“Kevin, you don’t have to finish it,” Sarah said tenderly. “It doesn’t make you any less of a man.”
“Yes it does!” Trey defiantly exclaimed. Looking down at the bowl of cow hooves and stomach, I wanted badly to agree with the young German girl who was stroking my ego. It had been bad enough that I had to wake up at 7:00am after a long night of beer and hookah to eat such a disgusting meal; the prospect of having to finish it simply added to the torture. As Trey continued chirping, though, I became convinced that only a real man finishes his morning Khash. And so, throwing back another shot of vodka, I forced myself to suffer through the rest of the deplorable meal. How a breakfast of the undesirable parts of a cow and vodka became a part of the culture, I will never understand. At least I managed to save my manhood.
Cow hoof.
* * *
As the year began its final few weeks, something else was also nearing its end: Pre-Service Training. For the past two-and-a-half months, the Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) have endured the onslaught of language training, technical training, and cultural adjustment to prepare for life as a Peace Corps Volunteer. This week, the day finally came when they were sworn in as volunteers. Wanting to be there to welcome them to the volunteer community, I headed into Sumgait after classes on Tuesday to attend the final hub day. As part of an effort to welcome the new group, several AZ-8s came to the final hub day to deliver presentations about the various PCV committees. One of the advantages of serving in a small country like Azerbaijan is the opportunity to collaborate with fellow volunteers on interregional projects. Here, such projects include ABLE (Azerbaijani Boys Leadership Experience) Camp, GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Camp, the Health Network, the Environmental Committee, Writing Olympics, a newly formed Frisbee League, and, of course, the Azerbaijan Interregional Softball League. After months full of procedure, logistics, and regulations, I am sure the PCTs were glad to finally be presented with something that can help incorporate their interests into their service. Given the activity at the softball table, it looks like many will be looking to add softball to their list of projects.
The following day was the day trainees had been waiting for since the moment they touched down in Baku. In the ballroom of the Hotel Europe, government ministers, the United States Ambassador, PC Director, PC staff, PCT host families, and current PCVs gathered to commemorate the trainees becoming volunteers. While last year’s ceremony may not have been as cordial as we all would have liked, this year’s swearing-in ceremony offered a warm welcome to Azerbaijan’s 9th group of Peace Corps Volunteers. Ambassador Bryza, as well as deputy ministers from the Ministries of Education, Economic Development, and Youth and Sport, gave very supportive speeches to the new group. Following a duel-language speech by one of the new volunteers, the group of 44 took their oath of service. And with that, we welcome to Azerbaijan the AZ-9s!
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Please help the Azerbaijan Interregional Softball League by donating today:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=314-091
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