Bugs and Bazaars

Today's post is from the Walkers Three: Perspectives on our first couple of days...

Amar: 

When we left New York we went on a plane and there were TVS and remotes. Also I played games and watched TWO movies and when I got a bag from the airline and there were toys and I slept so much on the plane.

My first day in Armenia, it was so hot!  We rode metro and we had the fastest escalator. It was so fun!  We had brunch at this awesome place. I had an omelet with eggs and cheese. We also had ice cream (twice in one day!).

Highlight of the day:  Seeing the motorcycles and the cars we could ride in the middle of the Opera plaza.

Today, Armenia is hot!

Arev :

The past few days have been crazy.  There’s been everything from cockroaches to candy canes, and although there have been some uncomfortable experiences, (inevitable with a brother like mine), I would give an overall 8 on a scale of one to 10. Upon entering Armenia, one of my first impressions was overwhelmingness. I have been going to Armenian school every Friday afternoon since I was 6, and it could have never prepared me for all of the Armenian. There is Armenian EVERYWHERE, on the signs, on the sides of buses, coming out of people’s mouths, cell phones, radios, etc. Armenian has always been something unique and different about me, and to come to a place where being Armenian is normal, it’s just the weirdest feeling.

Highlight of the day: I really liked everything,(except the bugs), but I would have to go with the underground Bazaar that Mokala “My aunt Dzovag” took me to find some stuff we needed, “coffee, water, milk, tape, glue, a stroller, etcetera. It is a loop of underground tunnels, originally used to cross big streets with no crosswalks, filled to the brim with everything one could ever wish for ever. It was the kind of thing that I would spend all my time and money at with my friends.

Today, Armenia is home. 

Karek

Bugs part 1:

Armenia is literally bug heaven. We have found types of crickets, grasshoppers and katydids. Also, we found a Rhinoceros beetle and some large, unidentified ones that had pretty patterns on its back.

Probably the most exciting discovery however, was the small scorpion we found on our first rock we flipped over. It was so camouflaged that we couldn’t see it at first.

Another exciting discovery was a huge leaf katydid Baba saw on a concrete slab.

 Inside our house we found two cockroaches when Arev screamed.

Highlight: What I’ve noticed about Armenia is that here you are the odd one out if you don’t speak Armenian but back home it’s the opposite. Also, it feels weird to be able to understand the Armenian writing because if you look at the symbols without trying to read them they seem completely different than other writing and it seems to be a wonder that they mean anything at all to me. The true highlight was probably finding the scorpion. 

Today Armenia is full of bugs.

 Headed for second ice cream of the day on Friday night as we walked through Lover's Park

 

    Two-week old kittens at Vernissage, the open air market.  Said the woman who was selling them in response to our (in Armenian, of course)  "Oh no thank you, we are only staying for a few weeks": 

 "It's okay, I'll give them to you for free for a few weeks. Enjoy them and then bring them back."