18 and GrOwING

There's this kid from Nigeria that just arrived four days ago to play football [I'm a convert] for the Armenian national team. He's 18. What does Armenia feel like to an 18 year old from Nigeria? I asked him how he communicates with his teammates on the field. He said one guy speaks a little bit of English. After demonstrating how to eat a sunflower seed, my mind jumped into what I would expect his shoes to be like. Like mine - Filled with lots to learn. I listened to him as he described to another the tournament system of where he's from using words like "quarterly" and "semi-finals" and I damned myself for not knowing those words in Russian.

These games are free. It was nice to see the younger boys there with their snacks giggling each time the electronic score board showed the desktop screen and active mouse of the scorekeeper. Of course, I was with good company. You know, the type that gets a kick out of explaining every thing because they're just so in love with the game? Now I understand "off sides," an amazing concept! Without a doubt.

Just so happened that it was the day before Easter, aka THE resurrection. There is a tradition here to get a candle lit from fire within the church and take it home with you. So, I did just that - my ode to mom. I purchased a lantern being sold outside a church. Like a disrespectful tourist, I asked in Russian how much each were to the boy of about 11. He gave me the price in Armenian without a second thought. The kids here are really amazing, they just weave in and out of the two languages simultaneously - Armenssian, if you will. I asked if he could tell me in Russian and almost keeled over with cuteness overdose when he stood for less than a nanosecond and then just looked to his dad desperately for "one thousand" in the language used by the customer. He almost had the sale on his own, he'll be a pre-tragedy Willy Lowman in no time.

Just so it's clear, my official language classes with Armenian Virtual College begin tomorrow. I lazily didn't continue with my tutoring provided by an Envoy hostel goddess who so graciously and patiently gave her time. So, here I go again propelled into motivation by the $50 spent for the 11 weeks of Beginners Eastern Armenian.

With lantern in hand I asked what to do next and was told, "I don't know, just do what everyone else is doing," ...how institutionally appropriate, heh! It really did hit me that of course this shouldn't be that complicated! I remembered that I had already taken a couple of tours that included a quick Armenian Church 101, meaning I had at least the basics down. The bustle at the church was really of the organized type, no mob action. I walked in with my lantern and just took a couple of minutes to observe. There were people at the front of the church taking flames with the normal yellow candles that people light at every church visit. I ended up buying two extra, to have three for my immediate family members, and at the same time to represent the entire family, friends, and the world at large... I mean, you're already there right? Maybe all this good group energy will influence some positive change. The fire retrieving area, apart from the Front of the church and its accompanying candle cue, to my right was a blaze! I'd never seen so many people and candles at the same time. I'm sure women lay off the hairspray for this particular night's church visit.

Viva!