homestay and movies

so, as some of you may know, i did in fact move into a homestay. this means im staying with a lovely armenian family, that naturally feeds me too much, so ive stopped eating lunch- its just better that way. the family consists of mom and dad (dad speaks no english at all, mom can express herself), sister kristina (the girl who sang in datev monastery), and karin, who is a lawyer. kristina is on a trip, and gets back today. the family is quite nice- karin is great, and every evening when i get back between 11-12, i get a late-night dinner, and karin, his mom, and i sit around and talk for at least an hour. my armenian has probably improved more in the last week than it did in the previous three weeks combined. so homecooked meals and armenian language learning is great. i think it was a very good decision, and im definitely comfortable, even if i cant lounge around as freely as in an apartment.
next, this week has been the 3rd annual golden apricot int'l film festival. for various reasons (a british film being dubbed over in russian, being late since i stink at taking the buses, and a showing today being sold out), ive only seen two films, both iranian. i really liked them both. the first was called "the cyclist" and was about this afgani man whose wife was dying in a hospital, and instead of resorting to crime (he happened to be a champion cyclist), this con-artist of a fellow arranges a exhibition for him to ride his bike in circles for a week continuously. the film follows all the intrigue that comes with the betting process, etc. fairly enjoyable. the second film i saw was called "gilaneh" and i became very invested in it. gilaneh was a very compelling character. basically, it takes place first in iran during the iraq/iran war when gilaneh's daughter insists on going to see her husband who remained in a tehran that is constantly under fire. her pride and joy during this time while she takes care of her daughter maygol is her son ismael, who went to fight in the war. the second half fast-forwards 15 years, ismael is basically crippled from the war, and gilaneh spends all her time taking care of him. depressing, yes. terribly compelling, even more so.
so in addition to the films, ive been to a couple cafes this week with different folks from birthright/etc. its pretty cool because i feel like im extending my circle both of diasporan armenians, but more importantly locals. for instance at the opening ceremony for the festival i ran into ani and anoush, two language helpers from birthright (very smart/cute young ladies), and they introduced me to their friend rita. since then, ive run into rita two times. today sitting at a cafe, i saw arthur, a guy from nli. it feels good to see people you know, especially the locals.
in regards to work, ive got a survey in full swing, with a few surveys filled out and translated (thanks to armine and kristine). i also spent some time yesterday at a couple of the local churches in yerevan. i was in the smallest, and oldest, s. katolige, in the morning. then, in the afternoon, i went to the largest and newest, s. krikor loosavorich cathedral in the afternoon. i had an idea for a short film that centers around the tradition of lighting candles in the church. many folks involved in the church today feel that many people don't know what to do in church, and thus come in, light a candle, and leave. i think it would make a cool 5 minute piece to have several long takes (30 s. -1 min.) of people coming in, lighting a candle, then leaving interspersed with titles that described the tradition and possibly included the above criticism expressed through the words of a local priest...
well, really, life has been good, but routine. this weekend, were going to sanahin and haghbad, a couple monasteries, as well as the city of gyumri, the second city of armenia.
hajo...