June 2009
5 posts
Cherries in Əhmədabad, Objectivity in Tbilisi
Over the past two weeks I’ve had to say goodbye to Əhmədabad and Tbilisi. Not goodbye forever, I hope, but goodbye nevertheless. In Əhmədabad, I went to a wedding which ended in a medical emergency when the mother of the bride suddenly collapsed, was told that my Azeri had gotten worse, and was made to sign sashes and judge a cake contest at a graduation party. My best moments were...
Or perhaps they bound the slang name of the pub... →
May 2009
6 posts
WatchA volcano. But with cold mud. As awesome as it gets. Seeing this involved asking directions 5 different times, refusing 2 offers for tea, driving down at least 4 dirt roads that abruptly came to an end, and then sprinting for about 500 feet. Mud volcanoes are not for the faint of heart!
WatchKim and I, with the help of a new friend, finally make it out to Qobustan. The oldest petroglyphs are over 30k years old!
Territorial Sovereignty Interrupted →
April 2009
5 posts
I'm on a Quiz Team...
Dave: I did think that we should consider a team name. Every one on the squad has played at least once for the Evil Eyes. We could be the "Ultimate Warriors"... (or just the Evil Eyes). We also have a very diverse team - two English, one Scot, one Canadian, one Belarussian-American, etc... I therefore thought of "Tossed Salad" (the new term they are replacing "melting pot" with in the U.S.) Problem with that is I believe it also has a secondary connotation which we may not want to be affiliated with.
Kent: Haha... we might as well be called the Teabaggers.
James: Sorry must be a North American connotation. Tossed salad, tea bagger?..... Sounds like the makings of a nice lunch!
Stephen: Team name? Easy. T.P.Q.T.O.T.R.O.T.A.I.T.N.O.T.F.P.H.A. (The Pub Quiz Team Of The Republic Of The Azerbaijan In The Name of The Former President Heydar Aliyev)
Kent: It needs to be "Under the Auspices of The Former President Heydar Aliyev"
Putting Things to Good Use
The taxi driver pointed out the round camera hanging next to the traffic light. He said that they were being installed all over the city. “They are trying to make us into Europeans. But we’re Asiatics,” he told me. Red light cameras are meant to motivate people, through punitive measures, to think twice before violating this very basic rule of the road. My taxi driver seemed to be implying...
March 2009
19 posts
WatchThe big boys fire-jumping in the Old City. They later dragged over what looked like an entire couch to add to the fire.
Novruz in Baku
We needed proof that things actually happened in Baku, so we decided to venture out on a Novruz Tuesday night. Which is when the big stuff actually happens. There were many bonfires to choose from, but the one on our corner was huge and had a big audience. The boys loved talking to us, practicing their English, and trying to get us to say bad words in Azeri. Some of the older boys liked...
“Blank Generation” by Richard Hell and...
Novruz Bayramı in Əhmədabad! (Inshallah)
I finally made the necessary phonecalls. I always put these off because the idea of having to speak Russian or Azeri on the phone and not being able to switch causes me some amount of anxiety. Meaning, if I’m speaking Azeri, it’s okay if I know that I can switch into Russian if necesary. This is the case with almost anyone I try and speak with in Baku. If I’m speaking...
February 2009
17 posts
Fire: The Latest in a Long List of Things I Have...
Tonight, as Kim and I left the apartment and turned the corner to go down the hill, I nearly walked into the smoking but still well-camouflaged remnants of a bonfire that was completely obstructing the 2-foot wide sidewalk. Don’t get me wrong, I learned long ago to never expect or rely on sidewalks. If they’re not taken over by construction or cars, there’s generally something...
“Queen of the Savages” by the Magnetic...
Oh, Georgia. You are so good at Putin-g me on! →
Baku Question of the Day
Why are the phone lines in the sewers?
“i’m always down for mystery poles”
– kent babin
With that much underwear, you'd never have to do... →
Made fruit salad, took a nap →
Watch
25 Things... Part 5
21. David brought me two large bags of Goetze’s Caramel Creams. Which is the candy I love most in the world. He got them at the Rite Aid near his house. I wanted to make them last, but I also wanted to enjoy them. I didn’t share a single one with any of my friends in Azerbaijan. I think I finished them in about two weeks. And as soon as I did I thought back to a conversation we had a few...
25 Things... Part 4
16. At the baths in Tbilisi, 70 lari per hour, about $42, is the cost for use of a private banya. This includes a sitting room, a hot sulfurous pool, a cold sulfurous pool, a massage table, and a small cedar steam room. You get used to the smell of rotten eggs after a while. Tea and towels are extra. 17. I’m kind of obsessed with Tbilisi (can you tell?) because it is delicious and fun and while...
25 Things... Part 3
11. There are delicious walnut cookies here. If you visit me, I will buy you some. 12. In Azerbaijan, as in all post-Soviet countries I suspect, New Years takes on the trappings of Christmas plus a little something from the country’s post-independence religious reawakening. But it’s a bit like if you and your cousin wore each others’ clothes even though the two of you are different...