What I know for sure...I miss

1. A fluffy towel just out of a dryer.
2. A newspaper in my hand.
3. A cup...a paper cup, a styro-foam cup...just a dang cup in my hand.
4. Half and half for my coffee.
5. A cigarette smoke free environment...even the bus drivers smoke here.
6. Whipped butter.
7. Being able to walk barefoot on grass, heck I'll take just walking on grass with shoes.
8. Getting junk mail.
9. Watching ESPN...it's gone. The channel is now programming from United Arab Emirates.
10. Being oblivious to how crazy the world really is.

Hot Tuesday in Baku and why there are no ceiling fans here

I know I may be dwelling on the hot weather here...but it is so oppressive I can see why everyone (who can) leaves in August. Last year I was back in the US for the early part of this month...this trip will have me heading back for a visit at the end of the month. I've developed a fairly good system to cool down the apartment. Keep the windows and curtains all closed and thank goodness, unlike many Bakuvians who normally only have AC in bedroom, there is also one in living room. So it becomes possible for me to cool apartment if I keep the second bedroom door closed (there is no AC in that room).
For quite sometime I've been baffled about the absence of ceiling fans here....well, after a lengthy discussion with my Dutch, soon to be ex-colleague (he's calling it quits here) the MIT trained political economist Phd......here's the likely reason. Economies/societies such as this one where the timeline for rapid growth has been so condensed will view such nascent technology as undesirable....fans seem primitive....go directly to AC once you have electricity....in fact, you see this mentally in other examples too...elevators or escaltors in buildings with no stairs....
There are also no communal or public laundry facilities...you went from hand washing to owning a machine....no need to have the in between step...no machine, hand wash.....another enlightened day in Baku....

Critters of Baku....and what I know for sure....

Okay, I've read Oprah's mag a couple of times to know that she writes a column...what I know for sure...and I've taken that to mean what life is like in Baku....yes, i know that the tap can turn on, but will water come out, yes, i know the bus that i can take to my new gym is #90 but will the route be the same, yes, you can purchase toilet paper at the market, but don't get used to the brand it may not be there on your next shopping trip...the air of uncertainty is thick...i understand why people don't plan or organize...since you can't...but i have learned that seeking out critters is what helps me stay sane....here are two of my new favorite photos...this i know for sure....

Beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and North Korea

Yes, it's true I can begin to see the gleam of my departure from Baku...still several months away but I find myself trying to not let the frustrations be as frustrating....this helps a great deal.
Speaking at tunnel....I saw a fascinating segment on North Korea on the BBC Channel...of course, it is true for every nation..."if your government doesn't tell you stuff, how are you expected to know"...especially if as a society you are uninformed, unconnected and isolated. And N. Korea fits all three of these...on top of it the shortage of nearly every commodity has really the physical development of people..the miltary which is enormous had to lower the height requirement as many men just aren't growing due to lack of food, nutrients in their early years....when college students were asked to name world leaders...Stalin and Mao were their answers....scary stuff....but I can see just how easy it is for government to keep folks in the dark....ummmm

Took my breath away

As joyous as my female Azerbaijan colleagues appear in these wedding photos...another photo took my breath away today and for those you who can...go buy this week's Time magazine...and see the cover photo of Aisha...and read her story and the other stories of the price the Afghani women have to bear.....this should not happened..do something to protect the life of a women today, right now...right here, anywhere....

Final Azerbaijani wedding...whew

Hopefully, you checked out my post about the wedding..well, Sunday was the last of the weekend marriage receptions...that's what they are...and as I described the wedding ritual here...one final comment....family, friends are expected to pay. Yes, pay. As you enter there is a big fancy box...with the groom listed on one side and the bride listed on the other side...and you're supposed to drop an envelope with cash inside..and if you don't the attendants (likely employees of the wedding palace) don't hesitate to remind you to pay....yes, I dropped an envelope of 25 AZ manats which is $30 USD....anyway...the entire wedding scene is quite unique..here's Turan (the HR administrator) and her new hubby Mamhammed, he works for an oil compay...the other picture is a traditional AZ instrument called a saz....nice sound...but much like a screaming violin....enjoy

Volunteer work at orphanage

Last week I joined a bunch of our students along with my assistant for a morning of work at a local orphanage (they call them just that here). This facility, from what I understand, much nicer since the First Lady visited eight years ago, houses about 50 kids all under 3...who were abandoned for various reasons...cleft lip (though I only saw two), fathers wishing to remarry (yes, that a legitimate reason to drop off your kid), or families just unable to care for them....

We painted, swept, cut brush, turned soil...etc. etc...it was hard work but I'm glad I participated...the director is at my left...