A Few Armenian Recipes

When I eat at my home stay, my host mother/sister cooks; I haven’t made anything for myself! But here are recipes for some of my favorite Armenian foods so far, from the Peace Corps Armenia cookbook (along with my comments). Looking at the cookbook has me looking forward to cooking for myself again – when I get back.

SPAS
Note – macun is the yogurt here; I wonder if Greek-style yogurt would be the closest thing available at home.
Սպաս/spas (sometimes pronounced səpas).
Ingredients: ½ C wheat (or rice), 1-2 T flour, 1 L մածուն/macun (well-stirred), 1 onion (sautéed or raw: optional), 1-2 C cold water, chopped fresh cilantro (optional), 1 egg (beaten)
o Cook the wheat as you would cook rice. When finished, remove from heat and let cool a little. Add the մածուն/macun, water, egg, and flour. Mix well, until there are no lumps and it doesn’t separate.
o Heat on a low flame, stirring constantly to avoid separation of մածուն/macun and water. When the soup boils, add the onion and cilantro. Let boil for 5 minutes, watching closely (it will boil over) and stirring constantly.

DOLMA
Note – there’s a “summer” (or Lenten, i.e. vegetarian) dolma too – I have not had this yet, but when I do (and I am sure I will like it) I will post a recipe!
Ingredients: grape leaves or cabbage leaves or vegetables, 300 g butter (cut small), 1 kg ground beef, 2 C chopped fresh herbs, 4 big onions (chopped), pinch of salt, 1 t red pepper paste, ¼ C dried cilantro, 1 T tomato paste, 1½ C uncooked rice
o If using grape leaves, use canned grape leaves. If using cabbage, boil it first to soften, then peel off the leaves.
o Combine everything except wrapping material to make a fine mixture. Roll a small amount of mixture into the leaves or stuff the vegetables.
o Line the bottom of a large pot with dolma; invert a plate over the dolma; cover the dolma with about 2 inches of water above and boil until the water boils down to the level of the dolma. Serve with garlic and yogurt; makes 50-70.

KATNOV
Note - my host mother/sister made this with added pumpkin – yum!
Ingredients: 200 g milk, 80 g rice (⅓ C), ½ g cinnamon, sugar to taste
o Pour rice into boiling milk and cook over low heat, stirring from time to time.
o When rice is cooked, add sugar, and cinnamon. Can be served both warm and cooled.

ARMENIAN COFFEE
Note – I might have to bring a jazzve home!
Ingredients (per person): 1 demitasse cup of water, 1 t finely (finely!) ground coffee (i.e. Armenian style), ½ t sugar
o Place water, coffee, and sugar in a jazzve (long-handled coffee pot), and place over medium-high heat. Coffee and sugar will dissolve in the water and a slight foam will form on top. The coffee will appear to thicken slightly before it begins to simmer around the edges. Hold it at this state for about a minute, watch carefully to be sure it does not boil over.

More recipes to come.

Holidays and Observances II

On Palm Sunday, as I walked around I saw people with crowns of willows on their heads and/or carrying willow branches (the branches were sometimes green and sometimes were pussy willows). I asked my tutor if people save these until next year and then burn them the day after Lent begins, and she said no. Lonely Planet says it is a true celebration of spring – trees are brought into the churches and hung with fruit.

This year Armenian Easter just happens to be the same as the Easter most Americans might celebrate. It also happens to be the same day as Armenian Genocide Day, April 24. Two very different holidays/observances….

Some of my PCV friends in the regions said that their families planted lentils or other sprouting grains at the beginning of Lent and that they are starting to sprout – so it’s not just something in Lonely Planet! The “grass” becomes the table centerpiece. They dye eggs – it’s traditional to dye them red to symbolize the blood of Christ, but I have seen pastel colors too. Braided bread is traditional as well.

For Armenian Genocide Day, thousands of people join the procession from the center of the city to the Genocide Memorial to pay their respects, leaving a flower at the eternal flame. This holiday is celebrated in diaspora communities across the globe. The concert hall has a memorial organ concert on Thursday night (a chance to hear the big organ!) and a free concert of Verdi’s requiem on Sunday night. I haven’t decided whether I am going to any of these events yet.... but if I don’t it’s still interesting to be in Armenia at this time of year.

Hambartsum (Ascension Day) is 40 days after Easter. I am going to quote Lonely Planet verbatim here – "In the old days, young women had the freedom to sing in the fields and socialize on this day. It’s also a festival of fate. At midnight, space and time pauses and nature speaks to itself. Witnesses to such a moment will have their dreams fulfilled.” That is my kind of holiday!

Vardavar is a holiday occurring on the third Sunday of July – rooted in the country’s pagan past, people pour buckets of water on each other’s heads. In the past, people worshipped Astghik, the goddess of love and beauty, who spread love through Armenia by sprinkling rosewater across the land. Since July tends to be hot, this is still a popular tradition. I wonder if I’ll experience it! My guess is that I’m unlikely to in Yerevan, but if I am in the regions I should prepare to get wet.

Astvatsatsin (Holiday of the Mother of God) is in mid-August, when the priests bless the grape and fruit harvests. Khachverats (Holy Cross), in mid-September, is a day for commemorating the dead. As for state holidays, there are two independence days celebrated here – May 28 is the First Day of the Republic, marking the short-lived republic formed in 1918. September 21 is the anniversary of the day in 1991 when Armenia voted to secede from the Soviet Union. These are marked with various levels of celebration – in the early years the country was preoccupied with war and shortages, but more recently there have been parades, concerts and fireworks.

Other state holidays (many of which seem to fall on weekends during my service… so not a lot of extra days off) – May 1 is Labor Day. May 9 is Victory and Peace Day (commemorating the Second World War). July 5 is Constitution Day. And then December 7 is a Day of Remembrance for the victims of the 1988 earthquake. I’ll cover New Year’s and Christmas (in that order) in another post!

Another Big Event and Some Little Ones

On Friday I went on another trip with the MCA-Armenia and MCC folks. This time it was two different canal openings and a meeting at a village mayor’s office. In addition to the MCC head here, there was the Ambassador again and this time the Prime Minister of Armenia; with me in the car was an infrastructure specialist from MCC in Washington. This day had some contrasts with last week’s: At the first stop, one of the farmers started to complain about paying for water, and then others chimed in. The Washington person remarked that this was really democracy in action. The President didn’t mingle with the local people at all last week, but the Prime Minister did – he listened, he had answers (your fees help pay for the maintenance of the canal – water isn’t free so it can’t be free – that kind of thing); I was impressed. One of the farmers mentioned that the recent rains could mean another bad crop – I was wondering whether that was the case. But if it didn’t rain maybe they would mention lack of rain leading to a bad crop…. We also saw (a first for these events) some village women outside the mayor’s office (several of the press were women, but urban ones) – outside the fence, that is. When the Ambassador remarked about it, someone told her that in Armenia men and women gather in separate groups, and that it was nice that the women were there to see what they could. My counterpart told me that one of the things she wants me to work on is a success story about how the project is helping women. Gender and Development!

At the next stop, the news crews split up – some asked the Prime Minister questions and others surrounded the Ambassador. I was impressed with her answers! Yes, there are some things that America would like to see Armenia do, but it is up to the people of Armenia (of course she put it much more diplomatically!). After the meeting in the mayor’s office, a select group went into the next room – I followed the infrastructure person and suddenly realized maybe I shouldn’t have been in there. But since nobody said anything to me and I might have drawn more attention to myself by leaving, I stayed – it was another big buffet (showcasing local produce and including my now go-to buffet favorite, lavash with cheese and greens) with many toasts. There were two tables – the dignitaries were around one and a couple of us, including I, stayed in the back at the other one. And even though I wasn’t sure I should be there I am glad I was – I was hungry! Chowed down as if I hadn’t been fed in a while – that is, I showed quite an appreciation for the local foods. The Prime Minister shook my hand (even as he probably wondered what I was doing there). I am glad I was invited! I have spent most of the rest of the week reading all of the MCA-Armenia materials – now I am ready to get going! I’ll get going on Wednesday now – the OSCE women persuaded me to go to Goris after all.

As for the little events – this was quite a social week for me. Several of the PCVs who I have become somewhat friendly with were in town this week, and I had coffee/tea/dinners out almost every night. One of them introduced me to a gelato place and I found myself back there with the other visitors. After all, they don’t get to Yerevan much…. I may have to limit myself to getting gelato only when people come into town. Otherwise I could be there a lot! Another event was going to the dentist. I get my teeth cleaned often at home and knew it was time. The dentist discovered (or invented?) a cavity! My first in decades. And he wants to replace an old filling. Once he mentioned it I did start feeling it – so I will go back next week. He didn’t find a tooth-related cause of my tooth-area almost-daily headaches; I wonder if it is dehydration. Or stress? And it occurred to me that the cold I feel I have been fighting for weeks might be allergies. I feel on the verge of one and it never seems to become one – and then I saw the flowering trees and new leaves and thought, aha, that might be it. I don’t wish for the flowering trees to be over soon though – they are so pretty! Also eventful is that in tutoring we review a new letter or so in every session – I now know enough of the alphabet to start to read signs and make out words. Very exciting. Reading opens up a world of possibilities! My vocabulary is still very limited though, and I don’t study or practice enough. But I do enjoy the tutoring.

And I have been hitting some of the smaller museums in town and still exploring Yerevan. Recently I have been to the Modern Art Museum (a variety of styles and subjects) and the Museum of Russian Art (someone’s private collection – I like that type of museum), and today the Sergey Parajanov Museum. Parajanov was a filmmaker who earned international acclaim and also lifelong persecution by the Soviet regime, including years spent in prison. This house museum contains collages, installations and assemblages that he put together, for the films, while in prison, or just because. Very interesting – see some at www.parajanovmuseum.am.

I’ve also been for a walk along the river down in the Hrazdan gorge – you go down a set of steps and it is easy to forget you are in the city – and to Surp Sargis, an interesting church nearby. And back to the Vernissage – every time I go, different things capture my interest – this weekend it was leather jewelry and ceramics. The carpets are growing on me, too. I didn’t get a runner in Morocco because I thought the imaginary studio apartment wouldn’t have a hallway, but what if it does?

Day Trips

Every spring, there are a few days when winter returns – it gets cold or even snowy – and then spring is here for good. In Armenia, those days are called “old woman’s goats.” April started out with showers, but warm, so I thought I would start taking day trips. The days I chose were rainy and even snowy, so I think I will stay in Yerevan this weekend, but I am glad I finally did some sightseeing out of town!

First was Etchmiadzin, the Holy See of the Armenian Apostolic Church. We went on Sunday so that we could hear the singing in the Mother Church. Etchmiadzin was founded on the spot where St. Gregory the Illuminator saw a beam of light come down to earth. The main church is built on the site of a former pagan shrine with fire altar (as Lonely Planet put it, left in situ in case the whole Christianity thing turned out to be a fad – but no longer accessible to visitors). The complex also includes the palace of the Catholicos, the patriarch of all Armenians (we saw him at the service), a monument built when Pope John Paul II visited in 2001, and a seminary. There are beautiful khachkars (cross-stones) assembled from around the country. The museum inside the church contains many treasures – vestments worn by the clergy, ancient and precious crosses, relics of some of the apostles, and, most impressive, a fragment of Noah’s Ark and the point of the lance used to pierce the side of Christ during the crucifixion. There are some other notable churches in the area; we went to one, St. Gayane, but were too wet, cold and hungry to walk to the others. Still, it was a great visit!

On to Garni temple, a Hellenic temple dedicated to Helios, the Greek god of the sun. After the Christian conversion, all other pagan temples in the country were destroyed, but this became the summer house of Armenian royalty. The temple was built with magic numbers – the number of steps and columns as well as the dimensions all had meaning. Next to the temple – which was reconstructed – are the ruins of a church destroyed by an earthquake, the ruins of the summer palace, and the ruins of a Roman bathhouse with a mosaic. The setting is dramatic as well – there’s a wall with an entry gate, and on the other three sides there’s a steep drop to a gorge below.

Geghard Monastery is named for the holy lance that pierced Christ’s side; the lance itself used to be here until it was moved to Etchmiadzin. It’s located in a scenic canyon, and most of its chapels were hewn out of the rock. There are crosses carved into and cross-stones carved out of the rock – centuries old. When they were carving one of the chapels, they hit a spring – legend has it that if you splash some of this holy water on your body it will keep your skin youthful (but, as the guide pointed out – and Tug McGraw would have rephrased – you gotta believe). Above the church complex, caves contain monastic cells. The proportions and acoustics of one of the churches in particular are amazing, considering that it was carved from the rock around it. As with other Armenian churches, there is little adornment, because that would distract you from concentrating on God, and everyone stands for mass (though now there are seats for the old and infirm).

All three of these destinations were fascinating and have whet my appetite for more of Armenia! And also for finally downloading my pictures so that I can share some with you! I've gone back and added some; more to come....

In with the New, Out with the Old

There will be some challenges in the new assignment. One is that MCA-Armenia may be better known for what it didn’t do than what it has done: “Through rehabilitation of high-priority rural roads in the road lifeline network the Rural Road Rehabilitation Project was aimed at ensuring better access to economic and social infrastructure. The project successfully encouraged the adoption of important road maintenance legislation, rehabilitated 24.4 kilometers of rural roads and completed detailed road designs for more than 570 kilometers. However, as a result of the June 2009 meeting of MCC’s Board of Directors, after Armenia experienced declines in the MCC Ruling Justly category, the MCC did not resume funding for this Project.”

They fixed only 25 km of roads out of a planned 570! Of course, this makes PR for what was accomplished all the more important! Another challenge is something that the MCC-Washington person said – there is always an issue with farmers. The ones she spoke to last week were having a major rodent infestation. I guess the way to overcome that might be to note what might be better this year than in the past.

And speaking of the past – how things ended with Homeland Handicrafts. Well, I went into the office on Thursday morning to tell Tim I was finished. I didn’t have a lot of time because I had been invited to the gravity system event. When I got there, he was upstairs on the phone. I had one loose end to tie up – getting feedback on some items I had left at the Cafesjian Museum and getting the items back. I did that (and learned that she wants the items! Nice to leave with a success story) and Tim was still on the phone and I had to leave… so I emailed him to say that I had found another assignment. Not the best way to tell someone, but maybe for the best, because then he had time to process it.

I had worked on a final report for Peace Corps, and I left a copy for him. I offered to have coffee with him – I suggested Friday morning and he said no so I shifted my day around and then he said he could but I had already changed my plans so I suggested the afternoon and late in the day he texted to say he couldn’t make it…. So we finally met face-to-face today and had coffee. I hadn’t had Armenian coffee in a while and I was in the mood for some! He seemed to have already moved on and to have many other irons in the fire. I did offer to consult as time permits, and that was that.

It was harder to break it off with the OSCE – the handicrafts in the Syunik region are a big part of their sustainability plan, whether they do it through Homeland Handicrafts or not. I wrote a final report for them as well, with ideas on next steps – trainings and local initiatives – and I met with them in their office earlier today. They want me to go to the next meeting with them, which is back in the south next Monday. Next Monday is supposed to be my first day in the new office! I finally agreed to ask my new counterpart – after all, if they are so busy recovering from the big events of last week and this, maybe Monday isn’t the best day to start after all. But if it is, OSCE has my report and they can convey the recommendations. I’ve also been in communication with many of the PCVs who were working with Homeland Handicrafts, and again have offered to consult as time permits. All in all I think I have left things on a good note.

More on the New Assignment

Here’s a nice overview of the MCA-Armenia program, from a brochure entitled “From Reliable Irrigation to Profitable Agriculture”: Over the 5 year period (September 2006-September 2011) the Millennium Challenge Account - Armenia (MCA-Armenia) program expects to benefit more than 420,000 rural residents in around 350 communities across Armenia by refurbishing major sections of the country's main canal systems, modernizing some of the most urgently needed pumping stations, introducing new gravity irrigation schemes, re-building tertiary canals and restoring sections of the Ararat Valley Drainage system. The MCA-Armenia program is also training nearly 45,000 farmers in improved farming practices, delivering technical assistance to water supply institutions and providing 8.5 million USD in credit to farmers and small agribusinesses in support of the program objectives. Millennium Challenge Corporation's investment of nearly USD 180 million in the irrigation and agricultural sectors of Armenia is critical to the development of the country's agriculture and overall economy and the livelihoods of farmers and agribusinesses.

And from the position description given to Peace Corps, the rationale for the assignment: The Program is in the fifth and final year of implementation and at this point of time presenting program results, achievements, successes and ensuring Program sustainability have become the key focuses of MCA-Armenia. In the remaining months of the Program, marketing of Program results, successes and achievements through an efficient, creative and innovative Public Relations campaign is of paramount importance for the Program. In particular, as other donors and private organizations learn about the program they may be able to incorporate and sustain many of the programs initiatives. MCA-Armenia staff can benefit from a PC Volunteer with experience in Western type marketing and PR operations areas.

My duties and responsibilities: Revising any written materials that MCA-Armenia drafts for PR/Marketing purposes including press releases, success stories, brochures, MCA-Armenia quarterly bulletins and other promotional material; Supporting MCA-Armenia PR team with development of success stories, drafting of press releases, writing articles for the MCA-Armenia quarterly bulletin and other promotional materials; Helping MCA-Armenia identify new and creative ways of promoting the program and ensuring its further sustainability in general.

Comments: I learned last week that MCA-Armenia is getting more attention than it expected, as agriculture is becoming more of a priority for the government. Rising prices, a bad crop last year, and upcoming elections are giving it a higher-profile. I started reading my stack of materials today and for the most part I am impressed with the activity of MCA-Armenia and with its communications. I did find some typos and some wordsmithing I would have done, so I will definitely have work! Also – I can walk to work! Peace Corps is in one direction, Homeland Handicrafts another, and MCA-Armenia is in a third direction – it may be closest to where I live of the three. I’ll get to know lunch places in yet another part of town. And I hope to be able to continue to work out of the Peace Corps office or at home at least two days a week – or, even better, to join the nearby hotel pool and add working out, rather than work, to my tutoring days!

Hodgepodge

So, no government shutdown. Our jobs as Peace Corps volunteers would have continued anyway. Actually, all of the staff at Peace Corps overseas posts would have continued as well – everyone is considered essential. Recruitment and placement would have been on hold though, and many of the staff at Peace Corps headquarters would have been furloughed. This is what would have happened - http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2011/04/peace-corps-prepares-for-shutdown/.
About a third of the people at the U.S. Embassy here would have been furloughed; I wonder how that compares to embassies around the world. Anyway, it’s good that they came to an agreement.

I always like looking at the money in various countries and learning about the people and places depicted on them. Here, most of the people featured on the money are writers and artists – I think that says something positive about the value that society here places on them. The reverse on the bills depicts scenes of old Yerevan and other cities in Armenia. The street names (post-Soviet) are also those of writers and artists, with a big street named after the architect who laid out Yerevan and another for the person who developed the Armenian alphabet.

A new Peace Corps Response volunteer started this week. Her orientation schedule differed from ours based on our feedback – they listen and respond here! We went to dinner with her a couple of times this week, and I am sure we’ll see more of her. But I am glad I arrived at the same time as others – in both Armenia and in the Philippines. It’s nice to have a built-in support group.

We had a warden workshop this week, discussing safety and security in various scenarios – for example, what if all the communications go down, or what if the Peace Corps office is destroyed. Our warden group consists of the five PCRVs and five PCVs whose sites are nearby; getting us together gave us the opportunity to know each other but also the responsibility for one another. Each country I have been in handles its warden system and its safety and security drills differently. Each country has real possibilities for activating the Emergency Action Plan, too. Cited at our meeting were the recent coup in Kyrgyzstan – PCVs were consolidated. The ones near the heaviest unrest never returned to their sites – some were relocated within the country and some just went home. And I’ve mentioned earlier that the Georgia PCVs came here in 2008 following the conflict there – I think I said they were here for a few weeks but I learned it was actually a couple of months. That’s a long time to be on hold. Decks of cards and reading materials will go into any emergency bag I pack! At the meeting we were also formally introduced to our Region Manager – several Peace Corps countries are adding this regional support layer, which covers everything other than programming. He seems nice, and he has already been very helpful!

This morning I paid for the planting of a tree, in honor of Earth Day, through www.sunchild.am; paying for it via text message allows me to track my tree. Armenia has lots of microclimates so there are many places where trees just don’t grow – but deforestation is also a big issue here, so Armenia needs trees! I invite you to go to the web site and plant one as well, via paypal.

Last, for today – I wrote an article that appeared in the Princeton Alumni Weekly in December; I accepted my position here right around the time that that issue was going to press, so the fact that I was coming was included in my bio. This week was the deadline for a column in which the picture of the Ambassador and me was going to appear. The new class secretary sent it to me for review – and I had just changed to my new job assignment, so was able to include that breaking news. Timing is everything - twice!