The cities of Houston, TX and Baku, Azerbaijan may not seem to have a lot in common at first glance, but to one couple who moved from Baku to Houston 20 years ago, the impact of this sister city relationship was far greater than expected.   The Houston Chronicle’s article Akhoundova: Houston and Baku: Sister cities that work well together describes how this relationship has postively impacted the country of Azerbaijan.  When Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union, many Texans came to live and work in Baku to help develop its oil and gas resources.  Sister Cities of Houston organizes reunions of Houstonians who have lived and worked in Azerbaijan’s oil fields and has helped them reconnect and thank them for the profound impact they had on Azerbaijan.  Houston shares Azerbaijani culture through annual musical and cultural celebrations  and has become a second home to many families and students from Baku.  Cultural exchanges from the University of Houston and ADA University in Baku has helped students learn more from each other and gain new perspectives. To Akhoundova, who shared her experiences in this article as the president of the Houston-Baku Sister City Association, this sister city relationship is far more important than just ceremony.