It's a new year in Armenia, and I am keeping one of my resolutions...I'm smoking a turkey. I just had a great thought that related to our life here in Armenia because of the turkey, but I'll p.s. that at the end. We are enjoying a little breather here between December 25th (our Christmas) and January 6th (Armenian Christmas), and getting our house put back together after finally getting our 20ft container from the States.
New Year celebrations are little different here in Armenia than back in the states. New Year's eve is really just a waiting game, because 12am Jan 1 is the start of 6 full days of reconnecting with friends and family. I was really caught up this year, and called family until 4 a.m., then resumed in the morning just as they were all watching the Times Square ball drop at midnight in the U.S. It was a lot of fun, and I realized just how much I really miss them all.
Last night we visited our friends, Anahit and her family, and enjoyed the Armenian New Year traditional meal. I think of it as an unorganized progressive meal, you have guests for an hour or so, then you set off to different friend's house, then back home for more guests, etc. Anahit has been our language teacher for over three years now. It's funny how our conversation always turns to how we can keep improving our Armenian, then to visiting their summer home, then to the upcoming books we are ready to publish, then to helping Anahit find a car.
We are excited to start a New Year mostly because last year was all about getting ready for this year; fund raising, resettling in Armenia, getting registered and getting our house in order, reconnecting with friends and leaders. We are ready to dive into the big stuff that we have been very anxious to get started. We hope that you've had a great Christmas and start to the new year!
P.S. Smoking a turkey is like living a healthy life. Here is the principle. If you want perfectly smoked meat, juicy and with just the right flavor of smoke and spices, you need to keep the heat of the smoker (in this case, my homemade Armenian grill) between 225 and 235 degrees (farhenheit). I've had to carefully watch the thermometer, and adjust the number of coals or slightly open the lid until the temperature readjusts. In life, as we feel the heat of stress rise, we need to find a way to let out some of the heat. This is a new skill for Liv and I, but it has made a huge difference.
New Year celebrations are little different here in Armenia than back in the states. New Year's eve is really just a waiting game, because 12am Jan 1 is the start of 6 full days of reconnecting with friends and family. I was really caught up this year, and called family until 4 a.m., then resumed in the morning just as they were all watching the Times Square ball drop at midnight in the U.S. It was a lot of fun, and I realized just how much I really miss them all.
Last night we visited our friends, Anahit and her family, and enjoyed the Armenian New Year traditional meal. I think of it as an unorganized progressive meal, you have guests for an hour or so, then you set off to different friend's house, then back home for more guests, etc. Anahit has been our language teacher for over three years now. It's funny how our conversation always turns to how we can keep improving our Armenian, then to visiting their summer home, then to the upcoming books we are ready to publish, then to helping Anahit find a car.
We are excited to start a New Year mostly because last year was all about getting ready for this year; fund raising, resettling in Armenia, getting registered and getting our house in order, reconnecting with friends and leaders. We are ready to dive into the big stuff that we have been very anxious to get started. We hope that you've had a great Christmas and start to the new year!
P.S. Smoking a turkey is like living a healthy life. Here is the principle. If you want perfectly smoked meat, juicy and with just the right flavor of smoke and spices, you need to keep the heat of the smoker (in this case, my homemade Armenian grill) between 225 and 235 degrees (farhenheit). I've had to carefully watch the thermometer, and adjust the number of coals or slightly open the lid until the temperature readjusts. In life, as we feel the heat of stress rise, we need to find a way to let out some of the heat. This is a new skill for Liv and I, but it has made a huge difference.
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