Back to the South - Part I

Yes, the OSCE program people persuaded me to go to the meeting in Goris after all. They said it would be good closure to present our “findings and conclusions” to the focal points there; no need to mention that we were leaving Homeland Handicrafts. It would be as if this was the way the project was supposed to end. Brian had already committed to go, and I reluctantly agreed to ask MCA-Armenia if it was all right for me to go as well. Since they were catching up from the events with the President and the Prime Minister, they were fine with it.

And – to my surprise – the OSCE people were right. It WAS good closure. It was good to see the women again. Brian had prepared a Power Point presentation with just a few slides, and I added my thoughts and conclusions. The women were very receptive and they asked good questions. We presented ways that they can grow their businesses – without saying in so many words that it could be with or without Homeland Handicrafts – and I left feeling that they might indeed be able to do some of what we suggested. After the big meeting, we met separately with the President of the Goris NGO, who wants to formalize a network of all three Women’s Resource Centers. Again, she asked insightful questions and I think we gave her some good ideas.

I didn’t realize this when I said I would go, but our presentation was the main item on the agenda. In fact, it was the only item on the agenda. What would OSCE have done had we not agreed to go? Originally, Tim was going to attend the meeting, but the dates of his international travel changed. I wouldn’t have gone if he had been available (but of course, he would have been the main item on the agenda). So it all worked out.

The trip itself was a pleasure, too. It rained for most of the way down, but with green fields and flowering trees, Armenia looks beautiful. Some of the mountains still had snow, and some were green. Goris is only about four hours from Yerevan; without going all the way down to Meghri or even Kapan, the ride didn’t seem so long. We arrived around noon, started right away, and ended at 5:00. And with the day so much longer now, we had time to walk around the town after the meeting. The rain had stopped, and without fog, snow and ice, this time we could see the pinnacles and old caves for which Goris is known.

Zoe, the PCV who works with the Women’s Resource Center, was away, but she left us the keys to her place. Brian and I bought food to cook – a chance to cook! – and I invited Hedley, another PCV who I had met, to join us. When he arrived, I asked if there was a way to walk to the caves, and we went over there. We walked up through the cemetery (funny, had to do that in Azrou too); that in itself was interesting. Here the plots are fenced off, and the tombstones have carved “photographs” of the people in the graves. Up we went, past some grazing cows, to cave/pinnacle level, where we had a view of the city and the taller mountains beyond. I remarked that I think it was the happiest I’ve felt since I’ve been here. Natural beauty, the climb, the unplanned hike, being away, good company, fresh mountain air, the sense of accomplishment from the meeting and feeling unburdened all combined. I’d love to go back and do it again before I leave. Not that there aren’t equally or even more beautiful places in Armenia, but I will always have a soft spot for Goris since it was one of the first places I went to, and since I felt so happy here…

Back down the hill and across the gorge, we made pasta with vegetables and had so much food that we invited yet another PCV to join us. Good food and good conversation (and some not-bad Armenian wine) made for a delightful evening.