Rolls-Royces and 100,000 yen a month — the gap between rich and poor I felt in Azerbaijan.
Marriage by 22?
A question I often got from taxi drivers and the Airbnb owner: 'How old are you? Are you married?' When I answered, 'I'm not married,' they would ask, 'Why?' I felt this reflected Azerbaijan's view of marriage.
In Azerbaijan, it seems people get married between 18 and 22 — incredibly early. I was surprised.
The bright and dark sides of an oil-rich country
Azerbaijan is a moderately developed country. Because it's an oil nation the state doesn't collapse, but the gap between ordinary citizens and a small wealthy elite is enormous. In town there are Rolls-Royce dealerships and Brunello Cucinelli stores openly present, and you often see Mercedes G-Class cars on the streets.
But those displays belong to a very small group; the average citizen lives on about 100,000 yen a month. Many people have no financial breathing room and are overwhelmed by high prices.
Also, perhaps because of Islam, there aren't as many conspicuous forms of 'entertainment' as in Japan. So I felt many people end up smoking or drinking beer.
Especially, there are an astonishing number of people who smoke cigarettes, and when I went walking around town with the Airbnb owner and his friend they smoked constantly. I felt it must be their way of relieving stress.
It might precisely be because they lack money. I don't smoke and I've never felt a desire to drink. I don't understand the feeling of pleasure from being drunk or from smoking at all.
But maybe that's because I'm fulfilled in other ways and can get enough stimulation without turning to those things.
How complex the world is
When you think about it, the less room people have in their lives, the more likely they are to turn to things that harm their bodies, which erode their health and further lower their physical condition.
That creates a loop where they don't have the energy to start something new and instead maintain the status quo or keep declining.
Until now I used to think about people who don't try: 'Why do they do that? If you want to improve your life, shouldn't you just work toward your goals every day?' But actually being in that environment made me realize they can barely manage even that — it's mentally and physically exhausting for them.
Because they have no margin, they can't care for their health. Just getting by forces them to eat cheap, calorie-dense food. I finally understood how the so-called wealthy just get wealthier while those who aren't become increasingly squeezed.
But I couldn't tell them, 'You're still young and have potential, so study every day, learn skills, and work hard.' Maybe only by experiencing it myself could I feel that. I felt again how complex the world is.
I went to his room and understood.
The three of us — the Airbnb owner, his friend, and me — wandered the city. He seemed introverted and hardly spoke; he was very surprised when he heard I could speak Russian, but for the most part I talked with the Airbnb owner.
We played billiards together and strolled the streets. At billiards it was the owner and him versus me; we played two matches and I won both.
The Airbnb owner would playfully try to smack him and tease him, and he would grin and react.
We decided to drink beer, but since I couldn't drink beer they bought me lemonade instead and we went to his room. It was pitch dark, with trash on the floor and piles of rubble.
There was no refrigerator, the bed sheets were covered in dust, the floor had trash, the room smelled of tobacco, and the piano was coated in dust — it didn't function as a proper living space.
He was 29 and living alone in a place like that, unmarried. I couldn't believe it. Poverty is really hard. Beyond not having enough to eat, I thought it must also affect one's self-esteem.
He wore an Adidas T-shirt, a watch that was obviously a knockoff, and clean shoes. I thought it was probably the best 'armor' he could put on to protect his vulnerable inner self.
He confronted me with raw emotion.
As we played the piano and drank beer, he became very emotional and finally showed his true feelings. He shouted at me in a very loud voice: 'Why are you going to Georgia? Do you hate Azerbaijan?' 'Why won't you get married?' 'When will you come back to Azerbaijan?'
It was immediately clear he was carrying unbearable loneliness, a sense of urgency, and many mixed emotions. My voice trembled; to be honest, I was scared.
But when I calmed down I realized he didn't really look angry — he was just expressing his emotions. He wasn't angry so much as being emotional and speaking straight from the heart.
Still, I could only take it as anger and my voice shook. I'm sure it was his own loneliness and honest feelings toward me.
In the end we shook hands, hugged, and said a simple 'I'm glad we met' before parting. He wasn't angry then either; he was emotional and speaking directly. Looking back, it felt so human. Seeing him living with so many emotions made me once again feel the complexity of the world.
