Monday, May 16, 2005

I met my Aunt’s friends this evening. I had my best meal to date in Armenia. Sofia prepared dolma, a cucumber and tomato salad, siderk (an Armenian type of green that is very healthy) and a wonderful rice krispy treat like desert. They are eager for me to move in and I think I will take them up on the offer. They have a beautiful home and they are incredibly warm and gracious. I feel a little bad leaving Tsovinar and Tigran, but I really felt at home with these people. Tomorrow I will be meeting with two potential places to volunteer. The first is Cascade Capital Holdings which is an investment type firm owned by multi-millionaire Gerard Cafesjian and the second is a small bed and breakfast run by an Italian named Antonio. I’m excited about the prospect of practicing my Italian. Thursday I have my first shot at teaching English. My Armenian friend who teaches the class wants a native speaker to help them with their conversation. She told me to “get ready.” Her class consists of mostly 17 year old girls. Wish me luck. I’m hoping to solidify my schedule by the end of the week. I work at FMS on Wednesdays and I’m trying to convert their excel spreadsheet to an Access Database. On Thursdays I’ll be teaching in the morning and working at Jinj consulting in the afternoon. Friday I’m also at Jinj. I am currently trying to help them organize a water conference that will take place outside of Yerevan in November.