People Can Be Rather Handy Around Here

This is sort of contra my post about technical skill.  The difference is really in scale, I suppose.  While on the big things like basic infrastructure, major roads and power lines the most glaring, there are major problems, things like home appliances don’t seem to be a problem.  In fact, when it comes to personal things like power cords, cell phones, water pumps, or basic sewing, there are few problems an Azerbaijani can’t handle.  A few examples:

• I watched Miri sew a button back onto a shirt while he was wearing it, before he had to go to work.  Impressive.  He also resewed the bag I’ve been using for my computer and books when out on the town.  To do that he pulled out a huge needle that had no trouble with the thick material of which my bag is made.
• Miri also has had no problem repairing things like power cords.  We have a three-plug extension cord that he fixed a few weeks after I arrived in December.  He took apart the cord and restrung the wires into the plug.  Problem yoxdur (no problem).
• You see all sorts of repairs throughout houses and ways to jerry-rig devices like waterpumps and electric wires.  Sometimes, it feels like I’m walking through the website There, I Fixed It.

There are many other examples, too.  You can find lots of little shoe repair shops.  In fact, the shoes I bought long ago, January, recently fell apart.  My host mom took them to her cobbler, her usta (“master”), and had them fixed up real nice.  We’ll see how long they last this time!

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