Susan and Fred's Big Adventure: June 2012

I wish I had a photo for the following brief story. But hopefully the words will convey the essentials.

Wednesday's marshutni ride home was the ride from hell. I'm taking a taxi from now on. Screw the $$ (it's an extra $2.50).

Here's the scene: At 2 o'clock, I take a Dramamine because I've been on this ride before and I know that's coming. Or I thought so at least. On today's marshutni, there are 11 people sitting in the first 2 rows (there are seats for 6). There are two kids on laps on either side of me. A guy is standing in the wheel well where the door opens. Another is sitting in the aisle on a stool (one of 3 or perhaps 4 doing this). We are due to leave at 2:30. Everyone is seated (or standing) and ready to go.

The driver has disappeared. 3:15 he finally shows up. Then we have to wait for them to load an entire taxi full of electronic equipment for a store in Noyemberyan. Literally, a stack 6 feet tall. There is more shuffling and rearranging. The driver and some passengers get into an argument. Tick, tick, tick.

Finally we leave the bus station an hour late. We stop to pick up more people. There are now 26 people (including the driver) in a van that holds 16. So not too bad. It's hot (in the 90s). In an unusual twist, the windows are OPEN. Normally they are closed as you might die from a draft.

About an hour into the trip (usually 3 hours) we stop at Lake Sevan so the driver can buy some fish (we won't eat the fish here due to the pollutants in the lake). Everyone else in the marshutni piles out to buy fish, or to smoke a cigarette. Everyone gets back in. We now have 26 people and 10 bags full of fish. It's hot, and the entire van smells like a fish market. I am trying not to gag.

We drive another 30 minutes and stop at our usual rest stop. Why? I don't know. It's just that we always stop here. Never mind that we JUST stopped half an hour ago. After coffee and more cigarettes, we all pile back in and continue. We stop to pick up more people at a town another 45 minutes down the road. I am baffled by how anyone else can still fit. Then we start switchback hell. About 30 km of nothing but switchbacks. I am grateful for Dramamine. In one town, a few (2) people get out. We all breathe a bit easier.

A bit further down the road, the road is closed by the police and army due to recent skirmishes between Azeri and Armenian soldiers. We take a detour. We get to the next town, and a few more people get out. Mind you, I have been sitting next to a mother and 18-month old boy. The boy has a toy car wheel and has been going "vroom, vroom" for 160 km. His driving could use some work as he keeps running into me. He and his mother are now gone. (Just to be clear, I LIKE children (surprise, surprise). Usually they are vomiting on or near me, so this was really an improvement).

We get to the end of the detour. Instead of taking a left to go to Noyemberyan, the driver goes right--TOWARDS the border we're trying to avoid. We stop at the army post to deliver some packages (it's the 2nd army post we've topped at BTW).

Finally, we get turned in the right direction. The rest of the trip is spent avoiding the cows, sheep and goats who are headed home for the night. These animals seem to have no fear of big vehicles. It's a slalom course. No casualties this time, so that's a plus. We arrive in Noyemberyan at 7:30 or so. I have now been on a marshutni since 1:30 (got to the bus station early). Our normal 3-hour trip has taken 5. I am hating public transportation. The maximum number of people in a taxi? Four. Plus a driver.

So, sometimes you just half to laugh. I am continually amazed by the patience of the Armenians who wait through these sorts of situations on a daily basis and never seem to complain. This wouldn't happen in the U.S.

48 days and counting . . . seriously, counting. But truly will miss Armenia and her wonderful people. What an experience!!

See you all soon.

We somehow missed May entirely, or at least we failed to post anything. So much has been happening around here! May 25 was our last official day of classes, and we're now starting to think about the next 59 days as we wind down our lives here in Armenia.

So first, about school. They celebrate what's called "Last Bell" here in Armenia. The graduating 12th form doesn't really have a graduation ceremony with diplomas, but they do have hours of speeches, a class play/concert, and night time parties that last til dawn. Being at two schools, we both were able to be part of the last bell activities in our schools. Our days started with cake, brandy (for most), candy and toasts. Then a few hours of classes before the festivities began. All the classes lined up, dressed in mostly traditional black-and-white garb, and filed out into the school yard. The current 11th form kids walked out, followed by the 12th form students. Awards were presented to top students in all grades, and we had about an hour of music and speeches (all in Armenian, so I caught only a few words unfortunately).

At 1 o'clock the teachers and upper level students (10 and 11) filed into the newly-remodeled auditorium for the 12th grade production. Each of the classes presented skits, songs, dances. Some were incredibly clever, and the kids did a great job--even mimicking the teachers and the school director. I was touched that they presented me with flowers at the same time as their Armenian teachers.

At 6 o'clock, we went to Fred's 9th grade party at the local cafe. There was supposed to be pizza and cake, but the power was out in the cafe. They had a cake, and I can only assume that they finally ate it. We left after an hour and a half to go to two other parties. The first was for Fred's 12th form class. Their party was held at the local wedding hall and they served traditional khorovats (barbequed pork) with all the trimmings (tomato, cucumber, pickles, dried meat, candy, cake, drinks, and bread). They also had a live band and dancing. Tons of fun. At around 8 o'clock, we went to my school where the first floor had been transformed into a banquet and dance hall. Again, more barbeque and dancing. The girls in both venues were dressed in prom-type gowns (some long, some short), and suits/ties for most of the boys. We lasted til around 11 pm, but the party continued until dawn.

It's been hard getting used to not being at school everyday, not being in a classroom, not having a regular schedule, and especially not seeing the kids. I actually will be working with kids this summer to teach them using activity-based learning rather than merely textbooks. And I will be developing activities for next year's classes. There is much to do and little time to do it.

Our official Peace Corps duties are coming to a close as well. I have served on the Volunteer Advisory Council (VAC) for the past two years, and had my last meeting on June 1. The VAC is sort of like student council, and we try to work with staff on policies that affect the volunteers. The latest battle was over tampons and a recent decision not to provide them to female PCVs. The only difficulty with that decision is that you can't buy them anywhere except Yerevan, and it is shameful for an unmarried woman to use them. It's very interesting. So, the policy was changed back (PCVs are happy).

In 10 days Fred will leave for southern Armenia where he will be part of the Border-to-Border walk across Armenia. Between the two of us we will have walked the entire length of the country. This year's walk will be over 3 weeks rather than 2, which means shorter distances each day (we hope). The unfortunate thing is that it is scheduled for a time when it will be really, really hot. Over 95 degrees is forecast for much of Fred's walk. The biggest challenge will be getting fluids and replacing electrolytes. He will be gone for more than a month as he goes right into an English language summer camp on July 9. I hope to meet up with him sometime while he is walking, and it will be challenging to be apart for so long.

One of my closest Armenian friends has moved to Yerevan for the summer, and many of my site-mates are traveling to camps and the like. A number of PCVs in our A-18 group have already left Armenia, and more than half will be gone by July 3. Those who are staying live pretty far away, so I expect it will be a bit lonely up here. By the time Fred returns, we will have only 2 weeks left at our site.

So we are in the final stretch. We still have to sort out what we will take, what to throw out or give away, what to ship, etc. There is so much to do. But we have a flight at 5 am on August 3, and mountains of Peace Corps paperwork to finish on August 1 and 2. By the time we leave, we will have been here for 800 days. When we started, it seemed so far away. Now it seems way too soon.

Where will we land? We have no idea right now. Much will depend on where and whether we are able to find jobs. So we shall see.

Thank you all for your love and support these past two years. We couldn't have done this without you.

Here are a few photos from the last day of school at my school . . . There are no words to express how much I love each of these kids and how much I will miss them.