Monthly Archives: June 2018

What kind of woman are you?

 Armine who works at SOSE sat beside me and translated in a whisper. My toddler Armenian meant I couldn’t say much and anyway a loud-mouthed American braying in her own language wasn’t really what was wanted. But the discussion about … Continue reading

Posted in America, Armenia, family, fashion, feminism, life lessons, sexism, Weddings, Women, work, young women | 2 Comments

Finding our true American voices

I lie in bed reading poems, trying to pick just the right one for a class at our Creative English camp. From the phone beside me miserable news streams from the United States. I come across Walt Whitman’s ” I … Continue reading

Posted in America, America singing, Armenia, BBC, BBC World Service, Borders, Emigration, Peace Corps, Peace Corps Armenia, Poetry, Walt Whitman | 2 Comments

Death by Apricots

I bought them in the Ararat supermarket. The packets of what I thought were almonds were displayed beside the boxed dates. Bianca and I had new potatoes, asparagus and salad for dinner, eased down by butter, lemon juice and half … Continue reading

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It’s the little things

In a week filled with sweeping landscapes, big names and history lessons spanning 6 millennia, it is the tiny details that stay special. At Karahunj, Armenia’s stone henge I mooched among the wildflowers and was blanketed by the birdsong that … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Armenia, armenia’s revolution, Borders, dwarf iris Armenia, entrepreneurship, Food, Goris, Great weekends, Karahunj, Lake Sevan, Mount Ararat, russian soldiers Armenia, Syunik Marz, Things that gladden the heart, Things that make a difference, travel, Village life, wild flowers Armenia | Leave a comment