Armenia and Italy

I've just spent three weeks away from Moldova.  Half in Armenia and half in Italy.  It was a wonderful adventure, full of memories that will last a lifetime.  Armenia was a fun learning experience and a place I never thought I'd visit perhaps in my lifetime.  I am glad I did, though.  The people were warm; the food was quite delicious; and the particular training in which I participated was like nothing I've experienced before.  If you can imagine 22 young people from 11 different countries, all with open minds ready to learn and broaden their perspective about their own societies and including all people (socially outcast groups of people, socially vulnerable and unaccepted groups) into them, it was quite the intense event.  Even being in a room with this diverse, quite social group of people was an event and a learning experience in itself.   Take for instance the Greek woman, Maria, the gem of a lady a bit older than the rest of us, who has such a warm Greek spirit, a career in counseling, and strong opinions backed by experiences about the trials of democracy or lack thereof in her home country.  Or another example, Josip, a Croatian gentleman who works with people who are hearing-impaired and nonverbal to better include them in society and improve their opportunities in life.  Or there's Maka from Georgia, who works with victims of domestic violence.  I could go through the whole list of participants with the same conclusion that leaves one in amazement because of such a diverse, engaging group of individuals, all sharing a goal to meet new people that share their common interest of making a better society in their respective countries through social inclusion. 

Presentation through dance/music of the qualities of a good volunteer.

 Social inclusion?  What's that?  It took me a while to figure out exactly what that meant, but it's about including into society all types of discriminated, excluded members or groups of societies.  We did a number of activities that allowed for discussion, active participation, and role playing.  For one activity, an adjective/subject was attached to our forehead that we could not see ourselves (for example, Lady Gaga, gay, homeless, rich, Muslim, bisexual, just-released prisoner).  Everyone treated each other as society would generally treat that person with that stereotype, according to the description on the person's forehead.  After ten minutes of treating others as society (or we ourselves) might treat them, we talked about how we felt due to the way we were treated.  I was treated like a rockstar. I was Lady Gaga.  Others felt shamed, isolated, or not understood.  It was obvious that all of us discriminated in many ways against certain populations (during the activity and in reality as well), even without knowing them personally or verifying that any of the stereotypes we construct in our minds are true. 

We created a video of Super Volunteers, doing good work even on a mountain top.

We did a host of different activities like this, and the training should be helpful for both Svetlana and me back in Moldova.  We hope to facilitate workshops raising awareness about accepting all people into society in which we live and also to utilize some of the activities and methods we used during the training.  My time in Armenia was well spent, fascinating, educational, and applicable.  I feel so lucky to have visited!

Italy

After Armenia came Italy, which was most definitely a vacation.  An amazing one with my best friend, Karla, who flew  from Iowa to meet me!  Whenever we're together, we never cease to keep life spicy, warm, and delightful. (for those of you that know us, is that accurate??)  Italy, of course, was no exception.  We were in Rome for 5 days, at an Agroturismo for a day, Florence for 3 nights, Siena for a day, and Milano for an evening.  Along the way, we had amazing espresso and pastries, pasta, pizza, wine, olives, cheese, bread, gelato, and everything we could possibly handle to eat in a week's time on the Italian cuisine menu!  We made some new Italian acquaintances almost everywhere we went.  Our favorite in Rome was Gelato Man as we affectionately called him (real name, not important/unknown).  He showed us the best gelato in Rome, the best takeaway pizza, fried risotto balls (I couldn't stop thinking of H Street's Taylor Gourmet!), the hidden old garden patio unknown even to most Romans, and so on… Thanks, CouchSurfing for the meet up in Rome, where we met Mr. Gelato Man!

Roman Forum on a rainy day

The Agroturismo was enchanting and beautiful.  I could have stayed there a couple months I think.  Sor Giulio, the name of the place, sits on top of a beautiful big hill, overlooking miles of Italian countryside and towns.  The owner, Francesco, was so kind to us and even showed us around a couple Medieval-aged monasteries.  He cooked us some Italian pasta, while we sipped on his house wine (something worked out right compared to white house wine in Moldova, that's for sure).  We spent a morning, doing nothing but enjoying the sunshine on the roof of the century-old farmhouse, reading and pondering the good life (and good God) we have.   Couchsurfing, once again, did not lead us astray on this fun, off-the-beaten track adventure.

Agroturismo Sor Giulio at Fara in Sabina.

In Florence, we stayed through AirBnB in the apartment studio home of an artist.  We had our own room but were so lucky to have our host give us tips of what to do and see and to grasp what life might be like for native Florentine's, particularly those who are in the art scene.  Please recall that Florence is the heart of where the Renaissance movement began in the 14th century.   Artists like Michel Angelo and Leonardo di Vinci sipped their coffee there, drank their Tuscan wine, and sculpted and created masterpieces for the world to see and remember for centuries.  We also took in some of the art at the Uffizi Gallery, the sculpture of David by Michel Angelo at the Acadamia, and let's not forget the artwork in the apartment where we stayed.  Although I am admittedly not the artsy type and lack the mind and creativity of an artist, I agree that there's something to learn from what we saw there.  We did talk to a handful of aspiring artists, though, which Karla and I found amusing but sometimes could barely stand.  "So what do you do?" I asked to one named Alberto.  He responded seriously and honestly, "I create."  In which after some hesitation, I apologized for my American heritage (which demands a more direct, informative response) but told him that I didn't know what that really meant for him.  So could he explain a bit more for me?  In which he responded in his British Albanian accent, "Well we all create or are creating something at all times…."  (Exactly!  So please!  Tell me what YOU create!)  … It turns out he was a gallerist, one that helps "create" the experience and design of the artwork in the gallery.  So although the people and the food and the slow tradition were all lovely, we struggled to be so empathetic to understand the life of an artist in Florence.  I'm sure if you'd give me a few weeks living there though, I'd have a handful of friends and a much better understanding and appreciation for those characters.

We took a day trip from Florence to Siena.  This is in the city square.

 Our last stop was Milan, our least favorite part of the trip.  Big city, too much graffiti, too difficult to get to our housing…  But we survived and made the most of it.  We had a lovely dinner and had to leave hours later back to our respective homes.  It was refreshing to spend over a week with my bestie, who is the ideal travel companion and who I hadn't seen in 10 months.  She's a huge blessing to me!

Moldova greeted me with a biting cold wind and snow flurries.  I was less than impressed.  Since arriving, more snow has fallen and the cold has remained.  Sorry, everyone in Moldova, that I came back and winter came with it!  Oh, no!  Soon enough, spring will come and STAY.

To all my friends and family back home, have a joyful Easter holiday!  Jesus is risen!  We'll be celebrating here in Causeni in our still new apartment.  (and then celebrate with the Orthodox Christian here in May!)