When teaching English in her native Azerbaijan, 2009 Muskie fellow Aygun Dadashdova facilitated cultural exchange by organizing pen pal relationships between her students in a village near Astara and American middle school students in Iowa. As a Muskie fellow, Dadashdova has continued sharing her culture with others.
Dadashdova and 2008 Muskie fellow Asvad Gabul-Zada recently visited Green Forest Elementary School in Branson, Missouri to speak with students about life in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani fellows traveled to Branson from Fayetteville, Arkansas as part of the 24-member International Cultural Team of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. At Green Forest Elementary, Gabul-Zada and Dadashdova co-facilitated cultural presentations for students in grades 4-7.
One of the students’ favorite activities was a game associated with the holiday of Novruz Bayram, the first day of spring and a week-long celebration in Azerbaijan. In this game, each participant holds a boiled egg and knocks the egg against the egg of his or her competitor. The participant whose egg cracks last is the winner. Gabul-Zada noted enthusiastically that when she asked for only four volunteers to play, every student wanted to participate.
Gabul-Zada will return to Azerbaijan in June after earning a Master of Science in Public Health. Dadashdova currently studies international relations and will intern this summer at OMNI Center in Fayetteville, where she will coordinate outreach to women’s organizations in Fayetteville and surrounding communities.
