Pomegranates

There are a couple of surefire conversation starters here in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijanis are always interesting to hear about money in America. We get questions like “How much does a house cost in America?,” “How much was your plane ticket to get here?,” “How much do teachers make in America?” It always feels a little weird to tell them that our plane ticket cost $1,400. We always have to quickly explain that WE don’t have that kind of money, Peace Corps paid for it. They love to hear that their house would sell for $100,000 if it were in America. They are astonished that teachers make SO MUCH in America!

One of our favorite things to tell them is that a pomegranate costs about $3 in America and that they’re very trendy. Pomegranate (nar) trees grow here like weeds. We drive through huge orchards on our way from Baku to Mingechevir. Every garden has at least one pomegranate tree growing.

The other night our host dad made chicken in a pomegranate sauce. There is always an open pomegranate on the dinner table to munch on for dessert. You can buy pomegranate juice in the store more easily than you can buy orange juice. And it’s not even pomegranate season yet. They say early October is when they get good… We’ll let you know!