A Sound From the Past

By Anna Bakhshyan, Yerevan, Armenia

I am a representative of the travel industry, which, admittedly, has suffered so much, during this pandemic. The first day of COVID-19, for us in Armenia, was in March. It was very stressful when the lockdown began. Life has changed in every family: some of us stayed at home without work, some of us worked online from home, children were doing online lessons. I think that was the first challenge, for all moms.

I would like to say this about emotions: there are some sounds in our minds that we can never forget. The sound of an ambulance is among them, for me. It reminds me of 1995. That was the year when we started to feel the end of the war with Azerbaijan, which happened when the Soviet Union fell apart. During the war, people had electricity for just three or four hours per day. So when the fighting ended, it was a time of great joy. It meant a lot: less hunger, and warmer homes.

But my mum was in the hospital, so I felt not the end of war, but the end of the world. When I went out from the hospital to bring some clothes back for her, suddenly, I saw life was going on in its usual way. But the sound, oh the sound of the ambulance, was not “usual”– it reminded me that someone very close to me was fighting for her life.

Now, when I hear the sirens carrying people with COVID-19 to the hospital, it reminds me of that difficult time again.

So, what can I say? If you have no one in the hospital, it is great. But never forget that by being careful, by following what the health people tell us to do, we’ll hear that hazardous sound less often.