Vivian

I have lot's of good reasons for waiting so long for this post, but the biggest one is the arrival of our daughter, Vivian Noelle, who was placed with us for adoption on October 5.  Of course, there is a story leading up to that, so without further ado...

Stephanie enjoyed a nice afternoon/evening out for our anniversary at the end of September.  We toured the Shirvansha palace, which was the home of Azerbaijan's rulers during the medieval era, followed by a nice dinner at an Azerbaijani restaurant.  The decor of the restaurant reminded us of the Moroccan restaurant we visited on our first date in New York.  Ah, memories...

Pretty soon after that, things got topsy-turvy.  We had planned to travel to Wichita on October 6th as Vivian was due on the 11th, but got a call from the adoption agency saying that things appeared to be proceeding faster than planned and recommending that we try to get there sooner.  That was the night of September 30th.  The morning of October 1st, I requested a change to our tickets, and informed my boss I needed to leave early.  That night we packed in preparation for a transfer to the airport at 1am on October 2nd.

And the driver didn't show.  My office assistant got confused with the dates and put the request in for the 3rd.  Luckily, I was able to reach the driver on duty and we got to the airport on time. 2am is about the only time of day that you can get to the airport in less than 30 minutes in Baku.

We got checked in no problem, but there were long lines at passport control and we were already cutting it closer than I liked.  So when they opened a line for diplomats, we got behind one or two people thinking it would go much faster.  Wrong.  We watched the regular line dwindle and disappear while the guy doing the diplomat line had to keep calling other officers over and apparently asking for help.  What could be so difficult about a diplomatic passport is beyond me.  We waited and waited, growing increasingly more anxious, and finally got through to our gate when they were already boarding.  We made it, but it wasn't our last close call.

In Frankfurt, we had a relatively short connection considering we had to go through security again (different rules for flights going to the U.S.), but we got through to our gate just as it was about to board.  Then they called me to the desk and told me I would need additional security checks and to wait off to the side.  They also reissued our tickets so that Aiden, Stephanie, and I were no longer sitting anywhere near each other.  So while I was waiting, I asked them to fix it and got new tickets, again.  Then some lady took me across the airport for this additional random screening, where I waited with a group of Iranians for my turn.  The plane was already boarding and I told Stephanie to go ahead and get on, because then at least one of us would get to Kansas.  The people at the security check assured me I would get to my flight, but didn't seem in much of a hurry as the minutes dwindled toward take-off.  After I was done I had to stand over them to get them to release my passport, and even then they said I had to wait to be escorted to my gate.  I'm sorry, I understand the need for random checks, but with a U.S. diplomatic passport, I would think that an exclusion might be appropriate to allow the randomness to select a more likely terrorist.

Anyway, I made it to the flight and was the last passenger on board.  Stephanie was practically in tears, and we discovered that the gate agent had double booked our seats so that there were no seats together.  The air crew eventually worked it out so that Stephanie and Aiden sat across the aisle from me.  The guy in their row said he couldn't move because he was carrying an organ for transplant and had to be able to see where it was stored.  I would think that would be easier from an aisle seat, but what do I know?

We got to Chicago with a very short transfer and faced an enormous line at passport control.  Luckily they opened a special line for military and official passports and we got through quickly.  Then we had to wait while people tried to figure out where our car seat would come out at baggage, rush through customs, re-check our bags, and rush through security.  We made it to our gate with minutes to spare, only to find the plane was slightly delayed - which is the first time I've been grateful for a delay.  It gave us time to negotiate seat changes with other passengers so we could be near each other - once again thanks to the ineptitude of the gate agent in Frankfurt.

Since we arrived early, I had to juggle our rental car reservation - Enterprise wanted to double the rate of our entire rental in order to change the start date, so I went with a mystery car deal from Hertz to cover the gap instead. It promised at least a compact car with room for 4 passengers and two suitcases.  I assumed since we were 3 passengers with three suitcases, it would work out, but the car was more suitable for 2 passengers and a hand-bag.  Fortunately, I have a long history of practical experience in fitting unimaginable amounts of luggage into small cars, and managed to squeeze us all in.  We got to the hotel and crashed - after 24 hours of straight travel, we earned it.  Aiden was a real champ and was amazing throughout the ordeal.

Slightly better rested, we got in touch with the birth mother the next day assuming she'd want to see us, but she said she was busy and would get back to us soon.  Sure.  So we decided to get out for a bit and took Aiden to a great aviation museum with real airplanes.  On our way to dinner that afternoon, we got a call saying that the birth mother was having contractions every 15 minutes, but not to go to the hospital yet.  To be on the safe side, we got take out and went back to the hotel.  At around 4am, we were woken up by a call from the birth mother saying "She's here!" - Surprise!.  So we got Aiden up, got our things together and hurried over to the hospital to meet Vivian, who was born at 3am...

The next couple of days were a bit of a blur. Vivian was with us most of the time, except when her birth mother wanted to see her.  We were told she would probably not sign the relinquishment for at least a couple days, which was an agonizing wait for us.  The hospital only provided two bracelets to allow anyone to stay with Vivian and one was with the birth mother, so Stephanie got the other one.  I took Aiden home each night to sleep and Stephanie stayed in the hospital.  On the second night, however, I got a call from the birth mother saying she changed her mind and wanted to sign the relinquishment as soon as possible.  So we called the lawyer and got everything in order.  Vivian was placed with us for adoption a little over 24 hours after birth!

When it was time for her to be released from the hospital, we dressed her up and took her out into the world...

We had to stay in Wichita for about another week to wait for Vivian's birth certificate and made the most of that time.  There is a surprising number of activities in the area and we really enjoyed it.  I took Aiden to a historic out-door museum where we got to explore life in the early settlement period and even saw a re-enacted gun fight.

Another day, we all went to a small nature preserve and got to see cannibalistic grasshoppers in addition to beautiful scenery.

Then we took a family trip to Oklahoma, mostly to say we had been there.  On the way, we visited Hubbel's Rubble, a collection of creations made from junk...

And I enjoyed an amazing sandwich at Buck's Steakhouse and BBQ near the Oklahoma border - the sandwich featured beef brisket, hot link sausages, and smoked bologna, along with an enormous pork rib.

In Oklahoma, we visited a tallgrass prarie preserve, which featured "loose bison", which sparked lots of chuckles from Stephanie and I. Sadly, the Bison did not seem interested in us at all...

We spent another day touring down town Wichita, which included a visit to a transportation museum complete with real trains - one of Aiden's favorite things to do!

On one rainy afternoon, Aiden and I went to a museum of treasures that featured everything from dinosaur bones to mummies to a signed copy of Harry Potter.  Aiden also got to write his name on a laminated copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Finally, the birth certificate was ready so we drove up to Topeka to get it.  After some minor confusion, we were able to leave and enjoyed a nice afternoon drive through the Flint Hills region, including a visit to the oldest operating tavern in Kansas, and the Tallgrass Prairie National Park.

The next day, we headed east via Dallas (a little unnerving with the Ebola thing, no matter what the experts say), and finally got to start introducing Vivian to her family...

Iran Is Just Across the Lake...

One great thing about my job is that it sometimes requires me to go places I wouldn't normally go.  Just over a month after we arrived, I was asked to accompany the Mary McBride Band, who was in Azerbaijan for their second U.S.-sponsored tour.  Mary McBride is a country/folk/pop group, and they were giving concerts all over the country.  I covered two concerts in the south and one in the autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, which is completely separated from Azerbaijan by a piece of Armenia.  Since the two countries are at odds, the only way to get their is by flying south over Iran and looping around. 

But first, the trip south.  The scenery going south isn't really anything remarkable, but the commercial enterprise is.  At one point, we started passing all these bath tubs on the side of the rode with umbrellas over them.  Cold drinks?  No. Live fish.  This young gentleman was showing off the freshness of his wares by dangling one from a string so passersby could see that it was still wiggling. 

We also stopped at a roadside stand where a woman was selling potatoes, onions, corn, and pumpkins.  You can buy cooked corn from the black pot over the fire at the lower left corner. In the picture below that, we were told that the bed frame is hooked up to car batteries to provide heat at night.

We also saw workers tending the fall crop in the strawberry fields.

After about 4 hours of travelling, we reached Lankoran, and stopped to pose for pictures by the giant samovar, which represents the region's tea production, and then headed on to the hotel.

The hotel was billed as a 4-star beach hotel, but wasn't quite there as far as I was concerned.  Don't get me wrong, it was fine, the room was serviceable, and the staff was welcoming.  But the dilapidated topiary creatures, dying foliage, and railroad track cutting off access to the beach don't shout luxury (the price wasn't 4-star either, so no complaint from me).

The concert that night was my first experience with a U.S.-sponsored cultural event and it was great.  There was a good crowd, and the music was great.  The music was so good, that during a rendition of "Route 66" a 75 year old man just couldn't stop himself and came up to dance - and he danced well!  The video we took went viral in Azerbaijan, getting about 50,000 hits - which is about half of all the Facebook accounts in the country.  Watch and you'll see why.

Shortly after that, it started to rain.  To the audience's credit, they just pulled out their umbrellas and carried on, but the band eventually had to cut the concert short so their equipment wouldn't be ruined.  The rain didn't stop mobs of people taking information from a booth on educational opportunities in the U.S., or taking part in a quiz for the chance to win one of the band's CDs.

Back at the hotel, we dried off and then ordered a local specialty - fish stuffed with chestnuts, walnuts, and fruit.  It was very good.  I also introduced the band to one of my favorites- fatty tail kabob (something I became enamored with in Tajikistan).  One of the guys enjoyed it, the other was so enthused that we ordered another one.

The rain let up enough for me to go for a run the next morning.  There wasn't too much to see, but I was intrigued by this contraption in a park that looks like it would be used either for torture, or a space launch.

After breakfast, we hopped in the car and started heading back toward Baku, but stopped in the town of Salyan for that evening's concert.  When we asked around for a place to eat, we were told there are no restaurants, but after a little more searching, we found a place with good doner.  If it wasn't a restaurant, I'm not sure what it was.

After lunch we went to a local music school for the band to meet the students and give a little concert.  It was really cool to see the classic musical terms explained in local language.

The kids really enjoyed the concert.  One of them requested that they sing Sweet Home Alabama, which wasn't part of their usual song list.  We managed to pull the lyrics up on our iPad and the band did a great rendition, with the requester singing back-up.  After the band played, some of the kids demonstrated local music, which was a really cool way to exchange culture.

 I got home at about 10pm that night, and was up again at 5am to head to the airport for our trip to Nakhchivan.  I've included a small map to give a better idea of what I mean about the placement of Nakhchivan.  I couldn't see much of Iran when we flew over because it was cloudy most of the way, but there was one mountain sticking above the clouds, which was pretty cool.  At any rate, the city of Nakhchivan is separated from Iran by a relatively small lake and it was a little strange to know it was so close, since it is otherwise so much off-limits.

Our Charge d'Affaires (acting Ambassador for those not familiar with dip-speak) came to Nakhchivan as well, so I spent most of the day with him going to meetings and managing any press interest that popped up.  We started with a visit to a museum dedicated to Heydar Aliyev, the previous president of Azerbaijan (and father of the current one).  He is generally revered in Azerbaijan for pulling the country together and out of poverty, so his likeness is everywhere.

Inside, it was even more impressive, with some incredibly fine carpets made with his likeness woven in, not to mention paintings, vases, books, and other artifacts either having belonged to him, or created in his honor.

After that, we met with the Chairman of the Nakhchivan Supreme Council (a pretty cool title, I agree), which was very enlightening.  We also got to visit a local military facility, complete with an impressive martial arts demonstration followed by tea with local commanders.

During the tea, I was introduced to a new sweet - sugared walnuts.  I haven't figured out exactly how these work.  They are still in the shell, although apparently not the outer shell because they are smooth.  They don't seem like young walnuts, because they are black and not green.  But there is no crunch to them at all.  Maybe this is something I can learn about while i'm here.

It was quite warm that day, and we had a bit of time before the concert, so we took a drive out in the desert to the salt mines, which were wonderfully cool.  No longer used for mining salt, the tunnels and caves are now used as a sort of medical facility as the air is supposed to be very good for respiratory ailments.  You can even rent a bed and spend the night in the cave.  It sounds vastly better than the idea of radon baths in Tajikistan, or even crude oil baths, which are offered in Baku.

The concert that night was the best of the three that I saw.  The crowd kept growing throughout and by the end, most of the people were dancing.  Given that Nakhchivan is so isolated, this was a really unique opportunity to share American culture, and it was very well received.  I hope we can do more things like this.

During the concert, our visit organizers told us that we were invited to a dinner hosted by local authorities at 7:30pm.  Our flight back to Baku was scheduled for 9pm.  (Anyone who has ever traveled with me knows that would be terrifying because I was planning to be at the airport at 7:30).  They told us not to worry and took our ticket confirmations to go ahead and check us in.  They scooped us up promptly and took us to a nice restaurant with tables set up outdoors.  We enjoyed a traditional dish called Piti, which consisted of meat, chickpeas, and potatoes stewed in a clay pot.  We also got to sample some picked herbs from the nearby mountains.

Shortly after we arrived, the band showed up as well, and we enjoyed a really great meal.  I was glad to see the band again, because they were really great people and I enjoyed the time I spent on the road with them.  Alas, at about 8:30, they told us we had to go to the airport.  Miraculously, we still had time for tea and sweets after we reached the VIP section of the airport.  They also gave us some nice parting gifts like local jams, tea, turkish delights, salt from the salt mines, and vodka.  We are having fun trying everything. 

I got home around 11:30pm and then it was back to work the next day.  Quite a whirlwind trip, but it made for a great way to see places I wouldn't easily see otherwise.  I'm looking forward to seeing more as time progresses.