My Life in azerbaijan - It is a very close call

June 7, 2010
So far more than 10 PCVs from my group quitted the Peace Corps. At first I had a harsh opinion about their ET (Early Termination) but now I realize no one should judge them unless you experienced what they had gone through.

Since I moved in to my new “expensive” apartment, I have been dealing with situations that far more than I can bear. (Remember, I am a New York City girl, I know nothing about broken pipes or leaks) First it was the kitchen. The pipe under the kitchen sink was so old that it broke the first week when I moved in. Then it was the bathroom. It flooded every time I took a shower. I called my landlord. He came, said “Mən bilirəm” (understood) and left. Two months passed, my bathroom problem continues. To take a shower, I have to put a bucket under the shower head to catch all the water. As for the kitchen, I place many containers and towels right underneath the pipe just in case it breaks again when I am not home. I am constantly living with fear that anytime the pipe will burst. (No wonder my blood pressure is up and down)

On top of that, at least two days a week, there is no running water and it usually happens during evening hour when I am in the middle of cooking or washing. When the water finally runs again, I can smell the odor of raw sewage everywhere; outside my window, from the toilet, underneath the kitchen sink. I have to pour cups and cups of bleach to tone down the smell. Now, I store so many gallons of water in my apartment that they can bath the whole army!

For a while, my life seems to be bearable again until last night. First it was the two monster bugs, black, hairy, ugly bugs showing up in my bathroom floor. I had no idea where they came from. I switched on the light and here they were. I froze and closed the bathroom door immediately. I walked back and forth outside the bathroom and did not know what to do. Finally, I graphed a huge towel, opened the door and throw the towel on top of them. I graphed a cooking pen and banged on the floor. My whole body was shaking when I did the “killing”. To clean up the mess, I washed the towels in the kitchen sink. Then, the Pipe leaked, and water was everywhere in my kitchen. What a nightmare. I was exhausted when I climbed to bed. Midnight, my upstairs neighbor began to bang on the wall; maybe they saw more giant bugs!

This morning, I went to the bazaar, a man approached me and asked me the price for a full body massage. (my town has a Chinese Massage Center)

“Mən bankda işlayırman!” (I work for a bank!!!, you XXX! I wish I knew the word in Azeri)

You see, how much "XXXX"I have to put up with. That moment, I thought about quitting, but I took a deep breath and went home.