Gyumri stuck in an eternal disaster

A couple of years ago, actually 26 years after the disastrous earthquake of 1988, I made this report about Gyumri. “This town is stuck in an eternal disaster,” I remember thinking then.
This year I visited Gyumri a couple of times. At first glance it is getting better. But none of my classmates live there. It is an empty shell. And the people who remain in Gyumri have this air of being abandoned and stuck in a disaster zone about them that just won’t go away. And I can’t bear to be writing these words or experiencing these feelings. I know it is dishonest, but I hate being in Gyumri because I look at it and see a completely different place, which it is not and will probably never be again.
Years ago I abandoned Gyumri too. I became just another traitor. And I’m not coming back. I’m sorry… but no, I’m not coming back!