This is why I love being a girl and a foreigner, sometimes.
We bought tickets to a football match, the Euro Cup Qualifier. Armenia versus Russia. The place to be on March 26th at 7:00. Actually, the place we needed to be at 6:00 or earlier to ensure we were able to get our seats...
My friend and I bought our tickets off of another volunteer that arranged it through another guy and so on. Thanks to said volunteer for organizing it, that was great of you! To continue, so we had our tickets and like the two previous football matches I had attended, we just had to show up. Little did we hear or know that we needed to be there an hour or more before the game's kickoff to ensure our tickets would be valid. Apparently the ticket sellers sold about 300 extra tickets and the only way to ensure your seat was to show up way before the game started. Having been to two previous games where this was never an issue, I did not think the stadium would be sold out and then some.
As we walk up to the gate and see the crowd (at this point we still dont know we would be refused), we walk up to the police officers and show them our tickets, expecting them to point us to the entrance. They said we were too late and that our tickets were no longer good. They sympathized with us as much as to say, sorry we can't help. As the story unfolded about the number of seats vs number of tickets sold, the Russians who pushed their way through and the fact that other volunteers who were there an hour early were still having trouble getting to their seats, my determination grew.
Watching the guards like a hawk, surveying the entrances and where it was we needed to go, we made our move. I grabbed my friends hand, pulled out our tickets and did what any foreign girl has done at one point in their lives: acted stupid and entitled. I waited until a guard looked a certain way, ducked my head and walked. We kept pointing to our tickets, pretending we didnt understand the 'excuse me girls, wait, come back', and continued walking. We walked past about 5 different heavily guarded areas where we could have been stopped and eventually made it into the stadium.
We recruited another guard who wasnt even sure we should be allowed in to show us our seats. We made it right before halftime and joined with the other volunteers. We had a great time, I lost my voice slightly, and Armenia ended up tying with Russia, 0-0. All in all, good times were had. But I definitely abused my foreign status by pretending I didnt know the language or rules. I also think I only got away with this behavior because I am a girl and could play the lost girl card. And you know what, I am okay with what happened.
10 April 2011
Best Week Ever
This week starts on a Wednesday but really started a couple of months before that. If I can allow myself to take a side step before I really get on with this blog.
Winter is hard for me, as I am sure it is for many other volunteers all over the world in cold, cold places. Things shut down, the produce becomes limited to potatoes, people do not go outside for the most part, your house and workplace become too cold to move, its just a darker period. Seasonal depression is real and the lack of sun or sunny days and the ability to go outside and enjoy them is not really fun. Although (as you can see in other blogs) I have started to appreciate winter. The ability of snow to make everything look clean, snow fights and snowmen. As with everything, there are good and bad sides to winter.
But as the end of February and March started to come around, the sun started to come out more and warm things up. Everyday felt like it was getting warmer. I was able to change my heater to the medium setting and not needing to blast it throughout the night. People started to perk up. It felt as though we were all coming out of hibernation.
Then with March, my director and I decided to write a SPA grant. Sadly, it was not funded due to multiple reasons. And that still hurts. But the process of writing it has been a highlight in my service.
The best week ever begins on Wednesday, March 8th, Women's Day. At my clubs, all of my students came in and after combining their money bought me gifts. They all came in, shyly kissed my check and wished me Happy Women's Day and presented me with some of the most interesting gifts. I loved it and was so blessed. It just showed me how much has changed within a year and how much more my community knows and loves me. All throughout town people wished me a Happy Women's Day! It was great.
Thursday was just an awesome club. We had a poetry contest coming up that some of my students were participating in. My students were preparing for it and working together to make sure their dictation, interpretation and memorization were all up to par. Thursday I also worked on the SPA grant some more with my director. It was wonderful to see him learn and grow as we worked through the project.
Friday, my director and I ran around the village collecting price quotes for the grant application. I drank so much coffee (even though I am not a big fan- that brought me up to 10 cups drank so far in country...) and I worry that it is starting to grow on me a little. I dont want to be addicted to coffee... It was a lot of fun though- we met with so many different people. My favorite part of the day was when my director and I went to the bigger store in my village to get quotes for remodeling materials (think paint, brushes, etc.). It was almost like a comedy show between an American attempting Armenian, a director attempting to translate from my Armenian to actual Armenian, a store owner who completely understood me before translation, another store worker who did not understand me or the translated Armenian, and two onlookers who did not think I spoke English or Armenian and were trying to help in Russian. It was a great experience and one that I will continue to look back on and laugh about. Although it is bittersweet because we didnt end up getting the grant. Also on Friday, my director and I somehow ended up in the store owner's office with two bottles of cognac, pictures of his family vacation in Jermuk, and talking about his daughter who spoke really good English. Great night, one of the best in village life so far...
Saturday, my director and I had to go in to Yerevan for even more price quotes. Sunday was the poetry contest and our contest was to include Fulbrights as judges. My director offered to pick them up from Yerevan, they would come to my site the night before and we would all go up together the next morning to Talin. The two hour car ride from Yerevan to my site with the two Fulbrights and a sister was awesome. My director is a really awesome guy and very open about his ideas and opinions. I can ask him just about anything and he will try to give an unbiased answer. He is incredibly passionate about Armenia and the future of Armenians. It is really fun hanging out and talking with him because we talk a combination of Armenian, English, and Arabic (of which, I know none). But somehow we completely understand each other and are able to have deep and meaningful conversations. So, on the way back we talked about so much stuff. We were driving at night and then right outside of my village, we stopped the car, got out and turned off the car lights and stared into the open space. Even though it was a little dusty, we could see soooo many stars! Stars take my breath away just about every time I look at them, it was a wonderful ending to a great night.
Sunday, we woke up and arrived at School No. 1. I must give a LOT of kudos to my counterpart, the lovely Ms. Tamara, and the three other English teachers both in School No. 1 and 2. They did awesome! Basically, I handed over the information about the Poetry Recitation Contest and let them handle and organize the rest. We had a wonderful group of students who showed that they practiced a lot, were dedicated and prepared! My CP set up the marshutni ride to Talin (a town about 45 mins away, on the other side of the mountain) and we all jumped in and headed off.
The contest was wonderful! So many students showed up and were so prepared. You could tell they were a little bit nervous but they did a great job! The students from Aragats did incredible. My village placed in the top 3 for each grade and were the most represented out of all of the schools that participated. So proud!!!
And that isnt even the end of the day, we ended the contest around 1 or so. On the marshutni ride back, a neighboring PCV suggested we go to look at Ani. He had heard you can see it from the border, although we werent able to. You can do it from Gyumri and apparently there is a tour agency that lets you go to Ani... Anyhow. We hire a marshutni, grab my CP and her family- mother, daughter, and husband, and head out with the Fulbrights, other PCVs, and myself. We go out to the border, see an older church that was once a part of Ani, and drink Arteni white wine as we make toasts to friendships that will last forever. On the way back, the marshutni stops at the bottom of a hill/mountain that has a holy site near the top. We climb up to the holy site, which is kind of a shack memorial where people tie ribbons, cloth, and string to make a wish. We all tie our strings and make a wish. We then walk to the side of the mountain to watch the sun set over the mountains in Turkey. It was a beautiful day! We hike back down, head in to town, spend a little more time with my CP and then eventually head back to my apartment. It was such a wonderful day!
Monday was back to the work week and finishing up stuff for the grant. I continued work with my CP, met with the Mayor (who actually talked to me), and continued with clubs.
And that was my best week ever, but really it has continued over for a while now. I feel as though these last few months, mainly since January, I have really hit my stride. Even though not getting the grant was a blow, it will be okay. I feel as though I have let down my community and all that were involved in it, but its just the way things happen. We are looking in to other grant opportunities now and focusing on upcoming projects.
It is such a bittersweet feeling. I finally hit my stride in my village, granted I still have up and down days, but my community is really getting me. More and more people are coming up and talking to me, more and more students know me and show respect, I have more people that smile at me. It is wonderful! And this all started before the grant writing or anything- so it is purely as though they realize that I am here to help and not some crazy American lost girl. I just wish I hit my stride sooner, say August 2009, and could have done a lot more for my village. I have heard this reiterated by PCVs worldwide, but you really get more out of the experience than you give and it is somewhat heartbreaking. I already have so much, I dont need more.
My students are continually improving their English skills and continually improving their independence and leadership! We are planning a camp right now that is going to test their English skills and teaching abilities! It will be great! I am also thinking of doing a workshop for the English teachers of my village just to give them tools and resources for the classroom. We have a lot planned for these next coming months.
I wrote out a calendar of my last 5 months and really scared myself. I am not counting down or awaiting the day, I simply needed to schedule things out so I dont forget to do anything or over-schedule things. Oh my! Between our COS conference, my camps, my mom's trip, green camps, 4th of July, COS and things I want to do at site, I have no time! On one hand, it is incredibly exciting to be this busy with so many different projects but on the other hand, I am really scared about how fast time will go. This experience has really changed my life and has opened my eyes to ideas I had never thought about before.
Winter is hard for me, as I am sure it is for many other volunteers all over the world in cold, cold places. Things shut down, the produce becomes limited to potatoes, people do not go outside for the most part, your house and workplace become too cold to move, its just a darker period. Seasonal depression is real and the lack of sun or sunny days and the ability to go outside and enjoy them is not really fun. Although (as you can see in other blogs) I have started to appreciate winter. The ability of snow to make everything look clean, snow fights and snowmen. As with everything, there are good and bad sides to winter.
But as the end of February and March started to come around, the sun started to come out more and warm things up. Everyday felt like it was getting warmer. I was able to change my heater to the medium setting and not needing to blast it throughout the night. People started to perk up. It felt as though we were all coming out of hibernation.
Then with March, my director and I decided to write a SPA grant. Sadly, it was not funded due to multiple reasons. And that still hurts. But the process of writing it has been a highlight in my service.
The best week ever begins on Wednesday, March 8th, Women's Day. At my clubs, all of my students came in and after combining their money bought me gifts. They all came in, shyly kissed my check and wished me Happy Women's Day and presented me with some of the most interesting gifts. I loved it and was so blessed. It just showed me how much has changed within a year and how much more my community knows and loves me. All throughout town people wished me a Happy Women's Day! It was great.
Thursday was just an awesome club. We had a poetry contest coming up that some of my students were participating in. My students were preparing for it and working together to make sure their dictation, interpretation and memorization were all up to par. Thursday I also worked on the SPA grant some more with my director. It was wonderful to see him learn and grow as we worked through the project.
Friday, my director and I ran around the village collecting price quotes for the grant application. I drank so much coffee (even though I am not a big fan- that brought me up to 10 cups drank so far in country...) and I worry that it is starting to grow on me a little. I dont want to be addicted to coffee... It was a lot of fun though- we met with so many different people. My favorite part of the day was when my director and I went to the bigger store in my village to get quotes for remodeling materials (think paint, brushes, etc.). It was almost like a comedy show between an American attempting Armenian, a director attempting to translate from my Armenian to actual Armenian, a store owner who completely understood me before translation, another store worker who did not understand me or the translated Armenian, and two onlookers who did not think I spoke English or Armenian and were trying to help in Russian. It was a great experience and one that I will continue to look back on and laugh about. Although it is bittersweet because we didnt end up getting the grant. Also on Friday, my director and I somehow ended up in the store owner's office with two bottles of cognac, pictures of his family vacation in Jermuk, and talking about his daughter who spoke really good English. Great night, one of the best in village life so far...
Saturday, my director and I had to go in to Yerevan for even more price quotes. Sunday was the poetry contest and our contest was to include Fulbrights as judges. My director offered to pick them up from Yerevan, they would come to my site the night before and we would all go up together the next morning to Talin. The two hour car ride from Yerevan to my site with the two Fulbrights and a sister was awesome. My director is a really awesome guy and very open about his ideas and opinions. I can ask him just about anything and he will try to give an unbiased answer. He is incredibly passionate about Armenia and the future of Armenians. It is really fun hanging out and talking with him because we talk a combination of Armenian, English, and Arabic (of which, I know none). But somehow we completely understand each other and are able to have deep and meaningful conversations. So, on the way back we talked about so much stuff. We were driving at night and then right outside of my village, we stopped the car, got out and turned off the car lights and stared into the open space. Even though it was a little dusty, we could see soooo many stars! Stars take my breath away just about every time I look at them, it was a wonderful ending to a great night.
Sunday, we woke up and arrived at School No. 1. I must give a LOT of kudos to my counterpart, the lovely Ms. Tamara, and the three other English teachers both in School No. 1 and 2. They did awesome! Basically, I handed over the information about the Poetry Recitation Contest and let them handle and organize the rest. We had a wonderful group of students who showed that they practiced a lot, were dedicated and prepared! My CP set up the marshutni ride to Talin (a town about 45 mins away, on the other side of the mountain) and we all jumped in and headed off.
The contest was wonderful! So many students showed up and were so prepared. You could tell they were a little bit nervous but they did a great job! The students from Aragats did incredible. My village placed in the top 3 for each grade and were the most represented out of all of the schools that participated. So proud!!!
And that isnt even the end of the day, we ended the contest around 1 or so. On the marshutni ride back, a neighboring PCV suggested we go to look at Ani. He had heard you can see it from the border, although we werent able to. You can do it from Gyumri and apparently there is a tour agency that lets you go to Ani... Anyhow. We hire a marshutni, grab my CP and her family- mother, daughter, and husband, and head out with the Fulbrights, other PCVs, and myself. We go out to the border, see an older church that was once a part of Ani, and drink Arteni white wine as we make toasts to friendships that will last forever. On the way back, the marshutni stops at the bottom of a hill/mountain that has a holy site near the top. We climb up to the holy site, which is kind of a shack memorial where people tie ribbons, cloth, and string to make a wish. We all tie our strings and make a wish. We then walk to the side of the mountain to watch the sun set over the mountains in Turkey. It was a beautiful day! We hike back down, head in to town, spend a little more time with my CP and then eventually head back to my apartment. It was such a wonderful day!
Monday was back to the work week and finishing up stuff for the grant. I continued work with my CP, met with the Mayor (who actually talked to me), and continued with clubs.
And that was my best week ever, but really it has continued over for a while now. I feel as though these last few months, mainly since January, I have really hit my stride. Even though not getting the grant was a blow, it will be okay. I feel as though I have let down my community and all that were involved in it, but its just the way things happen. We are looking in to other grant opportunities now and focusing on upcoming projects.
It is such a bittersweet feeling. I finally hit my stride in my village, granted I still have up and down days, but my community is really getting me. More and more people are coming up and talking to me, more and more students know me and show respect, I have more people that smile at me. It is wonderful! And this all started before the grant writing or anything- so it is purely as though they realize that I am here to help and not some crazy American lost girl. I just wish I hit my stride sooner, say August 2009, and could have done a lot more for my village. I have heard this reiterated by PCVs worldwide, but you really get more out of the experience than you give and it is somewhat heartbreaking. I already have so much, I dont need more.
My students are continually improving their English skills and continually improving their independence and leadership! We are planning a camp right now that is going to test their English skills and teaching abilities! It will be great! I am also thinking of doing a workshop for the English teachers of my village just to give them tools and resources for the classroom. We have a lot planned for these next coming months.
I wrote out a calendar of my last 5 months and really scared myself. I am not counting down or awaiting the day, I simply needed to schedule things out so I dont forget to do anything or over-schedule things. Oh my! Between our COS conference, my camps, my mom's trip, green camps, 4th of July, COS and things I want to do at site, I have no time! On one hand, it is incredibly exciting to be this busy with so many different projects but on the other hand, I am really scared about how fast time will go. This experience has really changed my life and has opened my eyes to ideas I had never thought about before.
24 February 2011
I know I promised an update like forever ago, so I apologize for the tardiness of these postings. I also do not have a lot of details about November and December because my calendar for those months are in America.
November:
Thanksgiving party, All-Vol Conference, and the ticket home. As you can see, the Thanksgiving party was a lot of fun. All-Vol was good as usual. And my mom decided to fly me home for Christmas!!!
December:
Finished up clubs before I went home for 2 weeks. Planned going home (or more like had my mom plan my schedule.. hehe.). Went home. I had a wonderful time at home and it was great to see most of my family.
My mom, like a pro, scheduled my weeks out so that I spent about a day with each of my family members. It was great because I was able to have quality time with each person. Before I went home, I received advice from other volunteers to write a to-do list. My to-do list was getting to the point of ridiculousness but I am happy to report that just about everything was accomplished (eat a great burger- thanks Nancy!, have delicious home cooked food- thanks Mom!, have shrimp- thanks Kamal! have some good mixed drinks- thanks and sorry Heather!, have delicious breakfast items- thanks Anita, see a bald eagle- thanks nature!, see the coast, buy a bunch of crap- Febre and so many other things...). There was a hiccup in the unlocking iPhone department, but I resolved that issue in Armenia.
One of the greatest things about going home was the realization that I miss home, I miss my family but I am really happy living abroad. And my family gave their blessing for my living decision. And they all gave it independently without coercion. They all said they understand what I want out of life and as long as I come home for Christmas or summers they will fully support what I decide. It is always nice to know that you have the support and love of your family and that is exactly what I received while I was home.
With that knowledge, the decision about where I would go, what I would do, and how I would live after PC has been overwhelming. If you know me at all, you know I like to have a direction of some sort. (I have had my life planned out since I was 8- go to college, get a degree, join PC- but it ended there and now I am left without a direction.) It does not have to be a concrete, non-negotiable decision, but a general direction was nice. I didnt have that before going home and I am still struggling to develop that after being back for two months. I know, ideally, where I would like my life to go but planning out a direction to go in that has soooo many unknowns is hard. And this is where January and February come in...
January:
Rang in the New Years with a great friend in Kapan, celebrated a little more all over the country, started back with clubs, had the winter sickness (nice cough, slight temp, stuffiness... all that jazz), canceled clubs due to cold weather and inability to feel my fingers, had the country director visit my site, and started up a new club for younger students.
February:
Went to a friend's site to celebrate Chinese New Year (read: made way too much delicious Chinese food and shared in the dragon dance), watched the Super Bowl at 3:30 in the morning and was subjected to the Black Eyed Peas horrid halftime show, had a girls weekend in the north with some of my favorite people, and continued my clubs when we could feel our fingers (still working on that though).
These last couple of months have dragged on and sped by at the same time. August is getting closer and closer and I keep having to focus myself in the present. After PC I know I will be traveling but every time I look at a map the direction changes. I know I will be going to India and Malaysia but how I get to India is another decision completely... Turkey (again), Bulgaria-Romania-Greece, the Stans, Turkey-Syria-Iran-the Stans??? Who knows and it doesnt help when I meet people who have just visited/lived/worked in those places and they tell me how awesome/beautiful/interesting/unique it is.
I do have some interesting upcoming events these next months. I will be writing a grant for the culture house, hopefully upgrading the culture house so that it is more functional, having my students participate in a couple national and global competitions, going to see an Armenia vs Russia football match, and continue to stare at a map until a direction becomes clear.
So keep tuned to see how this grant works out and who will qualify for the Euro 2012.
November:
Thanksgiving party, All-Vol Conference, and the ticket home. As you can see, the Thanksgiving party was a lot of fun. All-Vol was good as usual. And my mom decided to fly me home for Christmas!!!
December:
Finished up clubs before I went home for 2 weeks. Planned going home (or more like had my mom plan my schedule.. hehe.). Went home. I had a wonderful time at home and it was great to see most of my family.
My mom, like a pro, scheduled my weeks out so that I spent about a day with each of my family members. It was great because I was able to have quality time with each person. Before I went home, I received advice from other volunteers to write a to-do list. My to-do list was getting to the point of ridiculousness but I am happy to report that just about everything was accomplished (eat a great burger- thanks Nancy!, have delicious home cooked food- thanks Mom!, have shrimp- thanks Kamal! have some good mixed drinks- thanks and sorry Heather!, have delicious breakfast items- thanks Anita, see a bald eagle- thanks nature!, see the coast, buy a bunch of crap- Febre and so many other things...). There was a hiccup in the unlocking iPhone department, but I resolved that issue in Armenia.
One of the greatest things about going home was the realization that I miss home, I miss my family but I am really happy living abroad. And my family gave their blessing for my living decision. And they all gave it independently without coercion. They all said they understand what I want out of life and as long as I come home for Christmas or summers they will fully support what I decide. It is always nice to know that you have the support and love of your family and that is exactly what I received while I was home.
With that knowledge, the decision about where I would go, what I would do, and how I would live after PC has been overwhelming. If you know me at all, you know I like to have a direction of some sort. (I have had my life planned out since I was 8- go to college, get a degree, join PC- but it ended there and now I am left without a direction.) It does not have to be a concrete, non-negotiable decision, but a general direction was nice. I didnt have that before going home and I am still struggling to develop that after being back for two months. I know, ideally, where I would like my life to go but planning out a direction to go in that has soooo many unknowns is hard. And this is where January and February come in...
January:
Rang in the New Years with a great friend in Kapan, celebrated a little more all over the country, started back with clubs, had the winter sickness (nice cough, slight temp, stuffiness... all that jazz), canceled clubs due to cold weather and inability to feel my fingers, had the country director visit my site, and started up a new club for younger students.
February:
Went to a friend's site to celebrate Chinese New Year (read: made way too much delicious Chinese food and shared in the dragon dance), watched the Super Bowl at 3:30 in the morning and was subjected to the Black Eyed Peas horrid halftime show, had a girls weekend in the north with some of my favorite people, and continued my clubs when we could feel our fingers (still working on that though).
These last couple of months have dragged on and sped by at the same time. August is getting closer and closer and I keep having to focus myself in the present. After PC I know I will be traveling but every time I look at a map the direction changes. I know I will be going to India and Malaysia but how I get to India is another decision completely... Turkey (again), Bulgaria-Romania-Greece, the Stans, Turkey-Syria-Iran-the Stans??? Who knows and it doesnt help when I meet people who have just visited/lived/worked in those places and they tell me how awesome/beautiful/interesting/unique it is.
I do have some interesting upcoming events these next months. I will be writing a grant for the culture house, hopefully upgrading the culture house so that it is more functional, having my students participate in a couple national and global competitions, going to see an Armenia vs Russia football match, and continue to stare at a map until a direction becomes clear.
So keep tuned to see how this grant works out and who will qualify for the Euro 2012.
01 January 2011
Happy New Year!!!
So 2010 was awesome! Lots of amazing and unforgettable memories made this last year. This post will be short and I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I stole the quote below from somewhere else because I thought it summed up my wishes for all of my friends, family, and friends-to-be who read this blog...
"I wish you Health...
So you may enjoy each day in comfort.
I wish you the Love of friends and family...
And Peace within your heart.
I wish you the Beauty of nature...
That you may enjoy the work of God.
I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities...
For those things that really matter in life.
I wish you Generosity so you may share...
All good things that come to you.
I wish you Happiness and Joy...
And Blessings for the New Year.
I wish you the best of everything...
That you so well deserve.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIEND!"
Hope everyone had a wonderful celebration and I will be updating soon on all of my recent adventures!
Miss you all and love you all!
2011 is going to rock!
"I wish you Health...
So you may enjoy each day in comfort.
I wish you the Love of friends and family...
And Peace within your heart.
I wish you the Beauty of nature...
That you may enjoy the work of God.
I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities...
For those things that really matter in life.
I wish you Generosity so you may share...
All good things that come to you.
I wish you Happiness and Joy...
And Blessings for the New Year.
I wish you the best of everything...
That you so well deserve.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIEND!"
Hope everyone had a wonderful celebration and I will be updating soon on all of my recent adventures!
Miss you all and love you all!
2011 is going to rock!
03 December 2010
My students
On the Friday before Thanksgiving, my students and I had a small party to celebrate giving thanks. It was a wonderful time! We all brought food to share and said what we were thankful for. It was a lot of fun and I cant wait to have another party! These are some pictures from the party.
I am so thankful for all of my family and friends all over the world! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays everyone!!! Love you all!
I am so thankful for all of my family and friends all over the world! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays everyone!!! Love you all!
01 November 2010
October!
October has flown by! It seemed like I was just excited about it coming here and now it has already passed. It has been an up and down month. While things are continuing at site, there have been a few out of site activities that have made this month a lot of fun.
The first was initiatives meeting in Yerevan. A lot of PCVs get together in Yerevan and talk about their secondary projects that are connected to the various initiatives. It is really interesting to hear what others have done in their site and what they are looking to do in the coming months. There are a few really cool ideas coming up and I am excited to be a part of it.
It is also a good time to meet up with other PCVs and relax and enjoy Yerevan. It was perfect outdoor weather and the outdoor cafes of Yerevan were still open! It was also a good time to meet and interact with the new group. Even though I worked with the EEs during the summer, I really didnt get to interact with them in a non-work environment. It is nice to get to know the group that will be here when we leave, holding the PC fort down! They are a good group, different from the 17s, but fun!
The last week of October is usually Fall Break, which means one week off from school. Since I work at the culture house, technically clubs would still happen. However, a lot of my students use this time to travel to other regions and spend time with family. So clubs were canceled for the week and I had the opportunity to work at a short Green Camp in a friend's village. We had a camp there during the summer but this camp was for the younger kids, around 8,9, and 10 years old. They were adorable and a lot of fun, although slightly crazy! We stayed at his house with his host family during the camp. His host family is amazing and so warm and welcoming! The host kids there are great and full of energy. I will never forget those kids because they are so understanding and enthusiastic about PC volunteers.
Other exciting October news:
The seasons, it is a-changing! Fall is here and winter will quickly come! On the way to green camps I had some of the prettiest views of the color change! The trees were beautiful and incredibly bright! It was amazing and one of the things I will miss! That was about the third week of October when I saw the trees. However, Halloween had snow storms in some areas of Armenia. My site, of course, is free from snow still but that might not last long. They are predicting a colder winter than last year. Who exactly 'they' are, I am not sure of, but that is what they say!
After the green camp, I went walking with two other volunteers outside of Stepanavan and to Lori Berd, an old fortress. It was a beautiful day to walk and a really pretty site!
A good friends birthday! We celebrated in Yerevan and ended up having a cake fight! Always a good time!
My phone broke... :( So I have been using my counterpart's extra phone and my host sister is helping fix my phone, hopefully that will turn out good! I miss my phone.
That is it really, October, although great moments, was mostly relaxing and getting into the flow at site! I have taken to walking around my site a little bit. My village is pretty spread out and I have yet to visit all parts of it. It is something I look forward to doing over this next year.
November is going to be an exciting month! People are heading to my site to work on some EAI by-laws. EAI is the environmental initiative and it needs new by-laws! While this might not be the MOST exciting thing I have ever taken part in, having visitors on the moon will be a lot of fun! I hope to go hiking around one of those days, hopefully the weather will keep.
All Vol, which is the all volunteer conference, will be coming up! This is a great time to re-energize us for winter! I am looking forward to it! Also, during all-vol is the Thanksgiving Dinner, where I will be helping to cook!
Also, at site I might be having a Thanksgiving dinner with my students from the Culture House! Not sure about all of the details yet, but it should be a lot of fun!
And lastly, although I was not able to go south during October, I will be heading south after All Vol! I cant wait to get down there and visit other PCVs! Not sure how long I will be able to take, but I cant wait!
That is it! I have been missing family and America a lot this month! It is hard being away from home and so far from everything that I know and love. I miss you all and hope all is well with everyone!
Love you!
The first was initiatives meeting in Yerevan. A lot of PCVs get together in Yerevan and talk about their secondary projects that are connected to the various initiatives. It is really interesting to hear what others have done in their site and what they are looking to do in the coming months. There are a few really cool ideas coming up and I am excited to be a part of it.
It is also a good time to meet up with other PCVs and relax and enjoy Yerevan. It was perfect outdoor weather and the outdoor cafes of Yerevan were still open! It was also a good time to meet and interact with the new group. Even though I worked with the EEs during the summer, I really didnt get to interact with them in a non-work environment. It is nice to get to know the group that will be here when we leave, holding the PC fort down! They are a good group, different from the 17s, but fun!
The last week of October is usually Fall Break, which means one week off from school. Since I work at the culture house, technically clubs would still happen. However, a lot of my students use this time to travel to other regions and spend time with family. So clubs were canceled for the week and I had the opportunity to work at a short Green Camp in a friend's village. We had a camp there during the summer but this camp was for the younger kids, around 8,9, and 10 years old. They were adorable and a lot of fun, although slightly crazy! We stayed at his house with his host family during the camp. His host family is amazing and so warm and welcoming! The host kids there are great and full of energy. I will never forget those kids because they are so understanding and enthusiastic about PC volunteers.
Other exciting October news:
The seasons, it is a-changing! Fall is here and winter will quickly come! On the way to green camps I had some of the prettiest views of the color change! The trees were beautiful and incredibly bright! It was amazing and one of the things I will miss! That was about the third week of October when I saw the trees. However, Halloween had snow storms in some areas of Armenia. My site, of course, is free from snow still but that might not last long. They are predicting a colder winter than last year. Who exactly 'they' are, I am not sure of, but that is what they say!
After the green camp, I went walking with two other volunteers outside of Stepanavan and to Lori Berd, an old fortress. It was a beautiful day to walk and a really pretty site!
A good friends birthday! We celebrated in Yerevan and ended up having a cake fight! Always a good time!
My phone broke... :( So I have been using my counterpart's extra phone and my host sister is helping fix my phone, hopefully that will turn out good! I miss my phone.
That is it really, October, although great moments, was mostly relaxing and getting into the flow at site! I have taken to walking around my site a little bit. My village is pretty spread out and I have yet to visit all parts of it. It is something I look forward to doing over this next year.
November is going to be an exciting month! People are heading to my site to work on some EAI by-laws. EAI is the environmental initiative and it needs new by-laws! While this might not be the MOST exciting thing I have ever taken part in, having visitors on the moon will be a lot of fun! I hope to go hiking around one of those days, hopefully the weather will keep.
All Vol, which is the all volunteer conference, will be coming up! This is a great time to re-energize us for winter! I am looking forward to it! Also, during all-vol is the Thanksgiving Dinner, where I will be helping to cook!
Also, at site I might be having a Thanksgiving dinner with my students from the Culture House! Not sure about all of the details yet, but it should be a lot of fun!
And lastly, although I was not able to go south during October, I will be heading south after All Vol! I cant wait to get down there and visit other PCVs! Not sure how long I will be able to take, but I cant wait!
That is it! I have been missing family and America a lot this month! It is hard being away from home and so far from everything that I know and love. I miss you all and hope all is well with everyone!
Love you!
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