November 30, 2009

This was Thanksgiving week, a holiday treat unfortunately not celebrated by Armenians. The Peace Corps had a five day required conference for all 79 volunteers in country, which culminated with a Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday night. We had turkey (frozen from Russia), and all the other usual fixings, including twenty pies. I was in charge of stuffing, gravy, and casseroles, and did such a great job in the kitchen, that I’m in charge next year! (Really, what all these kids needed was a mother to organize them.)

(Jack and I with our "Turkey" hats.)

We are scattered all over the country. It takes approximately twelve hours to get from one end of the country to the other. So I had not met many of the volunteers who started the previous year. It was a lot of fun listening to their stories, sharing their miseries, and their successes with all kinds of things; learning the language, host family horror stories, keeping warm in winter (tips on lighting fires, buying wood, storing water), washing clothes when it is below freezing (many guys suggest going dirty/smelly), finding food other than root vegetables, dealing with nasty landlords, and for the women, dealing with the misconception that you are a Russian prostitute. Part of the conference was concerned with safety, so we all know where to gather in case Azerbaijan invades, or Russia invades Georgia again, or there are any issues on the Iran or Turkish border. And we are constantly informed about demonstrations in the capital, Yerevan, where the police have been too quick to fire their weapons.

(All-Volunteer Thanksgiving dinner in Yerevan hotel.)

On Thanksgiving Day, I helped another volunteer prepare turkey dinner for a facility that offers a meal a day, vocational training, and tutoring for single moms and their kids. Our traditional holiday dinner is so different from anything that Armenians eat, that the kids ate very little and could not be convinced to try anything new, especially pumpkin pie. Armenians think that their food is wonderful (and it is in the summer), and all Armenians are reluctant to try anything new. (It makes me think that America is a really special place where we can have Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Italian, etc., any day of the week.) The woman who runs the facility said that a huge issue is that when the place closes at six pm, many families do not want to leave because they have no heat at home. It has been 28 degrees at night for the last two weeks.

(Kids sampling American Thanksgiving dinner.)

Our family dog, a really sweet pit bull named Gosha, appears to have been attacked by a neighborhood bully. He is not using his right forefoot, and is very bloody. I am very stressed out about this. There are no veterinarians in this city of 150,000 people. It would be culturally insensitive of me to actually do anything because dogs hold an entirely different place in this country, and it would upset the family if any money was spent on him.

Last week my host sister celebrated her 53^rd birthday. Her husband died many years ago, and she has a 22 year old son who is in the compulsory military. She works in the local market where she makes $3.87 each day she works. In the summer she was working six days a week. She is now working about four days a week. Because she had terrible teeth pain, she has been seeing the dentist over a five week period, and last Friday received her “new” teeth. She had four root canals, several teeth pulled, two new gold crowns, and a new bridge for her upper teeth. She is extremely happy! The total cost for all this was about $297. After much soul-searching (because there is so much need in this country) I gave her $150 for her birthday present. She cried. This is a country where there is almost no social help for people in dire circumstances. When she retires at the compulsory age of 59, she will receive a pension of $50 per month. She is fortunate that she can live with her sister. For people who do not have family who can help, this is a desperate place. A major effect of the economic crisis in Armenia is that foreign remittances are down 40%. These are amounts sent from France, Russia, the US, etc. from family members to help family in Armenia. Many of the men, who were working in Russia, have come home adding to the burden in Armenia, because construction jobs have dried up.

(Spice market. All signs are in Russian, so my Armenian does not help. I am so confused when I look for spices. I never paid much attention to what was in bottles at home, and now I have to identify spices by color, smell, and taste. I feel clueless.)