Blogs from Yerevan, West, Armenia, Asia - page 8

On my day, I visited two rural communities in the Sisian region of Armenia - Tolors and Akhlatyan - as they celebrated the openings of their renovated health posts, done with the help of our project. So, I cut the ribbons at both health posts, gave some speeches, kissed babies, was interviewed on Armenian television, etc.... read more

First, today is 1989 throwback day in Armenia. And I don't mean they are wearing "throwback" jerseys. For the upcoming election, I think it is in January or February, one of the candidates was president back in 1989. As a protest against him by the other candidate, who must still be in government, Armenians do not have heating oil today. A little reminder of what life was like back during this guy's tenure - no electricity, no heat, food shortages, etc. I think it's a great campaign strategy. I think my feet might fall off they are so cold. I am also mapping out a new career path while I'm here. You know that I want to work overseas, right? Well, I think I'm going to sign up as a security guard for a donor-funded project. ... read more

This will be the last blog before Tom and I return to Montana Dec. 1. Fall is definitely here in Yerevan. The street vendors selling fruits and vegetables have switched from beautiful heaps of tomatoes, cucumbers, and greens to sturdier fare of cabbage, potatoes, turnips, carrots, and squash. This past Saturday our Environmental Conservation and Research Center organized a tree planting event with the NGO Armenian Tree Project. Bad weather and slippery roads had caused us to cancel our first planned project a couple weeks ago, but Saturday was a beautiful fall day in Yerevan. We gathered at the Gai monument (a hero of WWI) to plant the species Sophora japonica or pagoda tree in the pea/bean family (actually from China). It will grow into a medium-sized tree with cascades of flowers so the web info ... read more

What to do when not hiking… Well, we are somewhat sidelined. Tom and I celebrated his birthday (last weekend) by staying at one of the Tufenkian hotels 3 hours north of Yerevan. We wanted to complete two of the hikes in the Adventure Armenia book that we enjoy so much. Unfortunately Tom, for the first time, sprained his ankle. But, of course finished the last 2.5 miles of the hike anyway. Our drive north took us past two Yezidi villages. The Yezidis are one of the most numerous national minorities in Armenia. They speak Kumanji, a northern Kurdish dialiect. Their religion, Sharfardin, was the religion of Kurds in very ancient times (information from a book entitled “We are Yezidis” by Aziz Tamoyan). Their villages are without trees for the most part and their streets are muddy ... read more

Today is our last day of the Global Village trip and a great had been planned for us. Melik, David, and Ani picked us up to take us to the Holy See Edminjistan. Being that it was Sunday, both churches we visited had masses in seesion- it was a great experience to see how the traditional Armenian masses were held as well as seeing the historic churches. It was very beautiful, and Ani and David did a wonderful tour of the campus. Afterwards we went back to Yerevan and had lunch at Square One, a restaurant that served American cuisine. While we were eating, a group of Peace Corps members sat at the table next to us- many were from the US, including one guy from Sterling Hgts who went to high school with my cousin! ... read more