My First Time... in Baku

Yesterday was a fun and exciting day. We finally got to go on our Baku trip, our first foray into the shimmering capital of our host country.

The only other big city I've been to abroad is Osaka, and we didn't do much there. So I was duely dazzled by Baku. Yet it also brought me back home via comforts not available outside the city: brewed coffee, chips and salsa, a shot of tequila, and a 5-floored shopping mall complete with a bangin' Food Court.

I went with my cluster, with Rashad as our tour guide. Our first stop was the Peace Corps office, wherein the staff works of course, but also where the PCV lounge is: a cozy oversized living room complete with two sofas, a tv, coffee table, dining room table, personalized cubbies, and, most importantly, shkafs and shkafs (shelves) of books (which are donated and  free to check out). There is also a resource room that has computers, printers, Peace Corps reference books and journals, and, most importantly, internet. One last thing: the oversized bathroom is filled with used stuff that has been donated by former PCVs and is free for our taking (but only once we are official PCVs, which will happen at Swearing-In Ceremony, Dec 9th). I really want to sift through the piles for winter gear.

We got a tour of the entire office, then headed back on a bus towards the center of the city. We stopped at Baku Roasting Company, one of the few places in the whole country where one can get coffee that is brewed. It was a little strange walking in there because it looked exactly like America, plus most of the clientele were white Americans, having brunch with their families, speaking English. I wanted to reach out and cling to them, to ask them everything about why they are here, and what they think about Azerbaijan. But I left the poor souls alone, cause although we share a language and a culture, those upper class families having coffee in the capital are so different from us Peace Corps folk. We see the country, and especially its people, for what it really is; they live in a priveleged bubble. There's nothing wrong with it; they're leading their lives in the way that suits them, and that's exactly what I'm doing too. But the situation rekindled in me the zeal I have for what I am doing. I want to meet people, not, for example, as waiters or waitresses working at the restaurant I eat at, but as brothers and sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, in their own homes, eating the food we prepared together. What am I saying? It's perfectly ok to get to know the person working at the restaurant, but it's just not the same as the alternative. If you don't understand, don't worry. I'm not sure I do, either.

Long tangent is over, back on track to Baku. The coffee was euphoric, especially paired with the homemade alma (apple) muffin that was sweet crumbly delicate sponginess perfection in a muffin cup. From BRC, we trekked seawards, and passed the still-in-construction Flame Towers, which are a pretty neat sight to behold. There is a clip on YouTube from Modern Marvels, or some show that is on Discovery Science that talks about them. You should check it out (cause I'm not going to spend my time explaining them for you). Our next sight was Martyr's Lane, an aesthetically pleasing monument to those who got killed on Iyirmi Yanvar (Jan 20th), when the Russian Army unexpectedly attacked Baku in 1990 and murdered every Azerbaijani in sight. We bought red carnations, which are symbols of mourning, to put on the graves. Martyr's Alley extends to an overlook to the Caspian, where there is an eternally burning flame in a high-rise dome that is most delightful to the eye. Check Facebook for the pictures.

From there, we did some serious walking towards the urban center of the city, where all the fun shops and restaurants are. We had lunch at an Irish Pub called Finnegan's, and again I felt like I was in the States again. Everything was in English and I got chips and salsa because they had a mini Mexican section on the back of the menu. Most other people got burgers (two other clusters had joined us by now as well). Fiona and I decided to get shots of Tequila, just because we could. Oh, nostalgia.

Then we finally got to what's called Old City, which, gee whiz, is the oldest part of the city. There were a bunch of touristy shops and stands, plus Maiden's Tower, which I don't have the scoop on yet, but when I do, I'll let you know about it.  We continued walking and reached the Boulevard, which runs parallel to the sea and is a fun place to meet, hosting juice stands, a carousel, a huge tv screen, a cactus garden, and even porta potties. At the end of the long stretch of Boulevard, our mistress awaited. The giant mall whose name I have forgotten.

We headed straight upstairs to the Food Court, which is a glorious sight for any person who likes to eat. Most worldwide cuisines are represented, plus it has innovative desert slash fruit juice and smoothie stands. One of these is the waffle stand. It's not just any waffle stand; pffft, they probably don't even have maple syrup. It's a mega deluxe 24-different -toppings, plus ice cream waffle stand. I got the 7 manat masterpiece, which is a freshly pressed waffle with nutella, bananas, apples, pomegrante, cherries, raspberries, grapes, orange slices, xurma slices, peaches (you get to choose the fruit & toppings), aaannnnddd two scoops of ice cream, from out of many interesting flavors I chose lemon and caramel, to top it off. Needless to say, it was fucking delicious and I broke two plastic forks as I greedily stuffed my face with its wafflely goodness.

We had to move hastily from the Food Court because evening was coming upon us (Peace Corps policy is that we cannot travel on roads at night), and went downstairs to Citimart, which is a grocery store that has many things that are not sold in the rest of the country. Thinking we were going to get on a bus home right away, Rashad still had more to show us before the Baku orientation was complete. He had to show us the Metro, which is Baku's subway system. I don't know if we were in rush hour, or it it's always like that, but I'm just gonna say that a lot of people needed to get in that compartment, and it was like a tube of toothpaste being squeezed and bursting open when the doors finally opened after our first ride. It was hilarious though and we got a good laugh from it.

The subway took us eventually to the bus station where we again jammed ourselves onto a vehicle and sweat under our thick winter coats. I got off a ways farther from my house just so I could walk in the cold air a while. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, and can't wait til my next trip to Baku! 

My new home announcement

I'm feeling quite braindead as usual. It inevitably crashes about 30 minutes after I get home from class, have a cup of cay, and try to focus on my homework. PST is quite draining; I'm looking forward to lots of free time at my site. I want to study Azerbaijani, read books, watch documentaries, and, of course, lesson plan and create visual aids.

Remember my post about the site placement interview? Well I weighed all things considered, and ranked an indoor toilet as the most valuable thing to ask for. All the regions get cold in the winter, so I figured any home with an indoor toilet would be better than one that may be in a milder climate zone, but with a forlorn loo. So I made sure to tell Flora at my interview that it was my number one priority. After that, I asked for a warmer region, and somewhere with shops and civilization easily reached. I also emphasized that I get along with the people in my cluster very well, so if we could be near each other that'd be great.

After an antsy week and a half of waiting, we Az9s converged for the grand Site Announcement session. They had a huge map of Azerbaijan front and center, upon which we got to search for our sites and thumbtack our mugshots. The atmosphere was so charged with anticipation and excitement that I let out a loud gasp when my clustermates, Sam and Fiona, were assigned to be site mates.

My name was called third in the group of amazing women who are going to Zaqatala: Annette, Mary Ellen, and moi. I was elated to be with my beloved clustermate (Mary Ellen), and then when they showed us where on the map it was, I was just a flustered mess cause it's the secondmost Northern rayon, nestled amongst mountains. My village is Muxax, I'm the only Az9 going there, and my school has a piddly-squat 360 students.

I was really suprised because the mountains are the longed-for sites in Azerbaijan. A good amount of Az9s had asked to be placed there, whereas a quote from my interview reads, "the cold immobolizes me." I figured I was one of the only ones to ask to be placed in the "Dirty South," and yet ended up winning the lottery, if you will, of site placements. Zaqatala is called the "Little Europe" of Azerbaijan, and is the least polluted of all the rayons. Mountains and forests abound, and I have even heard a comment that it is the most liberal region, next to Baku, of course, in terms of openmindedness. Flora keeps telling me, "Kaylee, it is like a paradise. It is so beautiful..." and such.

So after the big announcement, Sam and I noticed that each of us got what the other had asked for. She wanted a small villiage up north, and I wanted a town in the south. It was such a coincidence, for we'd still be with a clustermate if we switched, that we decided to ask Flora why she decided to put us where she did (we also decided that we wouldn't switch if we were able to... we like to go with the flow of destiny). Flora smiled when she told us, and admitted that she was about to put me where Sam is, until she inquired about the toilet. Yep, I was initially going to be put down south in Jelelibad until Fora asked about the toilet for me. Bless her heart. I didn't know it, but I knew how to prioritize! And although I will be in one of the coldest areas, it is also the most beautiful and coveted (and I will have my indoor potty!). 

Not-So-Hidden Treasures

My Pre-service training has effectively been split into two parts: the first half was with what I now call my "Lezgin Family," and my second half with my "new" family. Peace Corps tries very hard to ensure our host families can house us for the full 10 weeks, but I guess it was about time a bit of bad luck fell my way. My first home was a little too perfect (was it the English speakers, close proximity to school, or the vegetarian meals that pushed me over the line?), so a curveball was thrown my way when I was told by our housing coodinator that I had to move. Because my Lezgin mother's mother had fallen ill, she is moving into their home to be with her family. There is no room for the American anymore. (I had actually been told about the grandmother by Rasmiyya, but had failed to put two and two together. In my head I was like, "Hmm, wonder which room she's going to stay in...")

I moved into my new home on Thursday. It is chox geshang (very nice/pretty). My father is a public servant, and my mother is a homemaker. I have two sisters, 14 and 15, named Gunel and Aysel, and a little brother, 11, named Babek. They are/ speak Azeri (which is an ethnicity and the name for their language; Azerbaijan is a multi-ethnic country), and the kids know little English (actually they know more English than I do Azeri so it is very helpful). I really need to practice my Azeri, and never got much of a chance at my former home, so this situation is better for me as a trainee.

Here's the new rundown: Babek is a super sweet boy who is continually doing cute and silly things for me. My first night here, he showed me his WWF Smackdown trading cards and gave me the ones I liked. Aysel is the oldest, she is also super sweet, but quite shy (reminds me of me at that age). She's so pretty and comprhends my English blabbering quite well. Gunel is the standout of the household. She's enthusiactic, confident, and ambitious. She's not shy at all; my first night here included squeals of glee, hugs, and kisses when she found out I was staying for 5 weeks. She told me all about her dream: to go study law in America, work as an ambassador, get rich, and have a big house with lots of animals, including an elephant and giraffe. I believe she can do it too, she comes from a good family who will support her along the way.

Yes, the familiy is definitely capable of providing all their children with good educations. Did I mention my house is chox geshang? It's two stories with all wood floors, heating/ac wall units, TOILET PAPER, a gorgeous kitchen, etc. etc. Any woman in the world's dream home. We have these heated towels racks that are like, the shit. They keep your towels/ whatever you hang there warm and crispy. I will be investing in these when I get my dream home.

After our site visits, we had another fun Peace Corps field trip to Qobustan and the mud volcanoes. Qobustan is a site where there are big rocks that have been carved upon by prehistoric cave people. They have pictures of men, women, hunters, the hunted-- antelope-ish creatures-- and a couple boats. In theory this all sounds a bit bland, but it is different being there and seeing them with your own eyes. It's almost surreal to think that 3274298347 years ago there was a person who felt the need to express facets of his or her life, and might have even wanted it to last as long as it has. So Qobustan was very special, I liked the experience very much and ill take whoever comes to visit me in Azerbaijan!

Next up were the mud volcanoes! Mud volcanoes are exactly what their name describes: a mound of mud that urbles and blurbles with natural gas coming from underground. They are freakin' sweet. The mud is ridiculously sticky (as is all the dirt/ mud in Az), but the liquid mud in the center of the volcano is very fine and the kind that is put on your face for $100 at a spa, cause it has sulphur in it. Now a site like this in the US would probably be a part of a national park, surrounded by fences and paths and walkways, with informational, education signs posted about, not to mention park rangers and other workers to protect the natural wonders; but, here in Azerbaijan they just sit un-fussed over on some hills beyond a rural neighborhood. We all got to run amuck, sling mud, slip about, and have a good time. I will go back again, with a swimsuit and an old pair of clothes and just have a wild time in ze mud. As an extra bonus, it will make my skin radiant!

I had another day of fun just the other day. On Sunday our cluster gathered for a pizza party at Sam's host familiy's house. How did a pizza party at Sam's host familly's place come about? Well, her host parents had asked her if she knew how to make pizza, and she was like, "Yeah, I guess..." and they took it to mean she's a lean mean pizza-making machine, and urged her to make some for them, which then evolved into having friends over and making pizza for them. As it turned out, we ended up gathering to celebrate her birthday, which was on Monday. An elaborate plan by her host family? Sure, its so damn heartwarming to deny. So we met at the bazaar to buy the ingredients, then totally crafted pizza from scratch in her little kitchen. It turned out delicious, and we had way too much fun all evening. Good times, good times. The next day was Halloween, and we talked Rashad into giving us a language class off so we could celebrate, er I mean, have an American cultural exchange. We watched Hocus Pocus and ate ourselves into sugar comas. It was brilliant.

Today I finally bought myself an umbrella, plus a kilo of plums, just cause I wanted to treat myself (not that I don't get enough treats on a day to day basis). Also Mary Ellen and I stopped at a bakery and tried some pastry goodies. I go home, get served supper and other treasures, and take a moment look at my place setting. I feel like a king! My life is awesome!