It is damn cold out! I went to the Armenia vs Northern Ireland soccer game dressed like an Eskimo and still became completely numb only minutes into the game. The stadium was packed and the fans were going nuts chanting Hayer-Hayer (Armenians-Armenians) and Hayastan-Hayastan (Armenia-Armenia)!

I couldn't get any decent pictures, especially with the snow blowing in my face, but here is one of a group hug after the ONE goal Armenia scored to win the game.

I've been here for quite a few months already, and at times I still have to pinch myself to see if it's all for real. Growing up and living in Canada my entire life and thinking about living in Armenia seemed like a risky endeavor at first, but now that I am actually here I don't think of it as being such an exhausting effort.

A few weeks ago I turned on the TV and I heard Armenian and got all excited, forgetting (only for a split second) that I am actually in Armenia, a country where the majority speaks the language.

Being in the midst of thousands of Armenians at yesterday's game, hearing them chant Armenia-Armenia was quite overwhelming.

Currently, there is a lot of construction taking place around the city. Plus, many proposed projects are in the works. The construction of North Avenue is continuing (which is going to be a long and wide pedestrian walkway with shops and restaurants in the middle of downtown Yerevan). The opening of the first restaurant on the walkway took place over a week ago. It is the newly rebuilt popular Armenian restaurant Hin Erivan (Old Yerevan).

There are also a few new hotels under construction, lots of new shops all over the city, and numerous residential buildings. The infamous Paplavok/Arakast restaurant is being completely renovated. The Lincy Foundation, which is funding the repaving of all the major streets of Yerevan, the installation of new street lights, as well as the renovations of all the museums, playhouses, and the Opera House, has just resumed (after pausing for a winter break). Japan has just offered $300,000 to install a new sound system in the Opera House. The Cascade project continues. The Americans are building their new embassy. The U.K. embassy has just moved into a newly erected building.

Yerevan is progressing really fast at this moment. It's awesome to witness all this.