Back to Tsamakaberd

After using the good hostel wifi to call my grandparents in Jahnsbach on Thursday afternoon (06/12/2018), I packed up in the afternoon and headed to Lake Sevan. After a detour to the center of Yerevan, I boarded the second marshrutka at the Eritasardakan bus stop. We reached Sevan shortly after five and I bought some pastries and food for Rango at a supermarket. Then we set off for the small mountain village. It was getting dark and we reached the Karapetyan's house shortly after six, in the center of Tsamakaberd. As a welcome, we had coffee and I contributed the snacks I had just bought. Fried potatoes with chicken wings were served for dinner, followed by compote and tea. Warm food feels good, as it is rather cold in the house.

On Friday, I woke up at nine and played with Rango in the yard while the other residents slowly got out of bed. Then I had coffee with Gret and Harut, enjoying a few cookies again. Gret reported that a small lamb was born overnight, which I immediately went to see. Afterwards, Harut and I started cleaning up the workshop. After a short time, I was alone in the workshop and gave up, as it didn't make sense. Then it was time for lunch. In the afternoon, I chopped wood with Harut. That was supposed to be my main activity for the next few days. In the meantime, Harut had to weld the two axes that regularly broke under the pressure. It was quite tough work.

In between, on Sunday (09/12/2018), we visited Sewanavank again. Zina and Nare decided to take a trip and picked up Harut and me in Tsamakaberd. During the following week, I repaired some coffee pots, which were immediately passed on. It was a kind of neighborhood help.

Starting on December 12, 2018, winter arrived in the Sewan area. When Rango and I left the house in the morning, it was usually bitterly cold. But the surrounding landscape greeted me with a dazzling white snow cover and ice crystals shimmering in the sun. Quite beautiful. However, in conversations with Sasun, it became clear that he understood help best as money. He quickly mentioned sums of money that he needed for his plans. He didn't show much interest in my ideas. There also seemed to be no need for small improvements. So we burned wood and dried sheep dung all day without really warming up the house. Most of the heat disappeared through the chimney, and Sasun distributed the rest throughout the house with his self-built oven and heating system. So the radiators slowly became warm in the evening, but the rooms remained rather cold. For Sasun, this was not a problem, as he spent most of the day under the covers and otherwise liked to sit right in front of the stove. The only warm place in the house. He also tried to slow down my enthusiasm. So I used the time to design some kitchen furniture made of pallet wood, which Harut allegedly could organize cheaply or even for free. Unfortunately, I didn't see any of it during my stay, although it would have been beneficial for the kitchen. Just like a small wood stove. I was able to find one on a walk with Rango that could have been repaired with little effort. The construction of a simple solar thermal system also never went beyond my planning, even though everything necessary was available on the property. Too bad. So I stayed with the Karapetyans until Gret's birthday and planned to return to Yerevan on December 21, 2018.

Until then, I can get to know Armenian cuisine extensively. Gret cooks every day, with legumes, potatoes, rice, bread, and fish forming the basis. Simple, delicious food, often prepared as stews. Breakfast seems to be unfamiliar, so I occasionally cook some oatmeal with chocolate or preserved fruit. Otherwise, I sustain myself with cookies or the like until lunchtime.

On Sunday, December 16, 2018, Nare and the hostel staff invited me to dinner at Semoi Mot, a fish restaurant on Lake Sevan. Afterwards, we went to Sewanavank again, where a small snowball fight with the JR's staff created a fun atmosphere. In the following days, I made a few more attempts to get things moving with the Karapetyans, unfortunately without success. It is definitively time to move on.

On Wednesday evening (19/12/2018), I went to the nearby forest with Harut, Rango, and a saw. We were looking for a Christmas tree. After finding a suitable tree top, Harut climbed up and harvested it. Then we had to wait until it got dark to bring the loot home unnoticed. Meanwhile, a second Christmas tree was organized, which Harut wanted to give to an acquaintance as a present. We were back in the room around half past six and decorated the little tree with colorful Christmas ornaments and fairy lights. Everyone seemed quite pleased with the result.

On Thursday, I baked two small cakes. It was Gret's birthday and I expected some guests. But apart from a neighbor, no one came for coffee, cake, and evening shashlik. So the last evening in Tsamakaberd ended for me in a small group. Although I didn't get any closer to my original plans, I am very grateful for the time with the Karapetyans and the little glimpse into Armenian country life.