I haven't logged for absolutely ages either due to not doing much apart from work to warrant a log and the weather is awful, again! I am frantically working on my dissertation for hand-in very soon, and although this is really interesting, I don't think readers would appreciate a discussion on it....
I've just been hearing from the fellow AVC volunteers for this coming year, lucky for them they start in a few weeks time - I still have to graduate - they all sound really interesting people - all US and Canadian citizens, albeit Le Pen supporters wouldn't appreciate them (or me) too much!! Two sets of couples and then six others from different professional spheres and ages...and three half-halfs like me which will be really interesting to find out about as I don't really know many half halfs.
The AGBU in London presented an evening for 'Philanthropy in Armenia' last Tuesday evening which was a really interesting event. Four main speakers, one from the AGBU London, one from the All-Armenian Fund, one from a small charity called Friends of Armenia and then one from Oxfam and I gave a small talk on the AVC. The difference I gave was that I was the one going out there for a year, and the rest were really involved in getting money and then deciding on how to give it out. Most of them (apart from the All-Armenian fund) are very much involved in micro-projects and hence explained that this lessens the corruption element significantly, and most of them would say corruption doesn't affect their projects, as they all go there which is obviously really great. The questions were interesting, although I always feel disappointed when they bring up political subjects when the evening is based upon philanthropy, and then the hot air gets generated although the chairing is always good and normally these questions get diverted (which is always the sign of a great chair - particularly amongst a group of Armenians!!!).......I was the youngest there by quite a long way, although whenever I go to the AGBU lecture series I'm the youngest so it doesn't really bother me, but it does seem a shame particularly as these lectures are some of the few non-political/judgementally chaired lectures, which is quite rare. Although, I suspect that one of the other younger members of the audience who normally turns up met up with Lena yesterday on her holidays in Hayastan - Lena, did you meet SK - the girl you met from the UK?!!
I visited my brother and sister last weekend, who are both studying in Scotland, and for once, the weather was just perfect with bright blue skies and clouds which make a picture-perfect photo - I couldn't believe it!! St Andrews is famous for its golfing, university and not much else - it's just tiny, hence the reason why my brother seems to be saying hi to every other person! Then in the opposite sense, my sister lives in Edinburgh which is a very lively city, it doesn't have the absolutely stunning long beach extending in front of the town and abundance of little old ladies, but it does have more than one cinema with more than two films showing at once and she lives in a flat rather than a little tiny room! The train ride took six hours, but it was worth it for the views - it goes along the east coast.
Hope everyone else is well.
PS Madeline, I just met up with a few Armenians here in Cambridge, one of them knows you from NY last summer and got in contact with me via cilicia!
I've just been hearing from the fellow AVC volunteers for this coming year, lucky for them they start in a few weeks time - I still have to graduate - they all sound really interesting people - all US and Canadian citizens, albeit Le Pen supporters wouldn't appreciate them (or me) too much!! Two sets of couples and then six others from different professional spheres and ages...and three half-halfs like me which will be really interesting to find out about as I don't really know many half halfs.
The AGBU in London presented an evening for 'Philanthropy in Armenia' last Tuesday evening which was a really interesting event. Four main speakers, one from the AGBU London, one from the All-Armenian Fund, one from a small charity called Friends of Armenia and then one from Oxfam and I gave a small talk on the AVC. The difference I gave was that I was the one going out there for a year, and the rest were really involved in getting money and then deciding on how to give it out. Most of them (apart from the All-Armenian fund) are very much involved in micro-projects and hence explained that this lessens the corruption element significantly, and most of them would say corruption doesn't affect their projects, as they all go there which is obviously really great. The questions were interesting, although I always feel disappointed when they bring up political subjects when the evening is based upon philanthropy, and then the hot air gets generated although the chairing is always good and normally these questions get diverted (which is always the sign of a great chair - particularly amongst a group of Armenians!!!).......I was the youngest there by quite a long way, although whenever I go to the AGBU lecture series I'm the youngest so it doesn't really bother me, but it does seem a shame particularly as these lectures are some of the few non-political/judgementally chaired lectures, which is quite rare. Although, I suspect that one of the other younger members of the audience who normally turns up met up with Lena yesterday on her holidays in Hayastan - Lena, did you meet SK - the girl you met from the UK?!!
I visited my brother and sister last weekend, who are both studying in Scotland, and for once, the weather was just perfect with bright blue skies and clouds which make a picture-perfect photo - I couldn't believe it!! St Andrews is famous for its golfing, university and not much else - it's just tiny, hence the reason why my brother seems to be saying hi to every other person! Then in the opposite sense, my sister lives in Edinburgh which is a very lively city, it doesn't have the absolutely stunning long beach extending in front of the town and abundance of little old ladies, but it does have more than one cinema with more than two films showing at once and she lives in a flat rather than a little tiny room! The train ride took six hours, but it was worth it for the views - it goes along the east coast.
Hope everyone else is well.
PS Madeline, I just met up with a few Armenians here in Cambridge, one of them knows you from NY last summer and got in contact with me via cilicia!
posted by Rhoda at 2:51 PM
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