about life here…

So I’ve been in Azerbaijan for a little past 3 weeks now.  I thought it was time to make some concrete opinions on how I feel about living in this country.  Interesting things are still happening but it is about that time that what used to be amusing earlier on can now tick me off. 

I do like (roughly in order of most to less):

• Learning new things through seeing, hearing, reading and interacting (still limited to english) every minute of the day!
• Meeting and hanging out with random people—completely random english-speaking people at the metro/on the street, travelers staying at the hostel, expats from the hash house harriers running group, U.S. Peace Corps volunteers—and finding out that many of these people are somehow within 1 or 2 degrees of separation.
• Less stress.  I do keep busy with work, but there is no “do it by EOD or die”-type or competitive pressure I often felt I was under in my other life.
• My money goes a longer way but just by a tiny bit. Examples of prices here: $0.05 per metro ride, $2.50 per local Xirdalan beer at a bar, $0.40 per loaf of freshly-baked bread, $2.80 per gallon or $0.70 per liter of gas. 

I do NOT like (definitely in order):

• Being stereotyped.   As an Asian female who is somewhat sociable, i.e. not spend evenings at home, I am subject to many.  First, I can live with looking different and getting some stares BUT I do not enjoy the type of stares I get when I ride the metro home later at night; however, I refuse to give up my freedom and social life if my personal safety is not at risk.   Second, I hate being assumed that I am a prostitute when I am traveling alone at night or at least I’m paranoid being thought as one.    Third, I am amused—still, at this point—that kids ask what I am selling.  (Chinese people are often seen selling things, mainly toys, on the street.)
• Pollution, pollution, pollution.   Fyi, Baku was voted the most filthy city in the world this year.   
• That public infrastructure really sucks.  What the eff does the government do with its oil money?!
• Not being able to understand what people are saying.  It is frustrating not being able to easily do simple things such as buy 3 oranges (just 3, and not by kilo was the problem). 

And finally, I am coping with:

• Having more patience when waiting for things to get done.  I realize that this point goes with the one about a less stressful life.
• Water ration and showering every, uhm, let’s say not so frequently.  Our building receives water supply twice a day and the water tank has to be heated up an hour before taking a shower! 
• Limited selection of food.  Cuisines? Forget about anything other than Turkish or Azeri.  And most restaurants usually have 5 out of the 50 items listed on the menu.  Ok, to be fair, if I were willing to spend more, I’d be able to eat Georgian food but then my money would not go a longer way here.  Chicken here tastes better than in the US though, I must say.

 ———————————————-

This is the view from my Soviet-era apartment.  The mid height buildings in the middle of the picture are exactly the same as the one I live in (apparently all Soviet apts were 9 or 5 storeys, each with the same designs).  Contrast them with the new buildings under construction.  The shortest structure towards the front left of the picture is a school, and next to it is an auto garage, i think. 

Advertisement