The weather has finally broken here in Vayots Dzor and with it my mood has lifted. Today I spontaneously baked banana cherry bread. I have had this jar of preserved cherries since last summer and was never able to open it, then this morning violà! Afterwards Frank and I relaxed in the sunlight together and have been doing so on and off throughout the afternoon. One of the less obvious reasons warm weather is so healthy for me is that I can still enjoy my privacy and separateness but at once feel a part of the community I live in. While I read, the sounds of two siblings playing in the dirt calling out to each other in Armenian while their grandfather sighs over his garden work fades in and out. It reminds me where I am, keeping me grounded here in Armenia
This weekend was a lot more relaxed than the last one. I wrote and then later removed the following post on Facebook:
No doubt the most eventful Valentine's (and perhaps Peace Corps)
Day I have ever had. 8:57am urgent phone call from Lauren Michelle that our sitemate Rosie Jeffery's dog (who doesn't have FB and
THIS IS THE MOMENT I WANT HER TO!) that she is watching while Rosie is in
America, has been violently ill for 48 hours. Hearing the hysteria in her
voice, without question I tell Lauren I'll come over. Out the door at 9:05,
hoping to have all necessary belongings. Phone call from Liam Johannes about the National Poetry Recitation Contest while
waiting for the marshutni (bus). The bus passes by full and I instead hitch a
ride from some good samaritan that asks not a single question, not even my
destination. Receive a phone call from Meg, checking in with me about Lauren
and the pup. Arrive in Yeghegnadzor at 9:30am, walk to Lauren's apartment. Enter
Lauren's apartment and see she has cleaned up all the vomit, quaratined the dog
in the bathroom and managed to cut open her thumb in the process. I remove my
jacket and shoes, grab Lauren's Peace Corps medical kit (because when you're
someone's site-mate you JUST KNOW THAT SHIT) wrap and tape her thumb. After
triaging, we are out the door at 10:07 and into a taxi with a garbage bag full
of vomit covered blankets, sleeping bags, towels, (because the routine
hand-wash in this situation is incomprehensible) a newly bathed emaciated
puppy, an apple, almonds and a veterinarian in wait. Along the way, our taxi
driver comes upon a car accident saying, "One minute, I'm gonna see what's
up", (a loose translation of dialect). Turns out a large vehicle had
flipped over and was sinking into a decently size frozen pond, having uprooted
two large trees. Getting into Yerevan around noon we make the decision to grab
red eye iced-coffees and a sandwich to split to go, BECAUSE WHO CAN GO THROUGH
THIS WITHOUT FOOD AND CAFFEINE? Prior to arriving at the vet's I told Lauren
not to expect our norm having been there before. Arriving around 12:45, the vet
greeted us, finishing a cigarette in his office/examination room. He assesses
the situation and informs us the dog has Parvovirus, a very dangerous and deadly
virus. Due to the fact that I had been with the puppy ( and Frank) when she was
originally vaccinated the vet spoke to me as though I was responsible for not
having given the second round of vaccinations. The guilt weighed on me as
Nali's 2nd round of vac's were sitting in my barren refrigerator. The vet
begins to explain that everything he is doing, we too, will need to do three
times a day for 3 to 5 days. As has been the go-to mode of operation in
Armenia, you merely accept that this just is the way it's going to be - you
laugh, because it's absurd, because- SERIOUSLY? The vet begins to administer 14
different shots to the dog while informing us that this is a very, very bad
situation. Lauren takes notes as the vet explains to me where and how much
medicine needs to be administered. During this process in his most casual
manor, the vet accidentally sprayed Lauren with some of the medicine, laughing.
Before leaving, on non-descript paper the vet wrote out the needed 'prescription'
for the dog. Lauren and I leave, dropping off her laundry at the dry cleaners
and then head to the ATM for some cash-flow. At this point, we again assess the
situation and start planning out each sentence for the phone call to Jennifer Abeles, being the saviour/founder of this particular puppy. Sitting on
a bench to eat our sandwich in the area outside the Opera house, Lauren begins
to create a make-shift leash from our taxi-ride-emergency-throw-up-garbage-bags
when I spot the Archbishop of our town (the most influential individual in our
area), waltzing through the square. I point out Lauren's boss to her as she
uses her teeth to rip open the garbage bag for the makeshift leash (supposed to
be at work). I really wanted to take a nap at this point. Lauren and I were
delirious in our laughter over the situation. After 15 minutes or so we headed
to the nearest human pharmacy, after having asked some by-standers where it is
located, and bought all of the pup's meds for around 10 USD. Before heading to
our bus stop, Lauren and I made sure to take the pup into the supermarket for
chocolate, something salty and some gini. We were happy to discover that the
marshutni (bus) bosses were cool with the puppy riding along. Home at 6:00 pm
to administer 6 shots (ourselves) while the pup cried like a banshee. We have 3
more days to go. Pray Jesus.
Care for a sick puppy- $100
2 Coffees and a sandwich- $10
1 puppy, 2 exhausted volunteers transportation home- $5
Feeling like true Peace Corps Volunteers- Priceless.
Jeez, even looking at it now I understand why people were complaining about the length. I ended up taking the post down after some comments I misunderstood and a long conversation with my brother about whether or not Facebook was the appropriate forum for such a story. We argued our points back and forth; he stating that if I was looking for an outlet, perhaps calling a friend would have been a better option and I understood his point. Another reason I took the post down was because two days later, more than 20 injections and a lot of suffering on the part of the puppy and the humans involved this 4 month old pup, Nali, died in her sleep. I didn't want to make the death of this dog a lighthearted Facebook/ Peace Corps anecdote. Also, the somewhat brag-like tone in the final sentences as the AMEX commercials was in no way a reflection of our attitudes.
The experience of trying to save this puppy's life against all odds was a huge learning lesson in Armenian culture. We were lucky that the pup passed in her sleep, otherwise we were going to be responsible for euthanizing her. Two different Armenian vets insisted we continue the medicinal treatments, despite the fact the dog had a 20% chance to live. This would have never happened at home in the states. The veterinarian we met in our local town, Yeghegnadzor, was more open about how wrong he felt it was for us to intentionally put Nali down. He crossed himself saying, "This thing isn't done in Armenia, no one does this, I will not do it... if you want, leave her in the mountains." It was a hard thing to have the professionals in the room making Lauren and I feel like bad people for doing what we as Americans find more humane and reasonable.
The irony in the vets aversion to putting the pup to sleep is in the flip side of Armenian attitudes toward domesticated animals. I don't want to sit here and put behaviors on blast without making it clear that there is a hierarchy of needs here in Armenia. Yeah, we have internet and electricity and cellphone service. Yes, a good majority of people have running water, but this is ultimately a developing country. Many Armenians can not afford proper health care, if any at all. Why would they even begin to give a shit about the animals around them that don't provide any source of food or income (aka cats and dogs)? The mistreatment of animals in this country is something every volunteer faces at one point or another. Some of us grow a thick cultural skin, feeling it's not something that can be changed. Others remain sensitive and make efforts to impress ideas of animals rights upon Armenians they are in relationship with. Personally, the issue of animal rights is something I want to leave alone. I care for my cat, really I love Frank dearly but after my experience with a sick animal I acutely felt how ridiculous all that we went through might seem from an outsider's perspective.
Case in point was the reaction of my friends at school when I explained why my weekend was so terrible. "Oh a dog died?!?! Carolyn! I was worried there for a second!", and I knew this was going to be the case, so it didn't upset me. It's the reality of where I live and it is something I feel I must accept. I hate to sound so callous, but the truth of it is I feel most at peace as a volunteer when I surrender to the norm. The rock in the river flowing.
I am me and they are them and that is all.
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