Tuesday, July 7, 2009
This past weekend was very full. The other PC trainees and I planned a July 4th party for our host families. The mayor of our village has a pavilion overlooking the river and a fish hatchery and he offered it to us for our party. We had hot dogs, hamburgers, and all sorts of American salads. The host families provided the deserts, which included a lot of fresh picked fruit. Since we are the first trainees in this village, they had never experienced this before. We had games for the kids, as well as a tug of war for all the families to participate in, and volleyball. The only thing missing were fireworks, but we did have sparklers. Everyone seemed to have a good time and enjoyed the food. It was fun planning this and a good way to say thank you for all they have done for us.
On Sunday, there was a gathering for the over 40 trainees and volunteers. One of the Peace Corps staff hosted it at his house in Yerevan. Besides the 6 of us trainees, there were about 15 volunteers present. It was nice to talk to them about some of the “senior issues” that are not necessarily covered in the training sessions. Four of them have just completed their first year, and the others will be leaving to go home in a few weeks. It was interesting to hear about their experiences and what their plans are for the future. There are a few older volunteers near my permanent placement, but they weren’t able to get up for the gathering. I met most of them the day of the placement announcement.
One of the women I met yesterday, Marilyn, is originally from Oyster Bay, NY. She graduated from Oyster Bay High School two years after I graduated from high school. We talked a little bit about Long Island and other things we have in common. She’s Catholic and has not been to Mass since coming into Armenia. There are no Roman Catholic churches, I found out. She did say there is a group of Catholics who meet every now and then, but I think they are all up north. Marilyn hasn’t left Armenia in the year she’s been here, preferring to stay in country and travel around Armenia.
Yesterday we went into Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. It is a very crowded and bustling city. We spent most of the day at the Peace Corps offices. They have a computer/resource center for the volunteers’ use. Besides technical books, there is a sizeable fiction collection, mostly donations from volunteers on their way home. We were able to take books out, but not use the computers since we are not officially Peace Corps volunteers. But it is nice to know what’s available, although I’ll be so far away from Yerevan that I doubt I’ll ever get to use it.
They had about 4 guest speakers come in and meet with us. Most of them are involved in education in one way or another. They have quite a few initiatives going on in this country, but unfortunately they are mostly around Yerevan. There is a German group that is very interested in promoting life long learning and adult re-training. Another group, Armenian, is sponsoring a series of workshops around the country for adults. They at least gave me something to think about for my secondary project. There is a series of American Corners Armenia scattered around the country, with one in a town very close to me. These are places that have small American-style libraries and sponsor programs about the United States to help foster relations between Armenia and America. I think it will be a good place for me to visit and get acquainted with.
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for only a little over a month. The people, especially in my village, are so warm and hospitable. The grandmother in my house told me that her house is my house. Now that I know what their routine is, I help around the house as much as I can. At first they didn’t want me to do anything, but then I explained that it made me feel like part of the family. I know it will be hard to leave this family and move in with another. They keep telling me they want me to stay. I will come back and visit them, especially after I’ve become more proficient in the language.
We are going to our permanent placement sites this week for a 5 day visit. I’m anxious to see what my new host family is like and what the village is like. I’ll also meet my counterpart, the teacher I’ll be working with. Since I’m right outside a large town, I hope to be able to use the internet while I’m there. I just hope that the new family is as easy to get along with as the one I live with now is. I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m comfortable walking around this village and I have to go through the whole process again. But at least then I’ll be done with training and getting on with the work I came to do.