Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Gohar Alexsanyan

Gohar Alexsanyan, 44 years old


Gohar Alexsanyan is the epitome of a strong, determined and proud village woman. She is the mother of two girls and one boy. Along with all the responsibilities a woman takes on keeping a household, Gohar also keeps a barn full of pigs and cows, a coop full of hens and roosters and an enormous garden with fruit trees, vegetables and berry bushes. She wakes early in the morning to milk the cow, feed the pigs and let out the chickens. She then prepares breakfast for her children and husband before they head off to school and work.
In the summer time, Gohar spends the day harvesting fruits and vegetables and about once a week takes the yield to Yerevan to sell in the markets. She comes home late and prepares dinner for the family and once again milks the cow, feeds the pigs and puts up the chickens for the night.
Gohar is a lover of knowledge. She was studying at the university in Yerevan when she met her husband, quit her studies and got married. Soon thereafter, her first daughter, Anna, was born. Anna was just recently married this February 13th. Gohar is tremendously proud of her children and the happy prosperous life she and her family have led.


Gohar and her family have also hosted two Peace Corps trainees during the Pre-Service Training. The Americans lived with her family for two and a half months after first arriving in Armenia. When the trainees reach Armenia they only know a few words of the language, so the host family became an interactive classroom and provided a network to other villagers and other family members within the country. The family served as the first contact with Armenian culture and language.

2 comments:

brent said...

The picture with her feeding chickens is my favorite one yet!!!!!

Krista Larson said...

Yeah, mine too! I think I'll need one of those when you get back :)