Vonadzor is the third largest city in Armenia with a population of approximately 105,000. It sits amidst the mountains with an elevation of about 1,300 feet. It has many old cumbling Soviet chemical plants and a few of the plants are still running. There is a university there. I have gone to Vonadzor twice now to visit my Language Cultural Facilitator (LCF) Satanik, who just had her first child in early December. During pre-service training I was monitoring Satanik's blood pressure and blood sugar on a weekly basis during the last three months of her pregnancy. So, I have now traveled to Vonadzor twice, once in December when the baby was just a week old and just last weekend, the first weekend in Februarym when the baby was 2 months old.
Satanik first asked me to come to teach her how to care for her baby in 'a western way' as baby's in Armenia are held to tight traditions. For example, Abel was not bathed for eight days as he had an eye infection. People in Armenia traditionally do not bath when they are sick. So, I gave Abel his first bath and taught Satanik how to bath him herself without all of the grandmothers present... another Armenian tradition for the first few months. I taught her how to administer his eye ointment and clear up his diaper rash. I also taught Satanik's husband Gor (short for George or Gorg) how to burp and diaper the baby. Traditionally Armenian men do not participate in any child care. On the second visit, two months later I taught him how to feed the baby with a bottle so as to free Satanik to go out once in awhile on her own. Gor was so excited to feed his baby and is probably the only man in Armenia to feed a breast feeding baby :-)
It felt so good for me to be teaching newborn care, bathing, breastfeeding, burping, playing with your child once again. Teaching English is not in my comfort zone, but teaching child care is.
So, I will take you through this story now in pictures... the landscape on the trip and being there in Satanik's home (a Soviet high rise apartment) in the city of Vonadzor.
It is about 100 miles, or a two hour drive from Hrazdan to Vonadzor. In order to avoid going all the way to Yerevan and then back up to Vonadzor via bus or marshutni (small stuffed van) for about 10 dollars round trip I elected to go via taxi for 40 dollars round trip.
This is my taxi driver Sevik in front
of my doorr in Hrazdan. I sit in the
front seat with him as it has the only
seatbelt. He drives slower and safer than
most Armenian drivers and is recommended
by Peace Corps. He takes me and picks
me up on both trips. He only speaks Armenian
so our conversation is limited but we can communicate
with my meekeech hyeran (little bit of Armenian).
We pass Sevan Lake, a huge lake in the center
of Armenia. Most of Armenia's fish comes from
this lake. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains.
Passing by on the road are fish shacks where men
stand outside with their arms spread to denote they
have big fish for sale.
One of the beautiful what I call 'highway' sculptures
we pass on the way to Dillidjan, the city/town
they call the Swiss Alps of Armenia.
Entrance to a 5 K tunnel we go through to get
to Dillidjan. It goes under mountains. Kind of
akin to the tunnels we go through under Boston
Harbor but not near as well lit and the walls are
more than a bit crumbly.
Beautiful sculpture of deer at a hotel on the way
to Dillidjan.
Sculpture of bears in the forest on the descent into
Dillidjan. the road down the mountains into Dillidjan
is hairpin turns all the way down. In the warmer months
before the snow there are horovat stops (Armenian barbecue)
shacks and stands on this road.
This is the center of Dillidjan with a sculpture of three
men (I forget who they are) with a little gift shop behind.
This is Vonadzor taken from Satanik's seventh floor
apartment window. It is early December and foggy.
Picture of the high rise next door to Satanik's. Always
clothes hanging out on the line all times of the year
as there are no clothes dryers here.
Me giving Abel his first bath since birth. No baths
in the hospitals here in Armenia and no instruction
for new mothers. Baby is just left with her for 4 days
in the hospital.
Baby Abel at 1 week old.
Mom Satanik and the proud grandmothers!
Gor holding baby and learning to make eye contact
and talk to his baby.
Proud grandpa (Satanik's dad) holding baby for
the first time. He is a retired engineer, now a bee keeper.
He makes wonderful honey and is now in Moscow working
at a bee farm there.
This is now 2 months later. See how Abel
is as long as the tub. He has now doubled
in size - from 7 to 14 pounds. Satanik is
now so comfortable taking care of her child.
This is Gor feeding Abel for the very
first time. He took care of Abel for the
first time alone for 2 hours while Satanik and
I went shopping for a manual breast pump. When we
got home and she pumped he fed Abel for the first
time. He did great and dad and Abel were oh so happy.
Me, Satanik and Abel.....
This is Stephen Greenberg, my
Peace Corps colleague who is
placed in Vonadzor.
The little family.... Satanik and Gor are on their way out
on their first date since the baby was born. It was
Valentines Day in Armenia. Stephen and I babysat
while Satanik and Gor went out for dinner. They were
not to return for three hours per our instructions :-)
And here is the little family. They are
so eager to learn child care and to keep
Abel healthy and active.
Per Armenian tradition all baby clothes are to be ironed (we stopped that right away) and baby's are not to go outside for 40 days. Also, babys are not supposed to sit upright to burp and are not to be on there tummy's for exercise. So, Abel is now having 'tummy time' and actually rolled over at 2 months old first time on his tummy. He has been going outside for many walks and fresh air and hopefully will be getting a car seat and door bouncer chair soon. Baby's in Armenia do not have car seats... they are kept in mother's arms in the car.
I will try to get up to Vonadzor once a month to see them and teach them new things for Abel. Next time maybe we will meet in Steppanavan, Satanik's and Gor's home town where Satanik's parents live. It is a beautiful mountain village/town just north of Vonadzor about 45 minutes.
All of the above reflects solely my own thoughts and opinions and in no way represents the US Peace Corps or United States government. Also, Satanik and Gor gave me permission to write about their family and post the pictures.
