daytrip to the border

So today was interesting.
A consultant/ rep from UN headquarters (Geneva, Switzerland) came out for a site visit to the Armenian offices to research the possible start of a new program.
CTA stands for Community Technology Access. Its a program that started with 3 pilots, 2 in Bangladesh and one in Rwanda in refugee camps. The central goal of the program is improving employment options among refugee populations through access to and education regarding technology.
Basically, they build a solar-powered, low-energy computer lab in a refugee camp in a way-rural part of a country with a refugee population, where employment problems and technology access are the worst. Cool, right?
So the HQ rep came out to do a site visit at a group of villages way out in the mountains, near the Azeri border. And I got to go! It was about 2 hours away, on the other side of Lake Sevan:



























It was me and Leslie and the IT staff (Tighram- isn't that an awesome name?), one of the other support staff, the HQ lady and the driver. Our UNHCR office has 3 full time drivers to bring staff to these remote sites. The agency has 3 SUVs for the snowy, mountainous, windy roads.

The "highway" out of Yerevan is windy but wide. There is enough traffic that despite the fact that they are never plowed, most of the snow is melted off regularly. About an hour out of the city, we turned off into the mountains and the road got curvier, slushier and steeper. Switchbacks through 3 inches of snow, passing beat up old Ladas up and down the mountain. I tried to respectfully not grip the handle anxiously. The ride was rough, but I gotta say, all of the drivers for the UN that have driven me are excellent. I would probably trust them in a racecar. This is their job. And the fucking cars are tricked out with secondary high-volume fuel tanks and these HUGE dielsel engines that just trudge up and down these mountains.

So anyways. We get to the first village and stop at the community center, which was the prospective site. Village of 500 people. They have 2 computers in the community center, with slow internet. The whole population are ethnic Amrenian ex-refugees that fled Azerbaijan during the war, about 20 years ago. Unemployment is sky-high. The community center may have been the only indoor plumbing. Most people heat their houses with firewood illegally cut from the outlying forests, off the hills. Its the only option. That or freeze to death. Its illegal because they clear the hills above their houses of trees, and then there's a landslide after the first melt and their house is destroyed. It happens every year and we saw several houses on the road to the next village that were either flattened or knocked off at a 45 degree angle by tumbling boulders.
We walked in and were met with about half a dozen ladies and two college age girls. Through the translator they explained the situation, what internet was used for, what they think they could do with more technology access/ etc. It was really hard to be a passive observer for this, because the villagers were kind of desperately pleading their case and the UNHCR HQ staff has explicit orders to be looking for sites with specific plans to develop income-production (bring money into the villages through the use of the internet). She basically didn't want to hear that "We've been able to get back in touch with family we left behind in Azerbaijan 20 years ago" or anything like that. It felt cold. But it makes sense. They want to fund programs that are going to help to bring people out of poverty through income production. Livelihood. That was the word of the day. Which I am actually going to be focusing on in my internship, so its exciting. But it was hard to see this rich Swiss woman with big diamond rings just seem to be not feelin these villagers.

We go to the next village. More of the same, but a bigger village, more like 1,200 people. 2 more computers. Poverty. Chickens in the street. Water piped in from the stream. The stream into which their sewage is fed, via outhouses. It was hard to see. Hard to look this desperation straight in the eye. But it was good to see why I am here. It was a moment of clarity. This is what I am doing. This is what I am trying to make better. Yes, I'll be in an office most of the day. Pushing paper, writing programs, writing grants. But it sounds like I'll be out in the field somewhat regularly, which I am really glad for. I think its going to serve to keep me rooted and help me remember what the fuck I came out here for.

Third village. More. 700 people. 2 computers. The rep almost chastised the guy who was running the computer lab for not having it more organized. He has like 150 school-age kids that want to learn how to use this computer. So he has them come in groups of 15 for computer lessons. The rep asked why he had them come in groups of 15. Said that nobody would learn anything, that they need to come in fours and pair up on each computer. And I wanted to interject and say "Yeah sure. Sounds good. Only there are 150 fucking kids and 2 computers. Pull your head out of your ass, lady." I said nothing. Not my place. I am the silent intern. At least in that moment. I'll bring it up in the meeting on Monday. Anyways. Yeah. She sucked. She looked totally grossed out to be there. Bummed.

So after this, they bring us to a house. We go in. Its the niece of one of the Armenian woman that organizes the community center. We come in. And then I realize they are bringing us in for lunch. The room with the wood stove was warm. The rest of the house was unheated. 30 degrees outside. Her and 4 kids. Her husband is a migrant worker living in Russia and sending as much money home as he can. The entire meal was homemeade. Homemade vodka. Homemade plum juice. Homemade cheese. Boiled beef. Home-picked peppers with garlic (amazing). Home-picked cabbage. Home-baked bread. Sliced hardened pork fat (gotta keep yer calories up in the winter), pickled tomatoes and boiled potatoes. The food was excellent, but the whole time, I'm thinking that this crew of 9 is going to eat what her family could live off of for a week. I know this just happens. Its a cultural thing that you have to feed guests. Most all of eastern europe, if not the entire poverty-stricken world is like that. The less you have, the more you share, I guess.

P.S. I need to learn how to still my own fruit vodka. Homemade vodka is amazing. Seriously. Straight up. No chaser. Armenian's love a good toast and there were many. About the hope for the future. About new friends from the rest of the world. About how far we have come. About how bad it used to be and no matter how bad it can get...it broke my fuckin heart. I want to cry right now thinking about it. She says 'We don't have much. Life is hard. Its not easy in this village. But this one is for the Haitians, who have it much worse right now' AURGHHHH!!!! Knife in the heart!

All in all, today was very emotionally draining. I'm just tapped. Exhausted. But I feel like I've finally arrived. And I feel really motivated to do whatever I can while I am here. Armenia, you've got me for 4 months. I'm gonna do my part. I can't fix it. But I know why I'm trying to.


The house where we ate lunch.