E-I-E-I-O

Traveling to central Azerbaijan is a long, hot trip, even in early May. Especially packed into SUVs like the sardines for which we are often mistaken. And especially with adrenaline running high, since this was our first opportunity to leave Sumqayit and see The Country.

Azerbaijan, at least right now, is drier than I’d expected. Much of the landscape headed west from Baku looks like New Mexico or western Texas….arid soils and scrubby vegetation. And the roads….let’s not even worry about the roads! I’m really, really glad I wasn’t driving, since that would have taken the absolute utmost level of concentration. Potholes large enough to swallow vehicles and be ready for more? Just slow down to 8kph and go around them. Every. Few. Minutes. As I said, I’m glad to have been able to trust the driving to the very capable attention span and considerable skill of Elmar.

Several hours later and we were smack in the middle of Azerbaijan. There were produce vendors peddling their wares on the roadsides. This wouldn’t be unusual, even in the States, except every last stand has exactly the same things for sale. Diversity is hard to come by here. In Sumqayit, for example, there might be one block on the main street which has, literally, seven or eight competing Azercell stores, all selling the same phones and data plans. In class we talked a bit about how on earth the vendors survive with everyone selling the same merchandise, and it turns out each vendor sells to their relatives and friends….you always know someone who has a brother or other relative who works on cars, has a produce shop or an Azercell franchise, and so that’s where you shop. Period. Diversity and free market enterprise are pretty unusual here. But I digress….

We arrived in Barda (Bərdə), met with the volunteers currently serving in the local area, and took off to see one of their successful projects in neighboring Tartar (Tərtər), the Worm House. Donna, the volunteer, met and started a project with a local farmer…it was his idea, as I understand, that he convert a recently-purchased barn into a facility which produces worm droppings and sells them to local farmers and other customers. Through quite a bit of trial and error, he now has a successful operation and about a zillion-trillion little red helpers just pooping their hearts out on his behalf. This farmer is extremely progressive. He showed us around his family farm, and he’s growing potatoes (kartoff), beans, strawberries, mulberries, grapes (üzüm), cucumbers and a whole BUNCH of hothouse tomatoes (pomıdor). He also runs three cows (inək) and a multitude of chickens (toyuq). He’s starting seedlings from seeds the volunteer gave him. He created his own soaker hose by punching a hose with a nail. He put in a drip irrigation system. With the help of some volunteers, he has a solar drier currently used to make mulberry raisins. I mean, this guy has it going on! I was very impressed. Very impressed.

We returned to Barda and headed off to individual volunteers’ homes for the night. I got to stay with Donna and another AZ9, Jodi, which was quite the treat. We decided on a comfort-food kind of dinner, and indulged in not one, but two versions of mac-n-cheese (this is a judge-free zone, now), accompanied by a bottle of red wine and carrot cake. Absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, our planned breakfast of pancakes and chocolate fell through the following morning…..something about lacking eggs and sugar. That was sad. Though I suppose my body appreciated the oatmeal consumed in its place.

I shall be on the hunt for Bisquick in Baku. Just sayin.

Sunday brought visits to an agricultural NGO in Agjabedi (Agcabədi) and several projects overseen by another AZ9, Carissa. We went to a couple of sites where baby forests have been planted and recycle bins installed at local schools. The recycle bins are an interesting exercise in education. As far as I know, there is only one recycling facility currently in Azerbaijan, and it’s in Baku. The goal at this point seems to be to just educate the populace on what recycling IS, and to not use the bins as trash receptacles. People understand re-using things like plastic bottles and bags, but actually collecting them, breaking them down and reforming new product is a mind-boggling concept. In fact, many of the local Azerbaijanis are under the impression that water is the ultimate self-cleaning system, and will readily dump trash in a stream or the sea, as soon enough, it will disappear…..apparently, thought isn’t given regarding what actually happens to the trash. Or the water. It’s an uphill battle, for sure.