Well this week has been the most hectic so far this summer, and I have a feeling it will continue until the cold sets in.
This past week we have been getting training with the AVC : language training in the mornings and then various discussions, guest speakers and visits in the afternoons - all of which have proved to be extremely useful and interesting. The other volunteers have been just great and as a whole group of AVC volunteers everyone gets on extremely well, but that's not to say that we're similar - no, everyone is completely different to each other which creates a great variety in the group. Various different opinions are emerging on some of the host families: generally very nice, but sometimes restricting, ie why do you have to go out anywhere if you have everything at home? Why don't you invite your friends here rather than meeting up with them at the opera?! Oh well, we all learn from these different situations. My host family are lovely and think I'm mad, but they quite enjoy it all : Hasmig, the girl of the house, is my age and she is really enjoying meeting all these different people and as well as me improving my Hayaren she thinks it's great that her english is improving.

Yesterday we went to Noravank and then the Areni wine-factory on the way back, it was beautiful but also absolutely boiling hot, so all the half armenians are lovely and red now.

Well, I had better get going as I'm off to the shoe maker who is going to make me a pair of shoes - if you did that in the UK the prices would be extortionate for hand-made shoes.