Jody's Letters from the Road

  I came to Armenia from the United States with our flag of thirteen red and white stripes with fifty white stars on a field of dark blue.   The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colors and each star represents a current state. The colors have been explained to be mean red for valor, white for innocence and blue for justice.   At first there was a stripe added for each state, but it was decided in 1818 to maintain the thirteen stripes and only add stars for new states.   Many Americans do not know that the flag of the Star-Spangled Banner had fifteen stripes and fifteen stars.   It is sad that so many Americans do not know there are three verses to the national anthem. We could learn a little about purity of patriotism from the people I am meeting in Armenia. The Armenian flag is so simple and beautiful.   A blue strip bound on top by a red stripe with an orange stripe (I have had it explained to me that the color is apricot) on the bottom.   I see it painted on ro

Business Meeting  06/17/2018 This has been a very interesting weekend. I spent part of the day at work on Saturday by accident.  I was playing my guitar in the city park across from the office when I looked up and Ani was calling to me to come over to the office.  I was ready for a break and they offered coffee, a very normal activity for guests in Armenia.  I went upstairs and set my guitar in the conference room and moved to the kitchen.  We had coffee and laughed about what a curiosity I was playing my guitar and wearing a cowboy hat in the city park.  I asked if Ani had seen me through the window when she told me that her husband was a policeman and had called her to let her know I was in the park and she told me that all the police were making sure I was safe.  This was comforting and disturbing at the same time.  The team teased me that everyone in town (it is a small place) was starting to know who the American was and that I worked here with them. After coffee and conversa