Monday, July 22, 2013

End of Service catch up post





I've been back in NC for nearly a month now and thought it might be a good time to describe my last couple of months in Armenia. I sent a lengthy word document to various email contacts describing April and May. If any reader would like to see it (it includes lots of pics), let me know and I'll forward it.

June and July flew by. I had a 2nd apartment in Charentsavan where I was helping with training the new business volunteers. I really enjoyed experiencing a new environment, learning a new apartment, a new city, new transportation, etc. The site was about a 40 minute ride from Yerevan so going into the BIG CITY for an evening became possible. I worked w/ another 4 volunteers from the A16 group during the training. I only knew two of the four so it was nice getting to know the others as well as their friends who would come by from time to time. The training period for new vols includes lots of programs with current volunteers. It was fun putting the business sessions together. I partnered w/ my friend Robert on the training. I took the first half of the summer and he took the 2nd.


His wedding to a lovely Armenian woman was at the end of June and that was an experience in itself. The wedding ceremonies - and there are alot of Armenian traditions to accommodate - began around 11 am and continued to 2 or 3 in the morning. The senior group (Patti, Mimi and I) lasted til about 9 before we took off. The actual marriage part lasted about 15 minutes (with an hour of waiting beforehand and an hour of picture taking after) and took place at one of the beautiful ancient churches in the area where the bride lives.


This is a picture of the wedding party (from the groom's "house", dancing with presents and music on their way to the bride's house. That's Robert's father and stepmother being good sports.


I have lots more pics and think I will save them for a different post as I find blogspot very hard to manage photos.

After Robert's wedding, it was the 4th of July, celebrated fairly quietly in Charentsavan with a few friends. I left on the 23rd so everything was a blur at the end. Packing up from two places, lots of goodbye functions. A wonderful dinner with the family of one of the two young women in our English club in Gyumri who won scholarships for a year in a US college.












A very special series of goodbyes from my Caritas friends, including dinner at the fish farm. I was especially touched at a private dinner w/ my three closest Armenian friends and Dustin and Lindee. I have missed them - their camaraderie, their strength, their passion for their country and their people. This pic shows Anahit, Executive Director of Caritas, Zhanna, my wonderful counterpart and Lee, our country director who was kind enough to come all the way to Gyumri for the Caritas going away party.





















Gyumri Children at a dance class in the Children's museum.




I spent the last couple of days before leaving in Yerevan with Patti and Mimi
in one of the b and b's we liked to stay in. I forgot about no air conditioning and Yerevan summers and sweltered in the stuffy airless hot bedroom. My friend Katheryn rescued me and let me stay w/ her at her church's building which was blissfully airconditioned. We all took a little excursion to see some more country monuments close by.