Armenia the beautiful

Hello from the wonderful city of Vanadzor, Armenia.  Today we went to Matendaran, which is an institute that has tons of archives of Armenian writing.  They told us all about the formation of the Armenian alphabet, which has 39 letters, and we got to see all of these beautiful hand-written books and papers decorated with gorgeous artwork.  It was quite the experience.  It showed  how proud Armenia is of their alphabet, language, and heritage.  I've heard more than once from locals here that their language is a large part of what kept them together as one people even through the periods when they did not have land to call home.

After we finished at Matendaran, we went to the Genocide museum, and it was a powerful experience.  I think the thing that caught my attention the most was the artwork of a survivor who is about 90 years old now.  I will have to post pictures as soon as I can, but his art was very raw and real and there was no censorship whatsoever.  I think that's the kind of person I am, so I can appreciate art that deals directly with such a raw subject.  The paintings struck a nerve, just as they should. 
It was also very eye-opening to hear our tour guide, a native Armenian, talk about the genocide.  We have been learning about it for almost a year now, but hearing it from an Armenian had much more of an impact than just reading it in a book.  I also saw a document in the museum where Atlanta, Georgia officially recognized the Armenian Genocide and declared a city-wide rememberance day in honor of the Armenians.  In a world where many either do not know about the genocide or refuse to admit that it was as severe as it was, it was nice to know that Atlanta would recognize it, and that the document would receive a spot in the Armenian Genocide museum.

After the museums and lunch, we drove 2 hours from Yerevan to Vanadzor.   The drive was absolutely amazing.  It was filled with beautiful mountain landscapes, small villages, and farmers.  As you can imagine, my shutter on my camera was going non-stop!  It was really neat to be able to drive from the city, through the countryside, to Vanadzor.  I've decided that all countrysides have something that makes them beautiful, and I love driving through them. When we got here, we unloaded our luggage and settled into our hotel before getting out and exploring.  Kim, Ellen, and I walked down the street a bit to see the small grocery shops on the side of the road before heading back for dinner.  Dinner is always a huge event, and I love it.  We always have appetizers of cheeses, meats, and breads.  Then we usually have a main course of hot meats or something.  It has been wonderful!

I am in an internet cafe right now, which costs money, and I don't have much access to internet so I won't be on too often, but I'll do my best to update when I can.
Keep emailing, texting, and most of all, praying!  I'm having a wonderful time, and I'm thankful for all of your support!