WATERTOWN, Mass.—On Mon., Dec. 2, writer and producer Ric Gazarian will speak on “Volunteering in Armenia: Receiving by Giving” at the dinner meeting of the St. James Armenian Church Men’s Club in Watertown.
Ric Gazarian
Gazarian was born in Wellesley, Mass., graduated from Boston College, and currently resides in Chicago, Ill. He has published two books, 7000 KM To Go and Hit the Road India. He also produced the full-length documentary, “Hit The Road India,” which premiered at the Golden Apricot Festival in Yerevan in 2013.
He enjoys travel and the experiences that abound while discovering new people and places. His travels have taken him to over 75 countries and all 7 continents. Gazarian spent six months volunteering at an orphanage and an after-school group in Yerevan, Armenia. He also spent eight months volunteering at an orphanage in Phuket, Thailand, and a homeless shelter for teenagers in Bangkok.
Travel, whether good or bad, contributes to an astounding mosaic of memories, he says Some of these memories include being shaken down for a bribe by Russian cops on the streets of Moscow, being quarantined by the Chinese government in Tibet for five days, being felled by a case of unbearable food sickness in Yemen, being told by your new friend from Syria that “we hate America” as you drive to Damascus while smuggling cartons of cigarettes, or being advised that the “number one mafia in Taiwan” might want to physically harm you.
The social hour begins at 6:15 p.m. with mezza, followed by a complete losh kebab and kheyma dinner at 7 p.m., for $14 per person. The dinner meeting will be held at the St. James Armenian Church Charles Mosesian Cultural and Youth Center – Keljik Hall, 465 Mount Auburn St. in Watertown. Ladies are welcome to attend.