We arrived on the 20th with all of our stuff and officially out of the Caucasus region. It was a fairly smooth transition for us. It wasnt so smooth for the French guys that thought they lost each other at the airport only to be reunited on the bus to the plane, but that is neither here nor there. We were picked up at the airport by our hostel and driven to our place of residence for the next four, exhausting, luxurious days. Yildirim Guesthouse is where its at in terms of hostels in Fethiye, it was pretty great. Very close to everything we wanted to do, people were very friendly and helpful, and the breakfast did not disappoint.
The first day we arrived, we gorged ourselves on doner kebabs and later fish sandwiches. Cheap and delicious, street food is the heart of any country and Turkey does it pretty well. For about 4 dollars, you can get a chicken sandwich about as big as your head with all of the fixings and pickled peppers to boot. Later on, Ms. Dee and I found some for about 2 dollars that was even better than the first. And the woman that made it was super nice and friendly. Always smiling.
One thing I love about Turkey is the vendors. They are flirtatious and funny and play off of each other in hilarious ways. I think that at some point in my life I want to be a street vendor so I can harass strangers as they walk by. You may pick up sarcasm but let me assure you I am being completely serious. I already have a few lines to use on people. Although, I hate to say this and I dont mean to sound sexist but I am not sure a female could be as effective in the vendor department as these guys are. I also would need a team member that I could play off of... so many options for my future.
I am writing this blog as I drive along the coast. Well, I am not driving, the bus driver is driving, and it is beautiful! The green, brown and rocky hills with the dramatic blue sea coast is wonderful! Im not on the correct side of the bus to take pictures so I cant quite share with you the scenery, but trust me when I say it is beautiful.
Back to Fethiye. We had one day of relaxation and a beach day before we began our training. Our SCUBA training!!! On a Sunday stroll along the boardwalk, we met up with our boat crew- Maria, Can, and Michael from Dolphin Diving. They gave us a quick tour of the boat and our course and then gave us homework. A video and the manual, which we all watched and read without a single hesitation. I promise (now you can pick up the sarcasm). Monday our training started. Ms. Dee, Vin and myself were all going to start our certification course. None of us had been diving but we all snorkeled before. The first dive was pretty amazing! I had been having sooo many dreams about diving that I dont think it actually hit me that I was diving. It almost seemed natural to me, not saying I was the best at it, just saying it was exactly what I expected it to be.
I love diving already and after three days of studying and hard work, I am officially certified and once I fill out the paperwork and send it in, I get a card to prove it. Dont worry though, although we were on the boat from 9 am until 5-6 pm, it wasnt all hard work. In case you were concerned I was over-doing it with the stress and homework, there was plenty of time for swimming and laying out. Along with a delicious lunch, cooked by Maria, this was more of a cruise with a few minutes of instruction thrown in.
Between the sun and the diving/swimming, we were exhausted every night. We would take a stroll along the boardwalk and people watch and then tuck in for an early night. Every night when my head hit the pillow (around 11), it was lights out and no waking me up until the morning. I slept hard and I think it is finally catching up to me to relax. It has taken a while to realize that I am not working, I am just enjoying this adventure. Although within every adventure is a certain amount of stress and traveling is not a walk in the park. It can be exhausting but I enjoy this kind of exhaustion. I enjoy this kind of "work." I really should be a planner of some sort.
Well those are my random thoughts of Fethiye. I really enjoyed the town, the people and the experiences there! I had a wonderful time diving and even though it was a few dollars I didnt quite need to spend, I am glad I did. This is a lifetime certification and I know there will be many more dives after this!
Next up is Selcuk and Ephesus and after that who knows, possibly Istanbul. Hope you are all well!
25 August 2011
24 August 2011
Tbilisi Round 4
Tbilisi was a lot of fun! This was my fourth time going there and each time has been with completely different people and we have done completely different things. The first time was for a very short time and a few of my ladies and I went to a Turkish bath and drank good coffee while sitting in an old street car. The second time was for a night with my mom and aunt but I was sick so we went out and had delicious khajapuri and khingali but slept for most of it. The third time was with one of my ladies and we pampered ourselves and relaxed. This time I was with my girl and the two guys I traveled to Karabagh with. And it was wonderful!
We saw the fort, walked around a lot more, saw a lot more, and had experiences I wont ever forget. We tried to do couchsurfing and that didnt work out as well as planned. Our host was otherwise occupied and didnt quite inform us ahead of time. So we found a hostel that let us sleep on the floor for the first night. The second night we were able to move to a bed and on the third night we flew out. It was another quick trip but I accomplished everything on my to-do list. I saw the fort, took a bunch of photos, and ate plenty of delicious khachapuri! :) The Ajarian khachapuri is my favorite and I had a few really delicious ones (although that kind is better in Batumi).
Now on to Turkey!
We saw the fort, walked around a lot more, saw a lot more, and had experiences I wont ever forget. We tried to do couchsurfing and that didnt work out as well as planned. Our host was otherwise occupied and didnt quite inform us ahead of time. So we found a hostel that let us sleep on the floor for the first night. The second night we were able to move to a bed and on the third night we flew out. It was another quick trip but I accomplished everything on my to-do list. I saw the fort, took a bunch of photos, and ate plenty of delicious khachapuri! :) The Ajarian khachapuri is my favorite and I had a few really delicious ones (although that kind is better in Batumi).
Now on to Turkey!
17 August 2011
Nagorno-Karabagh
From Yerevan and back was a total of about 15 hours of taxi, hitchhiking, and marshutni rides, but was completely worth it. It wasnt incredibly different from Armenia but it was different. There was a different feel to the area. It seemed less chaotic which is a weird feeling considering its recent history. I will not go in to its history or the current conflict because that is not the point of this blog. You can read a basic overview here. This blog is just to update my friends and family and those that happen upon it about my whereabouts and experiences along the way.
Before going to Karabagh, I headed down on Saturday to Goris to spend time with a friend before I left. The two guys I was traveling with and myself spent the night with our PCV friend that is a part of our group but has courageously decided to continue for a little longer. It was a very nice night of interesting conversation and good food. Thanks to him for his wonderful and gracious hospitality, even though he had his father visiting and very little notice!
The next morning, we packed up our few things and headed out to go to Stepanakert. We hitch-hiked there and it was my first experience with that and I loved it! Hopefully I will be able to do it again. It is just nice to experience people's trust and openness. It took us about 3 cars before we got to Stepanakert but each person we met was interesting and interested in us!
Stepanakert was a good town to walk around in and check out different areas. It was really hot and humid there so we were kinda slow doing things. We walked to the Tatik and Papik statue that is on a lot of the brochures or Armenia information. It was interesting to visit Karabagh because I have heard so much about it these last two years and it is such an important part of their foreign policy.
The next day we visited Shushi and saw more of the effects of the war. There were many bombed buildings throughout the city and while walking on the back roads, we saw a lot of the destruction. It was also interesting to see a few mosques and the old fort around the city. Also on a few buildings we would see Farsi writing. Farsi is a beautiful script and one I would love to learn.
While walking through the streets of Shushi, we met a few diaspora that were building a hotel there. I have very mixed feelings about diaspora. There have been a few that I have met that have realistic ideas of what Armenia needs and how to implement those needs efficiently and then there are some that throw money at the problem without actually fixing anything. I think this is a problem with international development in general and not just with diaspora, so please do not confuse my message. Building schools to say you built X amount of schools does not change anything for the children if you are not simultaneously teaching the instructors better classroom techniques. Its like giving resources to people without training them on how to use them. It might look good on paper and to donors but it doesnt actually change anything. Granted, there are lots of places that just need schools built, but Armenia has some infrastructure. True, it could be updated, but I think the focus should be on educator training. Again, this is just one opinion.
To move on from my soap box about international development... We only had two days in Karabagh and on the third we took the earliest marshutni they had back to Yerevan. That night we saw the newest volunteer group swear in and it was weird and satisfying to see a new group join the ranks of volunteer status. They were just like us two years ago, eager to get to work and nervous to leave their comfort nest. I felt like a weirdo being the only 17 that was not extending. It was like the high school graduate that still goes to the high school parties, creepy and incredibly out of place. Thank goodness I had friends in the 18 group!
This was my real last night in Armenia and I did it up right! I visited all of the people that I wanted to visit. I said my goodbyes to the remaining friends in country. The next morning, I packed and repacked my life and donated about half of my stuff to lighten my bag, repacked again, and jumped in a taxi with D and headed out for the train. We made it with 5 minutes to spare and said our final hajos to Hayastan.
It was a mixed feeling train ride and we were able to speak Armenian to an older couple who were pretty impressed about what we have tried to accomplish here. Writing this blog (now a week after the fact), I still dont feel as though I am done with Armenia. I guess that is how all Peace Corps volunteers feel. You can finish your service and say your goodbyes but it never really leaves you. A piece of my heart will always be in Armenia and I am okay with that.
Before going to Karabagh, I headed down on Saturday to Goris to spend time with a friend before I left. The two guys I was traveling with and myself spent the night with our PCV friend that is a part of our group but has courageously decided to continue for a little longer. It was a very nice night of interesting conversation and good food. Thanks to him for his wonderful and gracious hospitality, even though he had his father visiting and very little notice!
The next morning, we packed up our few things and headed out to go to Stepanakert. We hitch-hiked there and it was my first experience with that and I loved it! Hopefully I will be able to do it again. It is just nice to experience people's trust and openness. It took us about 3 cars before we got to Stepanakert but each person we met was interesting and interested in us!
Stepanakert was a good town to walk around in and check out different areas. It was really hot and humid there so we were kinda slow doing things. We walked to the Tatik and Papik statue that is on a lot of the brochures or Armenia information. It was interesting to visit Karabagh because I have heard so much about it these last two years and it is such an important part of their foreign policy.
The next day we visited Shushi and saw more of the effects of the war. There were many bombed buildings throughout the city and while walking on the back roads, we saw a lot of the destruction. It was also interesting to see a few mosques and the old fort around the city. Also on a few buildings we would see Farsi writing. Farsi is a beautiful script and one I would love to learn.
While walking through the streets of Shushi, we met a few diaspora that were building a hotel there. I have very mixed feelings about diaspora. There have been a few that I have met that have realistic ideas of what Armenia needs and how to implement those needs efficiently and then there are some that throw money at the problem without actually fixing anything. I think this is a problem with international development in general and not just with diaspora, so please do not confuse my message. Building schools to say you built X amount of schools does not change anything for the children if you are not simultaneously teaching the instructors better classroom techniques. Its like giving resources to people without training them on how to use them. It might look good on paper and to donors but it doesnt actually change anything. Granted, there are lots of places that just need schools built, but Armenia has some infrastructure. True, it could be updated, but I think the focus should be on educator training. Again, this is just one opinion.
To move on from my soap box about international development... We only had two days in Karabagh and on the third we took the earliest marshutni they had back to Yerevan. That night we saw the newest volunteer group swear in and it was weird and satisfying to see a new group join the ranks of volunteer status. They were just like us two years ago, eager to get to work and nervous to leave their comfort nest. I felt like a weirdo being the only 17 that was not extending. It was like the high school graduate that still goes to the high school parties, creepy and incredibly out of place. Thank goodness I had friends in the 18 group!
This was my real last night in Armenia and I did it up right! I visited all of the people that I wanted to visit. I said my goodbyes to the remaining friends in country. The next morning, I packed and repacked my life and donated about half of my stuff to lighten my bag, repacked again, and jumped in a taxi with D and headed out for the train. We made it with 5 minutes to spare and said our final hajos to Hayastan.
It was a mixed feeling train ride and we were able to speak Armenian to an older couple who were pretty impressed about what we have tried to accomplish here. Writing this blog (now a week after the fact), I still dont feel as though I am done with Armenia. I guess that is how all Peace Corps volunteers feel. You can finish your service and say your goodbyes but it never really leaves you. A piece of my heart will always be in Armenia and I am okay with that.
12 August 2011
The Love and the Lost
WoW! I have felt loved by my friends and family before, but this was overwhelming. My birthday was the exact definition of bittersweet (pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret). I had a wonderful khorovats with my students and director as my going-away/ birthday celebration! I would say it was so much better than simply pleasant and there wasnt suffering in the sense of what most people think of suffering, but there was definite heart break.
My last day:
I frantically cleaned my apartment and tried to finish that so that I could enjoy the afternoon. The 11th I was leaving my village around 930 am so I needed to finish everything up before I went out to say my goodbyes and have the party. I hadnt really planned details of the khorovats, just the idea of what we would do.
For those who dont know--- khorovats is the Armenian word for barbeque. It is usually chicken or pork meat but my director was insistent on fish. Usually I dont eat fish, especially in a land-locked country, but they assured me it was going to be delicious, so I went with it.
Back to the story- The day before (the 9th) my director told me about a church opening that was happening in my village. This is a typical experience of PC Armenia, you find things out last minute about projects that you didnt even know were going to happen. It worked out perfectly within my schedule. I walked around before the opening to say goodbye to people, met up with my students, and then went to the church. A lot of people were out to watch the church be blessed. The head hancho from Echmiadzin came to do the blessing of the church. It was a beautiful ceremony although it was incredibly hot! Oh my!
From there, my director and I ran around the village buying the materials for the khorovats- vegetables, bread, fish and dishware. It was a fun experience. Doing that also allowed me to say goodbye to other people I hadnt been able to say goodbye to. Buying the fish was a fun experience because I have always seen those guys but never really talked to them before. They were hilarious and kept trying to hide my eyes from when they would kill the fish... Mind you too, the fish is sold at the gas station/car wash. Great combination!
Once we were materialistically prepared for the khorovats, it was on to setting the table, preparing the food (which took quite some time ~4 hours), dancing, and all around good times. My director, his son and a fellow PCV went to start the fire to cook the fish on while my students and I danced around.
My girls gave me a surprise and all pitched in to buy a cake. On the cake it said "Rani, we love you." and I about cried when I saw it. (Actually tearing up now thinking about it.) The night went on similar to that, laughing and getting sad and then laughing again. My director gave some of the nicest toasts I have heard and made me feel indescribable. My students were amazing, as usual. They slowly trickled out because it was getting late. The last was my director, my PCV friend, and two of my students. It was a beautiful night!
That was my goodbye portion of the day. The other portion of the day was all the love from all over the world. I received so many sweet messages through facebook, email, and phone calls. It made me feel so loved beyond words. I have been so fortunate to be able to have this experience and then to have all of the support on top of that is really breathtaking. There isnt much more to say then (than?- my English is awesome right now.) THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
The next morning was really hard. I finished packing up my apartment, doing dishes and other random cleaning/rearranging. I ordered a taxi to take ALL of my stuff and myself in to Yerevan for the last time as a Peace Corps volunteer. A few of my students came over and helped me with all of my stuff and then to see me off.
I didnt cry and I dont know if I will be able to. I definitely have gotten teary eyed but have not been able to cry. It is a dream that I am still in. It feels like I blinked and the whole thing has passed through. There have been incredible highs and lows and there were some things I would have done differently and definitely things I wouldnt change for the world but it doesnt feel real.
Thursday, the 11th, was another fabulous/frantic day. Once I left my village I was nodding off in the taxi and I had like a flash visual of being in India. It made me panic a bit because I am going on this trip of a lifetime and it, too, doesnt feel real yet. I am closing one chapter so quickly to open another without really breathing time between the two. I am super, super excited, dont mistake that, its just a LOT to take in right now.
Thursday, though, was a bit of a hurricane. I was in the office signing my life away, AGAIN! There is about as much, if not more, paperwork to get OUT of Peace Corps than there is to get IN! I had to get signatures from multiple people, drop this paper off there while this paper had to go here... But I finished it, got the certificate, and was an official (on paper anyway) Returned Peace Corps Volunteer! (It isnt official until Friday, the 12th, at midnight.) After that, I helped organize a staff get together/ send off or as a staff member called it, a swearing-out. :) Then we had a going away/birthday dinner at a Georgian restaurant that I also helped organize. They were wonderfully accommodating and had really good wine! I know- me and wine, who am I? After that it was a night on the town, at my new favorite place- Eden! Fun times were had by all and it was so nice to see everyone get together.
I have realized how much I like organizing events. I think my favorite part is to take a step back and just see everyone interacting and laughing. It was another heart warming experience!
So as you can see, Wednesday and Thursday were super, super busy and it was like I was on for a week. Then Friday came. I was like a sad, pathetic lost puppy. It was the first time I didnt have a to-do list for Yerevan, I didnt have anything to plan, I didnt have any work on the back of my mind. Most people would find this feeling relaxing or take it in but I am not most people. I was walking around Yerevan a little lost. This place that I have called home for two years will no longer be my home. This work that I have been doing is no longer my own. My to-do lists were all checked off and I am a little freaked out.
Although- there is a place that I can call home in Yerevan. The Envoy Hostel has become my home and the staff have become wonderful friends that I can add to the list of "To Be Missed." This list just continues to grow and while it is good because it means I have made friends and connections, my heart hurts a little every time I say goodbye.
Well that is it for now. Mom, I hope you are happy with the detail of my last few days. Hehe! I took about 200 pictures and will be posting soon (hopefully) on facebook. One thing I can add to my nonexistent to-do list!
Again- thank you all for the birthday wishes! Bittersweet! Much love to all!
My last day:
I frantically cleaned my apartment and tried to finish that so that I could enjoy the afternoon. The 11th I was leaving my village around 930 am so I needed to finish everything up before I went out to say my goodbyes and have the party. I hadnt really planned details of the khorovats, just the idea of what we would do.
For those who dont know--- khorovats is the Armenian word for barbeque. It is usually chicken or pork meat but my director was insistent on fish. Usually I dont eat fish, especially in a land-locked country, but they assured me it was going to be delicious, so I went with it.
Back to the story- The day before (the 9th) my director told me about a church opening that was happening in my village. This is a typical experience of PC Armenia, you find things out last minute about projects that you didnt even know were going to happen. It worked out perfectly within my schedule. I walked around before the opening to say goodbye to people, met up with my students, and then went to the church. A lot of people were out to watch the church be blessed. The head hancho from Echmiadzin came to do the blessing of the church. It was a beautiful ceremony although it was incredibly hot! Oh my!
From there, my director and I ran around the village buying the materials for the khorovats- vegetables, bread, fish and dishware. It was a fun experience. Doing that also allowed me to say goodbye to other people I hadnt been able to say goodbye to. Buying the fish was a fun experience because I have always seen those guys but never really talked to them before. They were hilarious and kept trying to hide my eyes from when they would kill the fish... Mind you too, the fish is sold at the gas station/car wash. Great combination!
Once we were materialistically prepared for the khorovats, it was on to setting the table, preparing the food (which took quite some time ~4 hours), dancing, and all around good times. My director, his son and a fellow PCV went to start the fire to cook the fish on while my students and I danced around.
My girls gave me a surprise and all pitched in to buy a cake. On the cake it said "Rani, we love you." and I about cried when I saw it. (Actually tearing up now thinking about it.) The night went on similar to that, laughing and getting sad and then laughing again. My director gave some of the nicest toasts I have heard and made me feel indescribable. My students were amazing, as usual. They slowly trickled out because it was getting late. The last was my director, my PCV friend, and two of my students. It was a beautiful night!
That was my goodbye portion of the day. The other portion of the day was all the love from all over the world. I received so many sweet messages through facebook, email, and phone calls. It made me feel so loved beyond words. I have been so fortunate to be able to have this experience and then to have all of the support on top of that is really breathtaking. There isnt much more to say then (than?- my English is awesome right now.) THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
The next morning was really hard. I finished packing up my apartment, doing dishes and other random cleaning/rearranging. I ordered a taxi to take ALL of my stuff and myself in to Yerevan for the last time as a Peace Corps volunteer. A few of my students came over and helped me with all of my stuff and then to see me off.
I didnt cry and I dont know if I will be able to. I definitely have gotten teary eyed but have not been able to cry. It is a dream that I am still in. It feels like I blinked and the whole thing has passed through. There have been incredible highs and lows and there were some things I would have done differently and definitely things I wouldnt change for the world but it doesnt feel real.
Thursday, the 11th, was another fabulous/frantic day. Once I left my village I was nodding off in the taxi and I had like a flash visual of being in India. It made me panic a bit because I am going on this trip of a lifetime and it, too, doesnt feel real yet. I am closing one chapter so quickly to open another without really breathing time between the two. I am super, super excited, dont mistake that, its just a LOT to take in right now.
Thursday, though, was a bit of a hurricane. I was in the office signing my life away, AGAIN! There is about as much, if not more, paperwork to get OUT of Peace Corps than there is to get IN! I had to get signatures from multiple people, drop this paper off there while this paper had to go here... But I finished it, got the certificate, and was an official (on paper anyway) Returned Peace Corps Volunteer! (It isnt official until Friday, the 12th, at midnight.) After that, I helped organize a staff get together/ send off or as a staff member called it, a swearing-out. :) Then we had a going away/birthday dinner at a Georgian restaurant that I also helped organize. They were wonderfully accommodating and had really good wine! I know- me and wine, who am I? After that it was a night on the town, at my new favorite place- Eden! Fun times were had by all and it was so nice to see everyone get together.
I have realized how much I like organizing events. I think my favorite part is to take a step back and just see everyone interacting and laughing. It was another heart warming experience!
So as you can see, Wednesday and Thursday were super, super busy and it was like I was on for a week. Then Friday came. I was like a sad, pathetic lost puppy. It was the first time I didnt have a to-do list for Yerevan, I didnt have anything to plan, I didnt have any work on the back of my mind. Most people would find this feeling relaxing or take it in but I am not most people. I was walking around Yerevan a little lost. This place that I have called home for two years will no longer be my home. This work that I have been doing is no longer my own. My to-do lists were all checked off and I am a little freaked out.
Although- there is a place that I can call home in Yerevan. The Envoy Hostel has become my home and the staff have become wonderful friends that I can add to the list of "To Be Missed." This list just continues to grow and while it is good because it means I have made friends and connections, my heart hurts a little every time I say goodbye.
Well that is it for now. Mom, I hope you are happy with the detail of my last few days. Hehe! I took about 200 pictures and will be posting soon (hopefully) on facebook. One thing I can add to my nonexistent to-do list!
Again- thank you all for the birthday wishes! Bittersweet! Much love to all!
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