So, this is the part in the trip where things get harder than they were in the beginning. The food is starting to take its toll on me, and I'm not really looking forward to 2 more weeks of being sick to my stomach, but I guess that's part of the experience. We're 1/3 of the way in, and even though I can't speak for everyone, I'm pretty sure we're all starting to get homesick to some extent. Of course I miss my family and friends, but I also miss the simple things, like sitting on my big comfy couch at home with a book. Plus there is absolutely ZERO alone time here, and if you know me, you know I usually spend hours of my day alone to re-charge. It really has been nice having people around to talk to and have fun with late at night when I can't sleep, though. I think that is something from this trip that I will miss.
Today we visited some houses that the Fuller Center has built previously, and we got to see the community of people who lived there. It was really neat to see finished houses and the people who lived in them. One lady, Marine, was so gracious when she invited us into her home. She insisted that we take all of the seats and offered us candy as well. It was amazing to see people who have so little be willing to give so much. It was also hard thinking back to America where we have so much, but comparatively, many of us give so little. Marine told us that she had previously lived in the "poverty area" for 20 years, where she had her 3 kids, and you could tell she was so thankful to be living in a Fuller Center house now. (Her house now was still small by American standards, but SO much better than the tin building she came from.)
We also met a young girl names Naira, who had just come back from a year in America. She was amazing. She played the violin for us while her mom played the piano, and we got to dance with all of the children in the community. I was still feeling HORRIBLE, but how can you say no to sweet little girls who just want to dance with you? So I took my turn and had a great time. All of the girls loved us and were so excited that we were there!
Also, today was a holiday in Armenia. A holiday where everyone gets to throw buckets or bottles of water at people. As Americans, we were prime targets for the water, especially us girls. It seemed like a fun holiday for the kids, but it wasn't so cool that teenage boys used it as a way to soak shirts of other girls. It seemed like the boys could soak the girls, the girls could soak the girls, but the boys wouldn't wet other boys, and for the most part, the girls didn't mess with the boys too much. Kinda sketchy. Walking through town, it was horrible to get hit in the face with buckets of water, but watching the kids play in the community was more fun.
Tomorrow is our last day with the first family we worked with. I believe they finished the roof yesterday, so we should be working inside tomorrow. I will surely miss the parents and the kids, Suzi, Siramarg, and Suren. They have been a blast. Tuesday we go work with the new family. Wednesday we will visit Lake Sevan for the day. Thursday we will work with the new family again, and do the same thing Friday. Then Saturday we are off to GEORGIA, and we have yet to see what we will be doing there. This has been the experience of a lifetime already, and I can't believe we still get 2 more weeks here. I'm still very excited about what is to come, but I'm also thinking a lot about my family and friends back home. Any messages, emails, FB messages you can send would be greatly encouraged! Thank you all for reading along and keeping up with me. I'll keep in touch!
Jessica
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