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.

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.

October 29, 2010
These past three weeks certainly seemed to have flown by, which I guess means that I’ve been happy and busy. School has settled into a nice routine, although at least once a week our schedule is changed, but I’ve come to expect that.
Two weeks ago I broke my glasses and the other pair has a scratch on one lens. In order to get new glasses I had to go up to Yerevan on a Thursday so they would be ready by Friday, since they don’t work on Saturdays. I have progressive lenses, which I really like and have gotten used to, but here in Armenia they are a problem. It seems that in the past few years, other PCVs have tried to get new progressive lenses, but none were happy with the outcome. Since the upper part of my lenses are for driving, which I’m not doing now, I agreed that I could do with just the lower part of the prescription, with the upper part just glass. It didn’t quite work out that way, they filled the whole lens with the reading prescription. So now I have 3 pair of glasses, each with their own special quirk, but I’m making it work since it’s for less than a year.
That weekend in Yerevan turned out to be unexpected good. I wasn’t sure what other PCVs would be in town, if any, so I was prepared to just see some of the cultural things. However, on Friday I was invited by my Program Manager to go with her on some site visits to the new PCVs. It was very interesting to see how some of the other TEFLs are doing, what their schools are like and their counterparts and how they work together, or not. Chad is an one of the largest villages in Armenia and some of his classes have almost as many students as my whole school. A very different situation, but also similar in a lot of respects. We observed two of his classes and then went to see the house he will be moving into. The next stop was at a university, where we again observed a PCV, Beckey and met with her counterpart as well as the president of the university, who also happens to be a Bishop. Beckey will also be working with the NIE (National Institute of Education) and doing teacher training so we visited there and then went to see the apartment she will be moving into. As I said, it was a very interesting day and one which again made me very thankful for both my counterpart and village.
As it turned out there were two other older PCVs in Yerevan that weekend also, so we spent Friday night and Saturday together. Friday night we had dinner at the interim Country Director’s house, along with two Fulbright Scholars. Diana, the CD, will be here only until the middle of December. She’s been in the Ukraine as a PCV and CD, as well as in Morocco and other countries. We had an interesting conversation with her and her husband, as well as a wonderful home-cooked meal.
The two Fulbright Scholars are both very interesting and knowledgeable women. Jane is an architect who is here for a year and teaching at one of the universities in Yerevan and doing some research in Gyumri. She has spent a lot of time in Yerevan, first with her husband when he was a visiting professor and then on several visits. She gave a talk Saturday, which we attended, on Community Planning and Design. It was very interesting to hear how cities and towns are responding to the community’s needs and cultural, and how that changes or influences their planning.
Ana, the other Fulbright Scholar, is a linguist and is teaching at one of the universities and will only be here until December. She is originally from Venezuela and was recently named one of the top 50 influential Hispanic-American women in America. Both of these women are very down to earth and a real joy to be with. Needless to say our conversations during the meals we shared were very stimulating. We hope to get together again before Ana leaves.
That Saturday was a big day in Yerevan. Grand Candy, an Armenian candy company, was celebrating being put in the Guinness Book of World Records for having made the world’s biggest candy bar. In the center of the city, Republic Square, they had a big stage set up, a ton of Grand Candy mini-vans, and a lot of security. At 6:30 the festivities began, with music and a video showing the candy bar in one piece and how it was cut. Then the side doors on the mini-vans opened and they gave out the candy. Of course it was a mad house with a ton of people. Try as we might, we couldn’t get close enough to get any candy. At about 10 PM they had fireworks, which could be seen all over the city.
Last weekend I was again in Yerevan and once again had an unexpectedly enjoyable time. I had gone up on Friday for a meeting and was leaving Sunday for Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Again there were a host of other PCVs in town, since it was the beginning of a week vacation for the schools. Saturday a few of us decided to just leisurely stroll around the city and do something culturally. We first went to the vernisage, which is like a big flea market. There were all sorts of beautiful paintings, some old jewelry and kitchen items, clothing, and other usual items found at flea markets. Then, we decided to go the National History Museum. We spent about an hour on just the first floor, after which we left since it was getting late. But it was just so nice to see and do something different.
Lisa, another PCV, and I spent 3 days exploring Tbilisi, especially the old part of it. We stayed at a small hotel, which was charming and served a wonderful breakfast. Finding this hotel, the Georgian House, was an adventure in itself. We decided to walk from the center of the city, got a map and thought we knew where it was. However, after walking for about 45 minutes with our backpacks, we finally got a taxi. It seems that he didn’t know where the hotel was, so we drove across town to a Mariott, where he asked for directions, and then headed back to where we had been. It seems that we were almost right around the corner from the hotel when we got in the cab. But, we did get a scenic tour of the city out of it. From where the hotel was located, we were able to walk into town, so it was very convenient. When we got there Sunday we met up with Kyle, another PCV, and his parents, which was fun. They left Monday morning for Turkey. We met up with them again for dinner that night. There is a part of the old town that has meandering streets with lots of outdoor restaurants and cafes.
On Monday we walked up to an old fortress that overlooks the old town, and looks fascinating from street-level. It was a nice walk, although all uphill, with fantastic views of the city. It turns out that all that’s left of the fortress is the wall you can see from below. But there was a quaint little church up there too, so it wasn’t all for nothing. And we found the botanical gardens from our view up there, which we walked to next. For dinner we headed back to the area we had eaten the night before and tried a different place. We also found a café that served gelato and stopped there every night as well. They had some very unusual flavors: kiwi, caramel, grape, etc.
Tuesday we headed out to the Ethnographic Museum, which is in the outskirts of Tbilisi. They have houses from different eras of Georgian history, showing how the people lived, what they used for cooking, sleeping, their handicrafts, etc. It was a fascinating place to walk around and talk to the guides they had there. You could see how their building changed over time and how they kept up their crafts and handiwork. That night we went to the Turkish baths, which are sulfur baths and very hot. But it felt good after all the walking we had done to just sit and relax in the hot water. We had also visited many churches and a magnificent cathedral in Tbilisi. The churches are filled with icons, stained glass, candles and incense, and music, so all one’s senses are stirred upon entering. What I did find interesting, though, is that although these are tourist places, they are more places of worship and have no gift shops or literature for sale. I was disappointed because I did want to know what the icons were and from which century. I will have to do some research on this at a later date.
We had taken marshutneys both up to and back from Georgia, and these are really an adventure and a good way to learn about the culture. Lisa lives very near the border of Georgia, so she met me at the border and on the way down got off just after the border. On the way up, I sat with a young man who had been a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco about 10 years ago. He was going to Tbilisi to visit one of his friends from that time. It was very interesting to hear about his service and that culture. And talking with someone always makes the ride go faster, especially on a 5 hour ride. On the way back, we made the mistake of getting in a marshutney that was also bringing fresh produce into Armenia. This became a factor when we got to the border, and it took us over 2 hours to cross. Some of the delay was because of a lot of traffic, but most was due to the fact that the produce had to be inspected. And, of course, we got there when the inspectors, all of them, were at lunch. When we finally got going again, and after Lisa had gotten off, it was near 5 PM.. One of the old men on the bus had brought some bread and a big chunk of cheese. He offered some to everyone, about 8 of us, and when he saw you finished the cheese or bread, he offered more. It was delicious and it turned out to be a good time. At another point we made a quick stop in a town, one of the other passengers got off and bought some fresh-baked bread and once again everyone was invited to partake. The Armenian sense of time is very different from the American. They don’t rush to get places, but rather enjoy the ride, talking with one another and sharing meals. It makes for a longer ride, but also a more enjoyable one.
This past month I also learned why most houses have gates to them. I have a gate leading up to the walkway to my house. One afternoon I forgot to close it. The next morning I had a few nice big presents from the cows that pass my house every day going back and forth to pasture. I now make sure that it is always closed.

October 4, 2010
School has been in session for just about a month and it feels as if we never left. This second year is so much easier than the first. For one thing, I know all the students by name as well as the faculty. I also know what is expected of me, the routine of the school and the curriculum. I can anticipate what’s coming up in the lessons and prepare for that. I also have my notes and lesson plans from last year. Of course, I continue to buy resource material to use, especially grammar exercise books. My counterpart loves when I go up to Yerevan since I always come back with new material.
I do have some new projects that I’ll be working on this year. The first one, which I’m really excited about, is putting together an on-line teacher training course. The British Council, which is the educational arm of the British Embassy here, put one out last year, which I took and was terribly disappointed with. So I talked to my Program Manager about it and she agreed that it’s worthwhile pursuing and she asked me to be the project coordinator. I have gathered a team of 6 other PCVs, including 2 IT people. We hope to have a pilot up and running by April. Most of the team consists of the new volunteers, since they will be the ones using it the most. Besides that, we will also put together a manual of all the teacher training courses that are being done in country now by the different PCVs. This will have a short summary of the course, who has taught it and other relevant information. Hopefully this will enable more PCVs to do training courses without having to reinvent the wheel.
I am also helping to re-organize the Peer Support Network here in Armenia. In the past it seems to have been a loosely connected support network. This year we hope to have a more formal group, including having some in-service training and other professional development meetings. There will be 6 of us on it for now, again heavily loaded with the newer volunteers. I’m hoping our first gathering/training will take place this month. In this area, at least, I’ll be able to use some of previous experience and background. Of course, both of these projects will mean frequent trips up to Yerevan at the beginning, but I think they are both worth it.
About 3 weeks ago I learned that the man who delivered my firewood last winter is moving to Russia at the end of this month. Luckily this is not my first winter here so I know about how much wood I’ll need. He has promised to try and have the 8 meters I want to me before he moves. Of course, then the problem became where to store it. Last winter he stored it and delivered it to me monthly. I have only so much storage space that is covered on my deck. So last week I had about 6 of the boys from school stack some of the wood in my basement. They will also bring it up during the winter as I need it. They love doing things for me and made a real contest out of it to see who could carry the most. I hope their enthusiasm doesn’t wear out!
I have noticed this year the rhythm of this village and the sights, sounds and smells that accompany each season. Since they are mainly subsistence farmers, they really do live off the land. For the past few weeks the village resounds with the buzz of saws cutting wood and the braying of the donkeys carrying the wood down from the hills and mountains. The women and children are busy gathering the crops of fall vegetables and then canning them or making jellies and compote. And even though we had an incredibly dry summer, the leaves are beginning to change colors, which only adds to the beauty of this village.
But my big news, which didn’t even happen here in Armenia, is that my youngest daughter, Kerin, got engaged last week to Chuck. I am very happy and excited about this. I had told my children that there were to be no weddings while I was gone, but engagements were fine. They hope to have an October wedding next year. It will make a nice symmetry to my Peace Corps service. My oldest daughter, Kristin, got married a few weeks before I left, and now Kerin will get married a few weeks after I get home.

September 5, 2010
I had to go back up to Yerevan two weeks ago so I decided to go up early and visit my host family from last summer. It was so relaxing and felt so good to be back there. The grandmother wasn’t home, but the two daughters-in-law, their children and one son were home. This was the first time I spent a few days there and didn’t have any studying to do so I was able to observe how the household works. Karine, the daughter-in-law who lives there full time, has taken over the chores that Ella, the grandmother, usually does, like milking the cows collecting the eggs, etc. Besides this, she still does all the cooking and baking. Narine, the other daughter-in-law who with her two children stay there for the summer, does all the cleaning up. It’s amazing to watch these two women work and be together. They are really good friends and it’s a joy to be with them. We spent most of Friday baking gatta, an Armenian pastry that is absolutely delicious. Everything is made from scratch so it takes a bit longer than it does at home. There is such a sense of community in that village, which is not as apparent in the village where I live now. Friday night we walked over to the daughter’s house and joined some other women sitting outside and having coffee. The kids kept coming in and out of the circle to say hello and ask how I was doing. Some of the nephews stayed over that night and then in the morning the women came to the house for coffee and say goodbye. I hope to visit them again a few more times before I leave country. I really do feel like a part of that family.
School finally started again on Wednesday, Sept. 1, the traditional opening day of school. They have a wonderful ceremony here called “First Bell.” All the students dress in black and white, generally new clothes bought for this occasion. They all gather outside where there is a short ceremony, honoring students’ for their work last year, welcoming the new first graders, and this year all the teachers had to take an oath about being prepared and present for classes. Then one of the older boys picks up one of the first graders, gives him a small bell, which he rings. He is carried into the school building where he rings the school bell. A lot of the parents and grandparents come to this and it’s really a nice way to start the school year, especially against the beautiful background here in Vachagan. This year we have 38 students in our school, down from 43 last year, and one grade actually has 6 students in it.
All the PCVs in the Kapan area gathered a few weekends ago for what’s called “warden’s weekend.” This is where we go over safety issues, like how to get to Yerevan in case of a national emergency, and set up a contact chain. This year there are 11 of us in this area, although 3 of them are south of us very close to the Iranian border. As I’ve mentioned to some of you, this year will be different since there are any other senior volunteers down by me. While I do enjoy being with the younger volunteers, it’s also nice every now and then to be with someone closer to my age. I’ll have to rely a lot on phone calls to the other senior PCVs in country.
Our Country Director’s term is up in October. Lee has been a wonderfully supportive CD and will be missed, especially by my group. She will be going to work in Afghanistan, of all places, with US AID. I was fortunate enough to be up in Yerevan this past weekend and was able to say goodbye to her in person. Our new CD will be a man, who will come in January. He is presently in Morocco and needs to finish up some work there first. So we will have an acting CD for a few months.
I went up to Yerevan for a Saturday meeting, but because of the distance and transportation I needed to leave here on Friday. That night there was a football (soccer) game between Armenia and Ireland. About 12 of us went and it was pretty good, especially since the Irish won. There were a lot of Irish fans who came to root on their team and most of them were staying at the hostel. This worked to my advantage Friday night as they put me in a private apartment, away from the wild Irishmen. Shannon was also able to stay with me in the apartment so we were able to get a good night’s sleep and then just laze around Saturday morning. Unfortunately, they moved me Saturday night into one of the larger rooms that normally sleeps 8, but last night had 10 in it. I think there was only one other woman in the hostel last night, and she was one of the Irish fans. Some of the Irish had actually missed their planes back to Ireland Saturday morning and couldn’t get another flight until Tuesday. I think they were drinking or something.
One of the young men in the room, not an Irishman, Josh is from Luxembourg just traveling around Armenia on his school holiday. He had arrived on Thursday and gone straight to Mt. Aragatz, the highest mountain in Armenia. I invited him to stay with me if he gets down this way. He was really interesting to talk to and I think he would like to hike Mt. Khustrup, which is the second highest mountain in Armenia and right near me.
All of the other volunteers who had been in Yerevan on Friday and Saturday, left Saturday to return to their villages/towns. Since I live so far, that wasn’t an option for me, so I had an evening in Yerevan by myself, which I completely enjoyed. The weather has been unseasonably hot, so I went to one of the outdoor cafes for dinner. It was relaxing to just sit and people watch. They have this wonderful play area for children of all ages right next to where I was, so I could watch the young children on the riding toys and in the inflatable houses, and also see the teenagers play ping pong. And since it was so nice out, there were tons of people enjoying it. I felt very comfortable there and very much at home.
My trip back down to Vachagan was very interesting. I had gotten up early to catch the marchutney, which leaves anywhere between 7 and 8:30 in the morning, depending on when it is full. I actually got to the bus area before the bus, but I wanted to get a good seat. There are usually 2 or 3 single seats, which I like the best. Anyway we left about 8:10 and besides the passengers, there was a lot of bags and baggage. I had put my backpack on the shelf above me so it won’t get stepped on or too squished. The road on the way out of Yerevan is lined on both sides with fruit and vegetable stands. Our driver kept slowing down whenever we approached one and at first I was getting annoyed. After all, I wanted to get home. However, I soon realized that the journey is as important, and can be fun, as the destination. So I began to relax and enter into the spirit of the trip. We stopped at one stand and some of the women got out and bought some vegetables and fruits. In fact one of them gave me some, since I hadn’t bought anything. After everyone got back on the bus, we started up again and soon found another stand to stop at. This time I did buy some eggplants and red peppers. By this time, there was so many bags, that we barely had floor space for our feet. And we had picked up an extra passenger who was sitting on a stool in the aisle. It was quite an accomplishment for some of the women to step over this stool and around all the bags. But everyone was enjoying themselves, and talking to one another, comparing what they bought and the prices they were able to get. I no longer cared about the time it was taking, but was enjoying being part of this group.

August 13, 2010
PST (pre-service training) is finally over for the new volunteers, the A18s. While at the beginning of the summer I hadn’t expected to spend as much time with them as I did, I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so. I was able to get to know most of them, especially the new TEFLs. I also got to know the training staff much better than last year. And of course being able to attend the tech sessions for the TEFLs I learned a lot too. There was a new TEFL tech trainer, Lilit, who brought a lot more content to the tech sessions than we had last year. She gave very useful handouts, which I was able to get as well. In a way, it was like a refresher course for me, one that re-energized me for the coming year.
On last Thursday, the A18s were sworn in. The ceremony was very similar to ours a year ago, but being on the other side was interesting. It was almost as if I was able to pay more attention than last year. I didn’t have to worry about walking up on the stage and trying not to fall. I didn’t have to worry about greeting the Ambassador afterwards. However, I still got emotional when they played our national anthem. It’s something about being in a foreign country and hearing “The Star Spangled Banner” that gets to me. I think it’s because it reminds me that I’m not home and I don’t hear it very often.
Anyway, 55 new volunteers have now joined us in Armenia. While the majority of them have been assigned to the same Marz I’m in, that doesn’t mean they are very close or that I’ll get to see them a lot. As I may have mentioned before, the roads in Armenia are not the best, nor is the public transportation. A village that is only 20 or 25 kilometers away may take over an hour to get to. We did get 4 new volunteers in the Kapan area, 2 of who actually live in Kapan. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any of the older volunteers. But I am excited about the new mix and the energy and creativity they bring with them.
Since Shannon and I were up in Charentsavan last week, we were offered a free ride back to Kapan with the new volunteers. As we soon learned, something always happens with anything free. While it normally takes about 6 hours or so to get here, on Friday it took 12 hours! Now some of that extra time was due to having to drop off volunteers along the way. However, that probably only accounted for an extra hour or so. The rest of the time was due to mechanical problems with the bus. As we kept telling ourselves, we’re in the Peace Corps and nothing is easy.
However, I am glad to be back in my village, in my house! I’ve been able to spend time getting ready for the coming school year. I hope to be more relaxed and engaged in the classes this year, since I know what to expect. I’ve been going through some of the books I have in order to prepare activities for the various forms. I also want to start a writing club this year and I’ve been gathering material to help with that. And I’ve been able to just relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery from my windows and porch, and do some reading. I’ve been walking almost every day, even though that is not a common practice here. But the villagers are used to me by now and return my greetings as I pass them. Occasionally one of them will stop me and ask how I’m doing or offer me some vegetables from their gardens to take home. They are truly a very generous and hospitable people.

July 26, Charentsavan.
I was able to get home for about 10 days the beginning of this month. I didn't realize how much I missed the sights, sounds, and smells of my village. Being in Vachagan really did feel like home, and it was good.
Since there aren't any screen doors in this county, I made a curtain for my door so I could have some air in my house. THis is what all the houses have. I'm glad I made it because it was very hot in Vachagan, over 90, and there isn't any airconditioning. Having my door open also let the people in the village know that I was home. It wasn't long before some of the school kids came to exchange books. They had taken some of the English readers I had at the end of the school year, and I had told them they could exchange them when I was in the village. It's nice to know that they are reading during the summer. Some of the teachers, who were still working, also called up to me as they passed my house.
While I was home, the trainees went on their site visits. There will be 2 trainees coming to Kapan, the town near me. One is a TEFL and will be working at the Teacher's House, a resource center for teachers, and a part of the National Institute for Education. It will be good to have a contact there so I hear about any workshops that are going on. I may also give a few workshops. THe other trainee is a business person and will be working with a non-profit organization. It doesn't quite make up for the 4 PCVs who are finishing up their service and will be returning to the States, but at least we have a few new people.
The weekend after I returned to Charentsavan, we had our Mid-Service Conference. It was held at a sports complex that used to be used to train Olympic athletes. The facilities were great, as were the rooms. On Sunday night we had a kickball against the trainees, something that's a yearly event. My group won, which we also did last year, so we are undefeated. It was fun and a good way to mix with the trainees. For some reason both years I have been the coach of my team, so I don't have to play. The next night some of us went swimming. It felt so good to be swimming and the pool was clean, yet didn't have a chlorine smell.
Prior to going to MSC, we were all given a book, Strength Finders, and asked to do the online survey to find our strengthes. We then had a session on this which was very good. The idea is to work from your stengths and the book gave some tips on how to do this. There are about 30 strengths that they highlight and they give you your top 5. At the session, we met with the other PCVs who had the same strengths in the same order. Four out of the 5 of my top strengths were no surprise, but I'm still thinking about the 5th.
Another session that was good, was our sector session. We focused on the various challenges we have overcome in the past year in the classrooms. It was interesting to see how many of us had the same challenges, as well as some of the different one that had come up. We also talked about some challenges we hope to overcome this year. My biggest challenge is to get my counterpart to stop using so much Armenian in the classroom. This doesn't help the students with their speaking or listening. Another challenge is to get the students to do creative thinking and writing. I'm going to do a writing club after school this year to help with this.
THere is only another week and a half of training left, which means I get to go back to my village very soon. Most of the A16s have already left country, although a few are staying until Aug. 15. It's hard to believe that we will be the "seasoned" PCVs here in Armenia and only have a year left. I must be having fun because time is certainly flying.