Okay, I was weak today...McDonald's in Baku

Who says it's only the clean restrooms that makes McDonald's a destination point. Heck, I decided to go for a burger, fries and a chocolate shake. Yes, those three items cost me about $12 USD..but I decided I needed a taste of my national food.

The McDonald's is hugely popular here. Routinely packed with families with tons of kids. I don't know how they can afford it. And, believe me, the scary thing...and of course, the best thing...the food right down to the Big Mac sauce.

Azerbaijan have no concept of lining up...it is a mad free for all. I have learned to push and shove with the best of them. I put my hoodie on, the ear buds, (yes, looking as thuggy as I can--sorry for the stereotypying)...but it gets me by fries....

Full Moon over Baku tonight

I love looking at the night sky and miss that about my little town of Carlisle Pennsylvania. You can see the night sky so well there...little pollution, including light pollution...but even in the big cities of the US you can occassionally see the divine lights of the night...stars, planets, etc.

Here in Baku, you almost never see any night sky...okay...I don't make it an habit of being out late enough to see the darkness but you would expect to see some night twinkles...never. I have been dismayed at my inability to see stars...and it's not the first thing that people talk about here celestial events. So imagine my surprise when I arrived back in the apartment tonight and could see the moon from my window...this is a first in nearly 11 months...

Well is snowed in Baku

I woke up on Wednesday pleasantly surprised to see that it snowed overnight 2-3 inches..combination of snow and ice. Here's a look from my apartment. I immediately had a huge grin on my face as I exited my building on the way to walk..finally something familiar! But as I looked more closely, I noticed what I would expect to be the fresh white stuff was actually quite grey...that damn pollution here...and

things immediately became chaotic even more than usual....there is no organized snow removal, no salt, no shovels, no nothings....people were falling, cars sliding...it was crazy...so it was literally a "cold slap" in the face...my wake up call to my reality once again....

Door in Baku

I was thinking that I should start taking pictures of door, especially the wooden ones. We're not talking about doors being hundred of years old...things here 1) are not very old ---except in some places and 2) preservation is nothing that the Soviets thought much about in the republics during their occupation....but anyway I've seen cool doorways.

I just took this picture on Saturday and thought it was pretty neat.

The weekend

I trust that everyone is doing fine...I'm okay. The usual stuff laundry, grocery shopping, clean the bathroom...but I admit I have no desire to do the normal routine things. I think it's because nothing is quite routine here in Azerbaijan, at least for me.

Thank you all for purchasing one of my 2010 Cat Calendars and for those who would still like one, just email me at janiceaustin.llc@gmail.com and let me know. I can mail one from Baku, takes about two weeks and you can mail the donation to my home in PA. Just email me.

In the meantime, I happened upon this moment yesterday while shopping ...couldn't resist...everyone is looking for chicken!

National Day of Mourning in Azerbaijan

January 20 in Azerbaijan is called Black January. Aside from the coloration of the date, it is the most solemn day in the country. On this day in 1990, while the country was still part of the USSR, then President Gorbachev ordered 26,000 troops in the capital of Baku to quell the nasient independence movement called the AZ Popular Front. This group was leading the most organized resistance to the Communist Party and the fear was AZ might break away. (We all know ultimately the USSR collasped)...

When the troops and tanks roared into the city nearly 200 people were killed and 800 wounded (including women, children and elders)...some people were killed as they stood on their balconies just watching...shot by Soviet troops. The people never thought that "their own would shoot them or run them over in tanks".

The continued struggled resulted in the explusion of the troops and one year later, the AZ ratified their first constitution declaring their independence....but this day is to honor the heroic matyr's to died or were injured....

I must say it is pretty intense here today...thousands of people are marching, including their President Aliyev to the burial site honoring those killed. I don't think there is currently a comparable day in the US...perhaps immediately after the WW..Veteran's Day, or even the day after September 11...but what comes to mind for me..is the JFK funeral...where all America stopped to watch the riderless horse in the procession.....

Chilling Article I read today about Azerbaijan

I assume many of us are familiar with the practices in many countries where families prefer to have male babies. Well, I'm experiencing this first hand here in a society where gender defineds just about everything you can and will do. Because people earn so little to begin with, penisions (think Social Security) are next to nothing in terms of money. I've talked before how it's only the fortunate young people who can afford to live on their own vs. in a multi-generational household that most Azeris live in even after marriage or birth of children. Many aged parents depend and expect on their adult male children for lifelong support.

Okay, yes there is a respect of elders that is quite different than the indifference many elders are faced with in the US...but here, clearly having a male child makes financial viability that much more important....so the article I read today, spoke to the increase number of abortions of girl fetuses once the sex is known at the three month mark. First, I am definitely pro-choice but this practice is likely going to send the country (look what China's one child policy and preference for male children did to it's demographics and government policies) into some demographic nightmare in the future. In part due to this practive of selective birthing....the % of girl children is already dropping...that's not a good thing for a country trying to become more important in the global community.