Friday, December 26, 2003

This morning I woke from a dream that I was cross-country skiing on a new pair of Olin skis that I got for Christmas. What a great sensation it was to be back in nature among the well to do people of the world that have enough extra to participate in activities accessible to the privileged few who do not have to think about where they will find their next meal. It really was a good feeling.

I’ve been reflecting on my life for the last few years and how in some ways I have taken a huge cut in the conveyances I had in the West.

For instance, this morning when I woke, my room was really cold. The woodstove only kept my room warm until probably 4 am and then the electric heater that I turned on before going to sleep had some electrical problem, so it never turned on when the temperature dropped. Of course in the US, I had natural gas to heat my house and in the months that were cold, I always kept my house at a very comfortable 75 degrees.

Here we should have already had natural gas and if we did, I would basically have what I had in the states as far as heating. Unfortunately due to corruption, the money that was intended for gasification of Martuni was misappropriated and only about 30% of Martuni has natural gas. You don’t know how much this pisses me off. I wish really bad things to happen to those responsible for this every time I have to haul wood up to my room and every time when I light the stove and smoke gets in my room.

In fact most of the things I had in the US that I liked and don’t have here, don’t exist for the most part because of corruption. For that reason I feel good that I’m here and am actively involved in addressing corruption in our government.

I guess the reason I don’t regret giving up all the comforts of the US is that I know in time we will succeed in eradicating the corruption that effect or basic needs and then not only I, but those that live among me here in Armenia and Artsakh will enjoy the comforts I once had in the US.

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