New Work and Old Favorites

My counterpart retuned from vacation and now I have a bunch of new things to do! We had a team meeting on Thursday morning; she does a great job of making me feel like part of the team. I have fact sheets to write and review, the bridge story to finalize and a possible new feature article to write. She also asked me to look at the videos that were produced last year to see if I have any suggestions for this year’s video. Last year’s gives a good overview of the MCC program here, so I am including the link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0EccFAUDKU&feature=player_embedded. Also, my gender article was the lead story in the latest bulletin - http://mca.am/files/publications/13079458990.pdf. UNDP wants to reprint the article, so I may expand it.

I was going to go with the team on Friday to meet a farmer to see if he was the right farmer to feature in the closeout video. But there wasn’t room for me in the car. That was fine – it gave me a chance to finish the drafts of my DOS (Description of Service) and Final Report. When I totaled up the number of events I attended (10) and pieces written or reviewed (over 20) I feel I’ve done a lot! Peace Corps Response Armenia also requires a Partner Evaluation – I don’t get to review the partner, they review the program and the volunteer that they got. My counterpart had some good things to say about me! That was fine too.

Friday night began a whirlwind cultural weekend – and my first all-Yerevan weekend in a while. I want to the Cafesjian museum, where there was an interesting exhibit of art by Hagob Hagobian. He made sculptures out of common tools and then posed them as the models for this paintings, mostly as lovers. In the museum’s events space, I attended a concert of the Gurdjieff Folk Ensemble. I’ll cut and paste from their web site… Gurdjieff is known to many in the West as one of the major spiritual figures of the 20th century. His extraordinary musical repertoire was based on the music he heard during his journeys, where he witnessed a myriad of folk and spiritual music, rituals and dance traditions. The pieces have roots in Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian, and Caucasian folk and spiritual music for Eastern folk instruments - duduk, blul/nay, saz, tar, kiamancha, oud, kanon, santur, dap/daf, tombak and dhol.

On Saturday and Sunday, I revisited some of my favorite museums and also saw a couple of new ones. Both mornings saw me at Swan Lake, my new favorite place to sit (in the shade), writing some haiku (I read a memorial in the Princeton Alumni Weekly in which the alum had written his own epitaph in the form of a limerick – I’m not ready for a final haiku, but I am summarizing my six months in Armenia!).

I then went to the Matenadaran to see the ancient texts and illuminated books, and to the Saryan museum to see my favorite paintings here. I stopped by the Painter’s Vernissage and didn’t see anything I had to have. After a lunch break, I was determined to finally find the Woodcarving Museum, and I did – I admire the wood carving here, and the museum had a small but good collection. Since I was nearby, I went to the Museum of the City of Yerevan, located next to the City Hall. People have lived in this area for millennia, and this is a collection of some of the evidence they’ve found. On to the Vernissage – where after one aisle I felt overheated and dehydrated. I went to the Peace Corps office to rest, but I will admit I overdid it. Fortunately I didn’t have cultural plans for the evening – I napped and had dinner and drank a lot of water reorganized some of my stuff and then I felt well enough to go to Republic Square for a while and watch the fountains.

Sunday I went to the National Art Gallery – there’s a special exhibit on Dali and surrealists. It was all right; not my favorite. I did appreciate seeing art by Kochar and Parajanov in the exhibit, because I didn’t revisit their museums this weekend! I also made my way through the permanent collection. Another lunch break, and then back to the same building, which also houses the History Museum. The 6000-year-old shoe and more evidence of ancient civilizations – pottery, figurines, and then more recent carpets, costumes, lace. I had cruised through both of these on the free museum night after visiting them early in my time here; glad I took the time to go again. And I did another cruise through the Vernissage, where I picked up a few more things. I then had another restful evening at home! It started to rain (and cooled things off a bit) right around the time I might have gone to see fountains; I’ll go again another day. The hiking club offering for Sunday was quite tempting but I am glad I stayed put.

This week is the Golden Apricot International Film Festival (www.gaiff.am/en); I plan to go to at least a couple of the screenings. There are a lot of offerings that look interesting!

Another Recipe and Some Food for Thought

One of my favorite items at the Middle Eastern (Syrian, I think, though there are several Lebanese restaurants here) restaurant around the corner is Imam bayende. I found a couple of recipes on the internet – this one seems interesting (yes, more eggplant!). It also looks time-consuming, so I’m going to eat more while I am here!

From food.com
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled
• salt and pepper
• 2 medium eggplants
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 1/4 hr
Saute the onions in a little oil. Add the garlic, tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook until it comes together as a very thick stew (no liquid). Stir in mint.
Cut the stem ends from each eggplant and cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Make 3 lengthwise slits, almost from end to end, cutting into the flesh about 1 inch deep.
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, cut side down, and fry gently, until dark golden-brown on cut side. Turn over and fry on skin side a couple more minutes.
Remove from oil (most of it will have been absorbed) and place on paper towels to drain for at least 15 minutes before proceeding with recipe (this gets rid of most of the oil- you can omit the frying step to cut calories and save time, but you will NOT have the same flavorful results, and the recipe will not be as authentic).
Preheat oven to 350°F. Hold each slit apart and spoon the vegetable mixture into each cavity. Arrange eggplants in a baking dish just large enough to hold them. Sprinkle with sugar, lemon juice, and drizzle with the remaining oil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender.
Serve with lots of crusty bread (note, it is not served with bread around the corner!).

Now the food for thought – I am a big fan of Sister Cities. I loved going through O’Hare and seeing the information on Chicago’s Sister Cities, and was thrilled when I met a Morocco RPCV who is on the Chicago-Casablanca Sister Cities committee. I’m still on the Sister Cities web site, listed as looking for a sister city for Azrou. When I was in Kapan, I heard that it was a sister city of Glendale (nice coup!) so I decided to find out more. Sadly, Kapan is not listed on the official Sister Cities International site – opportunity! Here are the ones that are listed: Etchmiadzin-Fresno, Gyumri-Alexandria, VA, Vanadzor-Pasadena, Yerevan-Cambridge, MA and Los Angeles. I repeat, opportunity!

I had to take some photos off of my computer again – I’ve had to do this periodically since I got the computer back. It was almost full at the time; I’ve added memory twice before and I think it can take no more. So the hard drive I bought when I was formulating Plan B has been vital. But every time I take photos off in order to fit more on, I get more than a little bit anxious. On the other hand, if it were a few years earlier, I’d be buried in prints!

I changed the address for my New Yorker subscription too early – I haven’t gotten an issue in weeks and I am down to my last one! I’ll enjoy the newest issues once I get back, and I do have other things to read, but this is the first time in my adult life that I don’t have a stack of them in front of me. Sigh.

And another thing to be concerned about – Returned Peace Corps Volunteers are eligible for Corps Care, a COBRA-like health plan, for 18 months; I plan to sign up. As of now, there’s no coverage after August 31. The rates went up too much, so Peace Corps is looking for another supplier. I imagine there will be one by the end of August, but I think it behooves me to look into other options just in case. Ugh.

Last, I wanted to comment on a word I’ve been hearing since I got here – “normal.” People use it all the time – for example, how are those cookies? Normal. It’s used here a lot more than I usually, commonly, ordinarily (i.e., normally) hear it back home. I haven’t made it my own yet, but if when I get back you hear me saying it more often than most Americans say it, that’s why!

Site Announcement

Wednesday was a special day for Peace Corps Armenia - site announcement for the A-19 PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees). I still remember our site announcements in Morocco, with all of the anticipation and speculation that preceded it and all of the emotion and questions afterwards. I recall walking with Jong the night before and saying that Azrou had grown on me and that I wouldn't mind a site like that. I remember the pushpin with my face on it, seeing Jong and Ina's pins stuck way in the south and wondering if we would all be put down there, how each site was described to build up suspense before the name of the person getting it was revealed, and inspecting the map at the end to see everyone's faces and thinking about what the next 24 months would be like.

It's a special day and even though I have no particular stake in this one, all volunteers were invited. I'd been looking forward to it for a while, with some of that same mix of hope and anxiety. Most of the current volunteers who weren’t at summer camps were there, to welcome new sitemates or replacements. In the parking lot in front of the school where the Central Day sessions are held, the drivers had drawn a big map of Armenia with the sites marked. The Program Managers took turns naming the sites and the PCTs who got them, and then each person would stand on his or her spot on the map. When they had all been placed, everyone cheered, and the PCTs posed for a picture of themselves on the map. When I visited Chris in Gavar, I saw his picture from the A-18 site announcement, and that’s what convinced me that I wanted to see it for myself this year. The current PCVs from the respective marzes then stormed the PCTs and there were greetings and huzzahs all around.

We next split up by region and the current PCVs described their sites to the PCTs. I joined the Central Region group and discussed some (non-bar, non-restaurant) things people could do in Yerevan; these guys are close enough to come in for the day. I also put in plugs for Zina’s Bed and Breakfast, Peace Corps Response and Millennium Challenge! Much of each PCV presentation concerned the weather – if I were a PCT going anywhere near Lake Sevan I would now realize that I would be wearing long underwear 75% of the time and living in a very conservative region. And if I were in any of the other Central Region marzes I would now know how very hot I would be over the summer and how flat it is. Back in Yerevan that evening, I went to a couple of outdoor cafes with Shannon and Zoe and watched the fountains. I’ve made other PCV friends but might feel closest to these two because of that early work bonding. I know that they feel the same way (that is, even more so) about each other, even though they each have different best friends with whom they spend leisure time (yes, that does make sense, given the nature of Peace Corps). I believe I will keep in touch with both of them; still, the reality that this experience is coming to an end – for them and for me - was palpable. In with the new – the PCTs in their new sites - and out with the old; it’s not the last time I’ll see them but the end is getting close.

Independence Day and Constitution Day

Tuesday was Constitution Day in The Republic of Armenia, commemorating the document that was signed in 1995. It’s sometimes easy to forget that this is still a new country, even though the people have such a long history. Since the holiday fell on a Tuesday, businesses were given Monday off. Monday happened to be Independence Day in the United States of America, so it was a double holiday weekend for us. The PCVs here have a tradition of going to Lake Sevan for the Fourth of July, renting vacation domiks by the beach. I went up just for the day, but it was nice to participate in a slice of PCV-Armenia life.

Gordon and Jeanne had secured the services of the taxi driver who is a friend of their host mother. All along the roadside on the way up were stands selling inflatable boats, rings and other fun-at-the-lake items. Our first stop was Noratus. Even though I had been there before, I saw a lot I hadn't seen before, including many of the oldest stones, which tell the occupation or other stories of the buried person. I thought my camera battery had plenty of life, so I hadn't charged it after the Kapan trip. Mistake! I commandeered Gordon's camera (he was most gracious about it) for the day, averting a potential calamity. We then went on to Hayrivank, an old church by the lake, this one with crude crosses carved on the boulders outside and with a multi-colored dome.


On to the beach! I now think that when the tour guide compared Lake Sevan to Titicaca she was saying that only Titicaca is higher in altitude. The air was cool but the sun was hot! The water was also cool - I sat for a while and talked to people until I got hot, and then I stood in the water and talked to people until I got cold, in and out. All in all almost half of the PCVs in country were at the beach or the nearby water park that day. I spent most of my time with people I’ve gotten to know already; the ones I haven't really gotten to know were off in their own little group, which may explain why I haven't gotten to know them.

As the afternoon wore on and the potential grew for things to get rowdy, we moved on, stopping at Sevanavank, one of Armenia's most-photographed churches. On a peninsula that was once an island (and may be again - they are raising the lake level over the next five years), it was once a monastery to which wayward monks we banished - no women, no alcohol. There's a fine basalt khatchkar here, a Persian wooden screen, and of course a commanding view of the lake.

One of the (Mexican) restaurants in town has Southern Indian food every Monday night; there are many Indian students in the universities in town and this is their hangout. Gordon and Jeanne winter in southern India, and we'd been talking about going for a while. But dosa night doesn't begin until 8, which is late for them (and for me) to eat. Since we had been snacking at the lake, on this night we could wait for dosi (which are like crepes, but more substantial. Made from rice and lentils, they are served with a spicy soup and a couple of different chutneys) and eat light - it was nice to do that after talking about it for so long. Pretty good - and apparently quite authentic.

Constitution Day itself was great - I've been traveling a lot lately and it was nice to have a quiet Yerevan day. Museums closed, no Vernissage. I went out in the morning and sat by "Swan Lake," the little pond on the same block as the opera house (in the winter it was a skating rink). Then I met an all-star cast of women at Top Table - Kath and Barbara, two of the "1948 club" members, and Shannon, Zoe and Erin, the three PCVs assigned to the Syunik Women's NGOs. Because of fog on the pass Zoe hadn't made that first pizza dinner and OSCE meeting, and because of the broken ankle Erin was gone from the following week until just last week. They were giving a presentation at PST later in the day about working with women in business. Joining us was Stepan, the Community and Business Development Program Manager; it was great brunch with some lively discussion.

I then went to the Peace Corps office - surprisingly busy on a holiday - to catch up on email, and got my hair done. In the evening, I went up to visit Mel, just back from her vacation in Georgia. She lives in a hoppin' neighborhood not too far from but not close to downtown – let’s call it the Brooklyn of Yerevan. We ate at a Georgian restaurant and I heard about her trip; I then went back to her house and saw her living arrangements, the knitting and crocheting she has done here, and her Georgia souvenirs. I walked back to downtown - it took about an hour, so I still l Iike the Brooklyn analogy - and watched the Republic Square fountain show for a while. I thought there might be fireworks, but no such luck. The waterworks of the fountains, with their colors and choreography, might be just as delightful!

Weekend in Kapan

I had planned to go visit a friend up in Vanadzor this past weekend. Then she got invited to a "1948 club" (made up of women born that year) weekend - she asked them if I could come and asked me if I would mind. So, just after saying I probably wasn’t going back to Kapan and/or Meghri, I was on a marchutny to Kapan. Not without some drama, though - the Vanadzor friend fell down some stairs – she’s fine, but decided to rest in the medical unit's "sick bay" over the weekend. I sometimes wonder, though it is fruitless to - what if I had gotten my Internet stick right away? I might not have had my computer with me when I fell. What if I had decided not to go into the pharmacy to look for something Brian said he wanted? I might not have slipped and fallen. How would my first six weeks here - nay, my entire service - have been different? So, what if I had gone to Vanadzor this weekend? She might not have fallen. What if she had taken a taxi to the marchutny instead of the walk that included those stairs? She might have come along with us. In truth, she probably needed the rest – she’d been on the go since walking 270 km in Border2Border. But did I need to fall on my computer? I digress.

With a great Ararat view, sunflowers in bloom and fields of pink and purple wildflowers for the early part of the ride, and beautiful mountains for the rest (including the twistiest part, between Goris and Kapan; I also saw a sign warning that there were land mines where the road is closest to the Karabakh border), Barbara, Pat and I arrived around 2:00 pm to find Sue and Shannon waiting at a cafe. We had a late lunch walked around town a bit. The 1948ers went on to Sue's village and Shannon and I went to her NGO. My "reason" for requesting the work-related leave was to talk to her NGO about marketing, and we actually did some of that, talking about handicrafts and also about other activities of the Women's Resource Center. We then went back to her home and sat on the porch, made dinner and talked. It's cooler in the mountains than in Yerevan, so I slept well. I woke up the next morning to a view of Mt. Khustup, the third-highest in Armenia; it had been obscured by clouds when we were there in February. Nice view! We had breakfast and walked up (and up and up) to the War Memorial, a Kapan landmark. High on a hill with a panoramic view of the town and surrounding region, there's a big wall with many symbols on it in memory of WWII, and behind it, the graves of those who lost their lives in the Karabakh war. So sad.

We then took a taxi up to Sue's village; from the taxi stand you have to walk along the cow paths to get to her house (when she moves out next week, she'll use the help of a donkey and several of the local boys). We all took a walk to see her school, the cemetery and the unobstructed view from the end of her village - nice view to have every day, to say the least. She had been talking for months about commissioning or finding a painting of it to take home, and she had finally zeroed in on one; the transaction was completed the afternoon we were there, which was great. We sat and talked - intelligent, thoughtful women discussing their experiences and Armenia. I see Yerevan, and in my assignments I have worked for an American and for a business that's run in an American style (people at MCA-Armenia really work all day, whereas from what I hear, in much of Armenia there's a morning coffee and an afternoon coffee and a lot of chitchat in between), so this was very interesting for me.

Shannon and I then went to a park commemorating a famous Armenian war hero (his name escapes me, but he's buried in three places) and watched the movie "Volunteers." In this Tom Hanks-Rita Wilson-John Candy vehicle from 1985, hilarity ensues as Tom's character, escaping gambling debts by sneaking into the Peace Corps, comes into his own in Thailand (played by Mexico). It's completely unrealistic, of course, but I had never seen it - a good choice for my first and probably only movie here.

The marchutny left early the next morning; on the way back, the lower elevations seemed browner - even than they had been two days before. It's been hot, and it hasn't rained in a couple of weeks. I was hoping it would stay green until I left; nope. We arrived in Yerevan in time to spend a couple of hours at the Vernissage - now that I know I am going to see family in the Netherlands, I'm looking for little things to bring to everyone, and I'm still finding some other things of interest. But I don’t think I will find something for everyone I’ll see when I get back – there aren’t things that are calling your names. I then had dinner with the friend who stayed behind over the weekend. Glad I made it back down to Kapan - and glad to be back in my own bed.

Potpourri

In my trips to Lori marz last weekend, I passed through Spitak, the closest town to the epicenter of the 1988 earthquake. One in four people died, and almost every structure was damaged or destroyed. I read that because of the extent of the damage, the Soviet Union called for international help – that was a first in the history of that closed nation. There are still many relief organizations there. The town now looks very nice, with all-new buildings. I read that different neighborhoods were done in the style of the (mostly European) donors; that was a little hard to see while passing through, but in the distance I did see some peaked roofs and atypical colors. It’s hard to imagine what things were like on that bitter cold winter day. I still find myself hoping that nothing happens while I’m here (and now I can count the days – they are flying!). I also hope nothing happens while David is the Country Director; he had a lot to deal with in Morocco. I mentioned this to a friend, who said she kind of hopes something does happen for our Safety and Security Coordinator, who is so prepared!

Further on the subjects of being prepared and safety and security – Melvia went to Georgia for vacation last week; when you’re a PCV and you vacation in another Peace Corps country, you have to follow their policies. She forwarded their warnings to me – women shouldn’t travel alone at night on the train (I had been planning to but now I think it will be lovely to see the countryside during the day), watch out for petty theft, and a few others. It made me feel all the more glad to be in Armenia, where theft is almost nonexistent and people are honest and trustworthy. That’s not to say Georgia is dangerous; those are fairly standard warnings. If you look at the State Department warnings, you might not go to either country! I have talked to several PCVs who have gone and none has had an incident, but it does underscore how safe Armenia is. Everyone says the Georgians are very different from the Armenians (harder drinkers, more boisterous, less hardworking); it’ll be interesting to see for myself.

There are other people in Armenia that I am not likely to see but that I wish I could. In the north of the country are some Russian villages – I wonder how different they are. I did see the Russian church in Gyumri – maybe that is the only visible sign of a Russian village? Even more intriguing are the Yezidi, herders who practice Zoroastrianism. They’re ethnically Kurdish, but say they are different from other Kurds. Sources say there are about 40,000 Yezidi in Armenia. I have passed through some Yezidi villages, though I only know that after the fact – I read that in their cemeteries the graves look like little houses. We went by a couple on the way to Lori; I was on the wrong side of the car to photograph them, but I did notice. On the other hand, I noticed several domiks with bee boxes. I wonder if it’s Yezidis who keep the bees? With all the wildflowers here, I bet the honey is great. I read recently that Armenia is the only former Soviet Republic with a nearly homogeneous population – of course the Azeris left during the conflict, but right after independence, Greeks, Ukrainians and Russians left as well.

I read that last fact in the new Cross-Cultural Reader; it was put together for the group that is in PST now – by now I’ve read a lot of background but each source has different information to add to the mix, so I keep reading. One other note from that reader surprised me – Armenia is the second-most densely populated post-Soviet republic, after Moldova. The Border2Border walkers said that what struck them as they were walking was how empty the country is, and I would say the same based on my observations (once you get out of Yerevan, that is) – so the rest of the former Soviet Union must be really empty! The reader also said that in addition to apricots, cherries originated here – that is, all cherries in the world are derived from cherries here. I’d best eat more of them! The apricots are getting better and better now though.

Workwise, while my counterpart has been on vacation I have been going through the MCA web site, slowly but surely. More, I’ve made a lot of progress on my Peace Corps reports and on the web site for Zina. I’ve also felt somewhat guilty about the English lessons not working out. If there is one thing I notice in what I’m given to wordsmith, it is use of the definite article. I know the usage is not the same in Armenian; my tutor would correct me but didn’t make a big issue of it. I did a search for some rules about use of the definite article in English for non-English speakers and have a paper ready for my counterpart’s return. I’m not sure it will really clear things up, but it makes me feel I have helped. I’ve been studying some Armenian lately in the evenings – I think being around some of the PCVs who speak it well has inspired me just a bit, though I don’t think I’ll have much use for it later.

And I haven’t mentioned Brian much lately because I haven’t seen him much lately! Maybe three times in the past month, all for a short period of time. He’s really into his work, and he moved to a new homestay to be closer to work. He seems so happy! I am happy for him. His work will keep him even busier in the home stretch, so I told him to reserve July 28 for a farewell dinner; it may be that I don’t see him until then!

While going through pictures for Zina’s web site, I also added some to older entries here. Scroll through for some more images of Armenia!

Soviet Armenia

I took another long lunch earlier this week (though it did not last all afternoon this time!) to do a Soviet Tour through Envoy, the tour company run out of the hostel where most of the PCVs stay. It’s where my Silk Road friends stayed while they were here – and it’s where I’ve decided I will stay on my last night in the country. I’m going to be the first of the PCRVs to leave – since I will be taking off the day I COS; Gordon, Jeanne and Melvia leave later that weekend. I’m also going to be the last to leave, since I am coming back and flying out of Yerevan; Brian will have left a couple of days before I do. Rather than go back to Zina’s, I thought I would stay at the hostel – I’m there often enough, and that way I can guarantee myself a shower before I leave. Everyone raves about the Envoy showers! Envoy also has other interesting and imaginative tours; I’ve tried to go on others but they need a minimum number of signups in order to run them. The Soviet tour is a new one and it was very interesting. Gevorg, the creator and guide, said that so far it’s just the Americans who want the tour. And I said it was probably only the Americans who remember the Cold War, right? I recalled my conversation with our Safety and Security Coordinator, in which he said, “of course not, we were the most powerful country in the world!”

Gevorg dressed in period costume, with a bandana and a Soviet medal; the car had a banner and an Armenian SSR flag (same colors, but with a hammer and sickle). He also spoke in character, every so often telling about the future (i.e. present day), explaining how the rules of the Soviet Union made people so happy. We passed the Aeroflot office and started the tour in Lenin Square, today’s Republic Square – there had been a big sculpture of Lenin there, but that’s all gone (an even bigger Stalin was where Mother Armenia is today). Our next stop was the train station, from which you could travel all over the Soviet Union. In Soviet times, someone from perhaps the KGB would have been along with us and could have told us about everyone who lived in the buildings across the street and what they do. We had a Soviet snack lunch (a piroshki) and then took the Metro down to the factory area. All of the factories were close to the city, to make it easier for people to get to work. Never mind the chemical waste or pollution – the people had work! Now the factories are closed and there are weeds growing. It all disappeared overnight. He told some good Soviet jokes – I’d write them here but just in case they’d be deemed inappropriate for this forum, I’ll refrain. I did an internet search and noticed that there are several web sites that have some, so if you’re interested, you can find them.

We then went to the market – which is more or less the same as it was in Soviet times, except that then there were collective farms. Some of the produce at the market did come from individual farmers, but most of the land was collectivized (in the present day, Gevorg bought some apricots – they’re getting better!). Then we went to a Soviet housing complex. One of the old men sitting outside said something to Gevorg about him looking like a communist, and Gevorg had to explain why – that made my day. The housing complex was built in the shape of the letters CCCP. Gevorg described a daily routine – exercise 7:00 am, 7:30 go to work, work 8:00-noon, have lunch until 1:00, work again until 5:00, eat dinner when you get home, father play with kids while mother does dishes, everyone watch TV, 45 minutes or so for intimate relations, man leaves woman alone so she can cry, bed at 10:30. This was law. Not that everyone followed it, but everything was programmed by the state – down to the complete daily routine.

The next stop was left as a surprise – the only Lenin sculpture still in the country. When Gevorg was planning the tour, a taxi driver showed this to him; it’s in a courtyard in a residential area, outside the sculptor’s studio (and is available for sale). As he put it, the taxi drivers here know everything.

Our final stop was the house museum of the last president of the Armenian SSR, with displays that showcased all of the things he did for Armenia. It wasn’t at all a celebration of communism or of the Soviet Union, but rather a testament to what he was able to get done for his country within the system. It was a good way to end the tour on an up note (and the museum is conveniently located right across the street from the hostel). It was very interesting to see another side of Armenian history – of world history, really. And though it already seems long gone, it’s very recent history. And very interesting!