A visitor to Berd

This post is a little late in coming, but I want to point out an important post on another blog which I try to make a point of keeping up on. It's run by a very successful British/Armenian journalist living here in Armenia. The post I mention can be found here. It was written by a very good friend of mine. Very few people come to Berd, so I want to point out one of the few (if any) written accounts of a visit to my site. It was written by an Armenian from Yerevan, the capital, which is very different from Berd.
The post includes a discussion in the comments section concerning the mission of the Peace Corps here in Armenia, with comments by Armenian citizens as well as former and current PCV's. Nessuna, thank you very much for your visit and post, and may peace be with you.

The Wonder that is Armenia

Some very interesting things have been happening lately, so I thought I would make a blogpost. And since I have the chance to do so...here I am.
I'd say the most interesting thing that happened this week was that I was interviewed by a reporter from "H1" one of the major TV stations here in Armenia. Her name is Maya, she is a host of the morning show called "Bari Luis Hayastan" or something like that. (For those of you who don't know Armenian, that means "Good Morning Armenia". ) Sounds similar to the morning show on CBS in the United States. I've never actually seen the show itself. The only things I see on TV here are the Brazilian Soap Operas. Which I hear are very good for learning Armenian, but I haven't used them for that, at least not yet. Excuse me, I think I'm rambling.
So, I did this interview with Maya the reporter which will from what I've been told be shown on this morning show sometime this week. What did we talk about? A few different things: My impressions of Armenia, what I have learned from Armenians, what I think of the language, the culture, what music I like, and.....oh yes, whether I will marry an Armenian or not. Hah, that's a good question. It better be good, I get asked it everytime I meet someone new in this country. So I told her, if I meet the right girl, who knows? I just might. If I meet the right girl, it doesn't matter if she's Armenian or not.
In other news, today on the bus to Yerevan there was a very interesting couple sitting in front of my counterpart and I. It was a guy and a girl, and they were hanging all over each other. This seemed very strange to me, since this is never seen in this country. I always thought it was shameful, but apparently it isn't. Maybe anyone else wouldn't be so surprised, but I sure was. Another interesting thing about them was that they both had cell phones!! Imagine that! Here I am, in Armenia, riding a bus that costs 2000 dram (approx. $4.30) and these two young people in front of me are looking at pictures, trading pictures, listening to music, and even taking photos of me, all with their camera!!! It's always a bit strange to me how staggered the development is in this country. Some people won't have jobs at all....others own hummers, cell phones, and vacation homes outside of Vanadzor. Some places have no cell phone coverage at all, and barely have a regular phone system, while others have wireless internet access points all over the city!!! I never cease to be amazed by this country.