The Armenians

After seven months in Armenia, I decided to cut short my year to spend time in France. I am going to be living with a few families, working on their small farms and sharpening up my language skills.

Four days ago I took a 41 hour bus ride from Yerevan to Istanbul. On the bus with me was one French girl. The rest were Armenians mostly involved in the fabric and clothing business. They buy cheap clothes in Istanbul once a month making, in four days, an 82 hour round trip travel excursion. I can't quiet explain how surreal it is to enter Turkey (of course via Georgia due to the closed border) with a bus full of Armenians....and not diaspora Armenians like myself. Mostly tough looking women in their 50s from Yerevan. The road through Turkey was mostly along the Black Sea. We stopped nearly five times. Sitting drinking tea and coffee with these older women near lovely mosques along the water will be forever imprinted in my mind. In my limited Armenian we exchanged many conversations. Repeatedly it was said that no animosity existed towards the Turks. They viewed them as business partners. Most of their grandparents were Genocide survivors. Many of their families once lived in Eastern Turkey.

I feel like I am echoing the annoying, overly simplified, articles from the Economist or WSJ imploring that the borders be opened due to economic reasons, but I leave Armenia feeling just this.

I stayed in Istanbul for two nights. Here is one of the Armenian churches not too far from Galata Tower.



I am now in Athens before heading to France. Wandering the streets today I ran smack into an Armenian church.



I haven't been away long enough to reflect on my experiences in Armenia and this ramble that I am doing right now isn't exactly capturing my feelings. But overall, I am left with a profound sense of having lived amongst a proud people with deep roots. The Armenians, with their sad eyes and expressive eyebrows, are survivors.

For those of you that read my blog bless your souls for dealing with my stream of consciousness.