Computer Troubles and Trips to Baku

First I wanted to apologize for such a long break between entries. As some of you already know I had a small computer melt down. It’s the first time I actually yelled at people here, which is surprising considering my frustration levels sometimes. So my computer is fixed – I hope- It was quite an ordeal. No shops in Ganja could help me and the internet here is so bad that I couldn’t get online to talk to Dell people for any length of time before the connection was cut off. So I took a crazy quick trip to Baku. A friend and I took an overnight bus (which I DON’T recommend!) on Saturday. There are actually many buses going to Ganja- one every 15 minutes or so- I think even more at night. But you don’t just buy a ticket at the ticket office. There is little regulation and each company does its own thing to try to get as many passengers as possible. So we had to negotiate bus tickets around 11 O’Clock at night with tons of other people shouting and taxis and buses coming and going. Thank God my friend was there or I would still be standing there in semi-shock wondering what the hell I was supposed to do.
So the bus ride was pretty uneventful but it takes FOREVER. Its not that the distance is so long its that the road is so bad the buses can’t drive very fast. The roads are so bad because really heavy trucks carrying cement blocks across the country ruin the road. They are not supposed to be on the road but all they have to do is pay a bribe to the highway patrol and they can do what they want. Its also under construction in parts. Needless to say it is a very bumpy and slow ride. And there is also the fear of the driver falling asleep, which does happen on occasion. But to combat that on this trip there was a T.V. blasting Azeri and Turkish music videos ALL NIGHT LONG. Which made it difficult for the rest of us to sleep- but I would rather be tired than dead. And the absolute best part of the trip is that the bus was AIRCONDITIONED!
I really do feel like a spoiled little princess here. I never thought I would say it but I love air conditioning. When its over 100 degrees everyday with NO breeze it’s a miracle of GOD. So I actually quite enjoyed the 7 hours of coolness. There was almost a full moon so I could watch the barren landscape jog by. There really is nothing in the middle of this country. No trees, no towns, no mountains. Nothing. Its eerily beautiful but lonely and desperate at the same time. Around 7:00 we rolled into Baku- just in time to see the brilliant sunrise over the Caspian Sea. It was breathtaking.
In Baku we spent the day circling the same streets trying desperately to find the computer shop that services Dell computers. Unfortunately unlike the rest of Azerbaijan, Baku has taken up western traditions and many stores are closed on Sunday. In other regions Sunday is the shopping day. Sunday in Azeri is called Bazaar as it’s the day that everyone goes to the bazaar to buy their food. Anyway. Everything was closed. So we gave up for the day. Then on Monday we tried to connect online with a Dell support person. And I don’t know how- but some guy named Gavin- whose name probably wasn’t really Gavin was able to fix my computer – from his cubicle in Bengalore, India, I imagine. Amazing, really. So now my computer is fixed- for the time being, and it didn’t cost me anything. Except the trip to Baku which was worth it. I needed the break from the oppressive life here in Ganja. Seeing Baku again after 2 months, I realized that relatively speaking and compared to the rest of the country, Baku really is very westernized. I can walk freely about the city without being stared or approached and talked to by strangers. Its very nice. And I probably did the worst things of all in Baku. I went to McDonalds (the only one in the country) to use the bathroom because it’s the cleanest one in town. There is toilet paper and soap; luxuries in the rest of the country.

A Day in My life here in Azerbaijan.

I’ve written a lot about places I’ve been but I haven’t really given a good account as to what my daily life is like here in Ganja. I would say today is a pretty good example.
I wake up around 8:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays because these are the days I go to Taekwondo and so I don’t have to get up at 7:00 to go running. The reason why I have to get up so early to go running- and can’t really go later in the day is so that not so many people see me. I have yet to see a woman here wearing sneakers and sports clothes much less actually running outside. So I get up really early and go to the park (see photo)- and the people who are up stare at me. Then I run around the park and there are usually 8 or 10 old men there too. They do a lot of stretching but I haven’t seen much running yet.
Anyway… today I got up later, ate fresh baked bread for breakfast, went to my office around 9:30 and then went to teach my class at the Teacher’s Institute.
To get to class I have to walk to the mini-bus or Mashrutka (See picture)as they are called here. These are vans that have been reconstructed (ie. Some seats taken out) that travel a particular route around the city. The nice thing about them is that you can flag them down if you see them coming and you can ask to get off wherever you want along the route. There are a few designated stops but you can make your own. They cost a flat rate of 10 Gapik, which is about 10 cents. The not so nice thing about them is that they are poorly ventilated unless you happen to get on one with windows that open. I also think the goal of the drivers is to cram as many people as possible into them. So people are standing up or should I say stooped over (because you can’t stand up straight in them) with all their food from the Bazar, and children and God knows what else. There are of course also no seat belts, which is a bit of a concern as the streets here are regions of complete anarchy.

Today I hopped on Mashrutka number 14 and went to my class. I was feeling a little weird in my stomach. This is also normal for me. I’ve been in a state of weird digestive issues since I arrived 2 months ago. Today was a good day because it was one of the few times I did NOT hit my head upon disembarking the mini-bus.
Class went well. It usually does. The teacher’s here make me smile and we have fun talking about women’s things since there are no men in the class.

After class I walk back to my house and quickly grab my things for my Taekwondo class. My host mother usually tries to get me to eat. I think that is her main concern. I tell her I will eat later and as usual she looks disappointed. Then I walk back to the mini-bus stop and take another Mashrutka to the Olympic complex (See picture). This is a bit of a misnomer. There has yet to be an Olympics here in Ganja but the rings are on the building. The city is in the process of building a pool, too. Which would be nice- hopefully they will let women swim there. The other pool in town is for men only.

I LOVE my taekwondo class. Its one of the few places where I can relax and finally just be myself. And I get to take out all my frustrations on the punching bags and other students. My teacher is the Azerbaijan women’s national champion. She’s great. I hope to finally test and get a belt soon.

After class I grab another Mashrutka back into ‘downtown’ if you can call it that. Then I walk past all the men hanging around the street corners, drinking tea and oogling women, and ignore their stares and attempts at English communication. Every time I walk down the street its like walking into a hornets nest. You’d think they’d have gotten used to me by now. But I’ve got the ‘don’t even think about messing with me’ look down cold.

Back at my house my host mother had gone to sleep and I didn’t want to wake her up so I missed lunch and went back to the office (which is across the street-see pictures). That is where the frustrating part of my day started.

I’m trying desperately to print my financial aid award letter but my printer is out of ink. An ink cartridge costs a lot of money. But I don’t have any money- that’s why I need the financial aid award letter. There is another printer in the school so I save the letter onto my pen drive and try to bring it up on the other computer. No luck. This computer is pre-pen drive. Then I think I’ll just hook up my lap-top to the other printer. The computer teacher searches for the printer software for my computer. No luck- he can’t find it. Then I think I can just email it to that computer, but the internet is down today. Finally I think okay I’ll burn a copy of it onto a CD! I do this and but then realize that the CD drive of the other computer doesn’t work. The computer teacher finally pries it open and I try out my CD but it the file didn’t burn. I try to burn it again in a different format. No luck. Then I try another computer, which looks like its hooked up to a printer but that one doesn’t work either.
At this point I’m EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED!!! And very unprofessionally say some not so nice things about this country and office equipment. Then I had to take a break and teach my German class, which usually is a lot of fun. I definitely wasn’t in the mood. But as usual when I teach, my other problems were forgotten and we had a good class. I do enjoy teaching – which is also the other place where I can totally be myself.

After class I decide to break down and just buy a new cartridge for my printer using emergency money. I figure this was pretty close to an emergency. I walk to the ATM with ‘the look’ get some cash and walk to the one computer store in town only to find that its closed for the day! I just started laughing. It is pretty typical of how things are around here. The other thing is. Once I print and sign the letter I’m supposed to fax it back to SIT- well – you guessed it. This is the week the fax machine breaks down. I guess someone doesn’t really want me to have any money!
I get back to my office turn on the radio and my favorite song is on and I think…This is great…everything will work out the way its supposed to. I give up for the day, and go home and eat homemade paroshkis (they’re Russian fried dough filled with different things- meat, potato, lentils whatever you want.)
And I watch my favorite show on T.V. Its this awful Brazilian soap opera about a guy named Paco. The acting is terrible and even better dubbed over in Azeri.

Things are definitely not all bad here I’ve got a fun job, a roof over my head, food for the rest of the month and great music to listen to, (Not to mention instant coffee-yum ! and a very caring host family (the kids are really funny and cute). Life could be a lot worse.