I arrived in Yerevan Friday morning but it feels like I've been here for a week. It's incredible so far. My hosts, Laura and Lusine, don't speak any English but are beyond generous and hospitable. Laura is like an Italian grandmother whose favorite joke is sneaking more food onto my plate when I tell her I'm full. They are also very concerned with my feet - apparently they think that a woman will become infertile if her feet are cold. I tried to explain to them that where I come from 70 degrees is actually quite warm, but I'm not sure they get it. Spring is in full force here - all the apricot trees are in bloom, and it's beautiful.
Friday night I went out to dinner with a group of people mostly associated with my program, which was amazing. I met Armenians (and some non Armenians) from Lebanon, Syria, Italy, Canada, Australia, France, and others I'm forgetting. Everyone was fun, interesting and passionate about their country. They work in everything from reforestation to art therapy to documentary films to AI technology.
Saturday was a day trip to the Sartarabad memorial and museum, the Tegher monastary and the Hippotherapy horse camp. Saw some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and had a delicious and enormous picnic lunch in one of the villages.
Now a word about the food: it's unbelievable. My friend Arminé tells me that western Armenian food is more Middle Eastern and in the east it's more Russian influenced. They eat lots of wild greens and fresh herbs - cilantro on almost everything. Also whole grains, beets, figs, apricots, and lots of cognac and vodka. Khorovats and lavash is popular - barbecued meat on flat bread, sometimes with salty cheese and lots of herbs.
A wonderful 48 hours.
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