Blogs from Yerevan, West, Armenia, Asia - page 9

Maliek, Gohar, and David (a HFH Armenia volunteer who is Armenian, grew up in Jordan but lives in Yerevan as he is going to the university to be a dentist), picked us up from the hotel to take us to our last day on the worksite. Since we finished moving the lava rock to the attic yesterday, our task today was to do some landscaping- leveling the front and backyard, filling with dirt, then covering with pebbles. As our team enjoys the "bucket brigade", we gladly accepted this task! When we arrived to the site, we were joined by Hamlet and Amalik, Hraj, Sarkis, Hacob, and a couple of the neighbors. It was a great workday and we were able to finish the front yard before lunch. It was very hot out, so we were sure ... read more

Before we started work today, Gohar, Meri, and Maliek took our team to visit some of the families who are in their homes, including 2 families that were supported by Habitat Detroit and Masco. It was an absolutely amazing experience. One of the homes we saw that was sponsored by HFHD and Masco was a beautiful home and an experience I will never forget. The family has 3 children- 2 girls and a boy. The 2 girls had drawn a picture of their house that read "thank you Detroit", they gave this to us as a gift and I will be sure to bring it to the HFHD office to hang. The mom brought out a great spread of fruits and juices, it was such a welcoming and lovely gesture. Although we thought we were invasive ... read more

Hi all, As I was preparing this blog, Dick Walton wrote to ask me to encourage bloggers to visit the website that has been created for the Pryor Mountains in Montana. There is a great need for civil society in Montana to contact the US Forest Service to encourage a rational travel plan that restricts the movement of off road vehicles. The website presents the issues in a clear way and with beautiful photos. Enjoy: www.pryormountains.org Fall has arrived in Armenia. Women in our apartment yard are busy fluffing the sheep’s wool in their mattresses and airing out the bedding to prepare for winter. Tom, Marian, and I made our first trip to Mt. Aragats (about one hour from Yerevan) a couple days before Marian returned to Billings. On the way to the mountain we stopped ... read more

Playing house with Debra these past two weeks has triggered memories of my former identity as one of two. I am surprised by how distant these memories feel. Has my life really changed that much? Am I now officially "the single guy?" Of course I had to note the equal remoteness of my memories of my former wife. Life is strange. We've been to lots of concerts, restaurants, and parties. Despite the fun I noticed a curious melancholy in my emotional background. It took me a few days to realize that it was caused by the looming imminence of my departure from Armenia. I have conveniently blocked this fact from my mind. (I always do that.) I am used to my little life in Yerevan. I have friends, students, and shop keepers who depend on me. ... read more

Second Blog from Yerevan I have had requests to see my apartment so I took some photos -- a bit tricky because the place is big—the ceilings are more than 12 feet high, for example. The reaction of every Armenian who comes to the apartment is that it is much too big and airy. It is probably the thought of winter heat bills that scares them. But the rooms is newly remodeled and is great for doing exercises because there is a great deal of space (note the dumbbells in one of the pictures). Two rooms and two bathrooms. Also included are pictures of the yard—Yerevan apartments are generally built in a square with a central courtyard, in the European style. But you will note the placement of garbage bins and dogs in the play yard. ... read more