Was on another road trip to visit some of the sites that the US govt is funding, and this being my 3rd of 5 such trips we will have this summer, I am really beginning to see the very large number of people all over who are affected by the foreign aid coming here. Of course I know that 90 million dollars is a lot of money for a country this size, but to see what it can do firsthand is something else. More classrooms with computers/internet, more irrigation systems, domestic violence programs, earthquake housing and community development program, businesses, other programs that I am forgetting to mention, and plus we took a road trip down to see the ruins of Ani visible in todays Turkey from the Armenian side of the border. I had been there once before and had really forgotten just how magnificent it is, even from this side of the river. The road unfortunately was quite bad and the high clearance American/Japanese SUV's make me car sick in a way that Nivas (the little Russian 4x4s I always travel in) never have, and I tossed my cookies as they say on the way back from Ani to Gyumri. The rest of the trip and even until now I feel a little woozy, since I continued to be subjected to the bad roads in those cars. I hope I'll do better on the next two trips cuz I know those roads and they worry me. Aside from the US govt aid, you see the hand of the Lincy Foundation absolutely everywhere as well. I don't know how many massive buildings are going up in the earthquake zone, plus highways across the country are being completely rebuilt, sidewalks, museums, bridges, it is astounding. This is really giving Armenia a great opportunity, now it needs more investment in business, which will give it the ability to improve the schools and hospitals and all the other things which have suffered from a real lack of funding for so long...

Not too much else going on. My house is dagnu vra (upside down) and I don't feel like doing a thing about it. I will be moving to my apartment across the street in 10 days anyways, so I suppose it won't help much if I organize things now. (way to rationalize that one away, huh? :-) That place is smaller, and easier to keep clean, and easier to heat/cool.