2 Weeks so far in Baku AZ

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k so its been a pretty busy week for me. Started work, as well as finding my way around here. Ive learnt a few new things and also finally met Tatiana the MCP of AIESEC Azerbaijan and also one of my flat mates. I also learnt how to find a few new places and walk around on my own and generally start building the foundations of living here. Ive also found my arch enemy here. Taxi Drivers.



So I guess we can start with work since its probably the central feature of my life. I work as a Study Abroad Manager which is a fancy name for someone that helps students going overseas to study with their university and visa applications. I now know more than I ever wanted to about Germany University and Visa processes. The hours ire sersiously long. 10 am to 7 pm everyday. However, my boss i really flexible so I can come in at like 10.30 or 11 and leave at like 6.30 - 7.30. The other thing is, its 6 days a week so im also working the same hours on Sat as well. The good thing with my job is, I really only get like 4 hours of work a day with the rest spent relaxing. Im not sure if its because im hyper efficent (one can always hope) or the work culture here is quite inefficent. I would go with the second option. If you go to any resturant here you will notice that it takes at LEAST 30 mins for your meal or order to be finished. This is despite the places being staffed with 2 x the number of waiters and cooks you would expect in NZ and about only about .75 the guests. So for those of you wondering why im ALWAYS on FB, its cause im sitting at work slightly bored. Be nice and talk to me so I dont get too lonely and resort to eating paper for entertainment.



Also my boss is pretty awesome. His name is Elgun Karimov. Hes Azeri but he did his masters in the US so his english is perfect and he understands western mindset quite well. He is an insanely hard worker (works till 1 am sometimes) and has been both patient and understanding with me. He has travelled a lot so he has some pretty awesome stories and once Ramadan is finished we are apparently going to go try georgian wine and food. Hes also really into new western style management so we spend a lot of time talking about different management styles and how they work. So what else about work? I get my own desk and an office that i share with my boss with a chair thats like half lawn chair half boss style big char. The other staff here are quite nice and friendly though I dont really interact with them that much. I get on quite well with the managing director as well so I guess im getting somewhere.



Last week was my first office party. which was pretty funny. It was the managing directors Birthday so we had cake and tea in my office. I had to give the speech on behalf of every one. I found it funny cause they thought it was hazing the new guy. I was more laughing thinking you have no idea how many impromptu speeches I have had to give when I was in AIESEC so it went down pretty well. Did the whole 2 words in Azeri saying happy bday then did a cheesy AIESEC style thank you and good luck speech. Worked out quite well for me.



Ok so onto something more interesting. Me and Vit (my flat mate and MCVPICX here) decided to head out on sat night. So we had a few beers at home then tried 3 different bars on our quest to find ONE hooker free bar. So we started off at the bar I went to last time. Only this time we were only mobbed for 20 mins before they gave up and let us drink in peace. One of the girls remembered me from last time so she was nice enough to keep the other girls away. So after a few mins here we moved on to another bar where we talked to this turkish guy outside that surprisingly spoke english and turned out to be the owner of the club. We had a quick chat and he thankfully told the girls to leave us alone so we didnt get hassaled at this bar. unfortunately this bar was kinda dead and the beer was expensive compared to the previous bar. So we carried on and went to about 2 mroe bars. It seemed like most were more and more expensive. We found one which was pretty nice, had nice seating and seemed hooker free but beer that cost the same as NZ so not sure if we would go back. We wrapped up the night by going back to the bar next to our house (the one where we started the night) for one last beer than home. Somehow the night ends with the hooker that remembers me, playing fruit ninja on my phone while me and Vit argue about the football on screen. I think she got bored because neither of us were interested in her and the penalty shootouts were much more facinating. Thankfully we make it back home. So in Total 5 beers drank throughout the night and money spent = 25 - 30 NZD. Not too bad. Wr also have decided to implement a new game. its called hooker trolling. See how frustrated you can make a hooker before she goes away.



Ok now lets talk about the scum of the earth here. Taxi drivers. I have so far met llike 2 that are decent human beings. The rest, I would like to see shot. So lets start. Normally it costs approx 6 NZD to get from home to work or vice versa. Now most taxi drivers here will try charge me 10 NZD. I managed to argue one down to 7 NZD (my acheivement for the week). What put me off them for life. I took one of the London Cab ones (these are suppose to the be the best and safest and they work on the meter). So we get to my house and the meter says 5.90 NZD. I give the taxi driver 6 nzd and get out. He jumps out of the car and starts yelling at me saying 5 Manat (10 NZD) and im like wtf no point to the metre. This just makes him get more and more aggro till hes literally in my face and im like fuck it and give him the extra 2 Manat just to get out of the situation. So after this I went fuck it and learnt the route to work which I now walk. Its only about 15 mins and has actually meant ive learnt a lot more shops and things around my area. Also I now have a pathological hatred of taxi drivers.



Ok so lets talk a little bit about the MCP of Azerbaijan and also my flatmate. Tatiana. Also known as the keeper of the Hellcat Katrina and occasionally as Shamu. So she is awesomely fun and honestly is like a crossbreed of Tina Tai, Michelle Zhao, and Joanne Ong all mixed together. So think very loud , fun and very random as well as insanely efficent and good at her job. She has travelled a lot and has an awesome range of interests including Kpop. Ok so one story about her. Within 5 mins of meeting me, she throws a hair clip at me because i said she sounded like a dying cow. Must be a bit of Reichel in her as well. Shes been awesome in having lunch with me since the AIESEC office and my work are really close together. Her down points are, shes a clean freak which means I cant be my usual semi chaotic messy self and she hates smoking so me and Vit have to hide from her when we smoke. Both of those espcially the cleaning part is like Sighhhhhhhhhhh............. All in all, shes nice and lovely even if she does throw things at me.



Ok so onto food related. NEVER EVER eat McDonalds here. It tastes insanely bad. The service time is downright terrible and I swear the workers there spend more time chatting about their day then working. It pretty much gave me light food poisoning and my flat mate actual food poisoning. However, the KFC here is good. Service time is still terrible but the food is good and a little cheaper than NZ. Also I cooked for the first time since getting here. Made my usual Thai Gold Curry which turned out beautiful and also meant I found shops to buy groceries from. Though it kinda cost about the same as eating out so I guess ill be cooking more for the sake of cooking rather than because its cheaper.



Another thing that surprised me here and probably because of my own expectations is the AIESEC here. Normally in NZ when we get interns, theyre thrown around the LC and they get to meet pretty much everyone. Lots of going out and showing them a good time. Here I have met a total of 4 AIESEC'cers, All MC, 2 of whom I live with. Its not really a huge deal so Im not really massively fussed. Plus I think since its holidays for the Uni here, the AIESEC here isnt very active till later on in the year. Kinda means I need to start looking outside of AIESEC and make some friends soon. Its kinda hard at work since most of the people here are in their late 30's. I suppose ill hang more with Wieteke (the other intern) and her friends from her English School as they are around our age and can speak english.



I think I also have been smoking a little too much. Kinda moved from 4 a day to about 7 here. Kinda a mixture of living with a smoker and also them being so damn cheap here. Will need to cut down on it ASAP. Im implementing a no smoking and walking measure which means I HAVE to be sitting down to smoke, which should hopefully cut the number down to 4 again. Also I need to find a gym soon or I can just wait till Sept when its less boiling and go out jogging. I really need to get into some sort of phyiscal activity here before I become a fat blob.



I have managed to cut one habit, which is gaming. Mostly because i honestly done have time these days. Suppose thats ONE Positive so far. Also im starting to get very sightly annoyed with the kitten these days. Its impossible to get anything done without her attacking me so I have a new policy of, when im eating or trying to read, the kitten goes outside. I normally love animals but I think ill probably wait till shes a few more months older and less energetic.

<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Ok so the downpoints. I felt really down today when I woke up. Im not too sure why but I kinda really missed home. Mostly my friends and family, as well as knowing everything around me. I can talk to 99% of the people and I know where all the shops and things are. I think it was pretty short term as I feel pretty good now but yeah morning was pretty rough. Ah well I think ill adjust soon. Mostly I think its the whole not having english speakers around as well as NZ culture and humor. Ive noticed the culture here is very very different espcially with things like who you talk to, how you interact with them etc. Its a lot less friendly and open than in NZ. Once again I figure this is just the usual honeymoon period over and time for the I miss everything stage so I should be fine soon enough. Just need to adjust a bit more.



Anyways. I think I have ranted enough on this. Ill catch you guys later on



And for those of you demanding more pictures.



CANT BE FUCKED. GOOGLE IMAGE BAKU AZERBAIJAN IF YOU WANT TO SEE RANDOM BUILDINGS AND SHIT.



Lata

Nix

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