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By MARY THERESE BIEBEL marytb@leader.net
Sunday, January 30, 2000 Page: 1A
EDWARDSVILLE – Inside Leya Kayes’ mind there is a scorecard.
It’s the kind of tally any visitor might keep, as she compares the United
States to her homeland of Azerbaijan, a tiny country that borders Russia, Iran
and the Caspian Sea. So far, America wins as a place where husbands treat
their wives as equal partners, there are more opportunities for a satisfying
career and a drivers license is earned by skill rather than a bribe.
Azerbaijan, however, gets high marks as a place where people of many ethnic
backgrounds get along without prejudice and where people show restraint at the
dinner table. “I was really surprised what people eat (here), the quantity,”
said Kayes, 21, who is spending a three-week vacation as a guest of her aunt,
Natalla Hoblak of Edwardsville. “I went to the supermarket and the department
store. There are so many things. I don’t mean clothes only. There are books
and toys, flowers to grow, and the only place where I found crowd was the
food.” The trim office worker explained her own simple philosophy. “When I
find myself getting fat, I give myself a restriction.” On her visit, Kayes
has been overwhelmed by the size of New York as well as the girth of some
Americans. She’s been dazzled by shoe departments full of well-made yet
affordable footwear, and she has played in the snow. “I love winter,”
explaining that the powdery white stuff is almost unknown in the orange groves
and tea plantations of her native land, which was part of the Soviet Union.
Here are some of her insights on life there and here. ON AZERBAIJAN’S ECONOMY:
“I have a friend, she’s highly educated. She could be an engineer, but the
government doesn’t need her services. She works in a supermarket as a
seller,” said Kayes, who considers herself fortunate to work in human
resources for the American company Tidewater Marine in the capital city of
Baku. “We have two kinds of classes, one really rich, the other really poor.
I’m probably one of the rare middle ones.” ON OFFICIAL CORRUPTION: A person
might try again and again in Azerbaijan to pass a drivers test. Each time, the
person fails. “It takes your time and energy. In the end you get depressed.
Everyone knows they have to pay for certain things. Not the legal things, the
bribes. That’s the way to survive.” ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN AZERBAIJAN: “You
find many girls, they are trying to get a job. The boss can look at them and
say, `Hmm. Maybe we can have a different kind of relationship.’ … It’s not a
secret to anybody that many movie stars had to have sex with their bosses.”
ON RELATIONSHIPS: “Here men adore the women. Marriage is 50-50 and they both
have influence and input in the family.” In Azerbaijan, too often, “A man
says, `I have decided.’ He doesn’t care whatever she thinks.” Fathers tell
their sons, “You are master of the world.” ON GOODS AND SERVICES: In
Azerbaijan, a good pair of women’s shoes costs the equivalent of $250, more
than two month’s salary for many workers. As for a cheaper pair, “Very often,
you use it only once. If it gets rainy you may not use it again.” A friend
sent Kayes an e-mail message last week, telling her the electricity and water
were off from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. This happens frequently in Azerbaijan, “not
every day, but pretty often.” ON GOVERNMENT: “Here, if you have trouble and
can’t get work, the government will support you. If you have trouble and
somebody bothers you, you can get help. You can get a police.” ON
DISCRIMINATION: “We have many immigrants. We have people who work under
contract from India and Asian countries. People are very friendly to each
other. There is no discrimination or problem.” But when she was applying for
her visa to visit the United States, Kayes encountered a bit of discrimination
herself. “How could a 21-year-old mother leave her 1-year-old child?” a
worker at the American consulate wanted to know. “It’s normal for American
society but not normal for your society.” Kayes felt insulted. “I had to
stand up and I had a speech. I said, `We’re a free society and women are
emancipated.’ ”
Her daughter, Virginia, is well-cared-for by her grandmother, the young
mother said. Thinking of the little girl’s future, Kayes added, “I want her
to have choices. Choices give you the way to find the right thing.” Kayes
doesn’t want to tell Americans what to do. But regarding all the opportunities
in this country, she offers a simple message: “Appreciate them.”
Call Biebel at 829-7283