Holiday Bus Ride

When you don't know the bus routes and have limited language skills, traveling in a new country can be a real adventure. I can still remember my first solo trip to the capital of Yerevan. Getting there was easy. The return trip was another matter. I was told that I could catch the bus back to my city at the bus station on "Abovian." How difficult could that be? After one of the locals showed me which bus to get on, I felt like it was "mission accomplished." Mission Impossible turned out to be a more apt description. Twenty minutes later I found myself leaving the city with

the bus approaching a fork in the midle of the road. One arrow pointed left to my city and the other pointed right to another city called . . . Abovian. Тhis 19th century Armenian writer was famous enough to have both a street and his home village named after him. Fortunately the bus driver was kind enough to stop the bus in the middle of nowhere and flag down a bus going in the opposite direction for me. It was not to be the last time that the kindness of locals rescued me from my errant wanderings.

So here I was five months later, preparing for my big adventure to the capital for a New Year's Eve rendezvous with my fellow Volunteers. I had been warned that it was a limited bus schedule for New Year's Day so ...."Good luck, getting back." And it was imperative that I return the next morning at the request of my host family. While Americans are just winding down their holidays on January 1st, the Armenians are just "winding up." I had been told that all the businesses close down for at least the first week of January to accommodate the tradition of family visits. During that week apparently everyone is expected to have a buffet ready on the dining room for at least two dozen visitors who might drop in. ( Apparently, cell phones have been a blessing since families get a little warning now!) This time it was no problem for this seasoned veteran of bus travel as I successfully located the only bus leaving for my city that day.

Such was the prologue to my first Christmas in Armenia. It is now January 10th and I am sitting here trying to remember what exactly happened that first week of January. One thing I know is that I was actually glad to go back to work on the 8th just to have some relief from all the eating and drinking.

My expectation was for a simpler, quieter holiday. I was relieved to be spared all the pre-Christmas sales in November, the December mailbox filled with Wal-Mart flyers, and the never-ending schedule of college bowl games. Here in Armenia I thought it would be wonderful to see what it was like to, as the slogan goes, put the Christ back in Christmas. The Peace Corps had stressed during our training the importance of 301AD when Armenia had become first Christian State in the history of the world. I would just have be patient and wait for January 6th, the date the Eastern Churches had chosen for Christmas.

So during all these family feasts, I waited. And January 6th came and went with no religious festivities.   It was just another day of family visits.   I had this feeling like I had missed the bus again. Guess it takes a while to learn the bus routes in another culture.   At least next year I won't have to be disappointed by false expectations.   I can just enjoy it enjoy the Christmas season in Armenia for just what it is: a celebration of family ties.

Next Phase of my Service

Upon our arrival in Armenia last June, we were led into an auditorium where we were loudly welcomed by 40 other second year Volunteers.   Well, a couple days ago another 1st year volunteer mentioned that in another 6 months we are going to be up on that stage as the "Newbies" come in.  Seems strange as most of us feel like "newbies" still.   So I guess this is a good time to reflect on the past 6 months in-country.

Odd as it seems, probably the most important book I have read since my arrival is a murder mystery, Child 44.  Set in Russia during the 1950's (when I was adjusting to the wooden rulers of the Catholic nuns at Holy Cross grade school), it gives a very poignant portrayal of just how unsettling life in the Soviet world could be.  In a world where fear predominated, keeping information to oneself and hiding problems was important for ones safety.  Well, the Soviet Union may have crumbled in the late 90's but they surely left their cultural heritage behind.        (Probably not too different from the Puritan influence in America, although we seem to have outgrown it of late *;o).

By reading that novel, I have finally been able to come to grips with the what show up for my American eyes as a totally dysfunctional business culture where information is closely held and collaboration is reserved for family functions.  And above all, "walk around the elephant in the middle of the room." ( Not that Corporate America doesn't have a smidgen of that, too.)  The operative mode is to "circle the wagons" and wait for the next grant of American funding to continue paying salaries.  

After 6 months in the country and 3 months at my work site, I think I have finally realized that this is "what is"  and my efforts are not really going to change it.  When we came to our work sites,  we were assigned to one of four sectors: language, environment, health or business.  Our sector is actually called "CBD" or Community/ Business Development.  So I believe my next year and a half is going to be "CD," letting the "B" takes its own course.

The photos above are a good example of Community Development.  One of the second year volunteers has directed a lot of her efforts to supporting a Harvest Festival where the local residents of nearby villages could gather and celebrate.  There is even some friendly competition for the best presentations and food preparation.  As you can see, the children also have a great time dressing up, dancing and singing.

  I have recently become acquainted with both an art school for youngsters as well as an art  academy for older students and am hoping next year to help promote their work.  The current leaders of my city are the products of the Soviet times but the young people will be Armenia's future.  Whatever I can do to enhance their hope and confidence are seeds for the future.   I think I just found my New Garden for the next couple years.

Overcoming the Past

 

This past weekend I attended a planning session for a youth camp to be held next summer.  About 3 hours to the northeast of my site and adjacent to Armenia's border with Turkey is the City of Gyumri.   Twenty years ago next month, the whole area suffered a devastating earthquake from which both the buildings and the city's economy are still recovering.  

 Having a population of approximately 120,000, Gyumri is the second largest city in Armenia.  At one time the population was twice that size.  As we approached the outskirts of the city on a local "marshutni" (a mini-bus built for 12 that often carries 20 people), several vivid reminders of its history appeared: a very large cemetery and a number of abandoned industrial buildings from the Soviet period.  

 But once we arrived at the bus station, the mood quickly changed.  As I walked the two blocks to the Square, I was suddenly engulfed in a hub of commerce, with tables and kiosks lining both sides of the street.   The vendors on that first block were well aware that winter was just a couple weeks away.  They displayed a vast array of products from sheet metal stove pipes for furnaces to woolen socks and fur-lined boots.  (At 5,000 dram or $15, the boots were more affordable than I expected.) 

 As I moved along to the next block, the more popular Armenian wares appeared: cell phones, woman's fashions and cigarettes.  In addition to their commercial value it was apparent that these two blocks also filled a vital social function for the city's residents.  But not being much of a shopper myself, I was rather relieved to reach the end of the gauntlet and into Freedom Square, appropriately named for my feelings at the time.

 While I waited for fellow Volunteer's bus to arrive, I enjoyed exploring the city streets which offered quite a variety of architectural styles.  As the photos indicate there were many examples of classic 19th Century architecture as well as stark reminders of December 7th, 1988.   My attention was also drawn to one older building whose face was covered with electrical panels. I couldn't decide if this was really some kind of neighborhood transfer station for electricity or the wires were needed to keep the structure standing.

Stepping Over the 20th Century

As I was leaving Gyumri Sunday afternoon, I had this strange sense that something was missing in the city.  It finally dawned on me.  What was missing was The 20th Century.  Their medieval churches had a new neighbor: the electronics chain I have seen before in Armenia: ZigZag. And the statues in the square honoring their ancient heroes had a new backdrop: Samsung.  Yes, the 21st Century featuring a wide array of electronic toys had now arrived in Gyumri.

Yet there seemed to be no bridge from the 20th Century.  All the city had to show for that period was the effects of the devastating earthquake of 1988 and the industrial collapse of the USSR in the early 90's.   Even with all the humanitarian aid that came to the area after the earthquake to rebuild structures, it is obviously going to take a lot longer to rebuild the economy.  Hopefully the future will bring a resolution of their conflict with Turkey and provide an open border to stimulate trade.

View from the Top

( I tried to include this photo on my last blog posting but I am still have not mastered the Blog Tools. )

This was our view of our city and the surrounding hills once we completed our hike. It is really beautiful country. The monument seen rising in the distance was built to commemorate 50 years of Armenia belonging to the Soviet Union.

Surrounded by Beauty

So last weekend was the perfect day for a Fall Hike. The sun was out just enough to filter through the trees and highlight the brown leaves on the ground. But fortunately for those of us who do not have access to Gold's Gym, it was not so hot as to further challenge our conditioning.

I will definitely need to post these photos on my Screen Saver once we start into the next season Mother Nature has to offer, which is coming soon they tell me. Not having seen a real winter for 30 years, I will need a "light at the end of the tunnel" .......a tunnel that is supposed to be 5 months long.

My daughter Meghan recently mailed a half-dozen books my way, a birthday present that will provide enjoyment for many winter nights. I have been told it's not the temperature alone is really the problem. (For I do recall my winters in Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.) Rather it is the absence or limited presence of central heating I am told presents the biggest challenge. In the Midwest there was something wonderful about a fireplace and warming up after a chilly day. While I know it is foolish to "borrow trouble from the future," I heard too many stories from last year's Volunteers that the chill didn't leave their bones for months at a time. I am beginning to understand why some Volunteers found Egypt a wonderful place to visit in ......February or March!

The Garbage and the Flowers

Sometimes in reading the replies from friends to my Blog site, I get the impression that only the Romantic side of my journey is coming through. There is much that is problematic and difficult here but I guess I feel it does little good to dwell on it. But when I was walking home one day this week, I was struck by the stark contrasts in this country: I could stand IN ONE PLACE and get such different pictures! As I stood at the bottom of my street (which in my Midwest childhood, we might call an alley) and looked UP the street and then BACK DOWN the sidewalk from which I had just walked. The visual contrast was so startling that I decided to take photos of it.

When a group of us were traveling in India about this same time last year, we met with a similar experience: the striking beauty and the stark realities of the 3rd World. For those of us who were old enough to remember the Leonard Cohen song from the 70's, Suzanne, these lyrics came to mind.............and she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers. I guess that is a choice we get to make every day but sometimes that choice is just more obvious.