A Day in the Life of a Gyumri Girl

 

 It was another day of sunshine and I walked to the store to get some groceries for the house. I bought tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, cheeses, bread, and chocolate for all of us. I realized when I got back that I forgot potatoes so Denise, just 9 years old, but acts like he is a teenager, went back to the store to buy some. Yulia was making kofta burgers with egg, flour, onions, and potatoes. It was quite a delicious turn out of food. She also made an omelet for both of us, which was delicious. It was so nice to be eating the home instead of eating outside, which always seemed to be a disappointment in Gyumri.

We were resting a bit of the day and then we went to the movie and discussion after. They played a Russian movie on the projection screen and then we would have a discussion after the movie. Yulia, a translator for a living, translated the movie critics discussion about the film director, the era of time, and what contributions he made to the film world.

It was fascinating to listen to Yulia translate and describe every word in the most articulate way. It is beautiful to listen to her voice and the way she shifts in tone. She explains to me that this film director had a cinema ear and a cinema eye. He tried out everything you possibly could with the frame and the lens. He produced and created his films in mathematical ways with each take being measured. It was like a math or science to him that he had to get everything perfect.  The perfect strategy and execution to make cinema feel like more than just a movie, but a whole experience.

Russia is really just fascinating for me as I think they are highly intelligent people. They have a culture that reads books, poetry, films, and they have great historical knowledge. They are a bit of a superior country or a super power when they are compared other countries in the world I must say. Especially with my experience over so many years, I do meet some incredible Russians and obviously ones that are not impressive at all. But I am happy to meet the ones like Yulia and her friends-her smart, nerdy, intelligent group who are great people.

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