Rauf, 33
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan
Came to Australia in September 2015
What is your occupation?
I am a consultant at Commonwealth Bank and am currently working on projects related to advice remediation. I don’t currently enjoy the role and the only reason I’m doing it is to make ends meet. As it’s a very boring job, I am working on my acting and am currently doing a lot of acting courses and have been in Neighbours. I have met many actors including Liam Neeson and my dream is to meet Nicole Kidman, who is one of my favourite actresses. She is currently doing a show called Nine Perfect Strangers.
I studied a Bachelors of Business Administration at Azerbaijan State Oil & Industrial University and a Masters of Professional Accounting at La Trobe University.
Why did you come to Australia?
I just wanted life experience and being able to do things I couldn’t do back in Azerbaijan, like getting into acting. I had options to move to the US, Canada and Australia. America just isn’t safe enough with all the gun violence and I didn’t want to move to Canada because I didn’t like the idea of braving Toronto winters.
Therefore, I chose Australia and lived in Melbourne for 5 ½ years until April this year. I moved because of the Commonwealth Bank job offer. I was made redundant by AMP after our project ended but I received a very substantial redundancy package so I wasn’t too fussed about it at all.
What do you like about Sydney?
Sydney’s CBD and beaches are splendid. It’s so beautiful walking around the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The city is also a melting pot of different cultures, nationalities and religions. Azerbaijan is also multicultural in its own way but it really isn’t anything like major Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
People are very relaxed and laid back - everyone has the “no worries” attitude. People have higher stress levels back in Azerbaijan. I feel like people are generally happier here in Australia as the unemployment rate is low and the economic situation is stable.
What don’t you like about Sydney?
I feel like Sydney’s coffee scene isn’t as good as Melbourne’s, which probably has some of the best coffee in the world. I live in Redfern and it took me weeks to find a nice cafe. It was also much easier for me to make friends in Melbourne; people are too busy here and have too much on their plate. Friendships here feel superficial and temporal compared to back home in Azerbaijan. Back home, we would treat friends as if they are our family members.
I also feel like people pay too much attention to themselves regarding the way they dress. Maybe it’s because Sydney has so many beaches that people feel compelled to have a “beach body.”
What would you like to say to Sydneysiders?
Sydneysiders are too worried how others perceive them. They need more spiritual development which is a personal task. They need to learn how to disconnect from the outer world and connect to the inner world, which is meditation.
What languages do you speak?
Azerbaijani, English, Turkish, Russian
I’ve studied English since I was 10 years old. I worked previously at BP in Baku and we were required to speak English.
Turkish is very similar to Azerbaijani so it was quite easy for me to pick that up.
Most of the older generation speak Russian but the younger generation are not motivated to learn it. Azerbaijan only gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
I studied 3 years of French back in Azerbaijan. It is very difficult as every single noun has a gender and there is no logic behind why table is feminine.
Teach us one word/phrase from your native language.
sağ ol
It literally means “be healthy” or “live.”
When we say thank you or goodbye, we use this phrase.
What is one thing you want us to know about your native country?
Well before the famous discovery of oil in a drilled well in Pennsylvania by Edwin Drake in 1859, Azerbaijan had drilled its first oil well in Bibi-Heybat (settlement of Baku) in 1846. Oil and natural gas accounts for 95% of Azerbaijan’s exports.
It also has the most number of mud volcanoes, with 350 of the 700 in the world located in Azerbaijan. People use this as treatment for their skin.
I recommend that people visit the Old City of Baku, which is surrounded by walls. The beaches alongside the Caspian Sea are worth checking out as well. The Baku Ateshgah (Fire Temple) is also very famous; it is a castle-like religious temple and it was used as a Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrianism place of worship.
Who is the most famous person in your native country?
People love him because of the liberation of our territories from Armenia (Nagorno-Karabakh) and they can see that our country is developing socioeconomically.
Sakit Mammadov is one of the most famous artists in Azerbaijan. Sun, passion and bright colours are the key tools of Satif. I feel like his paintings are full of energy and are very emblematic of Azerbaijan. If someone were to ask me what Azerbaijan was like, I’d show them one of his paintings.
What is the best dish in your native country?
Dolma. Minced lamb meat and rice infused with herbs and spices wrapped in either cabbage or vine leaves. This is the quintessential Azeri Dolma.
Kufta is one of the most popular Azerbaijani national dishes. It is served as a first and a second course meal at the same time and made of ground lamb or beef formed into medium-sized balls. The word “kufta” (or kyufta) is derived from the Persian word “kuftan,” which means “to beat” or “to grind,” because, traditionally, the grounded meat for the kufta needs to be beaten before forming it into balls.
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