Hike-O-Rama

Today was the first day in a few without fog or an excessive amount of smoke. So after a delicious breakfast of french toast with peanut butter and syrup (not maple, unfortunately, because we can't get it, but it was good enough), we set out on a hike to the place where Fred's 8th graders had taken him last weekend. The pictures speak for themselves. We walked an hour and a half into the hills to the west of our town, on dirt roads, through fields of cows, to the top of a mountain.

This is one of about 10 baby pigs that were out on the trail with their mother, older sister and we think father. We didn't get close enough to find out.

This man lives up on the hill and we passed by his house on our way to and from home. He very kindly invited us to sit with him as we hiked along the mud road. He was delightful, and so welcoming, as all Armenians seem to be.

This bus ain't goin' nowhere! There are thousands of these all over the country.

We brought a tripod and took this picture looking out over the valley. What a beautiful spot! And a nice looking couple to boot!

Cows.

Cows behind a fence.

Home sweet home, on the way back to town. Not our home however.

A view of central Noyemberyan with the schools and most of the apartment buildings. The red structure in the upper left is a memorial to the "Great Patriotic War." You'll have to google that to see what we are talking about.

November in Armenia

We have been incredibly fortunate with the weather in November -- so far! The days have been sunny and warm, and the nights mostly warm enough that we have only had to turn on the heater a few times. Having spent the past few winters in New England, we are used to layering as the temperatures are certain to start dropping soon. Hopefully we can keep our heating costs within our budget. We also hear stories of people having to melt snow to get water, and we hope that those are stories from the past, and not stories from our future! Our wonderful neighbor helped us buy and install a gas heater this week. One of the things we continue to be amazed by is the warmth and generosity of the people in our town. Whatever we need, or whatever questions we have, there is always someone offering to help us in one way or another. Living in our building, and in the community in general, is like being part of a big family. Quite comforting when our own families are so far away.

This week I started two English clubs in my school. One group is 13-15 year olds (mixed boys and girls), and the other is 14-15 year olds (all girls). There are, as you can imagine, some striking differences between the two clubs. It's a bit of a challenge to teach only in English, so I have to speak very slowly and clearly. And use a dictionary when all else fails. The kids are wonderfully forgiving, and most are very eager to learn. When asked about interests though, most spoke about friends and family (one of the boys was brave enough to say he was interested in beautiful girls). I was surprised that travel wasn't on anyone's list. Much different than what I would find in the states I think. The clubs will be a lot of fun and an opportunity to teach in a non-traditional environment. I expect we will all learn together, and I hope I can make it enjoyable for them. Fred will be starting his clubs soon, and we both expect to be teaching English some in the community to both adults and children.

I looked at the calendar today and realized that Thanksgiving is only a week away. This is the first year in a while that we won't be spending it either with my sister and brother and their families or with close friends. Thanksgiving obviously is not a holiday in Armenia, so I think that makes it somewhat easier. I do see turkeys around, but am told they won't be eaten until the big holiday here--New Years. And even then, we don't have things like stuffing, cranberry sauce, squash, or green bean casserole! But the reality of going through the upcoming holiday season without our families and close friends is difficult to contemplate. So I am taking the approach that I will think of it tomorrow . . . maybe. Fred's mom was going to come visit us at Christmas, but she has decided not to travel. I think that's a good idea, especially as travel is really difficult here in the winter when the roads are icy. We have talked about visiting other volunteers, and also of going to Tbilisi, Georgia for a few days. I think that being away from our family and friends may be a little easier if we have plans ourselves.

I have to say that the letters, e-mails and care packages sent my family and friends have been awesome. Thank you one and all. While we do our best to just eat the local food, there are times when peanut butter on some bread, or macaroni and cheese, go a long way toward making our lives comfortable. We are so very grateful that people have taken the time, and spent the money, to send us packages.

So as we approach the holidays, and Thanksgiving in particular, we want to wish each of you who reads our blog a wonderful holiday. We are thankful for the opportunity to be here in Armenia, and we are very, very thankful for each of you. Your love, support and friendship are making these two years fly by. Most of the time anyway.

Vanadzor, Ijevan, Berd and Noyember in November

We've got nothing dramatic to tell. Life is quiet but a little busy, for reasons I can't quite understand. Maybe we shouldn't have signed up for that unlimited internet access. But maybe it's a good thing: I can upload pictures to this blog without too many worries about the charges. So here goes.


Here's Susan at a market in Vanadzor, city of markets, a couple of weeks ago. Here we're in an area where mostly clothes are sold.

A view of downtown Ijevan from Andy & Nicole's home. Ijevan is the capital of our region, Tavush.

This is the square at the heart of Berd, another town in Tavush. We visited David Boggs and participated in a teacher training workshop.

Home again in the Noy: this is a view west from a street a couple of blocks uphill from our apartment building. It's still mostly green here.

That's all, folks.