Barev,

Today I walked for 3 hours trying to reach the office of armenia corp...i ended up taking a cab because who knew it would take so long lol. I captured the most beautiful elder man through my camera lens and saw markets, stores, people dressed in 80's clothes just like back home. It was an adventure. being sick was not supposed t be part of it but oh well, that happens. on my way home from the office I asked a young man for directions and him and his friends helped me get to the area where i am staying. he litterally got on the bus with me and paid my way. then after that I was still lost; I stopped to ask a cab driver for rirections and he spoke English. His story was heart breaking though, he has three degrees. 1. engineering, 2. language..he speaks 7 or 8 and 3. he was a teacher at university teaching english. he told me when the soviets left..he was out of work and is now a cab driver. I could see the pain in his eyes when he told me his story. so far this trip is teaching me to trust more. to still be careful, but trust my host family, the people I will be working for, and asking for directions even though we speak different languages; good people do exist!

for a while now I have been writing a story on my great Aunt Mary and today I decided to write one with my grammy; about how this all came about. you know, me here, her family in the states. it is not an uncommon story I was told, that many people who left armenia during the genocide lost their pride or felt shame and it was passed down through their children. When you walk the streets of armenia you can see the pride in their faces. a pride that has been lost in so many, and needs to be regained!

LOVE from Ashley!