Category Archives: Language

Double Trouble

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Liz Barron

Robert zoomed by his mother as she was painting her nails. He knocked the coffee table with his toy truck and nearly sent her bottle of blue nail polish flying. “Don’t do that” said Aleta. (She says it a lot. … Continue reading →

Posted in Armenia, Cross-cultural understanding, drinking, Language, Language learning, Vodka | Leave a comment

Awkward

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Liz Barron

Are you married? No Why not? (Laugh) No one asked me. (This is not true) But you have had a boyfriend? Yes  Do you have a brother? Yes, I have a brother and a sister and I have two children.  … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Armenia, Beauty, Cross-cultural understanding, Embarrassment, errors of judgement, family, identity, Language, personal failings, Race, Women | Leave a comment

The language of love: meet my best friend in Armenia

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Liz Barron

Elsa got past me this morning to hang a last load of my laundry on the line by the backdoor. She is very particular about pegging out. Underwear is discretely strung next to the pear tree,  and dark or colored … Continue reading →

Posted in Armenia, Beauty, Cross-cultural understanding, family, Food, friendship, joy, know thyself, Language, love, personal failings, Things that gladden the heart, Women | 7 Comments

The Fool English

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Liz Barron

My infirmities have forced me to spend a lot of time in front of Armenian TV in the last few days and so I can report in detail on the schedule of the network channels.  There are prime time Hayastan … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Armenia, art, Ashton Kutcher, Brad Pitt, Cross-cultural understanding, Film industry, Hollywood, Language, Language learning, Literacy, Shakespeare, Television | Leave a comment

Bubble Trouble

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Liz Barron

I have been trying to make the perfect bubble mix in preparation for a community event on Sunday. The recipe promises giant, long-lasting rainbowed spheres and calls for ingredients including baking powder, cornstarch and glycerine in addition to liquid detergent … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Armenia, Beauty, Cross-cultural understanding, errors of judgement, friendship, Games, Great weekends, joy, Language, Language learning, Peace Corps, personal failings, Things that gladden the heart, Village life | 3 Comments

Lost for words. No happy endings. 

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Liz Barron

Let me start by saying that I know English is a nightmare to learn, what with all our irregular verbs and silent letters and eccentric colloquial quirks. Compared to English, Armenian is easy. Most verbs conform as though drilled by … Continue reading →

Posted in Armenia, Cross-cultural understanding, Education, Language, Language learning, Learning, personal failings | Leave a comment

Spin the Bottle and Speed Dating, Armenian Style

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Liz Barron

We have played Jeopardy and a saliva-free version of Spin the Bottle. We have danced to mnemonic rhymes. We have brought in family pictures and discussed them at length. We have done it all in Armenian as part of our … Continue reading →

Posted in Armenia, Cross-cultural understanding, Education, Language, Learning, Village life, Women | Leave a comment