Good morning, good afternoon and good evening readers,

Today we visited the Aparan Embassy.

There is a story leading to this memorable night. So, get yourself comfy and grab a cup of tea because this is a splendid tale of the uniting of two nations.

So, lets start at the beginning, because that is the most logical place to start. When we first moved into our flat we noticed a strange wooden structure at the bottom of our block. Amy was so intrigued by the infrastructure with its pictures of Stalin and occasional Donkey shrine. For many weeks we told the office at Red Cross of our discovery and they seemed both bemused and baffled. We took a photo of the large red and white sign and showed it to our colleagues. “Aparan Embassy” they laughed, “there is no Embassy of Aparan.” But little did they know, Pashinyan the current Prime Minister, as well as many other famous tourists had visited this famous site and there was very much an Embassy of Aparan. For those of you in the UK, Aparan is the equivalent of Colchester or perhaps an even smaller town.

Weeks went by and on our way to and from work we stared in awe at the strange establishment. During the weeks of protests, I was taking photographs of the locals in their celebration. One day when walking past the wooden shrine I thought to myself, wait a minute I recognise that face. I searched through my photographs and there he was, the Ambassador of Aparan in all his glory. In his hand he was grasping the Aparan Embassy flag and in the background, the flag of Armenia. What a perfect photo I thought, I bet he would like it for the wall of his Embassy. I asked our friend Vahe to help me print the photo and frame it. We chose the frame that most suited the woodwork of the Embassy. Then with the help of Vahe, I wrote a note to the Ambassador saying,

“Dear Ambassador of the Aparan Embassy, I took this photo of you at the protest and thought you may like it to hang on the walls of your Embassy. I am a volunteer of the Red Cross and my friend helped me to translate this letter. I hope that one day we can receive a tour of your Embassy. Enjoy, Charlotte” Can I just say I wrote my own name in Armenian letters. How sick am I!?

So, with my gift ready, wrapped and addressed to the Embassy, I popped it through the gates on Wednesday morning. I could barely contain my excitement! I told Amy that if he doesn’t like the gift, then she is Charlotte from now on. On my way home, I peeked through the doors. Ah there it is! Except he has had the photo enlarged and put into another frame. “Excuse me, girl photo, girl photo” a stranger cried. “Ha Ha (yes yes)” I said. I got a thumbs up and then walked into our flat. I was so excited, I called my friend Stevie and told him all about what had happened. Gosh I was so happy at how thrilled the locals were to receive my gift.

It is 10 o’clock. Knock, knock. Knock, knock. *Armenian/ Russian chit chat*

We open the door. It’s the Ambassador!!

He thanks me for the gift and asks for my telephone number. We are to meet him at the Embassy at 7 o’clock the next day.

We bring Vahe and Sargis, knock on the Embassy door and are invited in. He welcomes us to a table setting of barbequed fish, kebab, lavache, brandy and wine. What a host! The Armenians always deliver! Over a delicious dinner we asked him about his Embassy, when he made it and why. He told us…

“I am amazed by the gift that you have given me. Lots of people took photos of me at the protest but no one gave me the photos or even sold them to me. When you left your gift, there was no telephone number. I thought it was a joke before I opened it as people are always putting things here. I wanted to say thank you and in a raised voice I showed my frustration. I asked the community where the English girls were. People were coming over to me to see what had happened. Where are they? I asked. I showed them the notes and people thought I had very good contacts in England. They thought I was very special. I joked that Margaret Thatcher had sent me the note. They did not get my joke, as they told me she was dead. I knew this. Many people of the community do not understand or get along with me because they see me as nationalistic. It is so nice that foreigners have noticed me and taken the time to give me this gift. I was so surprised and I thought how can I give them a surprise gift back. So, I invited you for coffee but instead we have all this food, brandy and wine.”

He went on explaining that the site of Embassy had previously been covered in rubbish. He asked the council to clear the area but they declined. Once he had cleaned the area, they then asked him to pay 220,000 dram (£342) to use the site. He expressed his frustration, told them to leave and the neighbours came out to say to them that they knew who they were and wouldn’t accept such an outrageous request. Now, because of all of this, the Aparan Embassy stands.

As a thank you, he invited us into his self-made masterpiece, gave us a delightful dinner and showed us around his creation. This is yet another example of exceptional hospitality and incredible determination to create something beautiful. After seeing Levon and meeting Sargis I feel that anything is possible. We must take responsibility in our communities to clean, preserve and protects our homes. For out of a mound of litter, we can create our very own Embassies.

Please enjoy the pictures of our wonderful evening with Ambassador Sargis, his granddaughter and our many friends that we have made along our journey.

In gratitude and kindness,
C x