Joel Robbins
Volunteer: Joel Robbins
Bio:
BA from Ball State and MA from Purdue
Married to Sara, two kids, four grandkids
Retired English teacher
Retired Journalist
RPCV from Azerbaijan
PCRV Liberia
Author of InGear
Contributions from Joel Robbins
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A Ribbon of Red Runs Through the Jungle
I’ve been on bad roads while driving to hiker trailheads in Colorado, but six hours trying to keep my head from pock-marking the roof of the Pathfinder I was riding in topped them all. The road I’m talking about is in Liberia, Africa, where I served for one month as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer (PCRV). My first stop in country was the capital, Monrovia, then all PCRVs and PC Trainees traveled to Kakata for orientation and training, two weeks for PCRVs and two months for PCTs. Aft...
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A Tale of Two Countries: Father and Son in the Peace Corps
A Tale of Two Countries Father and Son in the Peace Corps By Mason Robbins, RPCV, Haiti 1999-2001, and Joel Robbins, RPCV, Azerbaijan, 2007-2009 Mason--We like to be able to boast to others, “Been there, done that.” Saying it makes us feel older, more experienced, wiser, more proud and condescending, maybe, when we are young. Saying it to my 63-year-old father makes me proud. Not proud of me, proud of him. My father served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Azerbaijan from 2007 ...
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A Tale of Two Countries: Father and Son in the Peace Corps
A Tale of Two Countries Father and Son in the Peace Corps By Mason Robbins, RPCV, Haiti 1999-2001, and Joel Robbins, RPCV, Azerbaijan, 2007-2009 Mason--We like to be able to boast to others, “Been there, done that.” Saying it makes us feel older, more experienced, wiser, more proud and condescending, maybe, when we are young. Saying it to my 63-year-old father makes me proud. Not proud of me, proud of him. My father served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Azerbaijan from 2007 ...
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Besh Barmaq Dagh
Besh Barmaq Dagh, literally five-finger mountain, is one of the holiest places in the Caucasus range. A side view has five pinnacles that rise over a thousand feet above sea level. The front view shows the mosque and the trail to the top used by Muslim pilgrims who visit the dark rocks to pray.
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Waiting for the bus to leave.
A Sheki Pedagogical Technicum (college) student looks over the town square (reflected in the bus window) while waiting for the bus to depart on the last big class event (a field trip/picnic) before graduation. .
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The Long Wait
I enjoyed greeting this gentleman as I passed his favorite resting place on a side street in Sheki.
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Keeping Up
Hired helpers were trying to keep up at an Azeri village wedding.
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Wide-Eyed
The students in this elementary classroom were shocked to have an older PC volunteer and two of his Azeri college students help teach an English class. You gotta love these faces.
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Novrus Celebration
Students at Sheki Pedagogical Technicum celebrate the new growing season by dancing in traditional costumes around a bonfire. Zoroastrian traditions concerning fire, wind, water and earth govern this holiday.
