And now, I have some unfinished business from Baku. As I sit in a comfy home office in OKC, it's hard to even fathom that I was actually there. I lived in Kazakhstan, I lived in Azerbaijan. That was me. Not a book I was reading or a tv series. That was my life. It all feels surreal. It's been easy to slide right back into "normal" life in the USA. I've wondered several times over the past week, "was I even really ever there?" Like a strange dream, some parts of my time in Baku are already a little foggy. Seeing as how we moved quickly from Oklahoma, to Houston, to Denver before going international, I should be used to this feeling, right? It's just something about the whole crazy experience that we had over the past year that makes me feel a little sad. Or is it reflective?
Well, in any case, the few days leading up to my Baku departure were jammed packed with friends and fun. First, there was Srinath's wedding. Kyle works with Shrinath, who is British Indian, and Guyla was his beautiful Azeri bride. We were included in the wedding party, so we helped in the old-fashioned ritual where the groom goes to the bride's house and "kidnaps" her. Thankfully, it's an outdated practice and now is only for fun. And my favorite part was that our car was part of a honking-extravaganza caravan that drove all through Baku.
Guyla and Srinath
The bride & groom's car was completely covered in sparkles!
We also attended a disco-themed party hosted by the Rotary. You know what happens when a bunch of ex-pats, the majority from England or Europe, get together and have a South American DJ? Very few disco songs get played. Instead, Big Bopper's "The Twist" and Madonna's "Vogue" are the top requests. Needless to say, a grand time was had by all.
Brooke & Adriana (with a wig!) at the Disco Party
I'm not done yet. Check back soon for a few more tidbits of unfinished Baku business...
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