unlike what one would normally expect after hearing the word “volcano,” the mud erupting from these tiny mountains was actually painfully cold. Knowing that there was no real danger here, most of us reverted into small children and began running around playing in it. Upon hearing that people actually sought out this mud for medicinal purposes, Katelyn and I promptly covered our hands and faces in it. Here are some pictures of the fun we had:

Gobustan

2009-05-18T14:49:00.004-04:00

Art is the basis of our modern knowledge of ancient civilizations. Before the paintings and sculptures of ancient Rome and Greece, there were cave paintings and rock carvings in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and, yes, Azerbaijan. On Saturday we visited Gobustan, http://resources.net.az/gob/index.htm , ancient caves that were inhabited by the native people of Azerbaijan several thousand years before Christ.

Gobustan is still naturally in tact; the carvings may have begun to disintegrate and the living spaces may be overgrown with plant life, but the overall structure is picturesque. There are dirt walkways and stone seats, fire pits contained by rock, water reservoirs carved in stone, drums made out of hollow stone, and natural shelter from the boulders. Each living space has images carved into the stonewalls such as stick figures, bulls, horses, boats, and dancing rituals. The scenes held meaning at one time, depicting a battle or a revered animal. This is an exciting location to visit, but tourists should beware of the current inhabitants of the caves: lizards and colorful snakes. Gobustan has evidence of different periods in history of Azerbaijan including some of the earliest human settlements, visits by legions of the Roman army, Arabic invasions, and more.

TISA: The International School of Azerbaijan

2009-05-18T11:07:00.001-04:00

TISA

On Friday we went to The International School of Azerbaijan. TISA is a private international school of 600+ students ranging from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. A typical classroom has students from all parts of the globe with many different accents. The student body is 34% UK, 18%USA, 15% Azeri, and 33% from 46 other nationalities. The teachers at TISA are just as diverse as the students; they come from different 16 countries. One of the best parts of the mixture of nationalities was watching the different senses of humor play out in the classroom.

I immediately felt at home in this IB World Literature class at TISA. The classroom was very similar to the way my IB classes functioned in high school. I should first explain the distinction between an IB class and a normal class. In IB classes the teacher-student relationship is more personal, because the teacher and students are on an exploration of literature together. The literature classes tend to be conversational, and the teacher is like a guide toward scholarly conversation. In this class I got the feeling of the teacher and students being a team and working toward one goal, which is how my IB classes felt. The students in this class were preparing for their IB final exams, which happen in two installments. They went over a short text individually and made any notes on the paper. Then, they talked about questions to ask themselves when analyzing a text. Next, they listened to a recording of a student analyzing a text like they will have to do for one of the exams. The students were very comfortable with each other because the class only had six students. They all had different accents, and only two girls seemed to have English as their first language. The classroom was decorated with posters about authors and literary terms. The student teacher interaction is very different in these classrooms than the Azeri classrooms I have observed. This may be because of the difference in coursework, but some are not. The students do not stand when they speak, and the class seems less formal overall. The teacher is more interested in the students opinions and perceptions.

Drama Class
This is the first drama class I have ever observed in a high school, so I did not have any prior experience. It was a great reflection of the unique opportunities available at an international school. The students were practicing a one-act play that they will perform for Pakistani refugee women. The students wrote the play about personal hygiene in a comedy style to entertain the audience. The relationship between the students and the teacher was very friendly, and on an equal playing field. The teacher acted as the director, but was continually asking for the students input. They were all working together to get the play in a good condition to perform, and seemed to be having a great time doing it. The students were close friends and casually joked with their teacher about their characters in the play. One of the most interesting aspects of the play was that they had translated it into two other languages other than English. With the collective knowledge of languages in the classroom, they were able to help each other with any language that was not their native tongue.

Humanities Middle School 6th
After visiting this classroom, I remember why I want to teach middle school. The students had the enthusiasm of a young student, but the creative ability of an older student. The assignment of the day was to give a prepared presentation about a day in ancient Rome as an assigned character. I have never seen such creative and dramatic students! The presentations were absolutely entertaining because each student put on a small production, which made every character easy to remember. I wish I had a video camera this day, so that everyone could see what great actors these students were. The girl who was presenting as the Cyclops wore a mask with one big eye, and was surrounded by sheep cutouts. During her presentation she screamed and jumped on desks in order to be the angry Cyclops that had recently been blinded. An assignment like this will be something that students will remember and be talking about for a long time. I liked this tactic for teaching because it uses many different skills. Students practiced speaking skills, creativity, acting skills, historical knowledge, and research skills. The biggest impression that I took from this class was that they were having a great time learning. I wanted to be a part of this class.

Private School in Baku, Heydər Əliyev Adına Müasir Təhsil Kompleksi

2009-05-15T06:34:00.003-04:00

The main school in which we are working in Baku City, the private school, is absolutely beautiful. "The floors were clean. The children were polite, engaged, and active. The teachers we met seemed passionate about the subjects they teach. Even the cafeteria food was delicious, and that is definitely a rare occurrence anywhere." (Beech, J., May 13, 2009) It is even more grandiose than the private schools in America that I have seen. There are several buildings, including a separate one for kindergarten and one for the administration. This school seems to focus more on the needs of the students; the kindergarten has playground equipment and separate nap time space, there are tennis courts and soccer fields for when the older kids get a break from school, and students can run in the hallways. It is a much more relaxed setting, aside from in the actual classroom which seems to be just strict enough that the students are very well-behaved and respectful of instructional time. The teachers were a great deal younger than I was expecting and everyone was genuinely helpful. I hope if Azeri teachers visit our schools we could show the same courtesy. "I feel a little funny because most people know all about American culture, but I do not know much about Azerbaijan. Luckily, many of the teachers seemed excited to meet us." (Manci, C., May 13, 2009) They all made us feel very welcome, which is comforting in a large new city. "Gulya, the head of the department of language, was asking me about my opinions on education theories about learning foreign language"...Gulya was interested in "some innovative teaching strategies, so I hope I have something to bring." (Manci, C., May 13, 2009) The director of the school specifically asked us to give constructive criticism and feedback at the end of our stay here; he seemed to truly respect our opinions and wants their school to be the best it can be.

My peers and I each observed five different classes today. Here I will provide a composite portrait of a typical classroom at Heydər Əliyev Adına Müasir Təhsil Kompleksi. "Some of the differences I noted in the school were that the students were allowed to run from class to class, but were very behaved in the classroom. Since the students stay at school all day, they do many extracurricular activities in the school such as dance, music, and art." (Manci, C., May 13, 2009) Classes began and ended with a traditional greeting in which the students stood up and greeted the teacher and the teacher greeted the students and asked of their well being, and then the students responded. "Since classes were very small students got a lot of individual attention. The classrooms were spacious and the windows were open. The walls had a few posters and a picture of the president. I noticed that every time a student answered a question the student would stand to speak." (Manci, C., May 13, 2009)

The classes were very lively and there was a high level of interaction between teachers and students. Teachers used many different interactive activities during the lessons, such as picture association activities, greetings, rhymes, and songs. "All of the students were eager to answer, and raised their hands every time there was a question posed. They were practically falling out of their seats to be noticed, so that they would be called on. The lesson was very interactive, and the format allowed them to speak a lot. They started by reading three useless inventions that they made up for homework, which was silly so they had a good time. Then, they watched a video about the way people lived in the past. The video included a sing-along song, and the second time the students sang with it. I thought that this was a great way for them to practice pronunciation, because they were mimicking the singer of the song. Finally, they played a game like Taboo. They drew a word from a hat and had to explain it, and they got a point for a correct answer. The class was pleasurable to observe because the students were so excited about learning." (Manci, C., May 13, 2009) I enjoyed watching these engaging lessons; I believe when students interact with each other and their teachers, it allows more to be learned. "I was very impressed with this school and really look forward to meeting more of the teachers and students who experience this place in their lives daily." (Beech, J., May 13, 2009)

First Impressions

2009-05-14T10:02:00.005-04:00

Visiting a new country is always exciting. There are things to learn, places to see, and people to meet. Even though I've only been here for one full day, I've already learned that Baku is full of interesting people, sites, and surprises. Riding into the city from the airport, I noticed the distinct lack of traffic lanes. To someone who is not used to people moving their cars about wherever they please, this kind of driving induces a lot of white-knuckling. Once you learn to trust the person that you're riding with, the next thing you notice is the buildings. This city is enormous and sprawling, but not as tall as most cities of this size. "I'm still shocked at the size of Baku City. Many people in the states have not heard of Baku City, so the general assumption is that it is not an urban area. This is not true." (Manci, C. May 13, 2009) There is a great contrast throughout the city. Historic twelfth-century buildings contrast the more modern architecture of buildings built for the twenty-first century. Dilapidated buildings of the Soviet era sit across the street from polished glass store-fronts. Even the cars in the street portrays these contrasts: shiny new BMWs honk and speed past dirty Ladas on their last set of tires.
"Baku city is undoubtedly beautiful and has culture and history included in absolutely everything, which incorporates some western European and traditional Eastern style." (Knapp, K. May 13, 2009)

"People themselves are very curious. Everyone we met had a lot of questions to ask us about how we like everything, and they truly seemed concerned about our responses. Their concern did not seem like simple small talk, but instead people were interested in our opinions and perspectives." (Knapp, K. May 13, 2009)
"The clothing is an aspect of the culture that I find very interesting. Most of the people are formal most of the time. For example, I have not seen any person in shorts or sweatpants on the street. The women wear a lot of black and high heels, while men wear suits. Women's clothing tends to have a Western silhouette with Eastern influences, such as jewelry, make-up, and embellishments. People seem to take time on their appearance, and I really enjoy this aspect of the culture. I am interested in the difference in the perception of beauty here in Baku." (Manci, C. May 13, 2009)

"So far it has been a fascinating experience, one very different from American life. I did not know what to expect coming here because it is not exactly a tourist destination and I did not know anyone who had ever been in Baku so there was no one I could question. It is much more full of culture, history, and beauty than I had imagined. I am looking forward to memorable adventures." (Knapp, K. May 13, 2009)
"I am most curious about what people value the most here, and I hope I can have an open mind." (Manci, C. May 13, 2009)

Accommodations for Participants

2009-05-10T16:25:00.013-04:00

We are sharing pictures to show you living conditions of our participants during this Study Abroad Program. There are one or two students in each bedroom. They share full kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathrooms. They have Internet access and cable TV with wide selection of international channels. Enjoy this small selection of pictures of the apartment that our participants share.

Our Program Info

2009-05-10T16:19:00.002-04:00

Hi all,
Please feel free to check our web site for additional information about our program.
http://people.clemson.edu/~amaniza/Study_abroad_website/index_SAP.htm
Keep in touch!

Welcome to StudyAzerbaijan.blogspot.com!

2009-05-07T19:49:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the blog for Clemson University's study abroad program to Baku, Azerbaijan. By reading this blog, you'll be able to follow the experiences of everyone involved with the program during our 2009 session. We invite you to keep in touch with everyone in Baku by leaving comments. Feel free to ask questions about the trip, as well!