All of the AZ5s are now gone or staying for another year (2 AZ5s will stay). It is the start of a transition for the rest of us left here. We are going from being the rookies to the only ones in the country to being the pros when the AZ7s come. I’m going to miss some of the AZ5 since I wasn’t placed close to them in country and wish I could have spent more time with some. Having the last group leave got me to thinking about how much we have seen change since AZ6 got here. Here is a short list:
• New bus station in Baku. (it is much nicer but no longer walking distance from the Peace Corps office.
• Buses! There used to be marshutkas (think crappy little mini vans) in Baku but now they are few and far between. They have been replaced with big, normal, nice buses. The new bus routes take some getting used to though.
• The Quba road. The trip to Baku that took 3 ½ hours last November is now only 2 hours because we have a new road. Quba even has an exit. Yeah, an exit off of the road with an overpass and everything.
• Half a liter of Coke is now 40 qepik (cents) instead of 30. This is lame since 1 liter is only 50 qepik. The result is me drinking more cola since the liter is a better deal.
• Facades galore! Azerbaijan is going under total renovation or something. Aluminum and stone facades are being put up over many of the buildings in Quba.
• Cherry cola, string cheese, Etc.
One year 3 months to go. Lots can change in that time
