Second Summer in Armenia and Goodbyes

Many of our posts start with "it's hard to believe that we've been here for . . . ". We are officially into our second summer in Armenia. Fred has been busy with his camps and visiting his mom, and we've literally only seen each other for a day or two since the beginning of June. Not the way we would prefer it, but just the way it is right now. I went to Lake Sevan with about 40 other volunteers to celebrate July 4. Eating, swimming, fireworks, and s'mores. Couldn't have been much better. I also got to meet some of the new PC trainees at a museum day in Yerevan. They are a great group, although much smaller than ours (42 compared to 58).

July 6 was a big day for all the volunteers here in Armenia--Site Announcement Day--the day when the trainees find out which site they will live in for the next two years, what they will be doing, whether they will have sitemates, etc. We are very lucky to have three new volunteers in our region, including one in our town. That will give us seven in our immediate area, which will be really nice. Two are TEFL volunteers, and one is a business volunteer. We are very much looking forward to having them close by. Our marz will have 9 new volunteers as of August 17!

So when the new volunteers arrive, the ones who have been here for two years start leaving. This past weekend 10 of the A-17s left (A refers to Armenia, and 17 is the 17th group to be here). I went to Yerevan to say goodbye to some, but will miss the next round on August 13. These people have been such a huge support for the past year, and it's hard to realize that they won't be here with us. But it's the Peace Corps cycle, and next year it will be our turn to say goodbye.

This week my counterpart and I will start doing some preliminary planning for the upcoming school year. We will teach up to 12th grade this year, whereas last year was only to 11th. So, more classes, and more students to teach English to. Should be a fun and challenging year. I am going to try to do things a bit differently so I actually get more time to teach the students, and hope to actually bring English into the classroom (instead of teaching in Armenian). We'll see.

We still are working on getting the greenhouse built, and there's a curriculum to write as well. Lots to do before September 1 for sure. Our school is being remodeled, or at least one wing of it is, and we will have new windows (ones that both open and shut properly), a new roof, new paint, etc. Can't wait to see what it's going to look like!

Our mid-service conference is set for next week. That means we are half way done with our 24 month Peace Corps service. I am trying to get ready for the language proficiency test. While I don't know as much as some, I still know enough to communicate in most situations. Details to follow.

The weather is good and hasn't been nearly as warm here as in Yerevan (dry and mid-70s here v. 90s in Yerevan), for which we are thankful. In fact, the wind was strong enough today that it blew out one of our windows (glass shattered 3 stories below, and fortunately no kids were down there at the time). So we have plenty of air tonight until the window is fixed tomorrow.

Not much else to report on this Sunday evening. Waiting for the USA-Japan World Cup soccer match final later tonight. Keeping up with golf scores, and of course the Red Sox.

Love to all. Please let us here from you.

P.S. These two precious little girls are relatives of my tutor. The purple "eyelashes" are made from flowers. The hair wreaths were made by my tutor's mom. More of the gifts of being in Armenia.

Summertime in Armenia

School has been out for over three weeks, and we have been BUSY!!! For volunteers who teach in the public schools, we have to find "secondary" projects to keep us busy over the summer. Fred has signed up to be a counselor at several summer camps (three for boys and one for international students) and is in the midst of going to the counselor trainings. He also went to the U.S. Embassy to represent the Peace Corps at an event for visitors from the U.S.

I have just finished the Border2Border Walk Across Armenia (see www.walkacrossarmenia.wordpress.com for more details). Our north team started walking in the town of Gogavan, north of Stepanavan on the Georgia border. Our overnight stops along the way included Zoramut, Stepanavan, Vanadzor, Dilijan, Sevan, Gavar, Gherakunik, Martuni, a caravanserai on top of a mountain, and finally Yeghegnadzor. We walked between 30 and 42 km on our walking days, and had teaching days in Zoramut, Vanadzor, Sevan, Gavar, Martuni and Yeghegnadzor. We slept in beds sometimes, on floors more often, and once outside on the top of a mountain. I have never been good at hills, and this walk was no different. The first big uphill challenge was a 15 km uphill with an 8% grade when we walked from Dilijan to Sevan. The second was a 27 km uphill from Martuni at 1500 meters to the Salima Pass at 2410 meters. It was a gorgeous walk, but a very, VERY long uphill for sure. At the top, we camped out at a caravanserai, an old stone shelter used as a stopover by silk road traders. Over the course of the 15 days we had rain, thunder and lightening, hail and lots of sun. Our only really hot day was the last one, which included a 34 km downhill into Yeghegnadzor.

Once in Yeghegnadzor, we taught our last group of 70+ children and had a celebration of our accomplishments. Members of the Armenian Red Cross, Youth Bank, Peace Corps Staff and the PC volunteers who have supported us all came, and it was a wonderful end to the B2B effort.

Here are some of the statistics for our north and south teams: (1) walked a total of 578 kilometers (360 miles) in 172 hours over the course of 15 days; (2) traversed 5 regions (marzes) in Armenia; (3) took a total of 4,310,820 steps as a group; (4) passed through 64 towns and villages; (5) taught more than 500 children about healthy lifestyles and the benefits of exercise and not drinking and smoking; and (6) trained 26 teachers in Armenia on the Border2Border curriculum. This was undoubtedly the most challenging thing I have ever done. Now, some much needed rest before I tackle something else.

The rest of the summer is going to be incredibly busy. We have 41 new trainees in Armenia and we both will be doing some things to help with their training. We will continue our English clubs, do some hiking, help with various camps, and attend our mid-service conference. Somewhere over the summer we hope to take a short vacation, but the calendar is getting pretty full at this point, so we shall see.

Special thanks to my brother for sending our backpacks! Now we can travel in style around the country! Also very special thanks to Connie for the great care package. It took nearly 3 months to get here, but the chocolate is still very, very good!! Thank you!!!

Here are a few photos from the walk. Enjoy.


Caravanserai

Old Sign from Soviet Times

Views Along the Route

Lake Sevan During a Thunderstorm

Village Kids

View from 2410 m

Walking

Poster by Nellie

One Year in Armenia

This weekend marks one year that we have been in Armenia. It sure has gone quickly, for the most part. But oh, how we miss our families and friends! That's the hard part. Actually, trying to do the work we were sent here to do is the hard part. Oh, I don't know. It's ALL hard sometimes!

So this has been a big month! I turned 62 on May 4 (it's just a number, right?). It was a truly amazing day. Every kid in school seemed to know it was my birthday, and the kids in each of my classes (plus a few that I didn't teach that day) all sang Happy Birthday to me--in English! I had so many flowers and presents from the kids and teachers that we needed two trips to get them all home. We had a cake at school, one of my English clubs showed up at the house with a complete party (balloons, presents, home-made cake, brandy, singing and dancing), and then a friends/neighbors party in the evening! What a wonderful celebration it was! Here are a few pictures from the day. Two cakes, my 10th form's blackboard decorations, one of my English clubs leaving after the party, and a perfect rainbow!









Compost Pile

May 6 and 7 I went with a group of PC volunteers to a Biointensive Gardening Workshop in Syunik Marz (about 8 hours away). We learned how to "double-dig" beds for planting, and how to make a compost pile that won't attract animals (a one cubic meter lasagna of twigs, weathered hay, fresh greens and dirt). We worked hard and finished three 30 ft. x 5 ft. beds. And even got potatoes planted in one of them! Bonus--a nice garden fork for our school garden.

Double Digging


May 8 was the National Poetry Recitation Contest in Hrazdan. More than 1000 kids in 6th through 11th grades had competed throughout the country learning a variety English language poems. Our local competition sent its top 6 students and each did an excellent job reciting their poems. Unfortunately, none of them placed in the national competition. But just wait until next year!!

On May 14 we traveled with a group of 15 PCVs and some family members to visit two of the most famous monasteries in Armenia--Khor Virap and Noravank. The first is right on the border with Turkey, and it was a little unnerving to see the guard towers protecting the border. It is famous because St. Gregory the Illuminator was held captive in a dungeon there for 12 or so years. We were able to go down into the pit where he was held, which was really interesting. The second (Noravank) is in a canyon a few hours south of Yerevan and sits on top of a rock face. Absolutely stunning location.


Noravank

Noravank

Khor Virap

Khor Virap

Fred and I also celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on May 25. Another milestone for sure. We have been tested this year in so many, many ways, and I'm glad we have gotten through it--together. But that's what marriage is all about. You stick with it and with each other when it's easy, and even when it's not. So we celebrated by going to one of the only restaurants in town. The food was really, really delicious, even though we were the only people in the restaurant!

May 26th was the last day of school for this year. A fun-filled day with lots of activities. There is something special that happens for the 9th grade students, sort of like a graduation. I haven't really figured it out yet. I took the time that I was in class to play games with the kids and take a few pictures. In the "posed" pictures nearly none of them smiled. But when I asked them to wave at the camera, the smiles came out. I love these children. Here are just a few of the pictures I took.


4th Graders

6th Graders

Now we're trying to figure out how to spend our summer. I will be walking across Armenia with the Border2Border group of Peace Corps volunteers. The walk starts on June 4 and our northern group will cover around 165 miles in two weeks. Fred will take the Foreign Service Test on Saturday June 4, the first step in being able to apply for a state department job. Here's hoping he does really well! Then we will have English clubs with our kids, and Fred is going to be involved in two camps--one for boys and one for international students. And we also hope to go to Istanbul before the summer is out, and to see some of Armenia. We've got around 40 days of vacation to use before next June, so we've got to get busy!!

That's all for now. We hope you are all well. We miss you more than we can say.

May in Armenia

Happy May! It has finally stopped raining after what has seemed like endless days and weeks of rain, with a bit of snow thrown in for good measure. We had a few days in early April of warm, sunny weather and we both thought "ahhhhhh, Spring!" But it was short lived. Now, however, we are feeling a bit more optimistic. The swallows have returned in full force and are busy with nest building and other bird-like things in preparation for this year's breeding season. Everyone's moods improve dramatically when the swallows return to the school. It is very distracting when I am teaching, and much more interesting I'm sure to watch the activities of the birds! I love watching them fly around. Truly magical.

This week I will turn 62. That means I am eligible to apply for social security benefits! Who knew! Now the big decision--do I apply now or wait for another 4 years? I think now, and then invest the money and hope for the best! Waiting for advice from my very smart brother on what is the right thing to do. So as far as birthdays go, I'd just as soon skip this one. Not sure why. And of course, all the students know it is my birthday, so I have to be prepared for something I'm sure. They all whisper when I walk by, so something is up.

It is traditional here to invite people to your home when it is your birthday. So, we have ordered some cakes and invited a few friends and neighbors over for cake and coffee on Wednesday. The big hurdle now is to learn how to make Armenian coffee between now and then! It is a process involving water, finely powdered coffee, and sugar in a pot that is boiled until is just about boils over. You have to rush to turn off the heat before it spills all over the stove, and then it is poured into really small cups. I have had some only a few times and it is guaranteed to keep you awake most of the night if you have any after about 7 pm.

I meant to post last month about Women's Month, which starts on March 8 and ends on April 7. It truly is a month-long celebration of women. We have parties at school, student performances, and the mayor gives out money to women who have had babies in the past year. I've included a picture of the cake we had at school. I asked some of the women how their days were different during this month. Aside from maybe getting flowers, life for most is still the same--cooking, cleaning, washing, taking care of husbands, children, homes, and working too for some. I had hoped that the men in the house would offer to do dishes or something, but I think that is rare. And seeing as we really don't have restaurants, most didn't even get a break from the daily routine of cooking. But it was a lovely month of various celebrations. Our kids at school put on an amazing performance of traditional dance and song, and repeated it at the culture house for all the teachers and many of the women who work in the town. I am very impressed with the abilities of our students! They are very, very talented in so many ways.

A bit of success for our school as well--In March I wrote a grant application to put in an "educational" greenhouse. I learned that it was approved and we should be able to start construction in the next few weeks. It's the first project of its kind in Armenia, and I have great hopes. The next task is going to be to write a curriculum incorporating the greenhouse that will be used in grades 4 to 12. We plan to use it for science, economics (marketing) and hopefully even health and nutrition. I am going to a "biointensive gardening" workshop this weekend where I will learn more techniques that hopefully will be useful in our greenhouse and maybe even an outdoor garden classroom. Should be a lot of fun. My school is putting up half the money, and USAID is paying for the rest. A big thank you to my wonderful counterpart, my project "champion" and the committee who approved the project. Details and photos to follow as the project progresses.

Also this weekend is our national Poetry Recitation Contest in Hrazdan. We had our local contest here on April 3rd with 50+ kids from 8 surrounding villages. It was awesome, and wouldn't have been possible without the help of the awesome Peace Corps volunteers who helped with judging, writing certificates, taking photographs, etc. And of course my counterpart, the teachers who helped their students to recite the poems, and the School Directors. Thank you, one and all! Here is a photo of all the winners (1st through 3rd places in grades 6 to 11). The 6th grader in the middle of the first row is my student and he won "best in show" for his recitation of "Rain" by Shel Silverstein. He gets extra points in my book for being able to say "slishity slosh." I STILL can't say it without a mistake!! I am very excited to have two students from my school going. I can't wait to see how they'll do. We will all pile into a mini-van (marshutni) on Sunday for the 2-hour trip to Hrazden. Wish them luck!! Next year I hope to bring the International Writing Olympics and a Spelling Bee into our school. Ambitious, but doable I think.

So just one more reason why I love living here . . . a wonderful neighbor just brought us some home-made matsune! It is a yogurt-like product that is absolutely delicious. Everyone here makes it, but this particular neighbor seems to have a gift for making the most delicious matsune I have ever tasted. You add a little bit of muraba (fruit preserves), and it is truly food from the gods. Thank you my dear, dear neighbor! AND we have fresh strawberries in town now! They won't be in season for another few weeks, and are terribly expensive. But Fred came home with a few, and I know they will be delicious. Can't wait until they are less than $6 a kilo!!

Well, that's enough for this post. It's hard to believe that we have been here for more than 11 months now. Only 16 months left, and I know it's going to fly by. Although we are quite happy here with our work, our town, the people, and friends, we really do miss our families and friends. Thanks, as always, for the amazing care packages, e-mails, letters and Skype calls. They really, really help! We send love to each of you and know we will see you soon.

Road Trip

One of the wonderful things about being a Peace Corps volunteer is being able to travel in country to see other volunteers. We had our spring break from school the last week of March and I was able to travel nearly all the way to the most southern part of Armenia. Fred was unable to join me on this trip, so I spent 7 consecutive days on marshutni's (small passenger vans), saw much of this amazing country and enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of the volunteers in each town where I stopped. The trip started on Monday, March 20, with a 200 km ride from our town to Yerevan. The next day, I hopped on a marshutni for the 6+ hour ride down to Kapan. It was a 2-dramamine trip for sure, crossing three or four mountain ranges and more switchbacks than I can count. Leaving Yerevan we crossed a wide plain with views of Mt. Ararat and hundreds of nesting storks along the way. This part of the road passes close to the Turkey and Azerbaijan borders. We began to wind our way up through the first set of hills to another open plain with snow fields as far as you could see and mountains in the distance.

We sped past Yeghegnadzor to Goris and finally, about 6 hours later, into the beautiful town of Kapan in the south (about 300 km from Yerevan). The day I arrived I neglected to take out my small camera to catch the spectacular mountain that serves as a backdrop to the town. Unfortunately, the next day everything was shrouded in clouds and fog. Next time. I met up with some other volunteers and we went to a small village outside of town to stay at one of their houses. It reminded me how much I love village life! Anything over 1,000 people and it seems way too big! This small village was perfect, with houses and narrow footpaths cut into the sides of the mountain. My friend's home is heated with a wood stove, although she does have the luxury of hot water.

Thursday I traveled up and down two mountains to the town of Goris about 80 km to the north. Another trip requiring dramamine. Armenian women (and children) are really quite amazing in their ability to quietly throw up into plastic bags as we slide through the switchbacks. Don't know how they do it. And for the most part, the drivers don't stop for anything! Goris is in the mountains with beautiful, craggy peaks surrounding it. The day I arrived it was snowing and we got around 6 inches overnight. I stayed with two volunteers who have been in Armenia for 3 years and who will leave here in June for another 27-month Peace Corps assignment in Mongolia! I can't even begin to imagine what their lives will be like. A wonderful dinner and breakfast with them, and I was off to Sisian, another 50 or so km away. Sisian is down in a valley by a river. Quite a beautiful town, and again I had the wonderful hospitality of another volunteer. Although I do have to say that this was without a doubt the coldest house I have ever stayed in. What possessed me to leave my zero degree sleeping bag behind I will never know! Brrrrr!! But it was still nice to see some people that I don't get a chance to see, and to get a flavor for what their daily life is like.

Friday I left Sisian to meet my friend Pat in her town of Artashat. I had heard about her house but actually seeing it was something else. Some will say that she isn't getting the full Peace Corps experience because she has a brand new apartment with modern appliances, hot water, and new furniture. I for one am thrilled that she has this! And even more thrilled that she opens her doors to traveling volunteers like me. From her balcony there is an amazing view of Mt. Ararat on a clear day. It seems so very close, although it is miles and miles away. But absolutely spectacular when you can see it.

Saturday we got up to head to Yerevan for the Armenia-Russia football (soccer) match. (See Fred's earlier post). Sunday, day 7, I headed back up to our site for the start of the school week. This past weekend (April 9-10) I traveled to Aragatsavan on the Turkey border. Traveling up here from Yerevan you leave the lush growing areas and the apricot trees in full bloom to a landscape devoid of trees--looks sort of like the moon! Again, another fun weekend spent with some other volunteers sharing experiences, eating really good food, laughing and telling stories.

Life continues here with teaching, after school clubs, community clubs, and tutoring. I have applied for a grant to put in an educational greenhouse at the school that will be used as part of the teaching curriculum, and will also sell vegetables and flowers to buy books for underprivileged children. I hope to learn in the next week or so if the project is finally approved (we got conditional approval at the end of March). We continue to love our life here, though it is not without challenges. We are especially grateful to our families and friends who take such good care of us and send us fabulous care packages. Thank you one and all.

Below are some images from the trips.


Apricot Blossoms


Lake Sevan


Mt. Ararat


Goris After Snow


Switchbacks


Iran Touring Club - very nice cars going very fast on some sketchy roads

Armenia beat Russia 0-0

Last Saturday night Susan and I and a few dozen other volunteers went to the Armenia-Russia football (soccer) game at Republican Stadium in Yerevan. The game is part of the UEFA European Football Championship, the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations), and Armenia is doing better than ever. But Russia was leading the group and a strong favorite to win.

Not everything went smoothly. The crowd control couldn't have been worse. For instance, there were lines of policemen blocking our way, occasionally opening up to let a few through, with no apparent logic except to frustrate everyone. Tickets weren't really checked. And quite a few of us volunteers - along with maybe hundreds of other ticket holders - couldn't get in to see the game. The police, who were seemingly in charge of everything, simply closed the gates well before the game started and refused to let anyone pass. Well, one volunteer, Kate, managed to convince some cop to let about half a dozen of us sneak in about half an hour after the game had started, but many others were stuck elsewhere. We're guessing the reason behind the gate closure was that they wanted to keep out a lot of the Russian fans.

Inside, some of the Armenian spectators cheered us - we're obvious foreigners, and I'm sure they appreciated the support.

The game itself was fun, even though we sat far from much of the action. Both teams played an aggressive game and there were plenty of close situations. Who cares if it was scoreless? Little Armenia held back the big bad bear.

One wave did go around a few times. Chants were basic. Fans were well-behaved: no hooligans that I could see. More games to come. We're cheering for Armenia.