We finally made it home and shopped for some food for dinner. I had decided earlier that I was going to make some Mexican food for the other volunteers and my family. After catching some curious stares as the sweaty, muddy Americans speaking Armenian and shopping for food, we broke for showers, which were desperately needed. David and I had a great time making the tortilla chips, and the rest was as simple as chopping tomatoes and browning meat. Dinner was delicious, if I do say so myself. My family seemed to enjoy it, and there weren’t any leftovers. My host mother, sister, and tateak sat with us all for coffee. It was hilarious. I am pretty sure I haven’t laughed that much in a very long time. It was decided that one of the other volunteers was going to read all of our coffee cups and tell us our fortune. Someone, I think my sister, had a lot of stuff going on (read: teller rambling on), and in the middle of the telling my tateak announced pretty firmly that after that sentence the cup was finished, it was time for the teller to move on. I about died. The entire table, both Armenians and Americans, erupted into a laughter that lasted at least 5 minutes. It was a quick trip to back to my site mate’s that night, for a few hands of cards until David walked me home. I had an early morning (again, after a late night) and wanted to be nice and rested for the much anticipated Animal Carnival in Yerevan the next day.
Woke up, without hitting snooze, Sunday morning and cooked up some oatmeal before heading to school. It took us about 1 ½ hours to load all the costumes and all the kids onto the bus, and it was off to Yerevan for the Dilijan Sunchild Eco-Club. We had worked on these costumes for months, and you could tell that everyone was very excited for the big day to finally be here. It took us a couple of hours to get to Yerevan, and when we did everyone was stoked to scramble off the hot bus. A few of the mum’s brought us to Grand Candy for a funnel cake type food. I could feel my arteries clogging as I ate it, but I figure I had to eat it at least once while I am here. When we finished eating, we went back to the square where all the groups were congregating and everyone mingled until we were called a few hours later to get some lunch. We were one of the last to eat, and that made the changing clothes situation on the bus right after just a bit frantic and chaotic. But we did it; I even managed to get pictures of all the animals grouped together. They lined the individual groups up in groups of two, with some type of musical act in between each. We were lucky to be placed near a group of Germans, who were playing some great Brazilian beats the entire time. They were fantastic, and one of my favorite moments was when this little Armenian boy walked up to the drum as large as himself and just started wailing on it, much to the amazement of the large German man holding it. I think everyone was impressed.
When we finally started walking, it was incredible. Between the music surrounding us and the enthusiasm of the children and the crowds, you could tell that we were having an impact. We walked through Yerevan, stopping traffic and drawing crowds. Parents and newspeople scrambled to get pictures, myself included. I was very proud of all of the work my children had done, and it was clear to see the children were proud of themselves. It made the last few months of frustrations worth it.
We walked through Yerevan until we all congregated around three large animal sculptures made entirely of plastic bottles. It was impressive day, but the kids were hot and tired and getting cranky…it was time to go. We walked back to the meeting point and sat for a while waiting for the bus. After everyone was changed, I handed out dinner to all of the very tired children, and their just as exhausted parents. After eating, everyone was feeling much better, so we decided to walk to Republic Square to take some pictures before heading back to Dilijan. It was a gorgeous night, and everyone had a lot of fun. We even ran into some Philipino men, who just as enthusiastically wanted pictures with Armenians as the Armenians wanted pictures with them. After overcoming the initial shock (We are spoiled by the diversity in America), I played translator. Found out that most of the Philipino men thought I was Armenian with great English skills, and boy, were they shocked when I told them I was American. After giving one of the men my email address so he could send me the pictures, we all scrambled back to the bus for the long ride home.
On the bus I had time to sleep, but also to reflect on weekend. The big realization was that it was worth it. All of the frustration over communication issues, time schedules, and costume preparation was worth it. All of the every day frustration of missing my family and friends, the amenities of home, and having a normal life is worth it. Living in another country where I have control over so little, and deal every day with trying to fit and adjust is worth it. Just to see the sense of accomplishment in the children while they were walking in their costumes, to see the amount of people stopped on the street and watching us. I know that being there made a difference that day, even if it made just a few people think a little differently about their trash, or the environment around them. I was proud to be a part of that.
And as always…some shout outs:
Brit F- I miss you and I am here for you, even if I can’t call you every day. Much love lady.
Eric- You are a rock for me. Know that, and know that you are awesome and I love you.
Mem and Gramp- Thank you for the letters, they are one of the few regularly scheduled things in my life, and I cherish them. And yes, I will keep them all until I come home.
Mr. and Mrs. T – I, and my fellow volunteers, thank you for the candy, again. Keep an eye on the kiddies for me, and I thought, Mr. T, that I was in first place when I left? What happened to that?
Sarah Z- Did you get my letter yet??? Ugh.
Lor- Thanks for the talk, I needed it. Don't kill Rosco, and enjoy planning your wedding. It should be a good time, don't forget that!
No comments:
Post a Comment