It takes a long time to really know people here and feel comfortable with them knowing you (partly because you have to sit through the usual long questionnaire about yourself) that when others invite you in to their house, it is easier sometimes to just decline. I know I not only speak for myself but for other Peace Corps Volunteers - we are somewhere in between living and coping and assimilation and detachment. But in any case, I try to say yes as much as I can. Today I was stopped by a woman I don't know too well and I decided to take up her coffee offer. I left with a feeling of serene discovery and here are a few pictures I took from the 45 minutes I stayed.
2 comments:
"we are somewhere in between living and coping and assimilation and detachment"
That seems to me to be exactly right. I actually said something close to this when I was helping out another volunteer a while back, that as much as we try to assimilate or integrate here, two years just isn't enough for us to fully do that and so we always stand a bit apart.
I've been trying lately to do the same as you; when I meet new Armenians while hiking (it's the only time I really meet new Armenians, because Vanadzor's too big of a place for random people to stop me and invite me in) and they invite me in, I've been trying more to accept their invitations. I had a lovely time a few weeks ago doing just this; a woman invited me to come in for coffee on my way back down from the mountain and I accepted. It reminded me both of how much suffering there is in this country--the family was living on extremely limited means and the father was long dead--but how good the people are in the face of it all.
apress john-jan. i'm glad you're making the most of the little time we have left. i agree, these people are unforgettable.
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