Category Archives: Mount Ararat

Twin Peaks

Heavy lifting. It’s what bras are for, and all of mine in Armenia had proved unequal to the task. Of the six I brought with me from home , one had pinched from the get-go, two had lost a wire … Continue reading

Posted in Ararat, Armenia, Beauty, Blessings, bras, clothes, Cross-cultural understanding, Design, Embarrassment, fashion, friendship, gratitude, Khor Virap, Mount Ararat, Peace Corps Armenia, personal failings, shopping, Social niceties, Things that gladden the heart, Things that make a difference, travel, Underwear, visitors, Women | Leave a comment

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

Seeing Armenia with fresh eyes. Part one

It feels like I spent a week on the waltzers and in truth, I am still a bit giddy. Part of me blames Charles Masraff of Armenian Wine Importers Ltd who introduced me to Trinity 6100 Rose, a most delicious pale … Continue reading

Posted in Armenia, Armenian art, Armenian writers, art, Beauty, chess, craft activities, Cross-cultural understanding, drinking, eating out, Food, friendship, Fundraising, gratitude, Great weekends, History, Jermuk, joy, love, Mount Ararat, National pride, Nature, Peace Corps, Soviet Union, Things that gladden the heart, Things that make a difference, travel | 2 Comments

Arts in Armenia: A Beginner’s Guide

Hooked on Trivia? Compulsive when it comes to crosswords? Proud of your performance at the pub quiz? Don’t risk being caught out by a question on the arts in Armenia–it could come up at any time. I am as fond … Continue reading

Posted in apricots, Armenia, Armenian art, Armenian writers, art, Beauty, Candy, Caucausus, Cross-cultural understanding, Crosswords, fashion, Film industry, General knowledge, Hollywood, identity, Mount Ararat, National pride, Nostalgia, Peace Corps, Rosemary Clooney, Stalin, Syunik Marz, travel, Trivia, Writing | Leave a comment

Armenia the Beautiful

Video credit: Peace Corps Volunteer Olivia Route. Olivia’s short film about her springtime in Armenia is less than five minutes long and worth watching. Everyday for the last couple of months she has recorded a few seconds of footage on her … Continue reading

Posted in Armenia, Beauty, Caucausus, Cross-cultural understanding, family, Food, joy, Mount Ararat, Peace Corps, Social niceties, Syunik Marz, travel, Vacation spots, Village life, Women | Leave a comment

Some dance to remember. Some dance to forget.

We are not allowed to travel after dark. We may not leave our villages without permission. We will never drive a car in our country of service. The rules governing the lives of incoming Peace Corps Volunteers are strict and … Continue reading

Posted in Armenia, Borders, Cooking, Cross-cultural understanding, family, Food, friendship, Great weekends, joy, Mount Ararat, Peace Corps, Politics, shopping, travel, Village life, Women | 1 Comment

Jam tomorrow. Lavash every day. 

One of the great things about living in Armenia is that there are no rules about breakfast. In my past life,  I was used to being denied cherry cake before noon and nobody liked it when I finished off cold … Continue reading

Posted in Armenia, Cross-cultural understanding, family, Food, Mount Ararat, travel, Village life | Leave a comment

From Anne Arundel County to Armenia: Week One as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

I have a view of Mount Ararat from my bedroom near Artashat in Armenia. The mountain, the national icon of Armenia, is now in territory claimed by Turkey, but the people here still consider it very much their own. The … Continue reading

Posted in America, apricots, Armenia, family, Food, friendship, Mount Ararat, Peace Corps, personal failings, travel | 4 Comments