Bayramımız Mübarək: Kiş

I love spring break! I really love the Novruz version of spring break. First, I attended a wicked sweet party in Zaqatala. Second, my friend Lucy invited me to Şəki (Sheki) for a celebration with her family. Third, I got to start a new blog category, entitled: Places to Go!

And why did I start this new category? Well, while I was in Şəki, Lucy, Carly, and I decided to do a little trekkin’ in the village of Kiş (Kish). Located 30 minutes north of Şəki, Kiş sits on a mountain side and couldn’t get any more beautiful if it tried.

About 45 minutes outside of Kiş is a great set of castle ruins known as Gələrsən Görərsən.

An easy hike, the view is well worth the trek and the confusion directions.

Bayramımız Mübarək: Şənlik

It’s here, it’s here! It’s finally here! Novruz Bayramı!

Since I got to this country, everyone and their grandmother has been telling me about Novruz. At first, they all made it sound an awful lot like Easter - a secularly religious holiday with a whole lot of tradition and cultural past times thrown in - and it is. It even has Easter-esq aspects: candy giving, egg coloring, fire jumping - well, that’s not really Easter-esq...

Anyway, Novruz has a bit of everything: trick-or-treating, egg coloring, family gatherings, spring break, fortune telling (by the way of marriage predictions), fire jumping, dancing, intense sugar consumption...

So far, it is my favorite holiday in country - and since it lasts for the next 2 weeks, get ready for a slew of Novruz posts!

P.S. These pictures are from the rockin’ Novruz party Zaqatala had last week!

Seeds, Seeds, and Goodness More Seeds

I have never been a big fan of sunflower seeds. Even my host family knows my thoughts on these little buggers as whenever someone pulls out a bag, my 7 year old host bro is quick to announce that “Löki doesn’t like seeds. She thinks it’s a lot of work for very little food.”

And it is. Shelling ‘em takes all my focus and half my energy. My rate of getting an intact seed about 1 to 7. More often than not, I drop the whole darn thing on the floor after struggling to break the shell into two equal halves.

It is not my favorite past time.

Unfortunately, it is the favorite past time of Azerbaijan. A popular summer activity is walking and seeding. Even better, squatting and seeding. Everybody does it. I am going to do it (it is a great way to meet people), I just am not going to enjoy the seeding part too much.

Too bad mowing down on pre-shelled, chocolate covered sunflower seeds isn’t in. I would totally rock at that.