April 15, 2011
I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I put anything on my blog. It’s not that I haven’t been busy, it’s just that everything seems very normal now to me. I guess this is what happens during the second year, one becomes integrated into their site and takes everything as normal.
Actually March was very busy with some Peace Corps projects. For a number of years now there has been a Writing Olympics for the students in grades 6 through university. Up to this year, it was just the Caucaus-region former Soviet Union countries, specifically Georgia, Azerbajian and Armenia. This is an opportunity for the students to write creatively without worrying about spelling or grammar. In the schools here in Armenia, they are not taught creative writing at all, not even in Armenian. However, this year there were 12 countries participating from 3 different continents. Each grade is given 3 prompts to write on, with the students picking one. They have an hour to write on that topic and the more creative the better. In Armenia alone there were over 300 children who participated. In each grade the top three selections are sent to the international competition to be judged again against the other national winners. Five of my students participated, which I am very proud of even though none of them placed. This was the first year they participated and I’m hoping they participate again next year.
This year there will also be a National Poetry Festival. A former PCV started this in a northern region of the country about 3 years ago. This year more PCVs wanted to have one in their region culminating with a national festival. The students are given a list of poems to choose from and they must memorize it, and when reciting it give some meaning to it. Again this is open to students from 6th through 11th grades. While none of my students participated I was involved in the judging of our regional event. It’s amazing how well some of these students perform in what is for them a 3rd language. The National Festival is going to be May 8th and once again I will be a judge, which I’m looking forward to.
These two events and the Spelling Bee, which was in the Fall, are real incentives for the students to learn English. They give some of the students a chance to show off how well they are doing and to be creative as well. Since I have such a small student population, we can’t participate in all 3 events, but I was pleased that we were in the Spelling Bee and Writing Olympics.
On my many rides on the marchutni down to Kapan, the town below my village, I am always struck by a few things. First, it’s amazing to see and hear the people’s concern for one another. Since this is such a small village, everyone knows everyone else and their families. So conversations naturally involve what’s going on in their families. If someone has been ill and out of work for a while, there is real joy to see that person back. Secondly, along these same lines, this village takes it’s responsibility to it’s citizens very seriously, especially the children. It’s not unusual for a small child to get on the marchutni by himself either to go to school or to visit a grandparent. Someone on the marchutni will make sure that child is safe, has a seat and gets off at the right stop. It really does take a village to raise a child. And the marchutni drivers know their passengers. They know when to wait for someone and where each passenger is getting off. I really enjoy these rides and being involved in this part of village life.
One of the other unique things that happens here is how some merchants give change. Last week I had bought some cough drops at a pharmacy and didn’t have the exact change. I gave the woman 2000 dram and the price was 1680 dram. She gave me 300 dram and 2 bandaids for change. She didn’t have a 20 dram piece and I guess bandaids are 10 dram each. One other time when I was in the small store in my village I got a box of matches, which also must be worth about 50 dram. It’s a very interesting way to give change.
A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to visit two villages in the north-west part of Armenia. I took the train from Yerevan, which was a really good ride. I got to see a part of the country that I otherwise would not have seen. At the first village I was visiting a new PCV who was having a hard time integrating into his village and some difficulty with his counterpart. His village is probably 3 or 4 times the size of mine and his school has over 300 students. And his village is flat, not on the side of a mountain like mine. Some of the classes in his school have nearly as many students as my whole school, so it was a very different experience from what I’m used to, but I’m glad I went. After spending the day with him, we took off for the next village, where I was going to spend the night. We started out walking, since the next marchutni wasn’t for an hour or so. In a short time an army truck came by and actually stopped to give us a lift. I never realized how high off the ground those trucks are, but what I view I had from the front seat. Rane’s village was also much bigger than mine, with 2 schools in it. It was good to see where and how some of the other PCVs live and work. We had a wonderful dinner at her counterpart’s house. The next morning we took a marchutni back to Yerevan, and then I left the next day to return to my village.
I think the winter is finally over, although we had snow Thursday morning. However, the weather seems to be warming up and the trees have buds on them. As I walk around the village and down to Kapan, I see the families out in their fields getting the ground ready for planting. Since we didn’t have an early thaw followed by a frost, I think there should be plenty of fruit this year. Last year, because of a thaw in February followed by a return to freezing temperatures, most of the fruit trees didn’t produce any fruit. This winter was definitely colder and snowier than last year. I had been worried about having enough wood for my stove, but I actually have quite a bit left over. I still put my stove on at night, mainly to get the chill out of the house and also to cook on, but I will soon stop doing that. The wind seems to be getting warmer and the house is not as chilly any longer. Once I stop using my stove I can clean the house and the windows. Spring cleaning takes on a whole new meaning here.
It’s hard to believe that a week from Sunday is Easter. I’m going up to Gyumri for Easter to visit another PCV who lives there, and hopefully go to Church. The week after Easter we have our Close of Service Conference in Yerevan, so I’ll miss another week of school. There’s only about 4 more weeks of school after I come back, since the last day of school is the end of May. It’ll be hard to leave the school and say goodbye to the teachers and students. I have really enjoyed being at this school.
Three months from today I will be home and my adventure here in Armenia will be over. I am so thankful that I had this wonderful opportunity and all the great experiences. I will miss these people, my village and the school community.