Family with love
It was only my second evening in Armenia but it already felt like it had been a lot. The first day I had to drive for hours at night on unpaved roads trying to find a guesthouse that is still open during the off-season, only relying on offline maps. The second day, I realized that the exhaust pipe between two catalytic converters came off, probably due to the shocks taken from the roads. And it took several hours to find a confident mechanic in town to solder the pipes together. (But as usual, I think I was actually lucky to have had the issue there just before attempting to cross a mountain range).
When I think I had a full day, I tend to opt for an established hotel, to minimize the checking-in process and to maximize my resting time. But in that evening, I ended up choosing a guest house-type accommodation because I wanted to meet another Armenian family, just like the previous night. (It has been my impression that guest houses both in Georgia and Armenia are more than an accommodation option – they provide opportunities to mingle with the families over teas, breakfast and dinner, as long as you wish to.)
It was by this decision that I could meet these Armenian grandparents living close to Sevan Lake. Despite the language barrier, the way they treat guests and the way they talk about their family convinced me that they have a lot of love in their family and that they do care about it. I wanted to know more about this warm-family culture in Armenia, and days later, I was very grateful to meet with the family of one of their sons, who are living in the capital city, Yerevan.
When I first meet them at a cafe, I was both surprised and touched that the whole family came out to meet a stranger about whom they did not have much idea. And despite my best efforts to introduce and explain, I guess they do not still have very clear ideas about where I am actually from, figuratively, and what I am trying to do these days. But precisely because of that, I think it is amazing that we could just agree to meet, share our stories and feel each others’ energy.
I think that having a family full of love makes oneself ready to share the ‘overflowing’ love with others, or at least to treat others with an open heart. I certainly want to build such a family one day, and I guess it would actually take a lot of care and effort.
@ Sevan and Yerevan, Armenia, November 19 and 21, 2019
