While heating up my dinner a few nights ago, I chatted with David the guesthouse host for a bit. He told me about how Gyumri has only recently started recovering from the 1988 earthquake. After the political revolution a few years ago, the new government decided to start investing in Gyumri, in case something happened to Yerevan. Thus, the main street that Nina and I walk on to TUMO and to restaurants was paved just two years ago. So the disparities I noticed in the road conditions in different parts of Gyumri reflect the start of change here.
I also asked the students what school was like for them. Most attended schools Mon-Fri from 9am-3pm and have 7-8 classes a day. There are also other schools that run Mon-Sat! But those have 5-6 classes a day. What struck me the most is that they don't have a lunch break in those 6 hours of classes. They only have 5 minute breaks between classes, and even then teachers may run over time into the breaks. Sometimes, students would gobble up food in the 5 minutes. Regardless, it makes sense why the students are so tired when they come to my class. Then, they have to sit through another 4 hours?!!
ASLAMAZYAN SISTERS GALLERY
The sisters lived and worked through the 20th century and were avid feminists and artists.
During the Soviet Era, artists glorified the working man and often visited construction or collective farm sites.
During less stringent times of the Soviet Era, the sisters also created other work.
This painting struck me because my eyes were drawn immediately to the towering stone. The towering stone points to tough terrain, but the bright colors suggest a positive relation between the people and the environment despite the difficulties.
After looking at propagandistic paintings and portraits of both prominent figures and working people, I gasped with delight the moment I saw this painting. It feels distinctively Armenian and I love how there are so many textures in it.
After my revelation yesterday about the expectations for women here, this painting had extra meaning. The subject is in conversation with the artist and she exudes confidence through her pose. This painting provides an intimate perspective of the hidden lives of women and depicts a woman with commanding stature, a role normally filled by a man.
The sisters also traveled around the world - to Africa, India, and even Japan.
CHICHKHAN
For lunch, we went to a small shop run by three women, likely two sisters and a daughter. The menu was small and the food took some time to come out, but the homemade taste was worth the wait.
We had achma (noodles layered with cheese and in this case meat) and ajarian khachapuri, both of which are Georgian!
Also, Nina says that the khachapuri reminds her of peinerli that she has seen in Greece.
NOR ALEPPO - Armenian and Middle Eastern (Syrian, Lebanese, etc.) restaurant
I originally wanted to try the Oroukh - Armenian meat and bulgur kebab. They didn't have that, so I just munched on some hummus and Arabic bread (has a pocket like pita bread but more moisture and less of a crumb) as well as cheese borek. This is the first time I've had borek with a fried dough - not sure if it's authentic??
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