June 20, 2011
School finished on May 26th, and since they are going to have 12th grade next year, there was no Last Bell ceremonies. I selfishly wanted to have Last Bell, because I like the ceremony entailed and it would have given me a chance to see all the students at once and most of their parents. In fact, our school will not be having 12th grade, since none of our 11th graders are coming back. The boys will work their farms and the one girl will be going to the Technical School for nursing. The colleges and universities offered some big incentives to the students to enter this year and not do a 12th year. Otherwise they won’t have any new students for an entire year. Even though school is over, I still have some work to do, most notably with the on-line teacher training courses. We finally found a server that we can use and the first course should be up and running in September. In the meantime, we are trying to get as many course curriculum written during the summer as possible.
The weekend after school ended, we had a girls weekend at Sarah’s house. Sarah lives in a village a short distance from Yerevan. It’s very different from my village, first of all it’s completely flat and it’s much bigger. They have over 100 students in their school, compared to the 37 we had this year. There were 9 of us and it was fun to just sit around, compare notes, talk about our service and just relax. The one drawback to the weekend was that Sarah only has an outhouse. After having to use that for 2 days, I have a lot more respect for the volunteers who have had to use an outhouse for their whole service. Sarah lives in a typical Armenian compound. Her house, kitchen building and outhouse are all enclosed by a fence and a very imposing gate. The area between the house and the kitchen is where we spent most of our time. It’s a large patio that’s has a roof over it and was ample room for all of us. I was able to get up in the mornings and walk, which is a nice change from my mountainous village. We also had a spectacular view of Mt. Ararat.
The following weekend the 7 of us who were in the same training village our first summer here had a reunion there. We all stayed with our host families and had a big barbeque Saturday night. It was a good chance for us to be together and to say thank you and goodbye to our host families. That village and those families will always be very special for all of us. From the start they treated each of us like a family member and they were very pleased that we all came back. It was also the last time the 7 of us would be together, since Kyle left for America the following Saturday and 2 more of us leave next month.
Taguhie, my counterpart, is going to America tomorrow for 6 weeks. She has been chosen as one of 25 Armenian English teachers to take part in a special program at Indiana University. They will be studying with and learning about 25 Turkish English teachers. Since the two countries don’t have diplomatic relations and their borders closed, this is a big step in trying to get the people to get to know one another. I am very proud of Taguhie and know that she will get the most out of this opportunity. She has been a wonderful counterpart and friend to me for the past 2 years and I will miss her and only wish her the best.
For the next 4 weeks I plan on staying in my village. Of course I will have visitors every now and then and will proudly show off my village, which I think has the best view in all of Armenia. Next week we are having a “1948” weekend here. There are 4 of us who were born in 1948 and the other 3 are coming down to my house. Two of them have never been here before and so I’m excited to have them see my village, especially since they live in towns.
Only one more month to go and then I’m back home. That sounds so strange, since for the past 2 years this has been my home and I’ve gotten quite used to living here. For the next 4 weeks I will soak up as much of this life as I can, to get me ready for the whirlwind of activity that awaits my return: 3 family weddings, a daughter-in-law to be who I haven’t met yet, and a new granddaughter to meet. But I can’t wait!
In some ways, though, it’s scary thinking about returning to the States. I’m not sure what I’ll do next, how I’ll fill my time. While I will be leaving Armenia, hopefully I will have an ongoing relationship with this country and the wonderful people I have met. I also would like to stay a part of the Peace Corps, since I have inherited a new family within this organization and a host of friends. So, for me, this is not an ending, but just the beginning of a new and different way of looking at things and how I want to live my life.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
May 13, 2011
Another month has come and gone, but it has been a busy month. Easter was very enjoyable, but a bit different. Barbara and I went to Good Friday services at the Church she usually goes to. It’s a Syrian rite Catholic Church, which is a bit different from the Roman rite. For Good Friday they sang the Stations of the Cross, and didn’t have a Communion Service. There was no Mass on Saturday, so we went Sunday morning. In a lot of ways this rite, and the Armenian Apostolic Church, is very much pre-Vatican II. The priest has his back to the people and at certain times during the Liturgy, a curtain is drawn across the altar. For Easter it was a high Mass, with most of it sung by the choir and the priests and deacons. It was about 2 hours long and unlike the Armenian services, everybody stayed for the whole Mass and there was very little moving about and talking. The Ordinary of the Diocese celebrated the Mass and afterwards everyone was invited to greet him in the rectory. We were pleasantly surprised that he spoke English.
After Mass we had been invited to the Mayor’s house where it’s a tradition for those invited to bring an empty pot and fill it with a soup made especially that day. Barbara and I brought a pot and met three other PCVs there and spent about 3 hours eating and talking with the Mayor’s family. Thankfully some other people came so we could graciously leave. However, the Mayor’s brother insisted that we meet him at the family restaurant in an hour. This restaurant is probably the best in Gyumri and has an outdoor, tropical theme to it. All in all it was a very nice day.
Tuesday and Wednesday of that week we had our Close of Service conference. At this conference we got all the paperwork we need to fill out in order to leave country. I think it may be harder to leave than it was to get in. There were also some workshops on readjusting to American culture, resume writing, interview skills, and post-Peace Corps jobs.
Monday night, since we had all arrived at the hotel by then, we had a bachelorette party for one of the young girls in our group who had recently gotten engaged. It was a surprise and a lot of fun. On Tuesday night the American Ambassador had a small reception for us at her house. She has been present at all our major conferences and tries to maintain contact with PC. She too will be leaving this summer. Since this is the last time we will all be together, we arranged to have a group picture taken on Wednesday. After another day of workshops, we went out to celebrate at a local karaoke club. I really enjoy spending time like that with my group, especially the young people. They are always so full of life and energy. While I didn’t get up and sing, I did dance.
One of the sites I wanted to see before leaving Armenia was the Genocide Memorial. So on Thursday, Barbara and I went up to see it. It’s a very impressive indoor/outdoor memorial to the thousands of Armenians killed in the early 20th Century by the Turks. There is a living flame in a semi-outdoor building, with memorial music playing at all times. Inside there is a museum depicting that period in Armenian history. It was a very moving visit.
Luckily on Friday I was still in Yerevan at the PC office and so I was able to see part of the royal wedding via computer. Some of the restaurants in Yerevan had wedding parties at lunch time, with big screen TVs on champagne. It was quite an event here, as I’m sure it was elsewhere.
The on-line courses are still in the planning stages, with the major hurdle still being getting a server to host the courses. On Friday, Gayane, my program manager, and I went to visit our latest prospective partner in this endeavor. This was some place. TUMO, the name of the organization will open in September and will be an enrichment after school site for children ages 12 to 18. It is all tech based and will be able to handle 1000 children at a time, all with their own computer stations and computers. They will be focusing on 4 major areas to start with, animation, web design, graphics, and music. It will be free, the students will have to apply and once accepted will be given points. They will lose points if they don’t come, if they don’t complete a project, etc. Once they lose all their points, they can’t come anymore. This is the brainchild of 4 American Armenians, who want to bring the Armenian youth up to date technologically with the rest of the world. They are creating this as they go along, with no other facility quite like it anywhere else. It was amazing to meet some of the people and listen to their ideas and plans for the future. I really hope this works out for us to partner with them, because I think we can help each other. I hope to visit the site once again before I leave country.
After 10 days, I was more than ready to return to my village. I’m not used to constantly being around people, and so I missed the quiet of my house and my village. I like being able to hear the birds in the morning instead of traffic, to be awaken by the roosters and cows, and seeing the mountains. I also missed going to school and interacting with the students and other faculty members. These people have become a part of my life and are very important to me and I want to spend as much time with them as possible while I’m still in country.
On May 9th Armenia celebrates Victory Day, commemorating the end of World War II. In the village cemetery, there is a memorial to all those from the village who were killed during the war. Out of 192 men who went to war, 81 were killed during the war. This year they had the ceremony outside, even though it was raining. A large majority of the villagers came to the cemetery for this ceremony. A veteran gave a short history of Armenia’s war efforts, then some of the students enacted a short skit, and then all the names of the war dead were read. It was amazing how quiet everyone was during the reading of the names. The families of the deceased had brought bouquets of flowers which they laid on the memorial near their names. Very close to this memorial are the burial plots of 4 villagers who were killed during the war between Armenia and Azerjaiban, and flowers were also put on these graves. There is a very real sense of respect and honor for the history of this country and for those who have given their lives for Armenian independence.
Another month has come and gone, but it has been a busy month. Easter was very enjoyable, but a bit different. Barbara and I went to Good Friday services at the Church she usually goes to. It’s a Syrian rite Catholic Church, which is a bit different from the Roman rite. For Good Friday they sang the Stations of the Cross, and didn’t have a Communion Service. There was no Mass on Saturday, so we went Sunday morning. In a lot of ways this rite, and the Armenian Apostolic Church, is very much pre-Vatican II. The priest has his back to the people and at certain times during the Liturgy, a curtain is drawn across the altar. For Easter it was a high Mass, with most of it sung by the choir and the priests and deacons. It was about 2 hours long and unlike the Armenian services, everybody stayed for the whole Mass and there was very little moving about and talking. The Ordinary of the Diocese celebrated the Mass and afterwards everyone was invited to greet him in the rectory. We were pleasantly surprised that he spoke English.
After Mass we had been invited to the Mayor’s house where it’s a tradition for those invited to bring an empty pot and fill it with a soup made especially that day. Barbara and I brought a pot and met three other PCVs there and spent about 3 hours eating and talking with the Mayor’s family. Thankfully some other people came so we could graciously leave. However, the Mayor’s brother insisted that we meet him at the family restaurant in an hour. This restaurant is probably the best in Gyumri and has an outdoor, tropical theme to it. All in all it was a very nice day.
Tuesday and Wednesday of that week we had our Close of Service conference. At this conference we got all the paperwork we need to fill out in order to leave country. I think it may be harder to leave than it was to get in. There were also some workshops on readjusting to American culture, resume writing, interview skills, and post-Peace Corps jobs.
Monday night, since we had all arrived at the hotel by then, we had a bachelorette party for one of the young girls in our group who had recently gotten engaged. It was a surprise and a lot of fun. On Tuesday night the American Ambassador had a small reception for us at her house. She has been present at all our major conferences and tries to maintain contact with PC. She too will be leaving this summer. Since this is the last time we will all be together, we arranged to have a group picture taken on Wednesday. After another day of workshops, we went out to celebrate at a local karaoke club. I really enjoy spending time like that with my group, especially the young people. They are always so full of life and energy. While I didn’t get up and sing, I did dance.
One of the sites I wanted to see before leaving Armenia was the Genocide Memorial. So on Thursday, Barbara and I went up to see it. It’s a very impressive indoor/outdoor memorial to the thousands of Armenians killed in the early 20th Century by the Turks. There is a living flame in a semi-outdoor building, with memorial music playing at all times. Inside there is a museum depicting that period in Armenian history. It was a very moving visit.
Luckily on Friday I was still in Yerevan at the PC office and so I was able to see part of the royal wedding via computer. Some of the restaurants in Yerevan had wedding parties at lunch time, with big screen TVs on champagne. It was quite an event here, as I’m sure it was elsewhere.
The on-line courses are still in the planning stages, with the major hurdle still being getting a server to host the courses. On Friday, Gayane, my program manager, and I went to visit our latest prospective partner in this endeavor. This was some place. TUMO, the name of the organization will open in September and will be an enrichment after school site for children ages 12 to 18. It is all tech based and will be able to handle 1000 children at a time, all with their own computer stations and computers. They will be focusing on 4 major areas to start with, animation, web design, graphics, and music. It will be free, the students will have to apply and once accepted will be given points. They will lose points if they don’t come, if they don’t complete a project, etc. Once they lose all their points, they can’t come anymore. This is the brainchild of 4 American Armenians, who want to bring the Armenian youth up to date technologically with the rest of the world. They are creating this as they go along, with no other facility quite like it anywhere else. It was amazing to meet some of the people and listen to their ideas and plans for the future. I really hope this works out for us to partner with them, because I think we can help each other. I hope to visit the site once again before I leave country.
After 10 days, I was more than ready to return to my village. I’m not used to constantly being around people, and so I missed the quiet of my house and my village. I like being able to hear the birds in the morning instead of traffic, to be awaken by the roosters and cows, and seeing the mountains. I also missed going to school and interacting with the students and other faculty members. These people have become a part of my life and are very important to me and I want to spend as much time with them as possible while I’m still in country.
On May 9th Armenia celebrates Victory Day, commemorating the end of World War II. In the village cemetery, there is a memorial to all those from the village who were killed during the war. Out of 192 men who went to war, 81 were killed during the war. This year they had the ceremony outside, even though it was raining. A large majority of the villagers came to the cemetery for this ceremony. A veteran gave a short history of Armenia’s war efforts, then some of the students enacted a short skit, and then all the names of the war dead were read. It was amazing how quiet everyone was during the reading of the names. The families of the deceased had brought bouquets of flowers which they laid on the memorial near their names. Very close to this memorial are the burial plots of 4 villagers who were killed during the war between Armenia and Azerjaiban, and flowers were also put on these graves. There is a very real sense of respect and honor for the history of this country and for those who have given their lives for Armenian independence.
Friday, April 15, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, February 25, 2011
February 25, 2011
The past two months have been relatively calm and enjoyable. This being my second year here, I feel much more comfortable and at home. February has been very cold and snowy. It seems as if every few days we have more snow. Living in a village only adds to the inconveniences that snow brings. Since most of the "walkways" are really just animal paths, needless to say they are not shoveled. The parts that don't get any sun at all become very icy and slippery. I have had to use my YakTraks a few times this winter. And there doesn't seem to be any end in sight to the snow and cold, since it's forecast that we will have snow most of next week. From the sounds of it I could have stayed in New York and had the same weather.
The other thing that I continue to notice is the rhythm and sounds of village life, even in the dead of winter. The most common sound is that of the men cutting wood for the stoves, for heat. Besides that, it is the quiet of the snow that I notice. It muffles the sounds of footsteps and even of the children yelling. Maybe I've just gotten used to them, but I don't even hear the cows, donkeys, or chickens as much lately.
Last week I went up to Yerevan for a Mentoring Workshop sponsored by the British Council. It was only a 2 day workshop, but since it takes me a full day to get there and then another day getting back, for me it was a week off of school. The workshop was very good and we're hoping to use some of it for the new volunteers this summer. Most of the programs in Peace Corps, especially here in Armenia, have an informal mentoring program among volunteers. The focus of this workshop was to set up mentoring relationships with our counterparts. I think it will be very helpful.
Spending a week in Yerevan is a bit expensive, but fun. There are a lot of restaurants there and of course there is a great yarn shop there. I've been in the yarn shop so often and buy so much yarn, that I now get a discount. In the middle of the week, there weren't any other volunteers in Yerevan besides the 4 of us attending the workshop. But on Friday others came in, so it was good to see them. I came back to my village Saturday to give myself Sunday to catch up on wash, etc. The ride back was a bit tricky and took 8 hours, instead of the usual 5 or 6. At one point the road (there is only one going north-south) had been closed for a while before we got to that point. After waiting for about 45 minutes, it was re-opened, but the police were monitoring how many cars went at any one time. This was being done at both ends of the 20 kilometer stretch. It wasn't that it was snowing, but there were white-out conditions because of the wind. I am glad that I don't plan on going back up to Yerevan until after the snow is all gone.
Some of what the Peace Corps teachers have established here are national and international competitions in spelling, writing and poetry. The Spelling Bee was held in November and right now is just held in the southern part of the country. The Poetry Festival/Competition this year will be a national competition with regional competitions held first. The entrants have to memorize an English poem and recite it. The Writing Olympics is an international competition with entrants from Armenia, Azerbjian, Georgia, Moldva, other Eurasian countries, and maybe even some African countries. It is based on creativity, not spelling or grammar. This is one of the few times these students get to be creative. It's a bit hard getting them to do that, since they are used to memorizing and giving back verbatum. However, my students have come a long way in the last few months and about 8 of them will enter. I really don't care how well they do, it's more the fact that they are willing to try and have increased their English ability.
As the winter drags on I am glad that I can crochet and have my computer on which I watch a lot of movies and play games. I can't imagine what being a Peace Corps volunteer was like 50 years ago without these amenities. I have watched more movies the past 20 months that I did the past 20 years.
The past two months have been relatively calm and enjoyable. This being my second year here, I feel much more comfortable and at home. February has been very cold and snowy. It seems as if every few days we have more snow. Living in a village only adds to the inconveniences that snow brings. Since most of the "walkways" are really just animal paths, needless to say they are not shoveled. The parts that don't get any sun at all become very icy and slippery. I have had to use my YakTraks a few times this winter. And there doesn't seem to be any end in sight to the snow and cold, since it's forecast that we will have snow most of next week. From the sounds of it I could have stayed in New York and had the same weather.
The other thing that I continue to notice is the rhythm and sounds of village life, even in the dead of winter. The most common sound is that of the men cutting wood for the stoves, for heat. Besides that, it is the quiet of the snow that I notice. It muffles the sounds of footsteps and even of the children yelling. Maybe I've just gotten used to them, but I don't even hear the cows, donkeys, or chickens as much lately.
Last week I went up to Yerevan for a Mentoring Workshop sponsored by the British Council. It was only a 2 day workshop, but since it takes me a full day to get there and then another day getting back, for me it was a week off of school. The workshop was very good and we're hoping to use some of it for the new volunteers this summer. Most of the programs in Peace Corps, especially here in Armenia, have an informal mentoring program among volunteers. The focus of this workshop was to set up mentoring relationships with our counterparts. I think it will be very helpful.
Spending a week in Yerevan is a bit expensive, but fun. There are a lot of restaurants there and of course there is a great yarn shop there. I've been in the yarn shop so often and buy so much yarn, that I now get a discount. In the middle of the week, there weren't any other volunteers in Yerevan besides the 4 of us attending the workshop. But on Friday others came in, so it was good to see them. I came back to my village Saturday to give myself Sunday to catch up on wash, etc. The ride back was a bit tricky and took 8 hours, instead of the usual 5 or 6. At one point the road (there is only one going north-south) had been closed for a while before we got to that point. After waiting for about 45 minutes, it was re-opened, but the police were monitoring how many cars went at any one time. This was being done at both ends of the 20 kilometer stretch. It wasn't that it was snowing, but there were white-out conditions because of the wind. I am glad that I don't plan on going back up to Yerevan until after the snow is all gone.
Some of what the Peace Corps teachers have established here are national and international competitions in spelling, writing and poetry. The Spelling Bee was held in November and right now is just held in the southern part of the country. The Poetry Festival/Competition this year will be a national competition with regional competitions held first. The entrants have to memorize an English poem and recite it. The Writing Olympics is an international competition with entrants from Armenia, Azerbjian, Georgia, Moldva, other Eurasian countries, and maybe even some African countries. It is based on creativity, not spelling or grammar. This is one of the few times these students get to be creative. It's a bit hard getting them to do that, since they are used to memorizing and giving back verbatum. However, my students have come a long way in the last few months and about 8 of them will enter. I really don't care how well they do, it's more the fact that they are willing to try and have increased their English ability.
As the winter drags on I am glad that I can crochet and have my computer on which I watch a lot of movies and play games. I can't imagine what being a Peace Corps volunteer was like 50 years ago without these amenities. I have watched more movies the past 20 months that I did the past 20 years.
Friday, January 14, 2011
January 14, 2011
I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year celebration. My holidays were a bit different, but good and enjoyable. I spent Christmas in Gavar, a mid-sized town up north near Lake Sevan. Four volunteers live there and they had decided to host Christmas this year and invited 24 of us to join them. Between the 4 apartments they were able to put everyone up for the weekend. It was a bit tight, but that added to the fun. At the apartment where I was staying, there were 8 of us sleeping in one room, about a 10 by 15 foot room. So, once one person decided to go to bed, everyone went to bed and the same in the morning. Thankfully, we all got along and are used to sharing tight quarters. Both Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner were delicious, with a lot of shared memories of the holidays at home and the traditions we each have there. This year there were about 3 other large gatherings of PCVs around the country, which made it nice for the newer, younger volunteers who were spending their first Christmas away from home and family.
On Dec. 27th, my friend Pat and I left Yerevan for Tbilisi, Georgia, to spend the night there. Pat lives fairly close to Yerevan and we took a train into the city for a marchutney up to Tbilisi. The train ride was interesting. It wasn’t full, but farmers were bringing their crops to the shuka, so there were an assortment of vegetables and fruits. Some of the other passengers did some of their shopping on board and bought some fruit. Pat had never been in Tbilisi before, so it was fun to show her some of the city. The next afternoon we took a plane from Tbilisi to Istanbul, Turkey, and then to Cairo, Egypt. At the airport in Tbilisi we had met two other PCVs from Armenia, who were going to Turkey and were on the same flight as us. It’s always fun to be with other PCVs and share their adventures and stories.
We had arranged to stay at a hostel in Cairo, that was highly recommended by other PCVs who had stayed there in the summer. Someone from the hostel met us at the airport, at 3:30 in the morning and when we got to the hostel our room was ready. Since neither of us had slept on the planes, we took a short nap before heading out to explore Cairo. This was a “free” day, that is we had not tours scheduled, so we just walked around and surprisingly didn’t get lost, or at least we were able to get back to the hostel It was a day of sensory overload. We walked into small alleys that turned into mini-malls. There were rows upon rows of scarfs of every color imaginable. There were shop after shop of material for men’s suits. And of course there were food vendors of every kind. We wound our way over to the Nile, which was beautiful There were small boats for hire, with music and food. We went to go into the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, but it had already closed. Then we walked to the Abdeen Palace Museum, but that was also closed. On the way we found a yarn store and of course we both bought some Turkish yarn.
We went to a small restaurant for lunch that was recommended by Pat’s daughter’s friend. They serve this koshari which is made of rice, small noodles, spaghetti, lentils, tomato sauce and fried onions. It was delicious. In fact we ate it a lot during our trip.
On the way back to the hostel we walked along this street that was jam-packed with people. I felt absolutely overwhelmed between the crowd and the cacophony of noise and aromas. I never imagined Cairo being so crowded. There is almost a constant honking of horns that mixes with the call to prayer and the call of the street vendors to possible customers. I am not used to such noise nor such crowds. I miss my village, but it’s wonderful to experience this culture.
Our next day was very full. It started off with both Pat and I confused as to which clocks/we had set back, since there is a 2 hour time difference between Egypt abd Armenia. We soon straightened that out and found out it was only 6:30 and not 8:30. That was good because we were being picked up at 8;45 for our first tour.
Ehab was our guide and Nor was our driver for the next two days. Ehab is an archaeology student, so he was a wonderful resource person and gave lots of background on all we saw. Our first stop was to Saqqara, where there are 2 pyramids and afuneral temple to Djedkare-Isesi. They are restoring the surface of the pyramids by hand – exactly as it was originally done. We watched as they rolled a wheelbarrow filled with a huge stone in it, up a makeshift ramp. They have been working on this pyramid for over 2 years and only a miniscule amount is finished. I think Ehab said it would take another 12 years to completely restore it.
We then went to Memphis, one of the former capitals of Egypt, where there is a colossus of Ramses II. The size of this colossus is staggering. There are also other statues there, set in an outdoor museum, including a sphinx. There are also a lot of carpet schools in Memphis, one of which we visited and were given a tour and education about. Most of are hand-made using either silk or wool, or a combination of the two. It is a cottage industry in Egypt with about 90% of all carpets made in the homes. We watched as several students worked on various carpets and two older people were working on looms.
Finally we were on our way to Giza and the great Pyramids. We had caught glimpses of them this morning on our way out of town, but to see them up close was breath taking. We decided to ride out to the pyramids on a camel and horse. I rode the camel out while Pat rode the horse and then we switched for the ride back. It was fantastic to see them rising out of the dunes coming from the desert side of them. We rode out to a mountain spot opposite the pyramids where the view was magnificent. We could see the 3 pyramids and the sphinx. It was like being in another world. At times I felt like I was trespassing into something sacred. We were truly on holy ground. There was so much to take in and when we got back to our hostel we were both physically and mentally exhausted.
Our next day was much lighter, only 2 main areas of Cairo to see. We started in Islamic Cairo at the citadel. This complex has 2 mosques, a military museum, and a police museum, which was closed. We first went into the Mosque of the Sultan al Nasir. It is an outdoor mosque, of medium size, but we still had to take our shoes off. This one is not ordinarily used for prayer. The mihrab stands out against the rough stone because it is a feast of gold and marble. (The mihra is a niche indicating the direction of Mecca)
The Mohammed Ali Mosque was in stark contrast to the other, it is made out of alabaster and glistens in the sun. It is an enclosed mosque with a huge courtyard that has a domed ablution fountain in the center. The inside of the mosque was beautiful with chandeliers, stained glass windows up high, and sayings from the Koran all around on the walls. There were 2 mihrabs, one of alabaster, set back, and the other of green and gold art nouveau. It is completely carpeted with the individual prayer spots marked off. To the right of the entrance is where Mohammed Ali is buried beneath a white marble cenotaph, which is behind a bronze grill. Even though there were a lot of tourist in the mosque, it ws very quiet inside. A real sense of holiness, prayerfulness pervaded the mosque.
The view from the citadel was great. It showed a real contrast --- old Egyptian houses and new high rises alongside each other. This contrast between old and new is prevalent throughout Cairo though – women in burqa’s using cell phones, donkey carts competing with Volvos on the streets. Before leaving the citadel we went through the military museum. I kept thinking that Kevin and Colin would have loved it. It is set in an old palace that has been wonderfully maintained and adds a certain stature to the exhibits.
Our next stop was in Coptic Cairo, which is a walled-in section of the city that has about 5 Coptic Churches and a synagogue. It was interesting to note the similarities in the 3 places of worship, knowing the similarities in their beliefs. We went into only 2 of the churches besides the synagogue. The mosaics in all the churches are really beautiful.
Since it was New Year’s Eve, we decided to go to a jazz club for dinner. However, the cover charge was a bit high, so we just went out to dinner at another restaurant. With the constant noise in the street on any given day, it was hard to tell if there was any additional honking for the New Year. The next morning we found out that for Egyptians, going to the movies is a big thing on New Year’s Eve.
Our train to Luxor didn’t leave until 8 PM Saturday, so after packing up everything we headed off to the Museum of Antiquities. This is a massive museum that probably takes weeks, if not months, to see everything. I bought a book about it, so we could plan our visit. Of course we wanted to see the King Tut exhibit and also some of the Middle Kingdom items. I remembered some of the King Tut items from when it was on tour. But it is breathtaking when it’s all together. It’s hard to comprehend that it was all found in the tomb and most of it in very good shape. The detail on some of the artifacts is astonishing. But after 3 hours we were on overload, so we left the museum.
One of the things that struck both Pat and I is the hospitality, friendliness, and graciousness of the Egyptian people. They are genuinely proud of their country and happy that people come to visit it. They do their best to help others and make the visit enjoyable. And they are interested in learning about us and our country. In the Military Museum a group of teenage Egyptian girls came up behind us. We stopped to let them pass, but they wanted to take pictures of us and them together. Then we mut up with them again outside and one started asking us questions, very politely. She wanted to know what we thought of Egypt, of her people and of Islam. It was a very interesting experience.
The overnight train to Luxor was very comfortable. Our compartment had a sink, some hangers, 2 seats, which converted into a bunk bed. We were served a decent supper and breakfast and got to Luxor at 6 AM where we were met by someone from the hotel. After a little nap, we again headed out to explore this city. It was fascinating, beautiful and intriguing. We walked along the Nile, then into the heart of the city, found the Souk (outdoor market) and walked the seemingly unending length of it. The sights, sounds, and smells reflect the lives of these people. The Souk had everything one could imagine – from food to clothing to souvenirs. Some fairly well organized stalls, and others just a mish mash of items. One end teeming with tourists and the further we walked into it the more it was mainly natives.
We toured two magnificent temples today. Each ancient temple is set up the same, with the holiest part in the middle. There are a series of outer courtyards with immense columns and hieroglyphics all over the walls, relating the story of the king or gods. Where these figures are still intack our guides would tell us the stories. There were even places they used color and it almost looked like tile. Both temples are pretty much in good condition, with restoration in progress. The big project in Luxor seems to be the “Avenue of ‘Sphinxes.” This will eventually be a 3 kilometer walkway connecting the two temples and lined on both sides with sphinxes. Since our tour didn’t start until 3 PM, by the time we got to the second temple it was dark. But the way they have positioned the lights it was beautiful to see.
On our second day in Luxor we were awakened at 5 AM by the call to prayer. It seems that our hotel is right next to a mosque. It wasn’t that bad since we had to get up early in order to leave for the West Bank today to see the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and a temple to Queen Hetshepsut.
The temple was our first stop, and again was just staggering to see and walk through. It was 3 stories, with each story set back a bit to allow for a terrace. This queens’ stepson didn’t like her so he had most of her images scratched out after her death and he became king. Then we went to the Valley of the Kings where most of the kings of ancient Egypt are buried. So far they have discovered 62 tombs. Some of these tombs are massive underground tunnels and chambers with the legend of the king depicted on the walls. Even the sides of the valley look like huge columns. We were able to go into 3 tombs. The first one was the longest and it was no easy feat walking back up from the tomb. These tombs were started as soon as the man became king so the legend could be depicted. Once the king died, the workers had only 70 day to complete the tomb. This was the amount of time the mummification process took. Once the king’s body was in the tomb, it was sealed. Again it was mind boggling to see the intricacies of the art work on the walls. The other 2 tombs were smaller, but just as elaborate.
The Valley of the Queens is a smaller valley, but the tombs are just as impressive. Again we went into 3 tombs, walking down along wooden walkways put up to protect the interior from all the usage. There was so much to see and it's all so impressive that I was again overloaded with all the sensory images and information. It was almost too much to take in.
After lunch we went on a felucca ride over to Banana Island. It would have been a beautiful sail, but there was absolutely no wind. So the 2 crew, young boys, rowed us over to the other side of the Nile and then took turns pulling us along the bank. Once we reached our destination, we had to walk about 100 yards through dried river bottom, then up the bank to the banana plantation. We had a short tour of the plantation, got to taste their very delicious bananas and then reversed our trek and had a beautiful sunset ride back to the east bank. Again there was no wind, but at least we were going with the current this time.
That night we took the overnight train back to Cairo and had a day and a half to just relax and once again enjoy the city. We walked around some more and discovered more interesting alleyways and shops of the city. It was a wonderful vacation, one that I will think about often.
I got back to my village on Saturday, Jan. 8, and we were having the first snowfall of the season. When I awoke on Sunday it was to a beautiful vista of a glistening white village. It snowed off and on for the next 3 days. My water was still running when I got home, but it stopped Sunday and has been more off then on since. Thanks goodness for the snow, which I can melt at night on my wood stove. I had this past week off, since my counterpart was away,, so I am looking forward to going back to school on Monday.
The new year started off with more good news from the home front – another engagement. I am happy for Kevin and Amanda and look forward to getting to know Amanda and her family.
I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year celebration. My holidays were a bit different, but good and enjoyable. I spent Christmas in Gavar, a mid-sized town up north near Lake Sevan. Four volunteers live there and they had decided to host Christmas this year and invited 24 of us to join them. Between the 4 apartments they were able to put everyone up for the weekend. It was a bit tight, but that added to the fun. At the apartment where I was staying, there were 8 of us sleeping in one room, about a 10 by 15 foot room. So, once one person decided to go to bed, everyone went to bed and the same in the morning. Thankfully, we all got along and are used to sharing tight quarters. Both Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner were delicious, with a lot of shared memories of the holidays at home and the traditions we each have there. This year there were about 3 other large gatherings of PCVs around the country, which made it nice for the newer, younger volunteers who were spending their first Christmas away from home and family.
On Dec. 27th, my friend Pat and I left Yerevan for Tbilisi, Georgia, to spend the night there. Pat lives fairly close to Yerevan and we took a train into the city for a marchutney up to Tbilisi. The train ride was interesting. It wasn’t full, but farmers were bringing their crops to the shuka, so there were an assortment of vegetables and fruits. Some of the other passengers did some of their shopping on board and bought some fruit. Pat had never been in Tbilisi before, so it was fun to show her some of the city. The next afternoon we took a plane from Tbilisi to Istanbul, Turkey, and then to Cairo, Egypt. At the airport in Tbilisi we had met two other PCVs from Armenia, who were going to Turkey and were on the same flight as us. It’s always fun to be with other PCVs and share their adventures and stories.
We had arranged to stay at a hostel in Cairo, that was highly recommended by other PCVs who had stayed there in the summer. Someone from the hostel met us at the airport, at 3:30 in the morning and when we got to the hostel our room was ready. Since neither of us had slept on the planes, we took a short nap before heading out to explore Cairo. This was a “free” day, that is we had not tours scheduled, so we just walked around and surprisingly didn’t get lost, or at least we were able to get back to the hostel It was a day of sensory overload. We walked into small alleys that turned into mini-malls. There were rows upon rows of scarfs of every color imaginable. There were shop after shop of material for men’s suits. And of course there were food vendors of every kind. We wound our way over to the Nile, which was beautiful There were small boats for hire, with music and food. We went to go into the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, but it had already closed. Then we walked to the Abdeen Palace Museum, but that was also closed. On the way we found a yarn store and of course we both bought some Turkish yarn.
We went to a small restaurant for lunch that was recommended by Pat’s daughter’s friend. They serve this koshari which is made of rice, small noodles, spaghetti, lentils, tomato sauce and fried onions. It was delicious. In fact we ate it a lot during our trip.
On the way back to the hostel we walked along this street that was jam-packed with people. I felt absolutely overwhelmed between the crowd and the cacophony of noise and aromas. I never imagined Cairo being so crowded. There is almost a constant honking of horns that mixes with the call to prayer and the call of the street vendors to possible customers. I am not used to such noise nor such crowds. I miss my village, but it’s wonderful to experience this culture.
Our next day was very full. It started off with both Pat and I confused as to which clocks/we had set back, since there is a 2 hour time difference between Egypt abd Armenia. We soon straightened that out and found out it was only 6:30 and not 8:30. That was good because we were being picked up at 8;45 for our first tour.
Ehab was our guide and Nor was our driver for the next two days. Ehab is an archaeology student, so he was a wonderful resource person and gave lots of background on all we saw. Our first stop was to Saqqara, where there are 2 pyramids and afuneral temple to Djedkare-Isesi. They are restoring the surface of the pyramids by hand – exactly as it was originally done. We watched as they rolled a wheelbarrow filled with a huge stone in it, up a makeshift ramp. They have been working on this pyramid for over 2 years and only a miniscule amount is finished. I think Ehab said it would take another 12 years to completely restore it.
We then went to Memphis, one of the former capitals of Egypt, where there is a colossus of Ramses II. The size of this colossus is staggering. There are also other statues there, set in an outdoor museum, including a sphinx. There are also a lot of carpet schools in Memphis, one of which we visited and were given a tour and education about. Most of are hand-made using either silk or wool, or a combination of the two. It is a cottage industry in Egypt with about 90% of all carpets made in the homes. We watched as several students worked on various carpets and two older people were working on looms.
Finally we were on our way to Giza and the great Pyramids. We had caught glimpses of them this morning on our way out of town, but to see them up close was breath taking. We decided to ride out to the pyramids on a camel and horse. I rode the camel out while Pat rode the horse and then we switched for the ride back. It was fantastic to see them rising out of the dunes coming from the desert side of them. We rode out to a mountain spot opposite the pyramids where the view was magnificent. We could see the 3 pyramids and the sphinx. It was like being in another world. At times I felt like I was trespassing into something sacred. We were truly on holy ground. There was so much to take in and when we got back to our hostel we were both physically and mentally exhausted.
Our next day was much lighter, only 2 main areas of Cairo to see. We started in Islamic Cairo at the citadel. This complex has 2 mosques, a military museum, and a police museum, which was closed. We first went into the Mosque of the Sultan al Nasir. It is an outdoor mosque, of medium size, but we still had to take our shoes off. This one is not ordinarily used for prayer. The mihrab stands out against the rough stone because it is a feast of gold and marble. (The mihra is a niche indicating the direction of Mecca)
The Mohammed Ali Mosque was in stark contrast to the other, it is made out of alabaster and glistens in the sun. It is an enclosed mosque with a huge courtyard that has a domed ablution fountain in the center. The inside of the mosque was beautiful with chandeliers, stained glass windows up high, and sayings from the Koran all around on the walls. There were 2 mihrabs, one of alabaster, set back, and the other of green and gold art nouveau. It is completely carpeted with the individual prayer spots marked off. To the right of the entrance is where Mohammed Ali is buried beneath a white marble cenotaph, which is behind a bronze grill. Even though there were a lot of tourist in the mosque, it ws very quiet inside. A real sense of holiness, prayerfulness pervaded the mosque.
The view from the citadel was great. It showed a real contrast --- old Egyptian houses and new high rises alongside each other. This contrast between old and new is prevalent throughout Cairo though – women in burqa’s using cell phones, donkey carts competing with Volvos on the streets. Before leaving the citadel we went through the military museum. I kept thinking that Kevin and Colin would have loved it. It is set in an old palace that has been wonderfully maintained and adds a certain stature to the exhibits.
Our next stop was in Coptic Cairo, which is a walled-in section of the city that has about 5 Coptic Churches and a synagogue. It was interesting to note the similarities in the 3 places of worship, knowing the similarities in their beliefs. We went into only 2 of the churches besides the synagogue. The mosaics in all the churches are really beautiful.
Since it was New Year’s Eve, we decided to go to a jazz club for dinner. However, the cover charge was a bit high, so we just went out to dinner at another restaurant. With the constant noise in the street on any given day, it was hard to tell if there was any additional honking for the New Year. The next morning we found out that for Egyptians, going to the movies is a big thing on New Year’s Eve.
Our train to Luxor didn’t leave until 8 PM Saturday, so after packing up everything we headed off to the Museum of Antiquities. This is a massive museum that probably takes weeks, if not months, to see everything. I bought a book about it, so we could plan our visit. Of course we wanted to see the King Tut exhibit and also some of the Middle Kingdom items. I remembered some of the King Tut items from when it was on tour. But it is breathtaking when it’s all together. It’s hard to comprehend that it was all found in the tomb and most of it in very good shape. The detail on some of the artifacts is astonishing. But after 3 hours we were on overload, so we left the museum.
One of the things that struck both Pat and I is the hospitality, friendliness, and graciousness of the Egyptian people. They are genuinely proud of their country and happy that people come to visit it. They do their best to help others and make the visit enjoyable. And they are interested in learning about us and our country. In the Military Museum a group of teenage Egyptian girls came up behind us. We stopped to let them pass, but they wanted to take pictures of us and them together. Then we mut up with them again outside and one started asking us questions, very politely. She wanted to know what we thought of Egypt, of her people and of Islam. It was a very interesting experience.
The overnight train to Luxor was very comfortable. Our compartment had a sink, some hangers, 2 seats, which converted into a bunk bed. We were served a decent supper and breakfast and got to Luxor at 6 AM where we were met by someone from the hotel. After a little nap, we again headed out to explore this city. It was fascinating, beautiful and intriguing. We walked along the Nile, then into the heart of the city, found the Souk (outdoor market) and walked the seemingly unending length of it. The sights, sounds, and smells reflect the lives of these people. The Souk had everything one could imagine – from food to clothing to souvenirs. Some fairly well organized stalls, and others just a mish mash of items. One end teeming with tourists and the further we walked into it the more it was mainly natives.
We toured two magnificent temples today. Each ancient temple is set up the same, with the holiest part in the middle. There are a series of outer courtyards with immense columns and hieroglyphics all over the walls, relating the story of the king or gods. Where these figures are still intack our guides would tell us the stories. There were even places they used color and it almost looked like tile. Both temples are pretty much in good condition, with restoration in progress. The big project in Luxor seems to be the “Avenue of ‘Sphinxes.” This will eventually be a 3 kilometer walkway connecting the two temples and lined on both sides with sphinxes. Since our tour didn’t start until 3 PM, by the time we got to the second temple it was dark. But the way they have positioned the lights it was beautiful to see.
On our second day in Luxor we were awakened at 5 AM by the call to prayer. It seems that our hotel is right next to a mosque. It wasn’t that bad since we had to get up early in order to leave for the West Bank today to see the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and a temple to Queen Hetshepsut.
The temple was our first stop, and again was just staggering to see and walk through. It was 3 stories, with each story set back a bit to allow for a terrace. This queens’ stepson didn’t like her so he had most of her images scratched out after her death and he became king. Then we went to the Valley of the Kings where most of the kings of ancient Egypt are buried. So far they have discovered 62 tombs. Some of these tombs are massive underground tunnels and chambers with the legend of the king depicted on the walls. Even the sides of the valley look like huge columns. We were able to go into 3 tombs. The first one was the longest and it was no easy feat walking back up from the tomb. These tombs were started as soon as the man became king so the legend could be depicted. Once the king died, the workers had only 70 day to complete the tomb. This was the amount of time the mummification process took. Once the king’s body was in the tomb, it was sealed. Again it was mind boggling to see the intricacies of the art work on the walls. The other 2 tombs were smaller, but just as elaborate.
The Valley of the Queens is a smaller valley, but the tombs are just as impressive. Again we went into 3 tombs, walking down along wooden walkways put up to protect the interior from all the usage. There was so much to see and it's all so impressive that I was again overloaded with all the sensory images and information. It was almost too much to take in.
After lunch we went on a felucca ride over to Banana Island. It would have been a beautiful sail, but there was absolutely no wind. So the 2 crew, young boys, rowed us over to the other side of the Nile and then took turns pulling us along the bank. Once we reached our destination, we had to walk about 100 yards through dried river bottom, then up the bank to the banana plantation. We had a short tour of the plantation, got to taste their very delicious bananas and then reversed our trek and had a beautiful sunset ride back to the east bank. Again there was no wind, but at least we were going with the current this time.
That night we took the overnight train back to Cairo and had a day and a half to just relax and once again enjoy the city. We walked around some more and discovered more interesting alleyways and shops of the city. It was a wonderful vacation, one that I will think about often.
I got back to my village on Saturday, Jan. 8, and we were having the first snowfall of the season. When I awoke on Sunday it was to a beautiful vista of a glistening white village. It snowed off and on for the next 3 days. My water was still running when I got home, but it stopped Sunday and has been more off then on since. Thanks goodness for the snow, which I can melt at night on my wood stove. I had this past week off, since my counterpart was away,, so I am looking forward to going back to school on Monday.
The new year started off with more good news from the home front – another engagement. I am happy for Kevin and Amanda and look forward to getting to know Amanda and her family.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
December 9, 2010
Thanksgiving dinner turned out much better than I anticipated. Luckily the turkey just fit in my oven (which is more like a toaster-oven). I had bought a 7 kilo bird, about 15 pounds and after using wooden spoons to form a rack in my roasting pan, I was just able to squeeze the bird in. Just to be on the safe side, I put it in at 10 AM, not knowing exactly how long it would take. My oven is very old and cooks very slow. I didn’t realize it until I was ready to cook it, but the turkey had a pop-up timer in it. However, since I had to squeeze the wings down, one of them prevented the timer from popping up. It only took 6 ½ hours to cook and it was delicious. Once the turkey was done I was able to put the stuffing in, which I had made from scratch, since I couldn’t find Pepperidge Farm. We also had mashed potatoes, gravy, cauliflower, and carrots. The gravy also came out good, with no lumps. This was the first time in a long time that I made gravy from scratch.
There were 7 of us celebrating Thanksgiving together. Robin had brought bread, Bryan and Chris brought cheese and crackers, Sam brought wine, Paul brought fruit, and Shannon had made the carrot soufflé. We had a wonderful time talking about how we each celebrate the day at home and sharing funny stories. It was a good day, but I’m sure next year will be even better when I’m home.
That Saturday was another joyous day for the Fullam family. Brendan proposed to Jackie and she said yes. We are all very happy and excited for them. Now I have 3 weddings, my niece Heather is also engaged, and a new baby to go home to. It almost sounds like a movie, “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” There is much joy and excitement in our family.
We had our All-Volunteer Conference the next week. The new volunteers had to be there Saturday night and we had to be there Monday night. I went up Saturday in order to visit with my host family in Karashamb, my training village. I enjoy seeing them and spending time with them and this gave me a good opportunity to do so. I had to be in Yerevan on Monday in order to help with the cooking for Monday night and to do a workshop for the new volunteers.
Monday night we celebrated Thanksgiving with all 96 PCVs in country and about 20 Staff members and their families. We had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rice, green beans, carrot soufflé, and we even had yams. And of course there were pies: apple, pumpkin, lemon meringue. Afterwards there was the annual talent show, which is a lot of fun. A good time was had by all.
The Conference was good, better than last year’s. On the second day, we split up into sectors and met with specialists in that field. For the TEFL sector, we met with some people from the National Institute of Ed., one of the author’s of the text books, a man from British Council and someone from an agency that accredits colleges and universities. We had a very good discussion with the NIE people, although they didn’t agree with all our ideas. And the author actually agreed to setting up a standing committee to work with her on revising the textbooks. We’re hoping to do the same with the other authors.
Since we were all together for World AIDS Day, a few of the PCVs had arranged for us to get t-shirts with an AIDS message on them and to participate in a flash mob event to mark the day. I had never heard of this before, but I was eager to do it. We walked from our hotel to the center of the city where we met up with some other groups. There is a pedestrian mall nearby and so we walked over to that and spread out up and down it. At a specified time someone blew a whistle, at which we all took off our coats, so everyone could see our t-shirts and then we struck poses for a minute. It was interesting to watch the faces on those walking by as they threaded their way through us and tried to figure out what was going on. Eventually they got it and stopped to read the signs that some were holding up. It was a very moving experience.
Friday night was probably the highlight of the week for me. A group of us had gotten tickets for a concert by Placido Domingo. The tickets were a bit expensive, but they were worth every dram we paid. The concert was in a huge sports and concert arena, that was packed. It started at 8:30 and didn’t end until after 11:00. He sang about every other song, with three other singers rotating in and out, and sometimes he sang a duet with one of them. The acoustics in the place were great. After three encore songs, a group of disabled singers came out onto the stage and they sang with him. It was very moving. They closed the concert with everyone singing the Armenian national anthem. I never thought that I would get a chance to hear Placido Domingo in person, especially in Armenia. One never knows what will happen in the Peace Corps.
We have been very lucky so far with the weather, it has been unseasonably warm. Most of November it was in the 60’s during the day and didn’t get much below 45 at night. Even now the days are fairly warm, about mid 50s, but the nights do get a bit colder, probably in the 30s. They keep saying that it will turn colder soon and we’ll have snow, but I’m enjoying this weather as long as it lasts and it’s helping to preserve my wood supply. I do have to light my wood stove at night, but I also cook on it and it helps to dry my laundry over night.
I can’t believe that we only have two more weeks of school before Christmas. I’ll be going up north to another volunteer’s house for Christmas and then I’m off to Egypt for a week or so. I hope everyone has a very blessed Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.
Thanksgiving dinner turned out much better than I anticipated. Luckily the turkey just fit in my oven (which is more like a toaster-oven). I had bought a 7 kilo bird, about 15 pounds and after using wooden spoons to form a rack in my roasting pan, I was just able to squeeze the bird in. Just to be on the safe side, I put it in at 10 AM, not knowing exactly how long it would take. My oven is very old and cooks very slow. I didn’t realize it until I was ready to cook it, but the turkey had a pop-up timer in it. However, since I had to squeeze the wings down, one of them prevented the timer from popping up. It only took 6 ½ hours to cook and it was delicious. Once the turkey was done I was able to put the stuffing in, which I had made from scratch, since I couldn’t find Pepperidge Farm. We also had mashed potatoes, gravy, cauliflower, and carrots. The gravy also came out good, with no lumps. This was the first time in a long time that I made gravy from scratch.
There were 7 of us celebrating Thanksgiving together. Robin had brought bread, Bryan and Chris brought cheese and crackers, Sam brought wine, Paul brought fruit, and Shannon had made the carrot soufflé. We had a wonderful time talking about how we each celebrate the day at home and sharing funny stories. It was a good day, but I’m sure next year will be even better when I’m home.
That Saturday was another joyous day for the Fullam family. Brendan proposed to Jackie and she said yes. We are all very happy and excited for them. Now I have 3 weddings, my niece Heather is also engaged, and a new baby to go home to. It almost sounds like a movie, “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” There is much joy and excitement in our family.
We had our All-Volunteer Conference the next week. The new volunteers had to be there Saturday night and we had to be there Monday night. I went up Saturday in order to visit with my host family in Karashamb, my training village. I enjoy seeing them and spending time with them and this gave me a good opportunity to do so. I had to be in Yerevan on Monday in order to help with the cooking for Monday night and to do a workshop for the new volunteers.
Monday night we celebrated Thanksgiving with all 96 PCVs in country and about 20 Staff members and their families. We had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rice, green beans, carrot soufflé, and we even had yams. And of course there were pies: apple, pumpkin, lemon meringue. Afterwards there was the annual talent show, which is a lot of fun. A good time was had by all.
The Conference was good, better than last year’s. On the second day, we split up into sectors and met with specialists in that field. For the TEFL sector, we met with some people from the National Institute of Ed., one of the author’s of the text books, a man from British Council and someone from an agency that accredits colleges and universities. We had a very good discussion with the NIE people, although they didn’t agree with all our ideas. And the author actually agreed to setting up a standing committee to work with her on revising the textbooks. We’re hoping to do the same with the other authors.
Since we were all together for World AIDS Day, a few of the PCVs had arranged for us to get t-shirts with an AIDS message on them and to participate in a flash mob event to mark the day. I had never heard of this before, but I was eager to do it. We walked from our hotel to the center of the city where we met up with some other groups. There is a pedestrian mall nearby and so we walked over to that and spread out up and down it. At a specified time someone blew a whistle, at which we all took off our coats, so everyone could see our t-shirts and then we struck poses for a minute. It was interesting to watch the faces on those walking by as they threaded their way through us and tried to figure out what was going on. Eventually they got it and stopped to read the signs that some were holding up. It was a very moving experience.
Friday night was probably the highlight of the week for me. A group of us had gotten tickets for a concert by Placido Domingo. The tickets were a bit expensive, but they were worth every dram we paid. The concert was in a huge sports and concert arena, that was packed. It started at 8:30 and didn’t end until after 11:00. He sang about every other song, with three other singers rotating in and out, and sometimes he sang a duet with one of them. The acoustics in the place were great. After three encore songs, a group of disabled singers came out onto the stage and they sang with him. It was very moving. They closed the concert with everyone singing the Armenian national anthem. I never thought that I would get a chance to hear Placido Domingo in person, especially in Armenia. One never knows what will happen in the Peace Corps.
We have been very lucky so far with the weather, it has been unseasonably warm. Most of November it was in the 60’s during the day and didn’t get much below 45 at night. Even now the days are fairly warm, about mid 50s, but the nights do get a bit colder, probably in the 30s. They keep saying that it will turn colder soon and we’ll have snow, but I’m enjoying this weather as long as it lasts and it’s helping to preserve my wood supply. I do have to light my wood stove at night, but I also cook on it and it helps to dry my laundry over night.
I can’t believe that we only have two more weeks of school before Christmas. I’ll be going up north to another volunteer’s house for Christmas and then I’m off to Egypt for a week or so. I hope everyone has a very blessed Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
November 21, 2010
I started this month with having a problem with mice, not exactly my favorite animal. I wasn’t sure at first if I had mice, but I soon found their droppings on a regular basis in my kitchen. So I went to the store in my village and bought a mouse trap. Unfortunately the first night I didn’t set it properly and wound up feeding the mice instead of catching them. The next day the electrician was at my house checking on an outlet and he showed me how to set it. For the next few nights I was in business. But that also meant that I had to get the mice out of the trap in order to reuse them. Not wanting to do this, I would catch some of the older boys on their way to school in the mornings and have them get rid of the mice. I’m very thankful that everyone has to pass my house on their way to school. I can happily say that I’ve been mouse free for the past 2 weeks.
One of the other TEFL volunteers decided to have a day of teacher workshops in his city for all the English teachers in the surrounding area. About 6 of us volunteered to help him, and so the second weekend in Nov. I travelled up to Berd. This is a city in the northeast part of the country, that is a bit difficult to get to. After getting up to Yerevan, which is a 6 hour ride, I then had another 3 ½ hour taxi ride. However, it was well worth it and gave me an opportunity to see another part of this country and spend some time with other PCVs I don’t ordinarily see. Since I was supposed to get back to my village on Sunday, I left Berd Saturday afternoon and went with Pat to her site, which is just outside of Yerevan. Pat has this unbelievable apartment, which is not at all Peace Corps-like. When I called to make a reservation on the marchutney, I found out that I would have to wait until Monday morning. So I stayed an extra day which gave me a chance to see Artashat, Pat’s site, and spend time with Pat. Monday morning we walked out to the highway to flag down the marchutney. I found out that getting on enroute is not the best, since I didn’t exactly have a seat, but at least I got back to my site.
Not having a seat turned out not to be the worst part of my day. Upon getting back to my house, I couldn’t unlock the door. The key would only turn part of the way and then it got stuck in the lock. I called the local handy man, but he didn’t answer. I finally unlocked the door, but then it wouldn’t close. Sosa, the handy-man called me back and came over a bit later. He was able to fix the door, thank goodness.
We’ve been having an unseasonably warm November and dry as well. The foliage has been very muted at best and now all the trees are bare. During the height of the colors, I could look across the valley and the trees had a golden hue to them that gave them a softness. I’m hoping that the warm November means a warmer winter this year, although last winter wasn’t terribly cold. I have started using my wood stove at night just to get the chill out of the house. However, it is still comfortable in the mornings, so I don’t even have to use my heater.
This past Friday the school had a harvest celebration. All the students brought in some vegetables or fruits from their gardens. Each class was given a table to decorate and set up their display on, with some of the classes combining. It was amazing to see the creativity of some of the students, making faces on pumpkins and squash with other vegetables. A lot of the parents were also there, helping the younger students. Two of the older groups even had wine as part of their displays. I was part of the judging panel, along with the Russian teacher and science teacher. There were 8 categories and a different group won in each category, very democratic. After the judging everyone was invited to taste anything they wanted to. Of course as I went from table to table I kept getting food handed to me and went home with two big bags full of fresh produce.
We’ve been given Thanksgiving Day off this year and so I decided to host dinner for the volunteers in my area. I invited about 13 other PCVs, 7 of which will be coming. I even found a turkey for the meal, which was very lucky since they don’t have turkey here often. We will also celebrate Thanksgiving the following Monday when all of the PCVs in country will be together and we’ll have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for this year, as always. I have a wonderful, supportive family who I look forward to spending next Thanksgiving with. I will be going home to the wedding of Kerin and Chuck. And, Kate and Andrew are expecting their first child.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
I started this month with having a problem with mice, not exactly my favorite animal. I wasn’t sure at first if I had mice, but I soon found their droppings on a regular basis in my kitchen. So I went to the store in my village and bought a mouse trap. Unfortunately the first night I didn’t set it properly and wound up feeding the mice instead of catching them. The next day the electrician was at my house checking on an outlet and he showed me how to set it. For the next few nights I was in business. But that also meant that I had to get the mice out of the trap in order to reuse them. Not wanting to do this, I would catch some of the older boys on their way to school in the mornings and have them get rid of the mice. I’m very thankful that everyone has to pass my house on their way to school. I can happily say that I’ve been mouse free for the past 2 weeks.
One of the other TEFL volunteers decided to have a day of teacher workshops in his city for all the English teachers in the surrounding area. About 6 of us volunteered to help him, and so the second weekend in Nov. I travelled up to Berd. This is a city in the northeast part of the country, that is a bit difficult to get to. After getting up to Yerevan, which is a 6 hour ride, I then had another 3 ½ hour taxi ride. However, it was well worth it and gave me an opportunity to see another part of this country and spend some time with other PCVs I don’t ordinarily see. Since I was supposed to get back to my village on Sunday, I left Berd Saturday afternoon and went with Pat to her site, which is just outside of Yerevan. Pat has this unbelievable apartment, which is not at all Peace Corps-like. When I called to make a reservation on the marchutney, I found out that I would have to wait until Monday morning. So I stayed an extra day which gave me a chance to see Artashat, Pat’s site, and spend time with Pat. Monday morning we walked out to the highway to flag down the marchutney. I found out that getting on enroute is not the best, since I didn’t exactly have a seat, but at least I got back to my site.
Not having a seat turned out not to be the worst part of my day. Upon getting back to my house, I couldn’t unlock the door. The key would only turn part of the way and then it got stuck in the lock. I called the local handy man, but he didn’t answer. I finally unlocked the door, but then it wouldn’t close. Sosa, the handy-man called me back and came over a bit later. He was able to fix the door, thank goodness.
We’ve been having an unseasonably warm November and dry as well. The foliage has been very muted at best and now all the trees are bare. During the height of the colors, I could look across the valley and the trees had a golden hue to them that gave them a softness. I’m hoping that the warm November means a warmer winter this year, although last winter wasn’t terribly cold. I have started using my wood stove at night just to get the chill out of the house. However, it is still comfortable in the mornings, so I don’t even have to use my heater.
This past Friday the school had a harvest celebration. All the students brought in some vegetables or fruits from their gardens. Each class was given a table to decorate and set up their display on, with some of the classes combining. It was amazing to see the creativity of some of the students, making faces on pumpkins and squash with other vegetables. A lot of the parents were also there, helping the younger students. Two of the older groups even had wine as part of their displays. I was part of the judging panel, along with the Russian teacher and science teacher. There were 8 categories and a different group won in each category, very democratic. After the judging everyone was invited to taste anything they wanted to. Of course as I went from table to table I kept getting food handed to me and went home with two big bags full of fresh produce.
We’ve been given Thanksgiving Day off this year and so I decided to host dinner for the volunteers in my area. I invited about 13 other PCVs, 7 of which will be coming. I even found a turkey for the meal, which was very lucky since they don’t have turkey here often. We will also celebrate Thanksgiving the following Monday when all of the PCVs in country will be together and we’ll have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for this year, as always. I have a wonderful, supportive family who I look forward to spending next Thanksgiving with. I will be going home to the wedding of Kerin and Chuck. And, Kate and Andrew are expecting their first child.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)