Writing Olympics - Azerbaijani style

In 2003, a Peace Corps volunteer in the country of Georgia started the Writing Olympics as a way to get English language students to think and write creatively. It is now held each Spring in 11 countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Albania, Georgia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Moldova, Mongolia, Philippines and Ukraine) with thousands of participants. 

PCVs like me started hearing about this event in early February, but my mind was not on preparing my students to enter and write. Back then, I was lucky if I could find my classrooms. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I asked my school director for a classroom to use on March 29th, and 17 students showed up - 5 from Sally's school and 12 from mine.

Me and Sally and one of the English teachers from Digah Village School, Masalli.

In the Writing Olympics, students from grades 6 thru college compete by answering one of three questions that are prepared at grade-appropriate levels. Participants have up to an hour to compose an answer, and entries are then submitted to PC Baku for judging. Since the focus is on originality and creativity, essays not judged on spelling or grammar. Topics are not given in advance, but English teachers can prepare students by using questions from previous years.

Here are examples of questions from the 2010 competition:

6th form: Would you rather be a dog or a cat? Why?

7th form: If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? 

8th form: Imagine that there was no television. What would you do with your free time? 

9th form: Who is the person you most admire? 

10th form: If you could design a new feature for a mobile phone, what would it be?

11th form: School would be better if. . .

Not sure I could write a winning entry, but the ideas are quite provocative.

Getting around day-to-day

Even tho' there are lots of Mercedes and BMWs and Russian Lada cars around, most people here do not have cars. Taxis seem to be the most common public transportation and is also entrepreneurial. You can see them parked morning, noon, and night near apartment buildings and housing compounds, bazars, offices - anywhere there are potential fares. 

I suspect that many men who do have cars, also probably have a magnetic "taxi" sign they put up on top when they have the time and inclination to earn money for tea.  I'm not surprised that many men who emigrate to the USA already have much experience driving taxis in their home country. 

The public transportation system here makes it possible to get just about anywhere at a low cost plus a wee bit of walking. Marsrutkas are mini-vans that travel over a specified route for the same price regardless of how far you are going, i.e. they are jitneys. You simply wave your hand when you see your route number on the street and they stop and pick you up. You pay the fare as you get off which is 20 gepik, about 25 cents. (This photo is from Sumgayit.)

Marsrutkas are also the way to get to other towns in rural Azerbaijan. Every town has an avtovagzal (bus station). Marsrutkas have signs on the front windshield with the destination and the driver usually waits until there are sufficient passengers. I've taken a 4 hour ride from Masalli to Baku for 5 manet. It helps to have along an iPod and snack, tho' there is a 15 minute rest stop. On one trip I met a young Khazikstan pediatrician who moved to Baku with her husband and spoke a bit of English.

Buses usually go to larger cities such as the route between Baku and Sumgayit or to Ganja. They also travel specified routes, but with a lot more comfort and less crazy driving. Baku has a fairly new bus station designed to look like a ship and includes a large clothing bazar. Once you arrive there, many buses are lined up that take you to different parts of the city. All PCVs know that Bus 65 will take you near to the PC office.

There is also a railway system to some parts of Azerbaijan, but it does not have current comforts - little maintenance or upgrading since the end of the soviet system - but a bit of mystic of the Orient Express.