Holidays...

Happy New Year!! The holidays have passed and, unfortunately, were barely felt by me. Christmas was pretty non-existent and New Years was like any other dinner party except the annoying popping fireworks going off all night. Even though I had planned to go to Baku and celebrate with the right amount of alcohol, I decided to save my vacation days for when I actually get to leave the country. As a result I sucked it up and stayed at site where I spent the big night with the host family, watching Az TV. The night consisted of Ina being stuffed with food from 6 pm on and being made to drink sweet Azeri wine. I have probably told the host dad 10 times that I like dry wine, but according to him the desert wine he had gotten was sour and was even squinting when sipping it. I did let that one slide because “Dorothy ain’t in Kansas no more,” and good wine is scarce if at all existent. So 2007 began with a glass of equally sweet, tasteless champagne, tons of greasy food, and with a resolution to definitely leave the country for 2008.

Its not like nothing came out of this joyful time though. The Barda populace’s desire to marry me off was reignited. My previous excuse of “I can’t cook, I don’t like cleaning, and I don’t wash other people’s clothes” had ceased to work. I believe it is because I am reaching the “hag” age of 25 and no one will want me afterwards. The ladies as well as some older gentlemen are sure that I will learn to love these tasks I so strongly hate. Some ladies have even offered me their own sons (to whom I look like a great green card I’m sure). Due to all of this I had started to be more blunt and my current excuse for why I don’t want to marry here is “I DON'T WANT TO GET MARRIED!” How else am I suppose to convince them that it is OK to be single at my age! You’d think that would work, but noooo, according to the ladies smart and modern minded men exist in Azerbiajan and I should stick around! I don't deny that these men are here, but for 1 reason or another I still would never marry one…Now let me describe what the candidates actually do represent. The style is: a shiny striped polyester suit, brown sweater underneath, shiny pointy elf shoes, greasy side swiped hair, and at least one gold tooth. These are at least the specimens that stand on the street corners with nothing better to do than bother bypassing foreigners like myself. My irritation speaks for itself...