Today I saw two Russian soldiers standing infront of a shop. One of those shoe-box-shops that have a tiny window for sale transactions. The office where I volunteer is very close to it, and the lady shopkeeper is interested in having a side job as a cleaner lady in the office. Something that she can do in less than an hour everyday and have extra income.
When I noticed the soldiers, she hurried back and invited me with her. They were window-shopping. When we got close, each said in Armenian 'pogh chunem'. She asked what they needed, they kept repeating 'pogh chunem' with a wistful look, she said you are 'soldat', meaning she won't ask for money, and gave them a pen as a gift, they took it and left.
The previous cleaning lady disappeared a month ago. Her husband was very sick, then passed away. We assisted her with funeral expenses, and she took the deceased to their city, Sissian, to bury him properly, with his family. We waited for her return patiently. What's the proper mourning period in Armenia? No one was complaining. This week we heard from another shopkeeper that two hours after the funeral she had followed him to the other world. Wow, what a bond.