Just some random and unrelated impressions of the last couple of days.
Snow has arrived early this year and prices have gone up. People are complaining about both.
December has arrived, so the husbands, fathers and brothers who are working in Russia are one by one coming home for the holidays.
The other day I was helping my friend L. prepare a meal in the kitchen while her husband is cleaning a cow's head at the kitchen table behind us.
On my way back home I stopped by my friend H.'s shop to say hi and noticed how he built an addition to his shop since my last visit this past summer. I am glad he's doing well.
I am playing endless games of Four-in-a-Row and Rummikub with Armen and Tigran, the 7- and 8- year old kids of the family where I am staying.
While walking through town with S., we ran into her aunt, who immediately started inquiring about me: How old am I? Am I married? Turns out she is looking for a wife for her 32-year old son. At home S. tells her dad about this, who immediately starts praising his nephew, that he is such a good, smart, well educated man etc. and recommending that we meet when this cousin returns from Russia. I am used to this. After all, I am unmarried and way past marrying age (according to local standards, that is...). Go figure what a great "project" I make for all the tatiks around! Sometimes it freaks me out, but most of the time I just laugh about it. I am used to it already.
Over the past few months they put up all kind of road signs on the road between Yerevan and Spitak (12% slopes all of a sudden appeared everywhere), and also in Spitak's town center. Has the government started a campaign to teach Armenians traffic rules? I noticed that from the central square in Spitak it is 104 kilometers to Yerevan, but near the cemetary at the edge of town (which is at least 500 meters closer to Yerevan than the square) the distance to the capital has suddenly increased to 105 kms. Maybe the road workers who put up the signs had had one too many shots of wodka to keep warm....
But the absolute highlight so far has been Sunday morning breakfast consisting of khash and wodka.....For those who don't know what khash is, it is a very fat and very filling meal of broth made of cow feet, lavash and fresh garlic. You're supposed to eat the cow feet as well...(yes, I did run into quite a few dead cow already...;-) ). Needless to say I needed the rest of the day to recover.
This must be Armenia...
Snow has arrived early this year and prices have gone up. People are complaining about both.
December has arrived, so the husbands, fathers and brothers who are working in Russia are one by one coming home for the holidays.
The other day I was helping my friend L. prepare a meal in the kitchen while her husband is cleaning a cow's head at the kitchen table behind us.
On my way back home I stopped by my friend H.'s shop to say hi and noticed how he built an addition to his shop since my last visit this past summer. I am glad he's doing well.
I am playing endless games of Four-in-a-Row and Rummikub with Armen and Tigran, the 7- and 8- year old kids of the family where I am staying.
While walking through town with S., we ran into her aunt, who immediately started inquiring about me: How old am I? Am I married? Turns out she is looking for a wife for her 32-year old son. At home S. tells her dad about this, who immediately starts praising his nephew, that he is such a good, smart, well educated man etc. and recommending that we meet when this cousin returns from Russia. I am used to this. After all, I am unmarried and way past marrying age (according to local standards, that is...). Go figure what a great "project" I make for all the tatiks around! Sometimes it freaks me out, but most of the time I just laugh about it. I am used to it already.
Over the past few months they put up all kind of road signs on the road between Yerevan and Spitak (12% slopes all of a sudden appeared everywhere), and also in Spitak's town center. Has the government started a campaign to teach Armenians traffic rules? I noticed that from the central square in Spitak it is 104 kilometers to Yerevan, but near the cemetary at the edge of town (which is at least 500 meters closer to Yerevan than the square) the distance to the capital has suddenly increased to 105 kms. Maybe the road workers who put up the signs had had one too many shots of wodka to keep warm....
But the absolute highlight so far has been Sunday morning breakfast consisting of khash and wodka.....For those who don't know what khash is, it is a very fat and very filling meal of broth made of cow feet, lavash and fresh garlic. You're supposed to eat the cow feet as well...(yes, I did run into quite a few dead cow already...;-) ). Needless to say I needed the rest of the day to recover.
This must be Armenia...
posted by Myrthe at 4:45 PM
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