More pics, including a view of the city of Baku as well as a view of the desert outside of Gobustan. The kids from my house (the twins are Aydan and Faydan, the little girl with the pointy hat is Zeynab, my "niece" who calls me Ami (uncle), and the boy is Fared, a totally undisciplined and awful demon child about which I've said innumerable nasty things that I do not see fit to repeat here). The dude standing with me is Mehemmed, my storekeep about whom I've already spoken, and the Arabic script is on an ancient gravestone that is on display in the old city in Baku.
Azeris are, like most members of post-Soviet republics, ridiculously good at chess. I've so far I've only beaten one Azeri out of all the ones I've played, and that just because he's really not a chess player and was just playing to get a chance to speak English with me. The other day I went to my store to get a soda and was carrying a chessboard with me, and Mehemmed closed down for 10 minutes to beat me without mercy in a game. It was hilarious, every move he kept saying "Excuse me Kevin, pardon me" as he steadily wiped out every piece I had on the board. Everyone from friends and host relatives to random guys at kafes and chayxanas are so ludicrously good at this game that I feel certain that, by the time I leave this place, I will be experienced enough in chess to totally whoop anyone who challenges me.
In addition to chess, there are other games which are quite popular here, all of which we have in the US but which are played with various different rules because Azeris love to do things their own way. The most popular game, considered by many to be the national game, is nard, the Azeri version of backgammon. You can see old men sitting in shops, kafes, chayxanas, on street corners and pretty much anywhere else playing this game. Since I don't know how to play backgammon in the US, I'm not sure how the rules are different, but suffice it to say that even if I hadn't been told so I would know it's not the same as in the States. For one thing, it seems to me that every move the player is required to slam their pieces down with such force as to simulate a small earthquake. Additionally, this most important of rules is applied to every other action involving pieces which can be physically slammed onto a board or table, including, but not limited to: chess, checkers, dominos, vodka shots, paying for things, supplementing conversation and getting the attention of others. I can only hope that after two years I haven't adopted this concept, or I may find myself getting kicked out of every library and restaurant I go to.
1 comment:
Please tell me you bought a pack of "Music Lights" from Mr. Brownsweater.
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