School Photo

I love this picture, on many different levels. It was taken this month when I was a special guest at Lord Byron School in Gyumri for a poetry recitation by the school’s English students.

The British Government built the school in 1991 at the time of Margaret Thatcher’s leadership to aid the community, which had lost most of its schools in the 1988 earthquake. The school was modeled after the latest British school design of the time. It is composed of three classroom areas and a fourth area, which is a large gym, all connected by enclosed walkways in a square configuration. It is a wonderful concept, with great spaces for kids. But the building has had little maintenance since it was built. The roof leaks, there is no running water (and a terrible stench from the bathrooms where water is carried in and poured into the drains once a day), and there is no heat. The gym is currently not usable due to floor problems.

On the day this picture was taken, there were several inches of snow on the ground outside, and all the kids and teachers were wearing their winter coats in the school. This picture shows several of the students who recited poetry written by Lord Byron (1788-1824), their principal, and the English teacher, a special friend of mine.

Note how I tower above everyone (I may be the tallest woman in Gyumri), the usual dour school principal expression, and what really pleases me, there are a few smiles escaping from some of the kids’ lips. Armenians do not smile. The predominant color worn by all Armenians is black. Note my brown coat. Two women here have told me that my “coat would be nice if it were black!” The teacher, Anahit, is a warm bubbly person, something that could never be captured in a photograph, as she would never allow that side to be shown. She is incredibly typical of Armenian women of her age (54), short hair dyed reddish, ten pounds overweight for each decade past twenty, stylishly dressed (the snazzy boots don’t show), and very proud. She adores her students, and her husband.