Irish Pubs
Last night we went to 3 pubs (Finnegan's, Tequila Junction and O'Malleys) all frequented by a large expat community made up of international organization employees (ABA CEELI, International Rescue Commission, etc), and oil people...a lot of oil people. Pub #1 had a loud cover band (made up of Azeris) playing Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Rolling Stones songs. Hilarious. Not so hilarious was the fact that there were 40 or 50 westerners (mostly oil men, but some wives of oil men too....most folks in their 50's). And at around 10:30 or 11 p.m. another group of people starting flowing in - Azeri prostitutes. It was so surprising - and sad, pretty YOUNG women (mostly) in the smallest skimpiest clothing on, I mean TINY clothes. I watched one of them closely and she would walk up to a guy sitting at a booth and grab his hand and bring him onto the dance floor and it would all go from there. It was crazy to watch and very depressing.
Its important to remember that women may "go into" prostitution for a variety of very sad oppressive reasons - a girl who has been raped isn't a virgin, and so she will never be married (as in this country mothers-in-law wait outside the marital bedroom to receive the bloody sheet as proof that her son married a virgin)...so if a woman here can't marry she has very little means of economic support, and she is already tainted so her options become very limited. That version doesn't even include the women who have been trafficked. Russian women here are all considered prostitutes (out of latent soviet resentment and because so many have been forced into prostitution perhaps) - and they are referred to as "Natasha."
It got so crowded, and loud and distracting that we went to Pub #2 - which was also quite crowded (but no prostitutes there) and with no place to sit we moved next door to Pub #3. There we were joined by our big hulky european friends (from Ireland, Sweden and Holland) - we call them "the commandos." I was walked home by a couple people and seen safely inside.
And please, check out this amazing website www.expatmonkey.com to see what this place and the expat community here is all about...these are the people (a few of them) that I am spending my time with. They are amazingly special and interesting and creative and smart. I feel lucky to be among them.
Its important to remember that women may "go into" prostitution for a variety of very sad oppressive reasons - a girl who has been raped isn't a virgin, and so she will never be married (as in this country mothers-in-law wait outside the marital bedroom to receive the bloody sheet as proof that her son married a virgin)...so if a woman here can't marry she has very little means of economic support, and she is already tainted so her options become very limited. That version doesn't even include the women who have been trafficked. Russian women here are all considered prostitutes (out of latent soviet resentment and because so many have been forced into prostitution perhaps) - and they are referred to as "Natasha."
It got so crowded, and loud and distracting that we went to Pub #2 - which was also quite crowded (but no prostitutes there) and with no place to sit we moved next door to Pub #3. There we were joined by our big hulky european friends (from Ireland, Sweden and Holland) - we call them "the commandos." I was walked home by a couple people and seen safely inside.
And please, check out this amazing website www.expatmonkey.com to see what this place and the expat community here is all about...these are the people (a few of them) that I am spending my time with. They are amazingly special and interesting and creative and smart. I feel lucky to be among them.
posted by K. at 5:19 AM
1 Comments:
So it's safe to say we won't be naming our yet-to-be-born daughter Natasha, after all this is said and done? My regards to the Commandos.
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