Today’s anecdote is going to get a more complete treatment next week. I just want to mention it here before I forget it. I don’t think I would forget what happened tonight, but stranger things have happened.

Late this afternoon, we decided to visit a craft beer brewery/restaurant called Dargett. It was a really great place, and completely unthinkable when I lived here before. Looking at the menu, I think whoever financed it was probably American with Armenian roots, and had lots of money.

Anyway, we hung out there for awhile and tried a bunch of different beers, as well as some snack food. Again, what we had would have never been available in the 90s. One of the waitresses seemed kind of tickled by my crappy Armenian skills, so we struck up a conversation with her. Her English was impeccable, and she told us that she had two jobs– at Dargett, and at a hotel as a food and beverage manager. She was 23 years old, and had two opportunities to study in the USA. Her parents wouldn’t let her go.

She said she’d grown up in Kapan, and while she wasn’t taught by a PCV, she knew about Peace Corps and what they do. She said she’d worked with a different volunteer organization. And although things have gotten a lot better since I left here, this young lady– 23 years old, and the same age as I was when I was in Armenia– said life is still very hard here. It’s hard to get ahead, and to make enough money.

Of course, it’s not that easy in the United States, either, to be honest. But there are opportunities to be had, and we have a passport that, at least for now, allows us to move out easier than an Armenian passport might. In any case, talking to this young woman was a good reminder that there is still work to be done here.

We also visited the Vernissage today, which was a little disappointing. But we did manage to pick up magnets and mugs, as well as a few toys for Bill’s grandchildren.

I think I will expand on this next week. But for now, I just wanted to post this… Now, to get back to Armenian cartoons.