My Life in Azerbaijan - One Stormy Night in Azerbaijan and...

June 8, 2011

Clouds are gathering, storm begins to build but it has not rained yet. Soon I can hear the thunder mutters ominously in a distance, lightning flashes and the storm moves closer. Suddenly a clap explodes directly overhead and lightning pierces the gloom. Eventually clouds burst, rain begins to fall. At first, tentatively, soon, gaining confidence, heavily. Before long, rain lashing down in torrential sheets whips my bedroom window surface. I sit and watch the sky weeps. I LOVE rain!

No one whom I know is as enamored of a rain as I do. I always fancy the rain, especially the one that comes late at night. It has a steady and soporific rhythm that could induce me not only to sleep but also to dream…..

Outside, loud peals of thunder crash and reverberate in the darkness. Rain continues to come streaming down. I close my eyes and eager to start my dream….. I hope tonight, I will see my love ones again.

Wake up early in the morning, already forget the forgotten dream. Look outside the bedroom window, the sun gleams out of ragged clouds, birds are singing and rain, no more. I open the window to let in some fresh air, a horrible odor hits me, it is the raw sewage again! I should have known better. Every time when it rains, most of the alleys and streets in my neighborhood would be flooded. All the “ugly & smelly” stuffs would ooze out from underground and inundate the sidewalks. The pipe systems in Azerbaijan are abysmal and they desperately need to be replaced, but it is not the priority of “X” (not allowed to criticize per PC policy). I shut the window and try to make myself a cup of coffee and ……NO WATER!

Oh well, I do not get frustrated anymore. Occasionally no water, no electricity and no gas are just part of daily life here in Azerbaijan. The only thing that bothers me is the water bill; it was once 0.8 manat ($1.0) and now is 2.32 manat ($3.0).

I dry clean myself a little, pick up a book and begin to relax. It is a book about nature, my kind of book, and a story about rain, my favorite subject!

I still LOVE rain, even here in Azerbaijan….