Arrival
The trip from Virginia to Baku spanned 5 cities, 4 airplanes, 3 airlines, and 2 days. It seemed as if something delayed and rerouted every flight through a series of other flights. Miraculously, all of my bags arrived with me. Leaving the airport in Baku was nothing short of a treat. The European Games are arriving in Baku later this summer and the city is doing all that they can to ensure visitors are impressed upon arrival. After a week, it is clear though that there is still a lot of work to do before the opening ceremonies on June 12.
I arrived at my apartment, met my landlady to pay rent, and headed into the SEDA office. SEDA (Socio-Economic Development Activity) is the title of the East-West Management Institute’s (EWMI) project(s) in Azerbaijan. The visit was simply to see the office and introduce myself to the staff.
After the brief visit with the SEDA office, I left to return to my apartment to situate myself and catch up on the two nights of sleep that I lost in transit. The first weekend in the city, though exciting for me, consisted mostly of shopping for the apartment and some brief exploration of the city.