Lisa, Hassan, Nadeem & Gabriel Part 2

The day before Thanksgiving we returned to Yerevan so that we could see the world famous football match (soccer game) "Armenia v. Kazakhstan". In case you didn't know, Armenia lost.

On Thanksgiving day, we headed out to Goris, a town about 4 hours away. Our plans were to see Noravank, Khor Virap, the stonehengle-like rocks, the cave city, and best of all, Tatev, a beautiful Armenian monastary. We lose the keys for 2 hours so we get a late start, and decide to go straight to Goris. About 3 hours into the trip, we hit major fog, then snow. Hassan does a great job getting us to the town; I then have to remember exactly where our B&B is - in the dark and in the snow. We finally arrive and our hosts turns on the heat.

Heat. In USA, it is usually central. In Texas, it is needed for only a few months out of the year - if that. In this B&B, there was a huge gas furnace in the center of the common room. Our two rooms were off that common room and the heat in the bedrooms did not work. When I asked for some portable electric heaters, the owner told me to open the doors into the bedroom to heat them up. Now, this was fine when it was just our extended family. But I felt a little exposed when the 3 Russian men came into the B&B a few hours later and spent the night in the third bedroom. Then, the owner kept coming into the common room to turn the heat down. It was probably in the low-mid 20's outside, the heater was inadequate anyway for 4 rooms, and there was really no sane reason to turn down the heat. We kept turning it up. Lisa even got up in the middle of the night to turn it up.

Friday we wake to the boys yelling about all the snow. They were excited. We were not. It had snowed about 6-8 inches, cars were having trouble driving on the not-yet-plowed streets. Our rental car was a van, had no snow tires, or 4 wheel drive. Lisa, Hassan and I figured out quickly that we would not be going to Tatev - higher in the mountains, horrible unpaved roads. There was just no way. Then we debate whether we should attempt to drive back to Yerevan. I call my office and Zaruhi tells me the weather forecast: more snow for the next 2 days. We take a quick 15 minute walk with the kids, take pictures, buy supplies in case we get stuck, and head out.

We have trouble getting up the first hill in Goris. Now, this spells major trouble because if we can't get up a hill in a town where cars have been driving for the past 5 hours and made the snow slushy, we are going to have major problems driving through 2 mountain ranges. So, we stop to get chains for the tires. L, H & I think this is a great idea - we get the boys out (who act crazy in the store) and the mechanics start the process of putting chains on the tires. The process doesn't go very far or very fast. First, they can't get the tires off. Then they want to know whether the van is front or back wheel drive. Eventually, we figure out that the chains they have won't fit our tires. There is nothing we can do. Those poor guys were outside in the cold, in the snow for an hour trying to help us. When I offered to pay them something for their trouble, they refused and wished us a safe trip.

The trip home: Hassan was a master driver. After our first major mountain slope and sliding back down 4 times, we finally figured out that if we went between 40-60 kmph, we could get up most mountains. At one point, Hassan was going downhill over 60 and kept saying "I can't control the van; we are going to crash." Luckily, we were on a straight stretch, no cars were around, and a hill was coming. We had several other scary moments - driving slowly past massive numbers of cars and trucks that had lost traction, seeing cars doing 180's, and having people race by us, oblivious to the danger. But Hassan, a Texan who doesn't drive in the snow, managed to get all of us home very safely. We quickly turned the heat up in my apartment and didn't drive the next day.

The last few days of their stay was great. We finally managed to see Khor Virap and Noravank. The kids went down in the dungeon, but were disappointed not to climb the steep slippery snow covered steps at Noravank. Lisa, Hassan and I toured the brandy factory and tasted Armenia's famous drink.

Lisa and Hassan then gave me (and Tom) the best gift ever: they took Cole Ryan and Austin home with them and their sons. This was no easy feat given that there was 4 kids, three adults and only three gameboys. Everyone arrived safely, Granddaddy and Teddy took Cole and Austin for 3 days and acclimated them quickly to all things American. When Cole couldn't remember what he liked at McDonald's, granddaddy was there to help. Teddy and Granddaddy also took them shopping - this was crucial since Cole had exactly 1 pair of pants that still fit and weren't ripped. Mom helped out the last day too. Thank you Lisa, Hassan, Daddy, Teddy, and Mom - we would be flying standby right before Christmas if it weren't for you.

Lisa, Hassan, Nadeem & Gabriel's visit Part 1

When Sergo, my friend and our office driver, called to say Lisa, Nadeem and Gabriel arrived at the Yerevan airport, Cole and Austin started jumping up and down. When they arrived about 15 minutes later, Austin and Cole went outside with sandals on (it was very cold), met their cousins, and then all of them raced through the house jumping up and down. For a few days, Lisa and I were alone with the kids because Hassan missed the flight to Paris and arrived 4 days' later.

During those 4 days, Lisa and I took the boys to see some sights around Yerevan. One of the first stops was Square 1 - an American style restaurant in the heart of the city. It was Nadeem's birthday and we told him that he could decide where we would go. With great input from Cole and Austin who love the place, Nadeem picked Square 1. Lisa who had not flown 8000 miles with 2 boys to eat cheeseburgers was not thrilled (nor was I), but we couldn't convince Nadeem to change his mind. So, the boys gorged on cheeseburgers, french fries and shakes while Lisa and I pondered the absurdity in eating American food in Armenia. We then took them to the Vernissage - the outdoor art market. Thanks to Aunt Christy, all the kids had money to spend so we were constantly stopping to ask prices. Because it was his birthday, Nadeem had the most to spend, but ended up buying nothing. Everyone else walked away with some goodies: wooden necklaces, handpainted wooden tops, Russian stacking dolls.

On Sunday, the 6 of us crammed into a taxi and went to Tzakhadzor - the ski resort. The highlight was going up the moutain on the ski lift and then playing in the snow. We also stopped at Kecharis church, but they were not as interested in it. Hassan arrived Sunday night and we planned our ambitious drive tour through Armenia.

In 10 days with the rental of a 9 seat van, we managed to see a huge chunk of Armenia. First we saw Garni/Gerghard and then spent the night in Dilijan. I warned Lisa and Hassan that it was the best hotel (Daravan) that we would stay in and to appreciate it. The owner is Armenian from Iran, speaks about 8 languages, is incredibly hospitable and didn't blink when the 7 of us pulled up at 8:00 pm without a reservation ( I couldn't find the phone number or remember the name - just the location and even that took awhile to remember). We were also hungry. His staff quickly put together a delicious meal and we shared the hotel with a couple from Australia.

We then saw a monstary in Dilijan and then traveled to Vanadzor where we stayed at a hotel that we had used when mom was here. At the time, the people were very nice, the hotel very clean, but the walls were thin. We had a hugely different experience this time: there was no heat,two people were having a "private" party in the room next to Lisa and Hassan's. Since there is no soundproofing between the walls, nobody could sleep. When we complained, nothing was done. The administrator initially gave us rolling heaters, but then took mine out of my room before we went to bed. When I asked about it, she indicated that she had taken it for herself because there was no heat at the front desk. She returned it to me, I heated the room, and then gave it back to her because it was so cold. I figured - incorrectly - that we would be warm enough once we went to bed. I also planned to heat up the room using the shower turned on high. That only resulted in making the smoke detector go off and the adminstriator think that one of us was smoking. At midnight, Hassan, Lisa and I complained - no heat, prostitute next door, and no response. The administrator could do nothing. Eventially the director came to the hotel around 1:00 a.m., I asked for a partial refund, and we eventually got it only after asking for a full refund and saying that we were going to drive back to Yerevan beause it was 2:00 am and nobody was sleeping (even Cole had woken up). The director commented that I had washed my hair and used the rolling heater and should pay for that. The next morning, we had agreed that we would leave at 8.30; the director continued to ask me to return the partial reimbursement because I had used heat and water! I couldn't believe it. She then told me she was calling the embassy to tell on me. I said to go right ahead. We left.

Kelly's Visit

This is a very, very overdue posting from Kelly's trip. She made a huge effort to come to Armenia on our birthdays - mine being the big 4-0 (as she likes to point out, she is younger). We had a fabulous time, but her words describing her trip are great. I have edited an email only to make sense for the blog and added a few comments:

I do have to start way back in Armenia, and tell you that it was a great and yet very funky experience. The thing is, I thought that I knew "travel." I thought I knew HOW to travel, at least. But Armenia was like nothing I had ever experienced before ... this was not any kind of sissy travel like, "Where is my next latte coming from today?" Oh no ... this was: (1) your taxi may be able to get you all the way to your destination, or it might not; (2) you need to hold your breath if your taxi drives past one of the many big trucks giving off black smoke, because all the windows are open since there is no air conditioning, (3) many, many remote and yet very beautiful churches; (4) long stretches of road lined with fruit-stands where they sell what I like to call big-ass fruit rollups; (5) and my good friend Lori who sallied forth and helped me navigate everything like it was Old Hat to her. (Thank God.)

One of my favorite days was when we went to a big monastery (Khor Virap) by Mount
Ararat, which was BEAUTIFUL. We climbed down a ladder in a dark narrow hole in the ground, and fifty feet later, we emerged in what was apparently a prison hole complete with snakes for some king or other famous person that apparently crossed the wrong person and got thrown down into the pit for 13 years. Fortunately, all the snakes were gone, but the ladder itself (into a dark narrow opening that just went down and down) was pretty scary ... a lawsuit waiting to happen. (Lori edit: Khor Virap is where King Trdat imprisoned St. Grigory the Illuminator. Bad karma apparently affected the king who later went mad. After 13 years in a dungeon with snakes and no light, St. Grigory was summoned to return the king to reason. The King then converted himself and Armenia to Christianity.)

We continued on to a beautiful church on the top of a hill--one that you see in my pics, with the funky steps on the outside--but at this point, our old Soviet Lada taxi cab, which had chugged like a lawnmower over the mountains at a top speed of 20 miles an hour, failed to make the hill. So, with five people in the car, the driver kept rolling back to the corner of the last switchback (right by a long big drop over the hill, as we were pretty high by then), and then charging up the hill in the manner of the little train saying, "I think I can, I think I can." We did this 5 times. Finally, we all had to bail out and walk up the rest of the hill, and the taxi driver went sailing blissfully by us, since he had lightened up the load enough for the engine.

Lori edit: Kelly really did make it to the top of Noravank, the 2 story church, with very treacherous and steep cantilevered steps. Here are the pictures.

Help almost here

Hi everyone. Some of you already know this, but many of you don't. I let our nanny go about 2 weeks ago. My boss, Sonya, was incredibly understanding and agreed to let me work from home. The plan was that I would work in the morning while the boys were at school and at night when they were asleep. The plan hit a snag the very first day because it was fall break and there was no school for a week. So, I adjusted: work in the morning while the boys' brains were turning to partial mush watching cartoons in German. The second week I woke up estactic because school was in session. We got up, dressed, and I happily walked them to school. Cole Ryan goes into his classroom without any problems. Austin's classroom door is locked. Another mom explains (I think) that there were no classes for another week. Another modification: take Austin with me to work everyday. And, I had to deal with CR's very indignant whines of "it's not fair that I have to go to school when Austin doesn't." (Note, when Madisen had school and Cole did not, there were no whines from Cole; pointing this out to him seems to only increase his whine factor as he struggles to differentiate it). Luckily, Austin liked going to my office, printing out coloring pages, coloring, cutting paper, and playing computer games. I actually got work done.

The best part is this upcoming week: Nov. 12. My sister Lisa, two nephews, Nadeem and Gabriel, are arriving Wednesday night. My brother-in-law, Hassan, will arrive on Saturday night. We are all so excited that they are coming! Not only are they bringing such necessities as shoes for Cole (thanks, Mom), pancake syrup, tortilla chips, and hot cocoa, but they are also staying for 2 weeks to see Armenia, watch the football match (soccer game) "Armenia v. Khazahkstan", see the Armenian philharmonic orchestra, and check out lots of very old churches and monastaries. Cole and Austin cannot wait to play with their cousins (and not go to school) and I am so excited to see and talk to Lisa and Hassan.

I found a babysitter who is starting tomorrow afternoon. Nana (pronounced "nahnah") has even agreed to watch all 4 kids. Freedom! We are going to the genocide museum and the brandy factory - two places that wouldn't be good with the kids.

And the icing on the cake: Lisa and Hassan very generously offered to take Cole and Austin back to the States with them. While all four boys will have their individual gameboys, books, activities, etc., this 30+ hour plane trip (much of it standby) will not be easy. Tom and I really appreciate Lisa and Hassan's volunteering to do this and we hope their sanity is not completely shot when they return home.

Here's a picture of Cole, Austin, and me with Mt. Ararat behind us.

Playground Rules

I expected culture shock for all of us. We all have had those days where we just don't get why people do things differently than we are used to. Cole is constantly baffled by Armenians who are always dressed very nicely; I am still baffled by the 5 inch heels that women wear everywhere; and we are all stunned when babies show up clothed like Alaskans when it is 70 degrees outside.

We have a new issue that I didn't anticipate: playground rules. I figured my children would meet other kids, play football (soccer), hang out at our playground, and play tag. I assumed that children would figure out how to communicate. That is half correct.

Our playground is used by everyone. Adults, however, only supervise babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. Kids from about 4-5 are on their own. Teen girls congregate together like all teen girls do. The teen boys gather to look at the girls, look "cool" and pass around cigarettes. (Girls and women smoke here; it is just not culturally acceptable to do it in public). I am almost always the only mom supervising elementary aged children.

The playground is mainly dirt, three wooden benches, and a separate concrete section containing dirt that gets turned into a mud pile when water is added from the fountain that doesn't turn off. There are two wooden swings that are more suited for toddlers. There are a few trees, many grape vines overhead, and metal garages all around where kids climb. The garages are one main reason why I supervise; the other is to attempt to prevent throwing rocks, dirt, and trash at one another.

Despite attempts by an older woman to keep the playground clean, it never stays that way for more than 5 minutes. Trash is routinely thrown on the ground. A few weeks ago, we went out and a women with full hair and make up was busy cleaning the park. She did the normal things - pick up trash, sweep the sidewalk, but then she did something very odd: she watered the dirt. Really. And it had just rained (not a lot; there was no mud). The same woman later went to my landlord and complained that my kids were messing up the playground - probably the ONLY children in our neighborhood who do not intentionally litter because they constantly hear me say "Armenia needs no more trash." So, if Cole & Austin don't litter, what was she complaining about? The nest they made out of leaves & twigs the day before.

And then there was the mud pie day when they were chastised for making mud pies on the sidewalk. But the constant cigarette butts, plastic bags, and snack food are not a problem. Go figure.

We sometimes go to the "soccer park". It is across the street and has a soccer field covered in that fake grass stuff, torn nets, and a half field or less surrounded by wooden railings. The park also has more equipment - several sets of monkey bars, 2 see saws, some swings, and multi-level bars to climb on. We should probably call it the Lenin park because a lovely bust of Lenin is there. Here are the boys - and our neighbor Manet - climbing on it. Nobody has yelled at us at the soccer park or accused us of littering. We have, however, found a dead rat that was not moved for several days.

Landlocked and worse!

Armenia borders 4 countries: Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. We have already been to Georgia on a train ride from hell (see posting back in June 2007), Tom would divorce me if I took the kids to Iran (and I have to say after Almadinajad's comments in NYC, I would be a little concerned), and the land borders to Azerbaijan and Turkey are closed. Azerbaijan and Armenia are fighting over Nargorno Karabagh, a region the Soviets declared was Azeri, but populated by Armenians. Once the USSR fell, the countries had a war and have not resolved the conflict. To get to Azerbaijan, we would have to go back through Georgia.

Turkey. I want to take the kids there and see how Istanbul has changed in the 20 years since I have been there. Cole would love the mosques, Austin would like the Topkapi palace and the swords. For many reasons, the relationship between Armenia and Turkey is not good. Turkey supported Azerbaijan in the NK war. But first, Turkey killed 1.5 million Armenians in WWI. Turkey denies it was genocide, minimizes the number dead, or claims the deaths were essentially collateral damage. Armenia doesn't buy it and argues it was the first genocide of the 20th century. Armenia was part of the Ottoman Empire, but had protection from Europe and that didn't make the Sultans very happy. Armenia was the first nation to observe Christianity; Turkey is primarily Muslim. So while this dispute has historical, religious, and cultural underpinnings that scholars debate and study, the main thing it means to me is that I can't get to Turkey easily.

If I go by plane, I pay $450 per ticket for a 2 hour plane ride. But wait, the plane leaves and returns after midnight. So, I would have to either keep my darling angels awake until we get on the plane, throughout the ride, and until we get there sometime before the crack of dawn, or constantly wake them up every few hours. Either option makes me cringe. The other option is to go by bus via Georgia. First to Tbilisi and then on to Istanbul. That great option is 36 hours of pure unadulterated hell.

So, while Congress pushes the genocide resolution, Bush critizes it, and others argue passionately on both sides, the continuing political stalemate means that we are not going to Turkey. Did I mention that I see Mt. Ararat - now in Turkey, but part of the Armenian ancestral homeland - every morning? We are that close to Turkey. But still can't cross the border.

Bar Exam Bathroom Monitor

In all my dreams of living overseas doing international development work, I never once imagined myself as a bathroom monitor. The second annual monitored and transparant bar exam in Armenia changed all of that.

To give some background, a Texas bar exam lasts for 2.5 days, covers about 20 subjects, requires about 2 months of intense turoring and studying, and is incredibly stressful on not just the applicant, but on anyone who knows that person. The exam is multiple choice and essay and timed. The exam is closely monitored and even a hint of improper glancing about or communicating with someone is enough to get you in serious trouble - if not expelled and forever barred from practicing law.

In Armenia, law graduates who have 2 years of work experience are qualified to sit for the bar and can chose to take the civil or criminal law exam. Once registered, the applicant obtains a book of 1000 questions and answers and has 2 months to study. The exam itself is 100 questions randomly selected from the book. Supposedly, the questions tend to be fairly easy - especially if the person studies. The applicant has 6 hours to answer 100 questions.

On August 25, the test was supposed to start at 9:00, but because the head of the Qualification Commission (like the name?) arrived 1.5 hours late, the test did not start until 10.

Here's a description of the testing facilities at Yerevan State University gymnasium: Large enough for the 200+ registered applicants and the 60+ international montitors. Soviet built in 1980; I would have guessed it was from the 1940's. The floors were wood originally painted a lovely blue, but that had worn off many years ago. Plywood covered worn or rotted planks so the floor was mostly uneven. There was no airconditioning nor fans; the only circulation was from the one door into the gym and one door to the smoking area.

After checking purses, bags, and cell phones, a security guard wanded applicants for cell phones. At the front of the room were the some exam monitors, members of the Qualification Commission and the place to turn in the exam. The applicants sat in wooden desks with attached bench seats. Since most Armenians seem to smoke, we provided a smoking area right outside the exam room. While the smoking area was shady and received a nice breeze, the bathrooms were not so well situated. And that is where I was for the first three hours.

Susie, an embassy employee manager type with law enforcement background, had monitored the bathrooms during the last bar exam and was in no mood to have similar situations of large numbers of women talking together. So, she designed quite a detailed plan to prevent chaos and attempts at cheating. First, every person who came to the bathroom had to be escorted to the bathroom checkpoint by a monitor. Once there, the person who needed to pee handed her identification card to Susie. Susie would turn over the identification card and note the time the woman approached and keep the card. When the woman was finished, Susie would write the time she came out, return the card, and make sure the applicant's monitor was there to escort her back to her desk. Too many trips to the bathroom, inordinate amounts of time in the bathrooms would target you as a potential cheater.

Now for my glamorous job: actual checker of bathroom stalls. The bathrooms visually appeared clean, but smelled bad - most likely because one of the three squat toilets didn't flush. You walk in to a room with 2 sinks only one of which works. There is soap, paper towels, and a small trash can. Turn a corner and there are three places of potential cheating. The tanks were up high and each stall was separated by a white tiled wall that ran to the ground. As I am not a sewage system expert, I do not know why it is, but apparently you don't flush toilet paper down a squat toilet; instead you put the used TP in the trashcans. Trash cans that were obviously too small for the 100+ women who had to use them. It was most unpleasant.

That is where my life of international intrigue starts. After an initial sweep of the bathroom located a pen and answers to at least 2 tests (turns out it was some English exam), I began to check each stall after each woman left. That meant using a paper towel as a physical barrier while I lifted and inspected the filthy trash can, swept above the tank and tiled walls. Once I hollered "all clear" Susie would let the woman who had just done her busines return to the test. I also would sometimes follow any particularly suspicious woman (those who had to go to the bathroom more often than was normal was one tip off or the woman who tried to cheat last year was another) into the bathroom. If there were mulitiple women at the same time, I would stand outside the stalls to make sure there was no talking. I felt like a KGB spy --- not a very good one, mind you, as I could not possibly have known whether they were discussing the exam or asking about the weather.

Almost giddy with excitement, I escaped the bathroom and monitored the gym. The attempts at cheating were amazing. Smokers would go outside and talk to commission members (the ones who administered the test!) and other applicants. Applicants would look around the room at each other and give eye signals; the qualification commission board members would whisper to applicants. One did it with me 6 feet away and before I could walk over to hear their conversation (not that I would understand it). Several people would attempt to look at material in their pockets and one woman tried to leave the gym with the test. Another man left, returned, and then tried to demand his right to continue! And even respect for people taking the test was not to be found. Several QC members would answer and talk on their phones while sitting next to an applicant and then give me dirty looks when I said "che" (no).

On the upside: it was by far the fairest exam given. The pass rate was slightly higher than expected: about 50%. The ones that were suspected of cheating did not pass; a couple were expelled outright.

Next year I told my boss Sonya that the bathroom monitors needed surgical masks, disposable gloves and aromatic candles.

Madisen is back in Texas

I am in Dallas (Arlington to be exact). I got in Tuesday at 2. Guess the suprieses we got.

First of all, We were getting on the flight to heathro. When we are in the air, a guy sitting next to us tells us the plane is going to SYRIA. Yeah. We think we got on the wrong flight, but we didn't. A plane broke down and we had to pick up the crew and some passengers. This took a little while, about an hour. So everyone is late for our flight, including us.

Once we get to Heathro, we get on a flight to Boston Logan. Me and my nana fly on first class. I sleep about 4 hours. The flight attendents stuff us up with food, I thought I ate a little to much.

Once we get to Boston we want to stay at the Hilton, the closest hotel. They don't have any availible rooms, when we waited about 20 mins. for the shuttle to pick us up. A guy owns a box of rooms and he happens to have an open one. We stay in that. It is nice, but guess how much it is. $249. We get up in the morning and want to eat. It is not included with the room. So I have a muffin while nana has coffe.

We fly to Laguardia, in NY. We get on the second flight to Dallas.

That is all about our trip.




Madisen

From Lori: she is now back with Tom and very happy to see him and Daisy. We miss her.

Waterparks and swimming in Armenia

Yerevan is hot. The summer is not as long and intense as in Texas, but hot enough. While it cools down some at night, the days hover in the high 80's-90's and low 100's. We do have a pool at our house, but it has no filtration and has to be drained about every 2 weeks (I would prefer weekly, but it is not up to me). At least there is chlorine. The kids - especially the boys - jump in and out several times a day.

A few weeks' ago we went to Lake Sevan - a huge body of fresh water that covers a significant part of Armenia. It is lovely - surrounded by mountains with ancient monasteries in view. The water is very cold as the elevation is quite high.

We stay at this hotel on the lake that boasts of its own waterpark. The kids were thrilled - 3 whole days of swimming and two water slides! I was thrilled because I could sit by the pool, look up every few minutes and count 3 heads, and return to my book. Now for the reality: it didn't open until noon each day leaving about three hours to kill between breakfast and swimming. And even worse - the slides were for kids at least 10 years old. Madisen had no problem; shy Cole pretended he didn't understand when they asked him how old he was and scooted down just fine; but poor Austin was obviously not even close to 10. Even after I talked/motioned to the lifeguard that Austin could swim, he still couldn't go on. The first full day he watched Madisen and Cole Ryan slide down. The second day, the lifeguard got sick of his sad, pitiful face coming up and down the steps and finally let him go down. Austin was thrilled. And the lifeguards were relieved he could swim.

Now for our Yerevan waterpark experience. We pack up and go with Amy, Sonya, and their adorable new son, Jaden, who is 11 months,to THE waterpark in all of Armenia. Despite the fact that Austin measures exactly 120 cm - the cut off height to use all the slides - the waterpark refuses to give him the correct wrist band and he is stuck in kiddie land. I explain he can swim, I point to the measuring stick. All to no avail...he must stay in the kiddie area, may not go in the wave pool, and can't go on the big waterslides. So two of my kids can go on everything and one can't - a huge logistical headache for mom.

Next problem: glasses. You can't wear them at all. Amy can't see without hers and they are plastic lenses. That didn't matter - they wouldn't even let her stick her legs in the baby pool with them on. I had on cheap plastic sunglasses and had to take those off too.

After about 2 hours in full sun, I make the kids wear their t-shirts in the water. Two different lifeguards told me and the kids to take them off. I said no, pointed to the sky, said in Armenian "big sun", pointed to the kids' skin and said in Russian "red" and refused (I was adamant as the kids had already burned and peeled at Lake Sevan despite repeated sunscreen applications). At one point the lifeguard told me that I couldn't swim with a t-shirt on so I dove into the water and showed him I was quite capable of doing so and said the kids were too. After repeatedly asking why and pointing out other people who were wearing shorts, skirts, and even entire cover ups in the pool, they gave up and just pretended they didn't see us breaking the rules.

Next problem: Kiddie waterslides and Austin. Since he couldn't go down the big slides, the kiddie slides were his only option and not turned on until about 30 minutes before we left. Imagine lots and lots of children rushing to the top of the waiting area that serves 3 different slides with no identifiable line for each one. Now imagine one young lifeguard - obviously childless and just in the job to pick up teen age girls - trying to corral about 20-30 screaming, excited kids all of whom were cutting in front of each other. And then add the parents who were either trying to cut into line for their kids or yelling at the lifeguard for not letting their kid go down next (even when they had obviously cut in line). Now imagine Austin who had been taught at his Montessori school to stand in a proper line and was actually doing it. So Austin can't even get to the slide. I end up having to stand near him telling the kids who are trying to cut "che" or "nyet". He went down exactly three times before we left.

So, here are the rules at the only waterpark in the city of Yerevan: you can't wear clothing to protect yourself from the sun, you can't wear glasses to see, you can't wear sunglasses to prevent sun damage, you can't go down big waterslides unless you are more than 120 cm, and you practically have to fight with other children to get onto a kiddie slide.

But amazingly you don't have to know how to swim - and most people don't. Now, for babies and young children who are only permitted in shallow water, this is obviously not an issue. But here is what is amazing.....at every single slide, and at the trapeze bar, we were asked if we could swim. Cole was first asked and then Madisen. I chalked it up to them being kids. But when the lifeguard asked every one of us every single time.... I got the hint. So, when a person says they can't swim, the lifeguard at the top of the ride yells down to the lifeguard in the pool. The pool lifeguard meets the non-swimmer at the end of the slide or after dropping from the trapeze - from 10 ft above into 12 feet of water (!)- and escorts them out on an approved flotation device.

Oh yeah, babies are not required to wear swim diapers.

I think it is just easier - and maybe even cleaner - to swim in our MBG - mosquito breeding ground - that we call a pool.

Cute Armenian Animals

Here are some of the cute animals that we have seen.

Animals of Armenia and my last post

I am coming home in 6 days with my nana(if we get on all the flights)! I was supposed to be the only one coming home, but something happened with the tickets so now Cole may come home with me. I don't want Cole to come home. I will email everyone the pictures.

The dogs of Armenia. There are ALOT of them. First I will tell you about Rex. Rex is a German Shepard. He is owned by our Landlord. He lives in a 6x2 foot cage. He eats bread and water. Rex has NOTHING to play with, so when he gets bored he plays with his water bowl, and sometimes knocks the water out. My grandmother feels so sorry for him. When she came brought some bones up for him, he loved those.

We saw a dog in a church. I don't think he has a name, and I decided to call him Shiloh(After our Guinea pig that died). Shiloh was very cute. We fed him 3 beef jerky strips. He even rolled over so we could rub his belly which mom said later that that ment he trusted us.

We saw turtles on the street there were baby ones. We all held one.

We don't have a picture of this dog, but she was so cute! We saw her at the gas station. She was black and just getting her teeth in. We gave her some bread to chew on, and she loved it. She also rolled over on her back.

The dog with her puppies we saw in Georgia(not the state, the country). Alot of people fed her, I guess because her puppies were so cute. 1 time when we were walking by, she got up and left her puppies. We got to touch them. I went to go look for the mother, and she was sitting behind a homeless woman. I think the woman was very kind to the dog, and looked after her.

We also saw kittens. They were in the garage by our house. They were so cute! I can't really explain them, but their eyes were not opened. Cole is holding it when it is more grown.

We went to the zoo twice. It was small and was your average day zoo, until we came to the lions and tigers. The cages were so close that you could literally reach out and touch them. They did not have very much room, while the horses had alot. There was also a mother with her cubs.

There are alot more animals here, but there are so many I can't explain everything. Here is one more thing.

On the way to school there was a puppy and a dog. The puppy was half way across the street when a car came. The puppy stopped, and then made its way to the other side of the street while the dog crossed the street with the kids who were crossing the street with a crossing guard.

1 more thing. Piglets. We saw some piglets. This is the last picture. Aren't they cute? We saw them nursing but did not take a picture of that.

Madisen

Spa Resort in Jermuk

After hearing from my friend Marci about her long weekend with girlfriends at an Arizona spa, I decided to pack the kids up and go to Jermuk, a small resort town in central southern Armenia that is known for its healing waters and "sanatoriums". Jermuk became famous during Soviet times when people would book 18 day treatments. I booked a hotel that would not only feed and house all of us, but would also provide a doctor who would determine what needed to be fixed, prescribe "treatments", and order time in the healing mineral baths. The sanatoriums can supposedly treat dental diseases, diabetes, gallbladder, gastroenteric, gynaecological, kidney, liver, and nervous system diseases not to mention obesity, rhumatism, and salt deposits, disturbance of metaboloism and skin and allergetic problems. I was hooked although my boss, Sonya, who is from California and knows good spas, warned me not to get my hopes up too high.

We arrive and the hotel is a 2 story huge stone building that is still being constructed. It is new with lovely marble floors and strategically placed stain glass windows. I immediately panicked seeing all the things the kids could break. We go for dinner - lots of fresh salads and fruits, fresh bread, and delicious cherries and apricots. Heaven....

The first full day is when I see the doctor. As there is obviously a language barrier, a manager who knows rudimentary English accompanies me - and the kids because where else will they go- to the consultation. We go into a clean room with 2 empty chairs and a examination bed. The doctor sits behind a desk that looks out over the hotel grounds. An ashtray sits on his desk. I take the chair next to the desk. As the kids fight over who will sit in the other chair and Austin wanders around the room jumping on and off the examination table, the doctor asks me - through the barely English proficient manager- why I am there. I tell him that except for the self-imposed stress of taking care of three kids by myself, I am pretty healthy. Then I figure I better tell him something or I won't get treated. Hoping that he will determine that my medical status requires frequent massages and long, peaceful immersions in the famous Jermuk mineral water baths, I tell him my upper back, feet and heels hurt. He takes my blood pressure, pronounces it good, asks if I have any stomache, heart or allergy problems, and determines my course of treatment. So, the only "examination" is a series of questions and a blood pressure reading. He didn't even weigh me. He recorded his findings in a small pocket size book that I carried with me to take to my treatments.

Here's what he prescribed: mineral water bath, paraffin wax foot treatment, shoulder stimulation, and heel rub. I am ready for pampering....

I go for the heel treatment. I lay on my stomach, have to take my watch off (my sense is that if I didn't, I might get electrocuted), and the "nurse" turns on this Soviet looking machine that must be 30 years' old and rubs some kind of ointment on my heels with a warm metal probe. When the timer goes off, she moves to the next heel. For the shoulder treatment....warm pads are applied to my shoulders while I lay on my stomach. A similar looking machine to the heel machine has two pads which are placed on top of the warm pads. The nurse keeps asking when I feel "prickling". I finally feel something, but it is not even remotely helpful or soothing - just weird. The paraffin foot treatment was the best although it only focuses on the top part of my feet ignoring my toes, arches, and heels all of which felt quite neglected. The nurse puts paraffin wax paper on the tops of my feet, covers them in plastic, and then covers the plastic with a wool blanket. As with the heel and shoulder treatments, once the timer goes off, it is time to get up.

The following day was my first medically supervised mineral water immersion bath. After bribing the kids with ice cream, time at the playground, and threats of dire consequences should they misbehave, I go down to the baths with my bathing suit and book dreaming of the privacy, solitide, and hot soothing water. I was greeted by a stern looking 30ish woman who took my treatment book and told me to wait while she started my bath. About 5 minutes later, she motions for me to come into a white tiled room containing a clawfoot tub minus the clawfeet. After feeling the water several times, she pulls out a themomenter that must be 12 inches long to test the temperature of the water. According to the doctor, my condition dictates 36 degree C water. It must be 36 because she lets me get in while it continues to fill. I slide down so the water is over my shoulders, she looks horrified and motions for me to come back up - apparently full immersion is not part of the medical treatment. After about 4 minutes, she shuts off the water, places a sand hourglass in front of me, says "5 minutes then must get out" and leaves. The doctor had only given me 5 minutes in water that was slightly more than than lukewarm and the nurse enforced this with a "5 minute" glass that constantly taunted me that I didn't have much time to relax much less read. At least the kids are gone and it is quiet....After the 5 minutes are up (and I am stressed because I am counting them down by the second), I motion for a towel and she is suprised I didn't bring one. She hands me 3 dishtowels to dry myself off.

The next day, I skipped the treatments and bath and took the kids to the river and waterfall. It was far more relaxing watching them swim and sit in the natural hot springs than stressing over my treatments.

Shiloh, our Guinia Pig, gone for good

Shiloh's Dead. After 2 months with us, Shiloh had to be put to sleep.

We got Shiloh from Erica, mom's friend who returned to the US at the end of June. Shiloh was fun and happy for about 8 weeks. We got him when dad was here; we put him to sleep July 3. Here's the story:

After several really bad injuries at the playground, the rule was that Shiloh could not go outside without mom being present. While mom was searching the internet for cheap vacations to Turkey, Cole Ryan took Shiloh outside. I was sewing and told Cole to ask mom if he could. He didn't ask her. CR walked away while Austin "watched" him. Well, Austin left Shiloh on the stairs while he played in the yard and Shiloh took a tumble resulting in a chipped and bleeding tooth and a twisted back with hind legs that didn't work. I found Shiloh and started crying. We took him to his cage, gave him food, and kept watch.

Not being a guinea pig owner ever before, mom and I searched the internet for advice. There is a plethora of guinea pig lovers on the web so I posted a query. Here's what was advised: find an exotic animal vet who specializes in guinea pigs and have the vet x-ray Shiloh to determine if he broke his spine or just hurt himself. Now, we live in a developing country where finding a vet is difficult enough; finding one that specializes in guinea pigs, impossible. And finding one with x-ray equipment....well, let's just say that mom's friend Amy's cat had to have x-rays and Amy had to sneak the poor cat into the (human) hospital where the x-ray was taken. We didn't think that would work with a guinea pig.

Because he couldn't use his hind legs, he sat in his poo and pee and had to be bathed twice a day. I bathed him while mom cleaned the cage. I saw a little progress in him. He was moving both legs, and soon was putting weight on one. He started walking for food. I thought he could probably recover, but of course, I got jinxed. I got jinxed because when I got up he had Diahriah. We fed him to many tomatoes the night before I think. I also thought that maybe it was because his body was not working right.

No one wanted to bathe Shiloh but Armine helped......ALOT. He wouldn't eat anything, even grass( his favorite food). I called mom and she asked Armine to call the vet( to put him to sleep). She did, and the vet said it would cost 2000 dram( 6 dollars about). I was fine with the idea, because I knew he wouldn't suffer any more. Also because I knew I would feel horrible if I woke up in the morning to see him dead.

We all went to the vet, including Armine. The vet was very nice. His office was VERY weird. First of all, it was totally outside with a port-a-potty. There were covered tables for the rain, and lots, and lots of plants. There was also a swimming pool. The vet smoked. Before Shiloh died, the vet gave mom some flowers, like a funeral. We said our goodbyes to Shiloh, and then he died with a shot(of course we were not looking).

Madisen

Austin's Escalator Ride...and ER visit

Thursday night, we head to the metro to go to a music festival downtown. The plan is to meet Barbara, the newest liaison, at the next metro stop and then head to Republic Square. I call Barbara and tell her we are at the metro and will be at her stop in about 5 minutes. We never make it.

The Soviets built the metro - it is old, clean, cheap ($.14)and is the usual way we travel downtown so the kids have been on it countless times. The escalators are very fast and very steep. A person - usually a woman - sits in a glass booth at the top and bottom of the escalators and watch people all day long go up and down.

Austin was doing his normal figeting and trying to tell me sometime. As I move closer and about to tell him to move his foot away from the side of the escalator, the heel of his tennis shoe gets caught between the bottom of the step and the side of the wall. He starts whining and trying to get his foot out. I try and when it doesn't budge, I have flashes of the steps crushing his ankle as it flattens and start screaming (in English) STOP! STOP! and waving my arms. When the escalator keeps going, Madisen starts running down the escalator to bang on the glass booths.

It stops. Scores of men start running to us, I point to Austin's foot, and start explaining in English. Luckily, it was pretty obvious what was going on. Austin is crying and scared; Cole Ryan and Madisen are scared, but are quiet and let me try to calm Austin who is feeling his foot being tugged out of the huge steel jaws. The metro men pull out a couple of crow bars, untie his shoe, and then work his foot out. It hurts him, but it is not serious. One man picks Austin up like a baby (a 55-60 pound baby) and starts running up the other escalator and motions for us to follow. Austin is placed in an office, given water, ice, and a fan, and then the questions start. I try to call Armine but the cell phone doesn't work and the phone sitting on the desk apparently doesn't make outside calls. The main guy eventually goes outside. Turns out that the man is afraid that I will file some kind of report against them. By that time, I was so grateful that my son's foot was not crushed and was only bruised, everyone had reacted quickly, that filing a report or a lawsuit was beyond my comprehension. He insists that Austin go to the clinic and we hear sirens in the background.

The next adventure: ambulence ride through Yerevan. Austin is placed on a stretcher and the three of us sit next to him with the nurse at his head. There are no seatbelts, no signs of first aid other than the stretcher that Austin is lying on, the driver is smoking, and the van is dirty. It was a far cry from the ambulence that Cole was in when he bashed his head on the side of the pool last year. After the ambulence almost rammed into a car a couple of times, we arrive at the hospital. They put Austin in a wheelchair and we follow him into a room. A really nice young doctor comes in, speaks some English, and asks Austin if he can walk. Austin gets up and walks awkwardly, but is fine. The doctor tells us to go home.

Austin decides that he doesn't want to go home, but wants to go to the musical festival instead. After a quick jaunt to check out the music - with Austin walking a bit and then getting a piggy back ride from me - we go home - by taxi.

Follow up: we rode the metro 2 days later and Austin is very, very aware of where his feet are on the steps. And he didn't have flashbacks.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Madisen, Cole Ryan, Austin and I went to Tbilisi by train at the end of May. Sounds adventurous and exciting, huh? The reality was much different....

The distance between Yerevan and Tbilisi is about a 6-7 hour drive depending on the border. The train is at least 15 hours and stops at EVERY town, village, and random place between the two cities - not to mention stopping at customs on both borders (for some reason the two are about 30-45 minutes away) for ungodly amounts of time. On the way back, the kids had enough time to feed the stray dogs, buy delicious cherries, find a store in town, make lifelong friends, and ask at least 250 times, "when is the train going to go?"


As I had been previously warned about the train conditions, we had a sleeping compartment - 4 sleeping berths in one private compartment. There were two upper berths and two lower ones. The train had not been updated since Armenia gained independence in the early 1990's - grimy windows, very old bed cushion and pillows, and threadbare rug. Luckily, we had clean sheets that smelled strongly of chlorine (actually, we were supposed to pay for them, but the conductor on the way to Tbilisi passed out within about an hour of our departure and I snagged four sets and blankets thinking that they were included). I was warned to use the bathroom early and not drink much as it had probably not been cleaned since the collapse of the USSR. I smugly thought we could handle any bathroom - I had a packet of portable Charmin toilet seat covers (thanks Susie), a daughter with a good attitude, two boys who will go just about anywhere, and personal experience in a disgusting Egyptian train 20 years' ago. Erica, a friend with two young boys and lots of train traveling experience throughout the former Soviet Union, advised me to bring a "pee jar" for emergencies. Thankfully my kids were up for just about anything and the boys thought peeing in a jar was a great new way to go to the bathroom. We survived the ordeal, but it is not something that either Madisen or I want to repeat.


The border crossing is pretty brutal as the customs guards wake everyone at 5:00 a.m. to check the compartment, luggage, passport, etc. One guard had the gall to ask me if I had anything else in our one suitcase except clothes. Did he not see there were three children tagging along? What exactly did he expect? After 2 hours at the Armenian border, we did the whole thing again on the Georgian side for another hour and a half.


We finally arrive in Tbilisi, hail a taxi and go to our bed & breakfast. As we walk into the place exhausted, CR trips and falls breaking the glass pee jar on the white marble steps. Thank God it was empty, he was not hurt, and we couldn't explain what it was even if we had wanted to. Our room was not yet ready so we sit in the lovely parlor with old European aristocrats framed in gold staring down at us, delicate hand painted glass and china vases, bowls, and sculpture surrounding us while our hostess plays - and sings - Georgian children's songs on a white Steinway baby grand piano. I try to be polite and smile; the kids are zombies and just stare. While our hostess must think they are unfriendly children with poor taste in music, I am relieved that at least they are not a threat to the objects d'art in the room.

The next couple of days we check out the fortress high above Tbilisi. Madisen has no real interest in climbing to the top and sits down in the shade of the church; the boys want to go everywhere despite the heat and perilous drops. We make it up and down and then go to one of the only mosques in the city. Austin gets a big kick out of the headscarves that Madisen and I wear and the fact that we all go barefoot while inside. Next, the sulpher baths which have been around for hundreds of years. We have our own room for an hour and I get a "bath" and a "massage" by some large Russian woman armed with a bucket of soapy water, horse hair wash "cloth," and a desire to show who is in charge. She orders the kids out (they actually listen) and my bathing suit pretty much off. Then the massage: part hitting, part beating, part trying to rub my skin off the bones. I come out and the kids have wrapped themselves like Romans in the sheets that were our towels, but Austin has not gotten the message that the wrap should also cover up his private parts. So, the sheet/towel covers his entire body except the parts that should be covered. Madisen takes a picture. It will not be posted.

Going to Georgia.......NOT the state

We went to Georgia about 2 weeks ago. It was fun, but unfortunately, we went on a train instead of an airplane......

The Train was gross. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned out since it was built. There were 4 bunks, two on top and two on the bottom. There was a foldout table and a disgusting window. When we first got on the train and into the cabin,Cole said "I wish I could live in here my entire life", he changed his mind in a little bit. Once the train finally got started, we ate. Armine had made some meat and potato things which we ate. We also had brought cheese, bread, eggs(for in the morning), coke, juice, water, beef jerky and maybe a few other things I can't remember.

After we ate, the boys wanted to put the bunks down(mom had put them up when we got on) and mom said just one. We put it down, and started to play on it. It was fun to play on the bunk, but got tiring. I liked to just lay down and look out the window, but the bunk was to small for all of us to fit on it. Cole and Austin liked to go up and down...It got VERY annoying.

Soon we figured out there was no electricity...I started to read Eldest immediately. We played a little bit more and then Austin said "I need to go to the bathroom" Mom took him to the bathroom. There is only one word for it DISGUSTING. I am going to start describing it so skip the next paragraph if you don't want to know about it.

The Bathroom was gross. There was pee all over the walls and you wouldn't want to touch anything. It was small but there was a sink, toilet and a hole in the floor for something. The sink didn't work and the toilet didn't flush...gross.

Luckily, we had brought a pee jar so we wouldn't have to go in the bathroom. Cole and Austin went in the bathroom and I looked in it. Mom of course had to go in the bathroom with the boys.

After that we played some more on the bunks. Then mom went to go get the sheets and blankets. She said the sheet guy was asleep so she just grabbed them. Mom just wanted to throw the sheets and blankets on the bunk, but I decided to make the bunk up. Then the electricity came on and mom decided to read Captain Underpants and Shiloh to the boys who were on the top bunks. I read Eragon outside of our compartment for awhile. I came back in and then I got into bed. After mom was finished reading to the boys, we all went to bed. I was really cold while I kind of slept. Cole and Austin and I got sleep, but mom didn't.

In the morning, we ate eggs and sweet bread. We stopped at the borders about 5:00 on the Armenian side for about 2 hours and then on the Georgian side for another 2 hours. While we were on the Georgian side, we fed a dog one egg who looked like it had been in a fight. A big while later we were moving again. Before we got to Georgia, Tblisi, I had to go pee. I decided not to use the toilet, but to use the pee jar, so I told everyone to get out of the room. I finally went, and I filled the jar up halfway full, I had to pee ALOT. We finally got to tblisi.

I will write more about Tblisi later, but I think it is mom's turn to write.

The pictures are of us eating on the train, Austin and I waiting for the train, and the boys on the bunk.

Madisen

Tom's Trip

Tom arrived on April 28 and stayed three wonderful, glorious, two-parent weeks. Although he arrived in Yerevan around 2:00 a.m., he hit the ground running the next morning. The kids woke him up very early and couldn't believe he was actually here. I had the same sensation. We took him to see sights in Yerevan: the Genocide memorial, a park near our house, the philharmonic orchestra, yum-yum donughts, Grand Candy, the Georgian restaurant across the street, Opera Square, the Metro, and too may trips to square 1 restaurant (kids convinced him to buy him ice cream, brownies and milkshakes - it is a very "American" place). Armine, aka my sanity savior, had us all over for dinner at her house the following day. We drank all kinds of homemade vodka and ate lots of very good Armenian food while looking out over the city.

Then our big trip: The Lori valley - about 3 hours from Yerevan. We took a marshrutka (shared mini-van) and it dropped us off right outside the beautiful Tufenkian hotel next to a raging Dvorzet river and complete with indoor swimming pool. It was heaven. Because a man on the marshrutka told us that the dead writer, Hovannes Tumanian's, house was just up the mountain from where we were staying and the mountain didn't look too big, we decided to hike it the next morning. We set out with water, a few snacks, hats, sunscreen, etc. We thought it would take 30 minutes. We walked over railroad tracks, past a small stream, and up, up, up. We thought it quaint when we saw a penned in part of the mountain with cows and piglets eating. That's about where Madisen lost it and refused to go one step further. Cole lost it about 30 minutes later. Austin had already lost it, but we agreed to carry him for a little while to placate him. Two hours later after begging, pleading, bribing with a taxi ride and ice cream home - and then pointing out to each of them that going down would actually take longer - we walked through several cow pastures to find the only paved road was just outside Tumanian's house. While it was interesting to see how someone in the late 1880's lived (when he was a child), it was not worth going up a mountain for. Tom pulled out the food and fed the hungry beasts. We tried to find a taxi. Nothing. We tried to find ice cream - didn't have it. We asked how to get back down - they pointed to a shortcut through a few different pastures that would take us down the same mountain that we had just climbed up. We got back to the hotel and the kids stayed in the pool the rest of the day.

On the same trip, we saw Haghpat and Sanahin churches. Both are UNESCO world heritage sites and pretty amazing. We swung by Lake Sevan on the way home, but it was rainy and cold - didn't even attempt to get into the water. We did, however, eat well.

On the last night Tom was here, we went to Opera square and hung out with the kids. The pictures from top to bottom: Tom and Cole at a nearby playground, Tom with kids in front of Madisen and Cole Ryan's school, everyone at the Genocide Memorial (check out those flowers!), and Tom and Austin at the Georgian restaurant.

Single parenthood

For all of you parents and even people who just want to give their opinons, feel free to inundate me with advice because I can use all the help you can give.

What exactly is the logical consequence for boys who take the wet mop that is supposed to be drying, treat it either as a broomstick (like Harry Potter) or just starting beating the cement with it thereby just about shredding it? What about a child (Austin) who throws black bean juice all over the kitchen just because it is fun? Or, a child who refuses to wear shoes just socks, goes outside, gets on a tricycle made for a two year old and goes down using his feet as brakes thereby ripping holes in his socks? (This would be Cole who has a serious sensitivity to sock seams; we are now down to 2 pairs and I know we can't get the seamless ones here.) Or my most recent favorite.... throwing water on your brother way past bedtime. Oh yes, and Madisen. She's tricky b/c she is quick to blame the boys, antagonize them, or deliberately tell them something just so they get upset (She gleefully broke the news to them that she tossed the tricyle over our wall).

I try making them clean up their messes, the tricycle disappeared, and CR struggles with not always having socks at his disposal, but I tell you, their ability to create chaos is far better than any logical consequences that I can come up with. And when there is three of them and one of me.... well let's just say that I am thrilled Tom is visiting next week. Please wish me sanity.

Zaghatsor......again

We went to Zaghatsor again. It was fun, but it was a short trip.

Once we were in the town Zaghatsor, we went to a hotel called writers workshop. The hotel supposedly didn't have any room, so we went to another hotel. There was room in that hotel, and stayed there. Our room was big, compared to the hotel rooms at home. There was the living room, a bedroom, a room for jackets and the bathroom. The bathroom was o.k, but the thing I liked the most was the jakoosy tub. There were 3 twin beds, plus a fold out couch.

After we ate lunch of soup, mom decided that we should go see a church, at the top of a hill. After 30 minutes of resting, we went. First we had to climb up a steep road, and then walk for a little ways. On the way to the church, a dog came by probably looking for food. It looked like it was nursing. Once Cole, Austin and mom got to the church, they had to wait for me to catch up. I was wearing boots around an inch off the ground. Mom and the boys were wearing tenishoes, and they said the wished they had brought snow boots because snow was on the ground, But I wished I had brought tennishoes.

There were 3 stone churches, built in different times. They were all stoney, and dark except for the last one which was used for church sevices.

After we looked at those, we went on to the ski lift, at least a mile away and almost all uphill, my feet were aching so much after that. After walking 45-1 hour almost all uphill, we reached the ski lift, it was not moving. Mom asked a guy if he would do it for us, and he nodded. We sat down, and he took a picture, and walked away. Mom said neretseg (excuse me) and pointed to go up. He said chi, which means no. So then mom asked if it was open on Sunday, it was open from 10-3, so we walked down the hill.

I got back and started the jakoosy, and got my bathing suit on. Mom said it takes so long to fill up that we might want to go in together with our bathing suits on, so I agreed but I kind of wished I could be in there alone. After the jakoosy we ate dinner.

After dinner of chicken, we wanted something sweet. We started to walk, and then Austin got a bloody nose. All mom had was a bag, so she held it against his nose. She took it off and he looked really funny, we laughed. Then I ran back to the hotel to get a tishuo. We went walking up the steep road again, and got some cookies, chocolate and yogurt drinks for in the morning because breakfast was at 10.

Mom took a bath, the boys went to bed and I started to read. Once mom got out, she read for a little while, and I finished my book. I woke up to talking because Cole and Austin of couse were awake.

After breakfast we walked to the ski lift again, and it was moving. Mom had a 20,000 and for us to go on it was 1,000 per person. She needed change, so she went to get it. We had brought food from breakfast for some dogs, and there were 8 or 9 of them here, both puppies and adults.

We got on the ski lift and went up the mountain. It was fun but cold. We had to change seats to go back down but everything else was fine.

After that we walked back to the hotel, and went home in a taxi.

The pictures at the top are of Austins nose bleed, Mountains and buildings taken from the ski lift, us on the lift and Austin and me on the ski lift.

madisen

Legal Clinics

I have GOT to remember that legal education here is so vastly different than back home. Part of my job is to set up a new clinic. We started discussions with a private European based university to open a clinic focused on human rights. The university liked the idea, was enthusiastic about finding good staff to run the clinic, has a very Western bent, and everyone was excited.

Our vision: Under the supervision of a practicing attorney (an "advocate" in Armenia) a law student would represent poor people who would not otherwise have legal representation. Students obtain valuable practical experience, the university offers a course that is not common in Armenia, the private bar is not harmed because the client is too poor to pay, vulnerable populations have a voice, and the poor person has real representation. Everyone wins.

Their vision: hire a director to work on policy, an assistant director to work on day to day clinic staff, an adminsitrator to administrate, and a bunch of professors to teach. For ten students. For just consultations (see below). And not hire an advocate who knows his/her way around the court system.

We spent 30 minutes discussing why the clinic's director could not also work as a criminal investigator for the Armenian government. The conflict you non-lawyers might ask? It would be like a district attorney responsible for prosecuting criminal cases representing criminal defendants on the side. A real good way for a lawyer to be disbarred or sued. The university director tried to convince us that while it might be unethical in the US and Europe, it was ok in Armenia, the proposed individual was very ethical and knows whether abuses have occurred, and the University director would make sure no conflict existed. Keep in mind that one of the big issues in Armenia is corruption and the average person has very valid reasons to distrust the legal system.

And then the other issue: they want to just provide consulting, not representation. Because it would be too hard for students. Because private attorneys would be upset that students were taking business away from them. And once people are informed their rights have been violated, they can then take matters into their own hands. So, the clinic would tell a torture victim that torture is against international and Armenian law. And now that the victim has the knowledge that his human rights were violated, he can now take on the Armenian government.

No real need for an advocate then.

We are still looking.

Obviously an American

I have given up trying to blend in. It is impossible. First, none of us look remotely Armenian - they tend to be thin, olive skinned, dark eyed and extremely well dressed. The women teeter on 3-4 inch -spiked-heels-with-pointy-toes boots even when it is icy. Boots/shoes match the outfit perfectly. Armenians wear nice clothes and uncomfortable shoes while commuting; then change into comfy shoes at work. Children don't have ripped clothes or holes in their jeans (that would be Austin who is on a quest to destroy or stain every single piece of clothing that he has).

My office mate, Liana, says that if I were to not wear a backpack, then perhaps I could pass as European. I have given up the backpack, but started wearing tennis shoes.

Here you go to the store, point/motion/talk to a saleslady behind the counter and they get you what you want. It is quite civilized compared to HEB on a Sunday afternoon.

Most everyone knows Armenian and Russian. Imagine learning 2 languages and alphabets while in elemetary school and being fluent in both. My colleagues also know English and usually another language or two.

I am teaching my new friends key American-English phrases: my Russian teacher Larissa likes "couch potato" and introduced it to her colleagues so now many Armenian children will incorporate that phrase into their English lexicon.

I am attaching a picture of Austin performing in his pre-school Easter musical. It has nothing to do with this subject, but hey, I am a proud mom.

Lori

Noravank & Selim Caravanserai

Here's a picture of the two story church/monastary that Madisen wrote about and why the kids think it is so cool to climb up the narrow, steep, and no railing stairs.

The other picture is the entrance to Selim Caravanserai. Imagine driving for an hour on a two lane deserted "highway" up, through, and around mountains to find this place. When the taxi driver pulled over next to a snowbank and pointed out a building barely visible, I thought he was joking. We traipsed through about 4 feet of snow to find the one entrance to the place (only one entrance to deter thieves so says the guidebook). The Selim Caravanseri was on the ancient trade routes and is where merchants would meet to feed their horses (?), etc. while they traded with other merchants. It was dark, dank, cold and would have been much worse in the 14th century as the animals were inside with the people.

Next chapter: gross 60-70 Armenian man with horrible breath hitting on American single mom with three kids riding in martshrutka (shared minivan-taxi) using Armenian man who spoke a little English as interpreter.