On July 29th, we attended our first branch party and it was fun and different. We were headed to Lake Sevan and they were excited for some swimming, sun, and good food. We’re used to ward activities that may last 2-3 hours, but the activities here seem to last all day. We were to be at the church at 7:30 a.m. with the bus to leave at 8:00 a.m. We didn’t quite make it by 8, but close. When it’s a party, I think they tend to be more punctual, unlike church, when they can come at any time and know they won’t be left behind.
We didn’t go very far, when they realized that they had left the juice behind, so the bus pulled over to the side of the road and the branch presidency hailed a taxi to go back and pick up the forgotten item while the rest of us waited. After about 30 minutes, juice now on board, we started out again. We didn’t get terribly far when the bus, while going up the steep hills toward the lake, apparently overheated and we had to stop for engine cooling and adding of water. Another wait, and then we were on our way again. Well, not for too long, and we had to stop again to wait for the bus engine to cool and replace a broken belt one more time. I asked if it’s possible to get some money back for your troubles with the bus and they said that if anything the bus company might ask you for more money to make the necessary repairs as you are journeying.
I don’t know if it’s always this way, but if it is, I can understand why they start so early. We arrived at the lake around noon and normally it’s just an hour drive from Yerevan.
The lake is all privately owned (how I appreciate the public spaces we have back home) and you have to pay for your space at the beach. They do have tables that you rent and they are covered by a tarp canopy that keeps some of the sun off. I noticed there were quite a few rosier people when we left than when we first arrived, including me.
Everyone just laid out their blankets (carpets the Armenians say) and either just relaxed or went swimming or played games in the sand, and one of the principle activities was eating. When we arrived everyone brought out snacks they had brought and shared them around. A couple of hours later, we made summer salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and greens sprinkled with salt) and they grilled up a bunch of hotdogs that they served in huge buns (two dogs/bun). They use catsup to accompany the dogs. We also had slices of watermelon. A few hours later, preparations were started for “khoravatz”. They made piles of wood and started them burning so they’d have coals for grilling. Then they loaded up skewers with chicken and with pork. They had a grill box that was about 6’ x 20” and they loaded it up with skewers five times or so, so there was a lot of meat. They also sliced potatoes and grilled them. They then brought out piles of lavash to eat along with the meat, and I think no one went home hungry. There were enough leftovers that some members had enough for another meal or two. Watermelon was also served again.
After dinner, there was dancing (mostly by the women, however). Mananan, the Branch President’s 18 month old daughter even is beginning to learn some of the moves the Armenians make as they are dancing. Too cute! I tried my hand at it, but “grace” is not my name. It probably is good exercise, however.
We finally “hit the road”. We did do one other stop for the bus, but that was only to do a “green stick” test of the fuel tank and we had to pull over for a fill up. We finally arrived back at the church around 10:30 p.m. and home around 11 p.m., having survived a 15+ hour branch activity.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Back to Armenia #5
Just some observations I’ve made recently. As we walk down the alleyway by our place on our way to work, I noticed that in a couple of places there are several pipes overhead. They run from the building to a fence on the other side. On the fence side are planted grapes and now the vines are growing and spreading across the alleyway. The greenery is nice to look at, and is providing some shade and in the fall will produce grapes.
July 11th was a holiday in Armenia. It’s called “water day”. There are all sorts of people out and about, filling their buckets, containers and soakers and trying to douse whoever or whatever is in their path. We managed to avoid getting wet, but one boy fired a warning salvo that just crossed in front of Elder P. I think I gave a “mean stare down” to some who may have been tempted but then were warned off. The young elders reported being thoroughly soaked and even though the day was hot, by the end of it, they were still damp around their middles (I guess under their belts).
Another holiday, or I should say 4 other holidays in the year, are similar to our one Memorial Day. They really make a pretty big deal out of leaving this life and it’s insulting to the family if you don’t visit and participate in whatever is going on.
We had an opportunity to go to a “closing” of a humanitarian project. The project was located in the mountains beyond Lake Sevan, so is about a two hour drive from Yerevan. It was the first we’ve seen Lake Sevan so was nice and the scenery is beautiful. It was interesting that there were no trees on one side of the mountain, but as soon as we went through a long tunnel and come out the other side, the mountains were then filled with lots of trees.
In this project, the goal was to bring water to a school that had no running water. The villagers worked along with contractors to dig ditches, lay pipe, and the end result was a drinking fountain with spring-fed running water. At the closing, the ribbon around the project was cut by Sister Merkley and me and the water turned on. A loaf of freshly baked bread was brought out. The very middle of the loaf had a small depression where they put a bunch of salt. Sister Merkley and I broke off a bit of bread, dipped it in the salt and then ate it. I don’t know what the significance of this is, but you have to be careful to not dip the bread too far into the salt or it becomes pretty salty and not so good to eat. They (those attending the ceremonies) also presented us with two big bouquets of roses.
After all the speeches (of thanks for the help and you’re welcome from LDS Charities with a “plug” for the sponsor) we followed the mayor and others to a restaurant for a lovely meal. They served homemade “massun” (sort of like sour cream) in a huge casserole dish. We ate it as an accompaniment to the vegetables and other foods that followed. There was lots of bread and then came kabobs along with onions and greens. Several toasts were given throughout the meal, so we drank a lot of juices. All of the men from the village did their toasting with little shot glasses filled with vodka. They were a pretty “happy” bunch. At this point, we were feeling pretty satisfied and ready to move on, but then the waitress came out with heaping platters of pork barbecue. I took a small rib to be polite, but then one of the men in the party thought that I should eat a big chop so he leaned over across the table and forked the meat onto my plate. I ate a very little and felt bad about wasting such delicious food, but there is a point… We had a dinner appointment with the other senior couples in the evening and needless to say, we couldn’t eat another thing…but did manage a little ice cream (always room for dessert, right?)
July 11th was a holiday in Armenia. It’s called “water day”. There are all sorts of people out and about, filling their buckets, containers and soakers and trying to douse whoever or whatever is in their path. We managed to avoid getting wet, but one boy fired a warning salvo that just crossed in front of Elder P. I think I gave a “mean stare down” to some who may have been tempted but then were warned off. The young elders reported being thoroughly soaked and even though the day was hot, by the end of it, they were still damp around their middles (I guess under their belts).
Another holiday, or I should say 4 other holidays in the year, are similar to our one Memorial Day. They really make a pretty big deal out of leaving this life and it’s insulting to the family if you don’t visit and participate in whatever is going on.
We had an opportunity to go to a “closing” of a humanitarian project. The project was located in the mountains beyond Lake Sevan, so is about a two hour drive from Yerevan. It was the first we’ve seen Lake Sevan so was nice and the scenery is beautiful. It was interesting that there were no trees on one side of the mountain, but as soon as we went through a long tunnel and come out the other side, the mountains were then filled with lots of trees.
In this project, the goal was to bring water to a school that had no running water. The villagers worked along with contractors to dig ditches, lay pipe, and the end result was a drinking fountain with spring-fed running water. At the closing, the ribbon around the project was cut by Sister Merkley and me and the water turned on. A loaf of freshly baked bread was brought out. The very middle of the loaf had a small depression where they put a bunch of salt. Sister Merkley and I broke off a bit of bread, dipped it in the salt and then ate it. I don’t know what the significance of this is, but you have to be careful to not dip the bread too far into the salt or it becomes pretty salty and not so good to eat. They (those attending the ceremonies) also presented us with two big bouquets of roses.
After all the speeches (of thanks for the help and you’re welcome from LDS Charities with a “plug” for the sponsor) we followed the mayor and others to a restaurant for a lovely meal. They served homemade “massun” (sort of like sour cream) in a huge casserole dish. We ate it as an accompaniment to the vegetables and other foods that followed. There was lots of bread and then came kabobs along with onions and greens. Several toasts were given throughout the meal, so we drank a lot of juices. All of the men from the village did their toasting with little shot glasses filled with vodka. They were a pretty “happy” bunch. At this point, we were feeling pretty satisfied and ready to move on, but then the waitress came out with heaping platters of pork barbecue. I took a small rib to be polite, but then one of the men in the party thought that I should eat a big chop so he leaned over across the table and forked the meat onto my plate. I ate a very little and felt bad about wasting such delicious food, but there is a point… We had a dinner appointment with the other senior couples in the evening and needless to say, we couldn’t eat another thing…but did manage a little ice cream (always room for dessert, right?)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Back to Armenia #3
Back to Armenia #3
One thing we’ve learned in the course of living, is that change is inevitable. This week has been a week of changes. We were able to participate in the first South Zone Conference with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Carter. As he talked with all the missionaries, he shared that today was a new page for everyone. The President has not received any information from President Dunn, other than medical, about any missionaries. He said that the Lord keeps things in balance by changing leadership, so we don’t get into “ruts”. Trust is important; and there must be obedience with exactness and honor.
There were changes from Church headquarters: Zone Conferences will be held quarterly and interviews with missionaries will also be quarterly and brief (for about 10 minutes). The Mission President is to be the Master Teacher, so there will be additional training. There will be eight lessons on how to teach that will be explained to the leadership of the mission in two day conferences. The leadership will then return to their districts and share what they’ve learned. Training will continue until all involved understand (get it). There were also some changes in sister’s clothing: skirts don’t need to be long, but long enough to cover the knees when sitting; clothing should be modest and not too tight. Sisters were encouraged to wear color and patterns; nylons are no longer required and we can even wear sandals. (I was wishing I had known this before leaving home as in our 100+ temperatures, I might have enjoyed more air to the feet).
We have started to help plan Education Days (a take-off on Education Week at BYU) and we’re getting to know more about our responsibilities as Institute Directors. We’ll be meeting with the Institute Council to plan activities and we’re really grateful for all the young people we have to work with. Now if we could just get them to date (not just hang out) and be more serious about finding an eternal partner, it would be good. It seems to be such a cultural thing…not to date unless you are prepared to marry the one you’re dating. How can we get over that? Ideas?
Another change this week was receipt of additional assignments. I’m back in the Relief Society as 2nd Counselor and Elder Peterson is the new Elder’s Quorum President. I think between meetings, teaching and new responsibilities, we will be busy enough.
I discovered this week, too, that I have an aversion to rats. It was dead and in the middle of the street that we cross every day, but still…it was nasty. I could go the rest of the mission without seeing another one and I think that would be great.
We were finally able to see the show in the Republic Square. It happens every night and as one sister commented, where there are lights, water and music, it’s bound to be entertaining. I just forgot to take my camera to capture any of it, so we’ll have to go again. It sort of reminds me of the show that occurs at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, only on a smaller scale. We actually had our first rain experience in Yerevan, too. I couldn’t tell at first if it was spray from the fountain or the air, but it wasn’t much of a deterrent to our watching. I do know that a little rain made the air cooler and more enjoyable to be outside
One thing we’ve learned in the course of living, is that change is inevitable. This week has been a week of changes. We were able to participate in the first South Zone Conference with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Carter. As he talked with all the missionaries, he shared that today was a new page for everyone. The President has not received any information from President Dunn, other than medical, about any missionaries. He said that the Lord keeps things in balance by changing leadership, so we don’t get into “ruts”. Trust is important; and there must be obedience with exactness and honor.
There were changes from Church headquarters: Zone Conferences will be held quarterly and interviews with missionaries will also be quarterly and brief (for about 10 minutes). The Mission President is to be the Master Teacher, so there will be additional training. There will be eight lessons on how to teach that will be explained to the leadership of the mission in two day conferences. The leadership will then return to their districts and share what they’ve learned. Training will continue until all involved understand (get it). There were also some changes in sister’s clothing: skirts don’t need to be long, but long enough to cover the knees when sitting; clothing should be modest and not too tight. Sisters were encouraged to wear color and patterns; nylons are no longer required and we can even wear sandals. (I was wishing I had known this before leaving home as in our 100+ temperatures, I might have enjoyed more air to the feet).
We have started to help plan Education Days (a take-off on Education Week at BYU) and we’re getting to know more about our responsibilities as Institute Directors. We’ll be meeting with the Institute Council to plan activities and we’re really grateful for all the young people we have to work with. Now if we could just get them to date (not just hang out) and be more serious about finding an eternal partner, it would be good. It seems to be such a cultural thing…not to date unless you are prepared to marry the one you’re dating. How can we get over that? Ideas?
Another change this week was receipt of additional assignments. I’m back in the Relief Society as 2nd Counselor and Elder Peterson is the new Elder’s Quorum President. I think between meetings, teaching and new responsibilities, we will be busy enough.
I discovered this week, too, that I have an aversion to rats. It was dead and in the middle of the street that we cross every day, but still…it was nasty. I could go the rest of the mission without seeing another one and I think that would be great.
We were finally able to see the show in the Republic Square. It happens every night and as one sister commented, where there are lights, water and music, it’s bound to be entertaining. I just forgot to take my camera to capture any of it, so we’ll have to go again. It sort of reminds me of the show that occurs at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, only on a smaller scale. We actually had our first rain experience in Yerevan, too. I couldn’t tell at first if it was spray from the fountain or the air, but it wasn’t much of a deterrent to our watching. I do know that a little rain made the air cooler and more enjoyable to be outside
Monday, July 5, 2010
Back to Armenia #2
Back to Armenia #2
This week has been interesting as we’ve been in the moving mode. We didn’t know we’d be leaving Ararat so quickly, but had to work with schedules of others, so on Wednesday, we departed Ararat for Yerevan. We took our last look at Mt. Ararat from our balcony and we were afraid that would be the last possibility for seeing that great mountain every day it’s visible…but would you believe, from the balcony of our 7th floor apartment in the center of Yerevan, we can still see Mt. Ararat.
We are living in a large apartment complex, but this time we do have an elevator (when it’s working) and it’s much appreciated. I do have to say this about the elevator…it holds whatever smells come along so it can be pretty rank, but we hold our noses for the convenience. We also have some air conditioning in our apartment which is great for the hot days we seem to be experiencing. We’ve taken some pictures which we hope show you what the apartment looks like. The location is great as we are about a five minute walk from the Institute, a 30 second walk to a yummy bakery and about 30 seconds to a little stand that sells fresh fruits and vegetables. The closest market is also about a 5 minute walk, so we’re going to have to get our exercise by morning walks.
During the past week, we were able to attend a Young Men/Young Women conference up in the mountains, similar to the Young Adult conference of the previous week. We traveled there with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Carter. They both spoke and Sister Carter even bore her testimony in Armenian which brought a standing ovation and the youth leaders trying to tell them it wasn’t appropriate. It was nice to be with the youth and watch them perform skits that only 14-18 year olds can do. The highlight was having a group perform the dance that they will be doing at the Kiev Temple dedication activities in August. It was electrifying. They were full of such energy and pride to be doing the dance.
As I mentioned, this was also the week for the changing of the guard so to speak. President Dunn returned home and President Carter arrived to begin his 3 year stint as Mission President. We will be getting more new couples in the office, humanitarian and elsewhere. The senior of the senior couples is now one that came out in October with us. Hopefully, we’ll soon be doing regular get togethers for family home evenings and other activities.
We had our first class with the young adults of the institute and decided it would be good to get acquainted and learn a little more about them and them, about us. We also taught them “Aunt Virginia’s game” and enjoyed a freshly baked apricot (got to take advantage of the world famous Armenian apricots) cobbler ala mode. We will be doing a class weekly on marriage for this group or an activity…but I don’t think I’ll be baking cobblers every time.
This week has been interesting as we’ve been in the moving mode. We didn’t know we’d be leaving Ararat so quickly, but had to work with schedules of others, so on Wednesday, we departed Ararat for Yerevan. We took our last look at Mt. Ararat from our balcony and we were afraid that would be the last possibility for seeing that great mountain every day it’s visible…but would you believe, from the balcony of our 7th floor apartment in the center of Yerevan, we can still see Mt. Ararat.
We are living in a large apartment complex, but this time we do have an elevator (when it’s working) and it’s much appreciated. I do have to say this about the elevator…it holds whatever smells come along so it can be pretty rank, but we hold our noses for the convenience. We also have some air conditioning in our apartment which is great for the hot days we seem to be experiencing. We’ve taken some pictures which we hope show you what the apartment looks like. The location is great as we are about a five minute walk from the Institute, a 30 second walk to a yummy bakery and about 30 seconds to a little stand that sells fresh fruits and vegetables. The closest market is also about a 5 minute walk, so we’re going to have to get our exercise by morning walks.
During the past week, we were able to attend a Young Men/Young Women conference up in the mountains, similar to the Young Adult conference of the previous week. We traveled there with the new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Carter. They both spoke and Sister Carter even bore her testimony in Armenian which brought a standing ovation and the youth leaders trying to tell them it wasn’t appropriate. It was nice to be with the youth and watch them perform skits that only 14-18 year olds can do. The highlight was having a group perform the dance that they will be doing at the Kiev Temple dedication activities in August. It was electrifying. They were full of such energy and pride to be doing the dance.
As I mentioned, this was also the week for the changing of the guard so to speak. President Dunn returned home and President Carter arrived to begin his 3 year stint as Mission President. We will be getting more new couples in the office, humanitarian and elsewhere. The senior of the senior couples is now one that came out in October with us. Hopefully, we’ll soon be doing regular get togethers for family home evenings and other activities.
We had our first class with the young adults of the institute and decided it would be good to get acquainted and learn a little more about them and them, about us. We also taught them “Aunt Virginia’s game” and enjoyed a freshly baked apricot (got to take advantage of the world famous Armenian apricots) cobbler ala mode. We will be doing a class weekly on marriage for this group or an activity…but I don’t think I’ll be baking cobblers every time.
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