ho ho horovats
You thought Christmas was like, SO last week. You are wrong, of course.Last night the World Vision crew hopped into our Ladas and drove up the hill to the old Soviet resort, Pasionat (transliteration) for our staff Christmas Party, a preemptive event for the real Christian Christmas (re: previous post).The event started with the women setting tables and the men making horovats (Armenian barbeque). Horovatsing involves touching a LOT of meat, breathing in a LOT of smoke, and taking too many shots of vodka.After the horovats is ready, then begins the meal which last night included a corn/carrot/meat/pea/sour cream salad, lake fish, salty cheese, lavash and un-regional fruit (we get KIWI in winter. Kiwi, people). The meal was, as usual, punctuated with lots of toasts, toasts for family, for the New Year, for parents, for kids, for friends, for World Vision. I was even toasted at length by Father Vram after which trickled a few very-good-for-my-ego bits from around the table. And I added my own toasts for my new Armenian friends, for World Vision, and for the English speakers at the office who make it possible for me to understand what's going on around me.After being toasted, I was then forced to dance ALONE in front of everyone, Armenian style. I'm finding that after seven months here, I have exhausted all the easy moves and need to spend a little personal time perfecting the knee-up swing and the quick-jump-hop (I really don't know what they're called, but everyone can do them but me). The wonderful thing about Armenian dances, however, is that there is very little pressure to dance well, and just about any move goes (there are usually plenty of chicken knees, swimming hands, finger v's floating across the eyes). It's pretty darn merry.
And after everyone is somewhere between full-and-tipsy and full-and-toppling-over, we gather up the left overs and go home.And that is how Sanity got this chicken leg and how I was able to remember that that little kitten is very much an animal.In other news, the year is just about up. I hope you got all your jollies for 2009, enjoyed your last Christmas of 2009, wrote 2009 as many times as you could because 2009 won't be 2009 much longer. My last moments of 2009 will be 2009erifick I do believe.A couple of PCV friends are making a jaunt up to my place, and one will be staying to help me ring in the New Year. I'll be writing some resolutions, and because here in Armenia we celebrate New Years with 10 days of holiday for everyone, I'll be spending those days, among other things, making some lists. I may just join the blog fops around the globe with my 'Best Of' lists. Am I behind the curve? Well, possibly. But unlike Time or Slate or Rolling Stone, I've got my OWN personal decade to cover. So, lets begin with a list of lists I might list. And if you think I need to list something else, list it in the comments. Mmmmmmm.... lists....So, A List of Things to be Possibly Listed:1. Favorite Gustatory Moments2. Resolutions, or Things That I'll Feel Mostly Guilty for Having Not Accomplished in 20103. Book of the Year (a very short one here)4. The Decade in Significant Moments (The writer in me is excited for this one.)5. My Noughties Junkdrawer6. Things I Wish I Hadn't Done in the Noughties7. Why I Hate the Word NoughtiesI know this has the potential to get really tedious. But it could be cool. And if it isn't, we'll just pretend that this blog post never existed.