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.