3.5.01
3.6.01
3.7.01
3.10.01
3.13.01
3.19.01
3.24.01
3.28.01
3.30.01
MARCH
Tonight we had a taco party at our friend Troy's. Tomorrow is a holiday (which means our
friends who work five-day-a-week jobs get to enjoy Sunday like it's a Saturday), so we rented
a bunch of movies (Troy has a VCR, which is not why he's our friend), made up some tortillas and
refried beans, and sat around eating and being glued to the TV.
There was more than slacker TV-watching going on, though - Rena and her friend Zaya did a bunch of
sketches of the rest of us hanging out eating and watching TV. The rest of us watched them sketching
us for a while, but only when the movies weren't on. One of the movies we watched was The Witches of Eastwick, which
has a great feminist angle to it when seen from the comfy bosom of Azerbaijan.
- Jack
In light of the economic troubles in Turkey right now, Turks are officially allowed to sacrifice chickens this year instead.
Below is a speach I found by a guy named Moustafa Kattih with the scoop behind Eid Aladha. Plus some nifty lessons for water cooler chat.
- S
Dear faithful brothers and sisters:The Eid in Islam is a form of worship. There are two Eid occasions in Islam and they are both linked to a form of worship. This Eid, Eid Aladha, which is linked to the Pilgrimage form of worship and Eid Alfetr which is linked to the fasting of Ramadan form of worship.
Eid is neither entertainment nor dancing and drinking parties; nor it is debauchery or engagement in immoral behavior. It is the time to manifest the strong love and brotherhood among all Muslims.
Eid Aladha coincides with the incident of Ishmael's (PBUH) ransom from sacrifice. Allah, the Almighty, commended Abraham that he sacrifices his son Ishmael (PBU Them), Abraham fulfilled Allah's commandment and started to sacrifice his son, but, Allah ransomed Ishmael from being sacrificed. Allah says describing this great trial "Then when the son reached the age of serious work with him. He said: O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice. Now see what is thy view. The son said: O my father! do as thou art commanded: thou wilt find me, if Allah wills one practicing patience and constancy. So when they had both submitted their wills to Allah, and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead for sacrifice, we called out to him, O Abraham! thou hast already fulfilled the vision thus indeed do we reward those who do right, for this was obviously a trial, and we ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice"
Two great lessons may be learned from this tremendous test and trial:
First, Absolute submission to Allah: Although, Abraham was an old man and Ishmael was his only son, he and his son fully submitted their wills to their creator and the father laid his son to be sacrificed. By this total submission to Allah, Abraham passed the obvious trial from Allah.
So, brothers and sisters fear Allah and obey him. Fulfill what Allah has ordained and leave all that which he prohibited. Surely its the only way to succeed in life and the hereafter (Insha' Allah).
Second, Complete obedience to parents. Ishmael (PBUH) obeyed his father and put forth his forehead in submission to be sacrificed. So brothers and sisters obey and be kind to your parents for that it is Allah's orders. Allah (the Almighty) says "Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but him, and that ye be kind to parents whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life. so not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor." You must obey your parents even if they are not Muslims except in matters which may negatively affect your faith.
I"ve been having America cravings for the past couple days. They just hit me out of nowhere; english muffins, hamburgers without mad cow, a latte and a book in a cafe. I've missed these things in the past (with the exception of the english muffins, that's a new one) but these days they come to my randomly. We found our new favorite restaurant today; Pizza Gusto. They have a real italian menu, there pizza's are made with mozzerella and real tomato sauce (most places use ketchup). They even brought us a bowl of freshly grated parmasian.I'm over having our shower in the middle of the bathroom. It was unique for a while but now it's just a nusance. The floor is constantly wet so you have to put shoes on before you go to the bathroom. Who needs that?
Our soviet heater has been kicking ass though. This is the warmest apartment I've ever lived in. It's the gift that keeps on giving; we crank it for a while and then let the accumulated heat radiate. Those soviets can't do washing machine but they can do heaters.
Thursday is National Women's Day. It's basically another day where women sit back and wait to see if the men in their life are worth damn and let the rest of the year unfold based on that evidence. As they said in one of the papers, "It's a day where men buy women perfume, flowers, candy and toys - all the things they love." Oddly enough, the holiday started in the U.S with the National Socialist Party. It was concerned more with women and labor when it started, which is why everyone gets the day off on March 8th. It's a serious holiday.
- S
So now I'm on the subway heading back into town, letting myself not feel guilty for not feeling guilty about being late - it happens to everybody, and even though I'm not terribly bummed about not being in class
right now, I know I didn't do it on purpose. I actually like these students, and it's a fun class to teach. The commute is hell, but I don't drag-ass out of the apartment on school days like I did in the fall.
The reason I was late had to do with the mildly-obsessive side of my personality. Our computer has been acting weird for a few months, so I decided to upgrade the system, hoping this would take care of it. Well, it probably will if I can ever get the new system running properly. I can't face a rehashing of the details - suffice it to say, the setup process has been arduous and at one point downright maddening (last night at around 1am I was seething with rage at the whole hellish stink (for the first time in my life, I understood the expression "boiling." I actually felt like my blood was bubbling through me, and my brain felt all frazzled and controlled by, well, by boiling blood). Lucikly, today dawned with a new start and I sat down to undo whatever damage had been done and make it as right as I could without anger or frustration. I succeeded on the emotional front, but in my obsession to get it done before leaving the house, I got to class too late - now I've had no class and haven't finished the computer. I still have my equanimity though, not to mention a seat in this crowded subway car. Just one more stope til home, too - at this moment, I honestly feel that life is good.
- Jack
We're millionaires! But it wasn't easy. Actually, getting the money was easy, it was the get-away that was a little tricky. I went up to Azerbaijan U. today to collect the last of the salary
that Shanon I were owed for our useless toil at that sham of a school, a tidy sum of $260 (a little over a million manat). I went alone because Shanon had a tutoring student coming, but I'd collected
her portion of the salary before with no problem so I didn't expect any problem this time. What I did expect was a bit of resistence or at least habitual obfuscation on the part of the university, as
we didn't exactly part on friendly terms. But no, I waltzed in there, shook hands with one of the guys who initially showed us how to use the various water knobs in our first apartment (a very friendly guy
who's job is to be the Rector's lackey - not a great job, but he's friendly nonetheless); he took me to the salary office, and the guy there definitely recognized me and was probably expecting me and forked
over the 1,173,000 manat without a word of complaint or any snide remarks about my obvious forgery of Shanon's signature.Everything was going smoothly at that point - my big mistake was thinking that it was going to be that easy to call it quits with Good Ol' Ay You. Actually, my real mistake was taking a camera along to get a shot of the university - though I can't really call that a mistake that I made because how the hell was I to know that some sort of paranoia, or general stupidity, I dunno, was in operation around the campus and apparently taking pictures of the buildings was prohibitted - not that there was any sign or anything. I found this out when I was accosted at the gate - six feet from walking out of that terrible place forever and I was physically grabbed by a middle-aged gatekeeper who began babbling excitedly and terribly in Russian, indicating that I wasn't allowed to take pictures and something something something. He had a hold of my forarm and though he wasn't snatching at my camera, I was concerned about an attempt to get the film away from me, something I would resist anyway on general principle but definitely in this case because I'd taken a bunch of priceless snaps around Baku and wanted to get them developed that very day.
It took me a while of tugging and yelling to free my arm (and a bit of self-control not to lash out at this asshole but merely to pull and yank until I had freed myself from his grip). That wasn't the end of it, though - even when I got his less-than-iron grip from my forearm, the troll still blocked my way out. Meanwhile, I'm yelling in English, telling him how ridiculous this is and all I did was take a picture of the sign and the building, but he's maintaining the stern, concerned, frenzied front and I genuinely believe this guy thinks I'm here taking snaps of the school so I can more effectively launch a terrorist attack against the school and the Rector and probably the whole Azeri educational system for all I know. What I do know is that I'm not about to go in for this shit and that he's not getting my film and I'm not even going to seek out somebody who might speak English to try to iron this whole thing out in a friendly, reasonable manner. I'm still yelling, he's still yelling, he's blocking my way, some people are gathered watching the spectacle - I never did feel really threated, but my heart was definitely racing and my pits were getting a bit sweaty. I asked one of the students who was standing there watching and doing nothing (does this happen all the time?) if he spoke English, and he replied very quickly, and with hardly any accent, "No."
At this point I yelled at the snarling guard some more, backed up a couple of steps, and then took a few long strides around him and out the gate. As I passed him, feeling like a successful running back racing for the goal line, he yells out something that was probably "Stop that crazy monster!" but the only people anywhere near the exit were three girls who weren't about to try a lunging tackle, so I got away to the street. I didn't run, but I didn't exactly dally either. What I did was walk at just a touch more than my usual fast pace, and I didn't hear any screaming or chasing behind me, so I simply moved on. In a couple of blocks, I was shooting up the rest of the roll and contemplating whether or not I should keep the picture or take it back to the guy, tear it up in his face, and spit on the ground in disgust. I think I'll just keep it as a memento of this stupid encounter. Bye bye Azerbaijan University!
- Jack
Jack was out throwing fists again today. We were crossing a side street when a van that was
turning left onto the street nearly hit us. It wasn't the near miss of, "Ohmygod, those peds
came out of nowhere," but more like, "I'm in a van that is bigger than both you put together,
let's play chicken and see who budges first." The van was inches from our legs before we
realized we were playing a game. Luckily it was a slow motion game - he was going about 10 miles
an hour I'd say. Anyway, then Jack whacks the guys hood and the side of his van real good,
expletive, expletive, etc., etc. The mustached driver gets out. I don't blame him, I would too
if someone, first, got in my bleeping way and then laid hands on my ride. I was a bit freaked at
this point because I certainly wasn't going to take a punch and I wasn't so sure I wanted to see
Jack take one either. Luckily there was a random woman walking by who restrained the other dude
and I was there to get Jack back on track. They both looked like they were ready to "go,"
however, it was fairly easy for the woman and I to keep the rage caged and let the moment pass.
I don't think either of them really wanted to fight, as is usually the case, so it made our job
that much easier.Ahhh, just another ridiculous day in Azerbackerstan.
- S
Most local artists, who decided to stay in the racket after the Soviets packed there bags and fled, formed groups. From what I understand each group has one or two people (artists as well) who try to get the art in front of the Oily's faces and wallets. I suppose "new Azeris" may also buy art but I have a hunch that most two thousand dollar paintings go to Oilys. It is good to know that there are entire buildings in Baku filled with paint and canvas and people who spend days painting and sculpting. It's even better that many of them don't have to spend their mornings selling slabs of raw meet at the market just to get by.
On Friday I had a tasty birthday dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in town. Jack, Troy, Rena and I went to an Italian restaurant called Scalini. It has atmosphere and good food all under one roof. I think most of the patrons were embassy people and Oilys - the only people whose salaries afford that kind of schmance, except when you're the birthday girl! Even at four times the cost of most restaurants in Baku it's still a little cheaper than a nice Italian place in the U.S. They even had Tiramisu.
There were probably 50 people in the place and they all seemed to know each other. If we stayed in AZ for another six months we too would know everyone in the room. Anyone who has been here for more than a year can't really take 15 paces without stepping on someone they know. That would drive me crazy. It's fun to run into people sometimes but I prefer anonymity over popularity any day. Even now when we meet people for the first time they often say, "Yeah, I've seen you guys around."
So I've been trying 29 on for size for a couple days now - I like it. It's a prime number, which Jack thinks is really cool. I like it because it's the apex of my 20's. Ever since I turned 22 I haven't really been able to remember my age without doing the math. 22 and 28 are just so...20s. But 29 is a world all it's own, it sounds exotic even. Hell, some people like the age 29 so much they are still holding. Maybe I can take on 29 with ease because I never gave myself until the age of 30 to do such and such. I suppose if I had, it would have been to travel Europe and to live in a foreign country. Ding! Bring on 30.
One of my birthday presents to myself was to buy a cheap guitar. I started strummin' about a week ago. Something clicked this time because I was better from the first chord than I've ever been before. Something about the right place at the right time, I guess. I have plenty of time to practice right now so it's a good time to get started. I learned the M*A*S*H theme last week. I think it's pretty cool, but Jack is just about to get really sick of hearing it.
- S
It's always a bit of a bummer to have a whole day of your life knocked out like this, but I can't complain that I don't have the free time to waste on being sick. It's not like Saturday and Sunday are our only days to relax and get things done. In fact, I haven't had a class in ten days - last Wednesday was my last class before the big Novruz Bayram holiday, for which I received an entire week off. Novruz is the Muslim New Year, which is held on the Spring Equinox, which I think is the right time for the New Year. But hold on, it's never that simple in Azerbaijan. The official two-day holiday was supposed to be Tuesday and Wednesday - 6pm on Tuesday was the actual Equinox, and that night was the big celebration, eat-national-foods-with-family style; the next day is a day off too because people are up all night jumping over and dancing around huge bonfires.
That's that as far as the holiday is supposed to go, and I was told last Wednesday by the Dean that I should announce to my students that we would be having class on Monday, that the rumors that the school had all week off were untrue. So I announce that, and then on Saturday I receive an email telling me that there isn't actually school on Monday. We find out later that Heydar, the Big Man in Charge in Azerbaijan, has declared on Thursday that Monday is an official day off - he also declared that government employees had to work on Saturday to make up for it. This kind of thing passes virtually without comment around here. It's perfectly normal to get information at the last minute, and I suppose I'm lucky anyone told me at all. I still have a hard time accepting this kind of change-up, especially on such a grand scale, but Azeris don't mind and they're the ones who have to live with it. It's not like it was bad news for me. I got a whole week off for it.
I took advantage of the added time off to do a number of things around the house. I constructed a coffee-filter holder out of an old juice box, duct-tape, and some cardboard. We cracked our French press months ago, and it's been leaking for a couple of weeks, so we bought some coffee filters - no filter-holders are available, however, so I rigged up this better-mousetrap device and it's getting us by while we await the arrival of one from the U.S. I also defrosted the freezer, which isn't as easy as it sounds, and I made a cake,which also isn't as easy as it sounds - I had to use a frying pan and an oven without a temperature gauge, but in the end it was worth it. It took us all of 2 days to eat the whole thing. I made another one for last night's pub meal, and while I don't want a piece right now, I don't think my illness is going to affect my desire for chocolate cake. I still have two more days before I have school again.
Once I recover, I'll probably get to some more projects I've had on my list for a while. Catching up on the journal was at the top - check.
- Jack
We got new hats today. And Nutter Butters and Corn Nuts and a copy of The Stranger and a real plastic molded coffee-filter holder and bunch of other great stuff. I haven't gotten care packages like this in years. Thanks to everyone keeping us in peanut butter and coffee beans. It makes it a lot easier to get up in the morning if we can sit down to a big jar of Peter Pan and a cup of excellent coffee.
We ran out of coffee for a few days a week or two ago, so we bought some Brazilian coffee at the store here. We brewed it up in my make-shift coffee-filter holder and it was possibly the worst coffee I've ever had. Shanon's brother Bret sent us some Maxwell House in an earlier care-package, which we tried a month or so ago, just for that fresh-from-the-can taste, and we agreed that while it was bitter and jangly stuff, the Brazilian crap so-called coffee was so far inferior that we should just chuck it and drink Maxwell House until the supply wagon arrived with fresh beans. We still drink tea in the afternoon, but more and more lately we're having an evening pot of coffee - our systems must know we're going to be back in Seattle soon.
We watched another movie tonight. We've been spending a lot of time at Troy's utilizing the VCR. He's waiting months for security clearance so he can go to work at the U.S. Embassy - in the meantime, he's got about as much free time as we do. After the movie we hung out to watch a little BBC news. One of tonight's big stories is that the British Army has taken over the slaughter of the hoof-and-mouth infected sheep. Surprisingly this didn't activate any Monty Pythonesque reaction on the part of the journalists covering the story, who proceeded to show guys in fatigues and various colored berets having very military-maneuver-like strategy sessions. The general in charge of the "operation" was very straight with the reporter, but he had to be dying inside. I mean, the sheep don't even try to defend themselves. What a crock. The world is a weird place and we live in it and I'll never be able to trust the British Army again.
- Jack
Spring has been coming and going for the past couple weeks. Today it is going. I like it. We had a couple hot days last week and it frightened me. Ninety-five degrees and Baku are not welcome guests. We hope to exit stage left before the heat comes down in Baku. Last fall we got our fill of humidity, pollution, and dust battling it out for our demise. The mosquitoes have been visiting lately too, which is another mystery, not to mention a drag. I was sitting in bed reading for several hours the other night, peacefully absorbed and silent, and not 10 seconds after we turned off the light and my head hit the pillow did I hear the not so friendly whispers of a mosquito. How do they know where my ears are? Why are they always chattering at me when all I want to do is sleep? I really don't want to start applying bug repellant before bed like last fall. It's just not right, we live in an apartment not a tent. Luckily Malaria season won't start until after we leave. Baku isn't really a danger zone anyway, I hear, but that doesn't make those little bastards any less annoying.
I did some watercolor painting today. It's pretty fun. I have no idea what I'm doing. I drew the pictures first with ink so that it would be more like those watercolor books when I was a kid. It all came back to me. Next I have to practice the guitar. It's so nice to have all this free time so I can do things like pretend I can watercolor and play guitar, and read the dictionary. I'm almost halfway done. I have to finish it before we leave because the dictionary is being donated to the school. We got a shipment of magazines the other day which has kept me distracted from my regularly scheduled programs. (Did you know that Bruce Willis is dating a porn star? I can say I haven't missed magazine headlines at the grocery store.)
In other news, I'm also going to color my hair today. I bought the cheapest color the other day and guess what? It's cheap. Today is hair color take two. I decided after I got my hair cut in Spain(thankth Barthelona!) that I was going to grow it out, but this week I decided that it's too hard to live here and have in-between hair.
-S