FIRST DAYS ON HOMEBUILDING PROJECT



Half of our team - Av, me and Annette

      Since our team all arrived early for the project, we decided to start work on Monday.  Our team consists of team leader, Larissa Printzian, her daughter, Kyra, Annette Stepanian from SF, Avedis Kargenian from Illinois, me, and Karnig Haladjian currently living in Abu Dhabi.

We had an orientation at the Fuller Center for Housing in Armenia in the morning and went to the jobsite around noon. 

The family we are working with consists of mother, Larissa, father Zorik, son, Hovakim (13) and daughter, Anie (12) and an aunt whom we haven't met yet.  They have been living in a single room in a borrowed house for 10 years without running water.  They started a house but due to economic conditions have been unable to finish it. That's where the Fuller Center comes in.



The home last winter

      On the first day, we were joined by a team of young Armenians. from IREX, an international non-profit that promotes global change through leadership opportunities and training.

     Our work on the first day consisted of finishing the concrete work on the main floor of the house. To do this, we did a bucket brigade to move red, crushed rock from the staging area up to the main floor, The rock provides a filler and insulator.  Once that was done, we started the afternoon-long process of mixing cement and moving it up to the floor where several people were working. It was a very hot and sunny day and the work was very tiring, but for me, it felt so good to be doing something physically active that provided tangible results for the family's home.  And I think there are few things better than working together to bring people closer together. Our small team of six, came together very quickly and this work was the chance to cement our friendship. (OK, pun intended! :-)).

We had several coffee breaks and some fabulous food to keep our bodies fueled up, but these breaks also gave us a chance to get to know the family members and each other better.  Family and friendships are just such an incredible center theme to Armenian life.

On day two and three, our team returned to start plastering the walls and ceilings. We were joined by some other, local volunteers who are going to be young leaders in Armenia. They volunteer because it is an investment into Armenia and it also helps them improve their English.  Two of the volunteers, Taron and Nune have also meet us in the evenings to take us on tours of the city.  They are wonderful young people.

Larissa and Anie in background

Karnig/Michaelangelo on the ceiling fresco

So - plastering...  The cement walls and  ceilings need to be covered with a thin layer of plaster to make them smooth and even in preparation for painting. The plaster is applied with putty knives and the idea is to get a very thin but smooth layer which will then be sanded.  Melik, our driver, whom we are comparing to James Bond for his fearless and competent driving, is a also a great plasterer and worked with us to get our plaster right. I thought it would be easy, but not so much.  I think it wasn't until the second day that some of us started feeling better about it. But we got the walls and most of the ceilings done.  The family and neighbors work at night to do sanding and cleanup.

Our Team

We have really come together as a team but also as friends. We are all very like-minded people who work and play very well together. We come home tired and dirty in the evenings, but after a shower and change of clothes, we head out into Yerevan for dinner and some of the night life.  And the night life inYerevan is incredible. Families and friends are out walking in the downtown area by the thousands. The streets are full of walking people and the cafes are full of people having coffee, ice cream or other wonderful treats. And the streets stay full until well after midnight. And this includes young children.  It is so different than evenings in most cities in the US.

We now have two days off where we will tour parts of the country. This is one of the parts of the volunteering I didn't realize would be included. Melik drives us in the Fuller Center bus and we have some of the staff and volunteers as tour guides. It is really a great way to see the important places and learn more about them and also to continue to be together. I guess I can't emphasize enough how valuable to friendship is that we have developed in our group and with some of the staff.  I know we benefit from this experience as much as the family does.