It's a little hard to appreciate these days since, in the winter, everything (trees, buildings, streets, and gardens) is brown. But when you pay attention you start to notice that there is at least as much square footage here under cultivation as there is with buildings on it. With the exception of a few apartment complexes in the center of town, almost every one has a garden with a footprint that's at least as large as their house. And it's not all vegetable gardens, either:
Farm animals, ranging in size from chickens to to cows, live in these gardens, too. Our host family owns a hotel right in the middle of town where they keep a few horses! "Gardens" is a misleading term really- in reality, they're more like mini-farms that each family keeps in their back yard. Most families grow almost all their own produce during the summer on these mini-farms, and many are able to put up significant amounts of food for the winter as well. Our host family's basement is filled with jars of pickles, jams, juices and compotes, along with sacks of potatoes, apples, and dried fruits. All of which came from their sizable back garden and was prepared by our host grandmother. All of this gives the city a decidedly agricultural feel.
But the reason I feel at home here runs deeper than the fact that many people in Sisian have gardens. When you ask native Sisians to tell you about their city, they answer "Oh, no- Sisian is a small down. People here are very friendly". And despite the fact that they seem to have all the trappings of a city- apartment buildings, stores, banks, supermarkets, hotels, schools, cultural centers- people here really believe they live in a small town, and they act like it too.
People here greet each other on the street. They stop their cars to catch up with friends they see walking on the side of the roads. They stand around the town square in the morning and the afternoons, chatting with each other.
During our site visit back in October, I went into a bookshop just to see what it was like on the inside. The man behind the counter wanted to know my name, where I was from, and what I was doing in Sisian. When I explained that I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, and that my husband and I would be living in Sisian for the next two years helping to teach English, he wanted to meet my husband. I promised that I would bring Sam back to the bookshop that afternoon. When school let out for the day, Sam and I headed back to the bookshop to say hello to the man as promised. When we got there, the man and his wife were waiting- she made coffee and produced cakes seemingly from no where. We chatted and drank coffee, bought a book, and went about our business when a few other customers came into the store. I felt like a welcomed guest, and looked forward to getting to know the man and his wife better.
Things like this happen all over the place here. Yesterday, we stopped by a bakery that makes traditional Armenian flatbread, called lavash. Lavash is made in a unique type of oven called a torin. I had heard of the process, but had never seen it done before, so we asked if we could watch. We were immediately ushered into the back of the bakery where a team of women formed something of a lavash assembly line. Despite the fact that they looked like they worked long, hard ours in front of a firely oven- they were thrilled to show their bakery to us, and weren't satisfied until we had eaten at least two whole lavashes each (for which they would accept no payment). I'm looking forward to getting to know these women as well, and not only because their lavash is delicious.
Basically, Sisian has given us a place to live with access to the best of both worlds: here we have the conveniences found in a city, but with a social attitude that's more at home in the country. I think we'll be very happy here indeed.
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