Armenia to me...
…is bumpy driving past dry, barren land, clear skies above and Mount Ararat in the distance. Armenia to me is good food and hospitality, neighbors living in each other’s pockets, coffee and excitable chatter over snacks. Armenia is signs in two or three languages, old Soviet movies on TV, worried faces and lots of laughter. It’s preserved fruit in the winter and salty yogurt drinks in the summer, old monuments and national pride; it’s boasts that everything originated in Armenia and laughing discussions over how much Armenian blood different famous people have. It’s cheap taxis and homemade wine by the roadside, carved goods and Megerian carpets; it’s backgammon and chess and traditional song. It’s a country of warmth and laughter and care, of eating all hours of the day and staying up late, of family and community.
