Spring in Armenia!! Hopefully:)

Greetings from a sunny and warm (is it crazy that I consider 48 degrees warm?) Gavar.  I think I can finally officially say that spring is making her way to Gavar.  It has been a week since the last blizzard, which followed three summer-like days, as is the way things happen during March here in Armenia. (Armenians call it gizh – crazy because it will literally be a gorgeous summer day and within a few hours the clouds roll in and coat the grounds with snow and ice, two days later? Summer again)  I realize that the last few months have started with something weather related, my apologies, it’s just that, during winter, weather is a big topic of conversation.  While winter was much milder this year than last, I am so happy it was over, the length of it and the cold, always snow and ice covered roads and sidewalks was starting to get to me, so I am pumped for spring!!

View of Gavar on one of my morning walks

The last month and a half has been pretty great here.  Work has picked up, I am feeling really adjusted, I seem to have found somewhat of a groove, and my relationships with those in my community and my NGO’s keep getting stronger.  I’ve started an English film club with a lot of the 20 somethings who I’ve become  friends with and it’s been super successful, with at least ten people attending each film.  So far we have watched Groundhog Day, Mona Lisa Smile, and Finding Nemo and plan to watch Mr. Nobody next week, and I am really enjoying the conversations following the movies and how much they laugh during the comedies.  It’s pretty interesting and fun to hear the perspectives of the Armenians on topics covered in the movies, courage, marriage, women, and change and they are eager to ask questions (and disagree with me on certain subjects) any chance they can.  I also, along with two other volunteers, did a presentation about Black History Month, to the same group which we presented on World AIDS Day, up in Gyumri and really enjoyed being able to spend some time up there with the other volunteers.

Black History Month Presentation, American Corners, Gyumri

The move to the office for Caritas has been delayed for a week because the house is not quite ready, so we will be spending next week cleaning and moving everything.  Luckily, the kids have still been coming for the afternoon seminars, trainings, and parties.  In addition, I recently learned that a lot of the kids are not being provided much food at home as their families can’t afford it, so I’ve been able to enjoy dinner alongside them a few nights, as Caritas cooks for them as well.  While there is a little bit of a language barrier, I am getting to know them better and am really enjoying the afterschool program.  Last week we finished filming a video that we are putting together for Women’s Month thanking the women who have meant something to the kids.  I will spend the next week editing it and we will have a party in two weeks in celebration of Women’s month and will be showing the film at the time.  Tatev and I are also in the planning stages for the Talent Show which we will be holding at the end of May.  We have secured Gavar’s Cultural House, have sent letters requesting applications for talent and artwork for the art exhibition, and have identified the judges.  I am really excited about this as nothing like this has been done in Gavar and if successful, Caritas is hoping to make this an annual event.  

Easter with Caritas

Diana and I have also been busy with meetings with the NGO’s with which we work and most recently completed a seminar on Fundraising, Stewardship, and NGO Presentation at the Cross of Armenian Unity NGO in Edgimatsen.  I was really impressed with this NGO, they have been in existence for 25 years and are one of the most advanced and successful NGO’s I’ve met here in Armenia, I can’t wait to continue working with them.  Their mission is to work with children who have special needs or are from vulnerable families and to give them skills to successfully integrate into society.  Caritas also celebrated Easter last Wednesday and I was really excited to learn that Armenia has a tradition that my family and I also have, the egg picking game.  So, while I won’t be with family to celebrate this year, it was pretty cool to still have a taste of home here.

Egdmiatsen with Diana

Last week, Gevorg and I started to go through the answers from the questionnaires which we distributed to the parents and staff of the Children Development and Rehabilitation Center.  While Gevorg is bi-lingual, we still have to create excel spreadsheets for both English and Armenian and it amazes me how much time that takes.  More and more I realize how lucky I am to work with counterparts whose knowledge of English is pretty incredible.  We are going to use the responses to identify trainings and resources which the parents and staff need.  The biggest issue we have come across so far is transportation.   CDRC is visited by children from all over Gegharkunik region, many of whom have very little means, so actually getting to CDRC for their appointments is an incredible challenge for their parents.  I am not sure how Good Hope is going to address this yet, but doing so may be one of the projects Gevorg and I work on while I am here.  In addition, we have continued to work on Good Hope’s PR and have created a brochure which I hope we will send to print shortly.

Training for CDRC Parents on the relationship with their children

On March 8, one of the biggest holidays here in Armenia was celebrated, International Women’s Day, which actually is a celebration that Armenia continues throughout the entire month.  Because it is such a big holiday, everyone has the day off and I spent it with my host mom Alita, host sister Liana, and site mate Donna.  Below is a link to a website with more information about what Women’s Day is all about it, so feel free to check it out!

http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Women's Day with Alita, Donna, and Liana

Last week, I spent quite a bit of time in Yerevan for the Gender Equality TOT.  I went in the weekend before as my friend Elisabeth had her brother and sister-in-law visiting and also got to go spend some time with my host family in Argel.  I am going to try to get to Argel as much as I can up until October, they have decided to move to Russia as the employment opportunities are much better and so that they can be with my host father, Liova, who has been working there for years and sending them money.  I am pretty sad that they are going, but of course understand it is what they need to do. But it was of course amazing being with them, they really are my family and Liova the baby is getting so big!!

Soosana and Sylvie

Elisabeth’s family invited us over for the most incredible meal I have had since I’ve been in Armenia, tostados.  It was really awesome to meet some of Elisabeth’s family, it’s easy to forget how much of each other we don’t know about, pretty cool to get the chance to see each other with our families and spending some time with them got me even more excited for my own family to visit (working on planning mom’s end of August/September visit!)

TOSTADOS!!

The Gender Equality TOT went very well and I am looking forward to the seminars my counterparts Diana and Rima and I are going to hold.  Over the course of three days, we discussed gender, domestic violence, leadership, rights, and more.  I have included a link to the documentary on domestic violence here in Armenia which we watched if you are interested, there are some difficult stories to listen to, but I think it is worth passing on.

http://www.myspace.com/video/mariam/the-butterfly-armenian-version-with-english-subtitles/107558860

At the end of the conference, we worked with our counterparts on the seminars which we are planning to give in our communities.  Rima, Diana and I plan to give three separate seminars.  The first is to the women with whom Rima works, who are all victims of domestic violence.  We are planning to do a discussion on leadership and to also bring in a strong woman leader in our community, Anahit, to speak with the women.  The other two seminars will be with the children and parents from the Little Prince Program of Caritas.  With the kids, we are going to talk about gender and healthy relationships and with the parents, we are going to give an overview of the presentation we are going to give their kids and then are going to talk with them about domestic violence.  I am happy I was able to be a part of this TOT and am looking forward to working with Diana and Rima on our seminars.

Gender TOT with Rima and Diana

So I think that is a pretty good overview of some of the good things going on here in ArmeniaJ  Next week, I have been invited to play softball in Yerevan with some people from the Embassy  and I am really excited about it.  While I am still enjoying yoga and my walks around Gavar and the neighboring villages, I can’t wait to play a sport that reminds me of spring/summer in the states!  Speaking of the states….I will be back in a little over two months for a couple of weeks for my dear friend Anne’s wedding and to celebrate mom, dad, and Dorrie’s birthday!  Can’t believe it will have been a year since I’ve been home!! 

Happy Easter to those who celebrate and lots of love from Armenia!  

Thank you Sherry for this fantastic comic:)

I hope you like jammin' too!

Listening to a little reggae while I write this, helps me pretend it's warmer than it is:)

Time for a little update from sometimes wintery, sometimes springy Gavar!  The weather doesn’t seem to ever know what it feels like doing, so sometimes there is a blizzard outside (by Maryland standards) with a ton of snow and wind which seems to come out of nowhere and some days it feels like Spring, all of the snow and ice melts, the streets flood because there is no drainage system here, and I realize how good it feels to walk without being worried I am going to fall every step I take on the super icy sidewalks!  That being said, it is only 10am in Gavar and I’ve already seen sunshine, snow, and gray skies.  Good thing is, I think I have actually gotten used to the cold as it doesn’t really seem to bother me at all anymore.  I do look ridiculous when I go outside, all bundled up and wearing snow boots rather than the high-heeled black boots that the Armenian women still wear to truck through the snow and ice in winter, but I’ve gotten over the laughing and staring that seems to be a part of every walk into town, and I quite enjoy when I do get a compliment on my choice of winter attire for the day (Aunt Sally and Mom, they love my flowered headbands!).

View of Mt. Ararat Super Bowl morning

So, yet again, a lot has happened since I last wrote!  First things first, Ravens won the Super Bowl!  And of course, since my favorite team was in the big game, I decided to arrange our own little Super Bowl party here in Armenia.  The Enovy Hostel, located in Yerevan, was wonderful in helping with my planning and agreed to let us watch the game, which started for us at 3:30am local time, cook snacks, and three of the staff even stayed up all night with us to watch!  One of the other PCV’s, Trent, sat with them to explain all of the rules and they were almost as into it as the rest of the us by the time the game ended, pretty good exchange of cultures I’d say!  There were about 15 of us total watching the game and I am proud to say I have recruited 12 new Ravens fans!  The other two already had B-more prideJ  We finally got to bed around 8am, and got a whole 45 minutes of sleep before our days had to begin, but it was definitely worth it.  I must admit, I am feeling my age, it took me at least three days to recover from staying up all night!  So until next season, time to cheer on those O’s hon!  One of the best parts was, I got into Yerevan early the morning of Super Bowl and decided to walk into town from my marshutni stop, which is a little bit of a haul.  But on my way in, I got to see the most extraordinary view of Mt. Ararat I’ve seen yet, the way that mountain towers over Armenia’s capital is something else.

PCV's and Envoy Staff cheering on the Ravens!

Work continues to be pretty amazing, I am still just so pleased with my NGO’s and counterparts.   Gevorg and I completed the needs assessment for Good Hope NGO and last week passed out a questionnaire to the parents and staff from the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center asking about trainings which may be beneficial for them, what kinds of resources they need, what problems their children are having both personally and socially, and more.  Our intention is to use these answers to build Good Hope’s strategic and project plans.  One of the goals for the NGO is to create a monthly calendar of trainings both for staff and parents.  One of the biggest problems for the parents currently is that they do not have the knowledge nor resources to continue care for their children at home. Our hope is to be able to work with them on this, in addition to other issues which we identify through the surveys.  In addition, we are talking about doing an awareness event for members of the community.  A common misconception is that if there is a child with special needs in a family that all of the members offspring will also be born with special needs.  So a great deal of a child with special needs siblings never are able to marry because potential partners are afraid of what would happen to their offspring.  Our hope is to hold discussions and/or informational sessions with the community to discuss these fears and other stereotypes which very negatively affect these children and their families. Today is also the Presidential Election for Armenia and Good Hope was one of the NGO’s selected by the Human Rights Protection Center in Yerevan to monitor handicap accessibility at the polls. I unfortunately was not allowed to assist with these efforts due to safety reasons, but am just happy that Good Hope may be a part of helping with reforms in this arena.  Since today is Election Day, I will share the following article with you just for a glimpse into what is happening here.  I did go, with my two other site mates, and Gevorg, to see the current president speak last week, so have tried to keep up with what is going on here politically.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/02/armenias-bizarre-campaign-season/273233/

Caritas has also just identified a new office space and will be moving on April 1^st!  This new office provides a great deal more space and will allow for the expansion of the Little Prince Program.  While it was initially planned that the Little Prince program would re-open on March 1^st as they had hoped to find a space in enough time, it has been decided that the kids will come to the old office during the interim and will be a part of the transition process into the new space.  So the later move date won’t take away from the after-school program for the kids, which is good.  Tatevik and I continue to work together on the seminars I had mentioned previously, but we are also starting to move forward with other projects, including a Talent Show- we just received approval from Caritas HQ for the event, which we hope will be held at the beginning of June at Gavar’s Cultural House ( with the hopes of not only including all NGO’s in Gavar serving youth and the schools, but also including the whole community in Gavar in terms of attendance- Gavar does not have a great deal of events for the community to socialize with each other, so we hope this may encourage them to come together), a scavenger hunt throughout Gavar which will highlight some of the unique traits of the community (I just learned last week that the HQ for Caritas in Gyumri is going to ask each Little Prince program to do a presentation on what makes their community special, so we are hoping this activity will compliment that presentation), and a celebration for International Women’s Day, which is one of the biggest holidays/celebrations in Armenia.  For this celebration, we are hoping to videotape all of the kids in the program talking about a woman who has made a difference in their life.  We then hope to have a party, where we will invite many members of the community, to air the film and also to just celebrate women!  And last but not least, for the Aramazd program, I am currently putting together a presentation/workshop on the realities of fundraising in Armenia and what an NGO needs to do to make themselves attractive to potential donors.  Diana and I have also met with the Activities Coordinator from the Orphanage and will be starting up with the girls again next week.

I also feel very fortunate that Peace Corps gives you an opportunity to get involved with other projects outside of your primary assignment which I have decided to be active in.  First, I am part of the Gender Equality Steering Committee and we are currently working on the agenda for the Training of Trainers conference which will be held from March 18-20 in Yerevan.  So far the topics include Gender Equality 101, Domestic Violence, Leadership, How to give presentations (as each group has to return to their communities to present on gender equality with a minimum commitment of 10 hours), a panel discussion from NGO’s addressing Gender Equality, and more.  I am also going to be giving a presentation with fellow PVC Kim at the American Corners in Gyumri in celebration of Black History Month at the end of February.  And I am also a part of the committee to work on The AIDS Pledge Quilt project.  For this project, there will be a presentation given by PCV’s to their communities and then each member will put together a patch for the quilt and making a pledge to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS throughout Armenia.  Our hope is to film this ongoing project and to air the film and put the quilt on display next World AIDS Day.  I am really excited about this one!

Some other exciting news, my former counterpart, Gegham, has been accepted to a Master’s Program in Italy and is actually in route as I type this post (I was iming with him right before I started writing and he is in Moscow for a layover).  I am thrilled for him that he has this opportunity and it has been kind of cool being able to talk with him about my experience of leaving home both the challenges and positive experiences.  While we may no longer work together, Gegham has become one of my dearest friends in Armenia and I am certainly going to miss him for the next 6-10 months (he is not sure how long he will be gone yet), but I really couldn’t be happier for him!  Two weeks ago, we had a Peace Corps conference called In Service Training (IST) and one of the sessions which stood out for me was a discussion on looking at Peace Corps and having a volunteer from the point of view of your counterpart and it was incredibly effective.  Matt, the leader, read us a paragraph or so talking about the challenges they go through having to take care of us, help us integrate, being patient with our transitions, frustrations, challenges with the cultural differences, etc and it just made me appreciate the things Gegham had done for me when I first arrived to Gavar.  At the time, I was frustrated because I was here to work and get things done and he was more worried about how I was settling in, integrating, and adjusting to life here.  He tried to help me by introducing me to people, taking me to birthday parties, helping me move into my apartment, answering and coming to help me anytime I needed him (even when it was something as ridiculous as me thinking my hot water heater was broken when, in fact, I was turning the wrong valve), and looking back, I am just so grateful for all of his time and effort.  My transition professionally, personally, and socially was tough, as is the case for most PCV’s, but Gegham really did what he could to help me in that and tried to be the best friend to me he could.  Now that I am starting to really “get” Peace Corps, the work, the relationships, the things I am learning about myself, and the friendships and relationships I am building in my community, I realize how lucky I am that I was placed with him my first few months at site.  I continue to reap a lot of benefits from all he did for me.  That all being said, I can’t wait to be in touch with him during his time in Italy and to see all of the things this experience does for him!

Celebration lunch with Gegham

I finally had some of my Armenian girlfriends over for an “American style” dinner and it was so much fun!  We had hummus, tacos, and chocolate/peanut butter no-bake cookies and it was all a hit to my relief.  Dinner was delightful and something I hope to do fairly frequently and our conversation really surprised me and helped me realize that my relationships with these women continue to get stronger and stronger and that we are developing a trust that I am not sure I was expecting.  

Our financial manager for PC Denise had a wonderful idea to start a book club and I am loving being a part of it, it is my first one!  It is interesting, I have so many unique experiences with my fellow Peace Corps volunteers, but a lot of our relationships are built on common experiences and things we are dealing with and going through here in Armenia.  Because there is enough to talk about it and work through with just those topics, it is interesting how little a lot of us know about our lives before Peace Corps.  But through our conversations before, during, and after book club, I have gotten to know a lot of them in such a different way and I am really enjoying that opportunity.  The first book we read was Wild, by Cheryl Stayed, which was not my favorite book, but made for some interesting conversations and now we are reading Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver which I have really gotten into and would recommend to those interested in a new book.  Our next meeting is March 2^nd and I am really interested in what others have to say about this one.

Other than that, life is just going really well here in Armenia.  I have gotten really into yoga and eating well, even treated myself to a juicer the other day, and am just feeling really good about my service.  The snow and cold does get to me sometimes, but I recently decided to start my mornings with a little reggae music and pretending I am at the beach and it is amazing how much of a difference that has made.  So happy to report, I am doing well living and working in Armenia and, for the moment, I am where I am supposed to be!

Hope all is well, send me updates when you get a chance.  Lots of love and hugs from Gavar!

I get by with a little help from my friends...and apparently I shower with them too:)

 

Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had in country so figured it was the perfect time for an update from sunny, but cold and icy Gavar!

Add caption

I’ll start with the end of the December.  Because I really just started with my NGO’s at the beginning of December and because the holidays were quickly approaching, my time at Cartias and Good Hope was more about celebration of Nor Taree (New Year, the biggest celebration here in Armenia) and just getting to know the people I was going to be working with.  I did go with Diana (Caritas) to Chambarak and Vardenis to meet with and get to know a little bit about the two NGO’s we are going to be working with in those towns. 

I also got to go to both Nor Taree celebrations for Good Hope and Caritas, which was a great way to get to know the staff and kids I’ll be working with.  Caritas’ party was over 5 hours long and there were presentations on Christmas and Nor Taree celebrations throughout the world (I presented on New Years in the States), singing (Armenian’s love Abba’s Happy New Year and Wham’s Last Christmas- which the English club performed for us and everyone in the room sang along to the chorus…interesting song choices, but they love them!), a Secret Friend game (basically Secret Santa), and of course lots of dancing.  I had a wonderful time and it made me realize how happy I am to be working with the staff and kids at Caritas, though those kids wore me out!

with my Secret Friend, Hovhannes
For my gift, he made me a purple rose, and drew me a picture which he had the English teacher write Have A Nice Day in English:)

 

Dzmer Papik (Santa Claus) visit the kids at Children Rehabiliation and Development Center

Then I went to Argel with David to see my host family before the holidays and I swear I fall in love with them more everytime I am with them.  The day really could not have been better.  Liova, the baby, is getting so big and the second he saw me he started to smile, warmed my heart, and his mom Arpine said, this is your sister:)  Soosana was so excited to see me, she brought out the wine, totally an Armenian thing to do for the men, but was pretty funny that Soosana did it.  So at 2pm, we had dolmas and wine.  And Soosana told me she needed more Old Bay because she uses it all of the time!  I'd say that's a pretty good show of PC Goal #2: Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.:)  After a wonderful afternoon with my host fam, I went over to David's host family's home to celebrate his host mother, Alla's birthday.  Just watching both of our host families and the love shared in the room, David and I both agreed, it couldn't have been a better day:)

Sylvie, Liova, and Arpi

To celebrate Christmas, I had several Peace Corps friends over.  My friend Arpine was kind enough to loan us a projector for a few days, so we ate some traditional American food, played Dirty Santa, listened to Christmas music, visited the town of Noratus to check out their famous hatchkars, and watched Christmas movies on the wall of my apartment.  I have to admit, it never quite felt like Christmas so I really didn’t experience homesickness which is good. Armenians don’t celebrate until January 6^th, so December 25^th is just another day here in Armenia, but being surrounded by some of my dearest Peace Corps friends made it a very special couple of days. I also got to skype with mom, Dorrie, and dad back home and in true Engel/McGovern fashion we just laughed our way through our conversation, kind of hard not to be happy after that, especially since mom included her grocery list in my Christmas boxJ



Christmas in Gavar



Then, after counting down since August, I packed up for the trip I had been waiting for:  10 days in Prague and Budapest with my sister and several of my other friends.  And what a trip it was!  We got to see all of the sites, eat delicious food, drink tasty beer, laugh a ton, indulge in mulled wine, take a ton of jumping shots, experience new things and places, be serious in completely inappropriate situations (Robin you'll have this done by June;), and just enjoy a real vacation.  And we all got along amazingly which made it even more incredible!  Having been in Armenia for 7 months prior to the trip, I hadn’t realized how much I missed just blending in, being able to speak English, talk about life and future stuff, and be around people who know me incredibly well.  It was a great time to just be me, enjoy the company of my sister and some of my best friends, go back to my favorite city, and re-think my goals during my time here in Peace Corps.  And everyone knows how much I love my sister, so just being with her was the best thing I could have asked for. 

The crew at Hero's Square in Budapest, Hungary

St. Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

New Years Eve with my sister

The first week back to Armenia was a little tough, there is definitely a transition you go through when you come back here from vacation.  And to top it off, I had no water, no power, it was cold, the first person I ran into asked me when I could start teaching them English, a snowstorm was on its way, and after being with my sister and friends for over a week, I really missed them and America.  Power went back on after a day and a half but I still had to unfreeze my pipes, so for two days, I had heaters propped up to my hot water heater and pipes trying to unfreeze them.  After a few bucket baths, you have no idea how amazing a hot shower is, possibly even worth the week of no water!...well maybe not:)  But once I got through that part, I realized my attitude and excitement for Armenia and Peace Corps is even stronger than it was before I left.  After adjusting to life in Armenia, getting to know my community and myself here in Gavar, switching NGO’s, making Armenian friends who are becoming more dear to me by the day, and getting through some of the challenges of being in Peace Corps and living in a different country with a different culture, I really feel as though my life here has begun.  I have gone through a lot of the transitions and now things are really starting to settle and I feel really good about what the next year and a half of my service are going to be like. 

I will say, two weeks of not speaking Armenian, you can lose it so quickly.  When I got back, I went shopping, which is kind of a lost cause right after the Nor Taree celebrations because the stores are wiped out , literally, shelves empty, no bread, no dairy, and no cheese, which was exactly what I was seeking.  So I went to five stores, no luck.  Then ran into my friend Narine who took me to the store who apparently got the only shipments for Gavar after Nor Taree.  I ordered a kes kilo of cheese (half kilo) and the woman said something back to me.  I hadn't heard or talked in Armenian for two weeks so I just said yes.  Turns out she said don't you want a whole kilo...so guess who has been eating cheese all week, and there is still too much left.  First two days back in country and I spent $10, way more than my PC salary allows on cheese that I can't possibly eat on my own!

Last week I really started my work with my two NGO’s and my work with them gave me new life.  Monday and Tuesday, I worked with Gevorg at Good Hope.  We began a needs assessment of sorts in preparation for developing a strategic plan.  We discussed ideas for sustainable programs and trainings for the kids and their parents, ways to engage the community, the background and history of Good Hope, and a lot about the differences and similarities between non-profits in the US and NGO’s in Armenia and what Gevorg may be interested in implementing based upon our discussion.  We accomplished a lot in two days and I feel really good about working with him, it was a very encouraging two days! 

Then I was with Diana and Tatevik from Caritas on Wednesday and Thursday and we also had a lot of success.  Diana and I are working with the two NGO’s in Chambarak and Vardenis on how to become more sustainable organizations, developing their planning process, and working to increase their donor pull.  Armenian NGO’s really very heavily on foreign aid and international grants and donations, it is an issue which many are trying to address here in country.   Diana and I are trying to develop some new strategies for these two NGO’s to diversify their funding both within their community and externally as they both solely rely on Caritas for support at this time.  The Little Prince program just received a renewal of their funding for the program which included an increase in support, a very exciting time for them. So right now, Tatevik is trying to find another location for the program.  Currently, all of the Caritas programs are located in the same office, and Little Prince just needs more space to serve the kids and families they work with.  With the new funding, they are able to identify a new space, a process which is currently ongoing.  The hope is to move within the next couple of weeks and have the kids back in the center by the beginning of March.  In the meantime, Tatevik and I are working together to plan life skills and professional skills training for the kids including, healthy lifestyles and decisions, exercise, computer skills, business etiquette, gender equality, leadership and teamwork, etc. as well as trying to put together a talent show which will involve all of the schools and NGO’s which serve children as well as the entire community of Gavar.

Tatevik, my counterpart for Little Prince

 

 

I am also on the GenEq TOT (Gender Equality Training of Trainers) steering committee.  From March 18-20, there will be a gender equality training which will be held for Peace Corps volunteers with two counterparts from their community, which I will be helping to facilitate.  The ultimate goal is to have these PCV’s and their counterparts hold GenEq trainings for members of their community.  I will be bringing Tatevik as well as a lady named Karine who works for an NGO called Women’s Rights NGO, an organization which serves women and children who are victims of domestic violence.  Until I asked Diana who she thought would be best for this training, I was unaware that this NGO existed in Gavar and I was very pleased to know that this resource is available for women here in Gavar.  We will begin planning shortly, so more to come on this!

So all of this brings me to the wonderful day I had yesterday!  Diana called to invite me to the home of Araik and Irina (the driver and one of the social workers for Caritas) to have lunch.  I was hesitant initially because my shower is broken, I can’t turn my water on right now because my whole bathroom floods, and my sitemate was going to come help me fix it.  But, especially having just come back from vacation, I knew I needed to spend time with some of my friends from the community and Araik has one of the best personalities of anyone I’ve met in Armenia, I love the chances I have to be around him.  What was supposed to be just lunch turned into 8 hours of eating, dancing, drinking, laughing, and one of the best days that I have had since I’ve been in Armenia.  Araik and Irina are one of the most fun and loving couples I have met and their two kids share their amazing dispositions.  Being at their home for 8 hours a few months ago would have been too much for me, but yesterday I was just comfortable and happy, wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.  And that is when I realized that I was in love with Gavar again, being welcomed into their home the way I was and how much I loved being there was just what I needed.  Araik can’t speak English so we communicate in the little bit of Armenian I know and Diana helps translate a lot too.  The day was made even better by the following conversation as I was trying to explain the disaster that is my bathroom:

me (in Armenian): My shower broke, water sprayed all over my bathroom and is everywhere.

Araik (in Armenian): That's bad, do you shower every day?

me (in my bad Armenian and apparently not understanding Araik): Yes, my friends help me.


this picture doesn't quite do it justice

I had clearly not been paying enough attention to what he was saying, I thought he was asking if anyone was going to help me and I also made the mistake of replying in present tense rather than future…took me a minute to figure out why the whole room couldn't stop laughing:)  And he loves to laugh and give people shit, so I know I will be hearing about this for the next year and a half, which I am good with, makes me feel like I am a part of the groupJ



Venera, me, Diana, Irina, and Araik

 

So that is the latest from here in Gavar.  Feeling pretty good about life these days and really looking forward to what the next few months are going to bring my way.  Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and GO RAVENS!  Yes, I, along with two other volunteers, will be up at the crazy hour of 3:30 am to cheer them on against the Pats…got to enjoy a little taste of home when I can!

 

my other counterpart Diana has purple pride too:)

 

 

My first snow in Gavar!

It finally snowed here in Gavar.  The fact that it waited until December to do so is awesome considering by this time last year, snow had been on the ground for over a month and the very cold temperatures I am currently experiencing had been around just as long.  So while it’s getting pretty cold here and each day I seem to need to add another layer (I don't quite look like Randy, Ralphie's brother from A Christmas Story, but it's coming ), I am so grateful that this winter, so far, is very mild compared to last!

Quick update from my last post, the World AID’s day event went very well in Gyumri.  I presented alongside two other PCV’s, Chris and Brian and we had about 30 people in the audience including our PC Country Director, David Lillie, our Training Coordinator, Liana, and the Regional Manager for the North, Liana.  I also decided to stay the night in Gyumri so I got to spend time with Kim, an A-19 who I adore, Brian, one of the other presenters, and Amie and Brian from my PST village.  Then on Saturday, one of the bars in Yerevan hosted a World AIDs Day event which we all attended.  AIDs still tends to fairly taboo here in Armenia so the fact that a bar held an event was a pretty big deal.

I actually have lots to report on, as I have said pretty much every post, I am never without something new happening in my life over hereJ  First, I got to be on Gavar TV!  A couple of Sunday nights ago, I, along with 6 other members of the community spoke about volunteerism.  It was a really great experience and was also very interesting for me to hear the perspectives from the other ladies on the panel.  I did have to have a translator as my Armenian is not nearly good enough yet, so I lost a little but of what was said, but it was still a pretty cool experience!



The big news is, I have switched NGO’s.  While I enjoyed getting to know and become friends with the social workers and director of VIA, there is not enough work for me to be doing with them right now.  They are currently meeting with World Vision to develop an action plan and, at this time, it is not the right place for me to be working, though I will be acting as a consultant for them as they work through next steps for the NGO.  We ended things on good terms and Gegham, my former counterpart, and I will continue to work with each other on small projects and trainings, so our relationship will continue to grow over the next two years.

So I am very excited to report that I now have a dual placement with two really amazing NGO’s and three even more amazing counterparts!  I began with my new placements this past Monday, and, while everything is new and we are just starting to work on a schedule and project ideas, I couldn’t be more excited about the next two years with them.

My first placement is with an NGO called Bari Huys (Good Hope) NGO.  Good Hope NGO works with Gavar’s rehabilitation center and helps support the children and parents of children with disabilities who are seen at the center as well as children throughout our Gegharkunik region.  My counterpart at Good Hope is Gevorg, a very motivated and active member of Gavar’s community, who worked with a Peace Corps volunteer in the past and grew a great deal during his time working with Chris.  Gevorg is incredibly enthusiastic and so excited to work with me.   I will also be working with Gevorg's sister, Mariam, on a few projects as well.  At Good Hope NGO, I will be helping with new project ideas, strategic planning, social media and public relations, and fundraising.   Below is Good Hope’s mission:

The mission of Good Hope NGO is one that empowers special needs children and their parents on health, social, and educational issues facing disabled children in Armenia and particularly in the Gegharkunik Marz. We believe in protecting the rights and interests of children with special needs, including access to legal, psychological, and physical council. We believe in challenging the legal establishment in favor of children with special needs.

The other NGO I will be working with is Armenian Caritas Gavar.  I will be working with two different programs at Caritas, the Little Prince Program and Aramazd.  My counterpart for the Little Prince Program is Tatavik and Diana, who I go to the orphanage on Sundays with, is my counterpart for the Aramazd program.  The Little Prince program “aims at alleviating the poverty among disadvantaged children and their families living in Gegharkunik Marz through the enhancement of the social protection system.”  Little Prince has an after-school program, which I will be helping Tatevik with (coming up with new training and project ideas for) as well as a psychologist who all of the children can meet with as much as necessary.  In addition, Tatevik and I are going to work on trainings for the parents of the kids as well as projects that will bring together the kids from Caritas and the Orphanage to assist with relationships and integration for both groups and most of the kids tend to be considered outsiders. 

The goal of the Aramazd program is “to support the development process of the refugee-populated communities in sub-regions of Amasia, Varednis, and Chambarak through continuation of capacity building activities of the local NGOs in the targeted sub-regions and provision on mini-grant opportunities.”  Diana and I will be working together with the NGO’s located in Vardenis and Chamabarak assisting them with needs assessments, capacity building, fundraising, project ideas, etc.  Vardenis and Chambarak are both located about an hour drive from Gavar, so I will have the opportunity to work in a different community which I am very much looking forward to.

Working with both of these organizations this week got me really excited for what the next two years of my service will be.  I look forward to updating you with all of the good things happening with Caritas and Good Hope as well as with my really awesome counterparts.



some of the older girls with their puzzle

Diana and I continue to go the orphanage every Sunday afternoon and I really enjoy this time, not only with the girls, but also being able to work with Diana.  We have two groups with about 12 girls each.  The older group tends to be a little tougher to work with, there are a lot of personalities, some psychological issues, and a little push back, but at the end of the day they are all wonderful girls and I love being able to spend Sunday afternoon with them.  This past week was our most successful yet, we did a lesson on what the similarities are between the girls and what makes each of them unique.  After a discussion, we put together a personality/unity puzzle.  Each girl got a puzzle piece to draw a part of her personality which was most important to her, then we put all of the pieces together.  I  was quite surprised how successful the activity was given some of our more challenging gatherings the last couple of weeks and was pretty excited that the girls immediately hung their puzzles on the walls.  Next week is our last week with the girls before Nor Taree (New Years) and then we will start back up with them mid-January.

some of the younger girls with their puzzle

 

My new work is my biggest news these days.  Otherwise, it has gotten quite cold around these parts, so I have started to come up with ways to cope with the cold.  The first being a morning challenge, how long it takes me to get out of bed, take a shower, get the guts to get out of the shower, run back to my bedroom, get back in bed and then get warm.  The amount of will power it takes is actually pretty amazing and I have to laugh at myself every time because I keep trying to convince myself that it is not going to be that cold, but it seems to get worse.  The good thing is, because I can mostly live in the bedroom/dining room area of my house, it’s pretty easy to get that space warm pretty quickly.  It’s just the bathroom and kitchen which are tough, but again pretty entertaining, I can see my breath when I am cooking and when I am brushing my teethJ

The other big excitement in my life these days is I will be seeing my sister, and a few of my dearest friends in 18 days!  I will be celebrating the New Years holiday with them in Prague and Budapest and am beyond excited!  While I will be here for Christmas, we, the other PCV’s and I, have a lot of fun things planned.  Next weekend, I will be headed to Yerevan Friday night and Talin Saturday night for a Pre-Christmas celebration with a bunch of the other PCV’s.  Saturday we will be singing Christmas carols, watching Christmas movies, and doing a Chinese auction.  Then, I believe I may be hosting Christmas Eve here in Gavar with a few other people.  I even decorated with purple lights, bday present from Dorrie, a handmade Christmas tree centerpiece, and a walk hanging of Santa.  So definitely getting in the spirit around here!

Last but not least, I realized today that I can’t walk down the streets of Gavar without running into someone I know, feel like that’s a pretty good sign that I am starting to become a part of the community hereJ

Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful December, sending lots of love your way!

 

Winter is coming!

 

It's starting to get chilly in Armenia, but happy to report, no snow yet!  First things first, Anne to answer your question, I have a ton of buckets in my apartment!  The one you see in the picture from my last post is my water filter.  I actually do not drink the water from the faucet in Armenia, all of the water I drink is either filtered, bottled, or boiled.  I also have a bunch of buckets in my bathroom to fill up my water filter, for bucket showers for when I don't have water, and for my toilet.  I only have running water for a few hours a day, so have to fill my buckets in the morning for use for the rest of the day.  Also, rumor has it my pipes tend to freeze during the winter, so water storage is pretty important:)

So some fun things that have been happening here...

There is a Cultural House in Gavar and one Sunday night I went with some of my Armenian friends to one of the most fun and interesting events I've been to since I've gotten here.  It was basically a night of traditional Armenian music and dance and what a cool experience.  The music was amazing and the energy incredible, people were even dancing traditional Armenian dance in pretty much every aisle in the whole place.  It was quite the event and there is talk that they are going to have similar events once every month or two which would be pretty great.

I've also gotten to travel a bit which of course has made me super happy.  I travelled to beautiful northern Armenia to celebrate Halloween with my fellow PCV's where I got to experience the leaves changing, quite similar to an east coast fall, and got in a wonderful hike throughout the town of Berd, where we all stayed.  It is amazing how quickly the scenery can change in this little country and we are so lucky to be able to travel and visit each other and see as much of Armenia as we can, which I plan to take full advantage of! 



With David in Berd

I  also traveled to Chambarak , a town greatly affected by past wars with Azerbaijan...devastation which is evident even though we were only there for a brief period, with Counterpart Int'l to observe a business training with the youth club in the small village of Martuni.  As Arpine, my Armenian friend who did the business presentation said, the people of Chambarak literally work so they can live, the level of poverty there is quite significant and apparently the winter is one of the most brutal in the countrry, making their challenges even greater. 

Last week, all of the A-20's (PCV's in my group) gathered in Tsakhkadzor for trainings.  As a CYD (community and youth development) volunteer, I was a part of the Program and Design Management training along with my counterpart Gegham.  All of the CYD volunteers and their counterparts attended this training in order to take a potential community project and develop it from start to finish.  Gegham and I chose to work on an agricultural production training project which we have discussed implementing in both Gavar and Noratus( Gavar's neighboring town).  It was an incredibly beneficial and significant training for both Gegham and me and I hope that we will be able to put our plan into action.  The last day of the training, all of the volunteers in country got together for an all volunteer conference.  It was pretty great to have all of us together, only time it will happen, to be able to get advice from the A-19's/A18's and to compare experiences, think all of us valued that time together. 

While I continue to work with VIA on a schedule and plan, I have gotten involved with other NGO's/orgs in my community and am most proud of my partnership with the Orphanage in Gavar.  Diana, one of my other Armenian friends who works with an organization called Armenian Caritas (an NGO I hope to begin working with soon) and I started going to the orphanage on Sunday afternoon/early evenings to work with the girls on a leadership curriculum.  Peace Corps has a program called Glow Camp which is a camp focused on girls leadership and empowerment.  Glow stands for Girls Leading Our World and is a program available in many Peace Corps countries including Armenia.  Because funding only allows for 40-50 girls throughout the country to attend, Diana and I decided we would do a mini Glow camp of sorts with the girls at the orphanage.  My time with Diana and the girls has been my best experience in Armenia to date.  So far, we have addressed communication and personal values and will continue with such subjects as leadership, character building, respect and manners, environmental awareness, exercise and health, self esteem, etc.  We meet with the girls in two groups, one group is 15-18 and the other 11-15. 

I am also involved with the two initiatives here in Armenia which are Gender Equality and HIV/AIDs awareness.  World AIDs day is December 1st so we are planning to do presenations in 4 different cities/towns in Armenia on Keith Haring, an artist who was an activist in New York City and who passed from AIDs related complications in 1990.  Along with two other volunteers, I will be presenting on his life, work, and HIV/AIDs awareness in Gyumri, one of the largest cities in Armenia. The other presentations will be in Yerevan, Vanadzor, and Kapan. 

So that is the latest from beautiful Armenia.  Winter is definitely making her way here quickly, so have to imagine my next post may have something to do with the cold of Armenia.  But so far so good.  In fact, Gavar was not the first to get snow!  Several other volunteers announced their first snowfalls last night, so Gavar is holding out for the moment, but is definitely cold enough for it!

Im Znoonda!

Im Znoonda..My Birthday!

I just celebrated my 31^st birthday, my first one in Armenia.  While it was a little strange to not be home with friends and family this year, I was overwhelmed by both the love from friends and family from home and my new friends and “family” here in Armenia, both American and Armenian.  My counterpart and a few of the social workers from VIA surprised me with a cake and roses and serenaded me not only with Happy Birthday in English but also in Armenian.  I also made my first real meal in my new apartment, tacos, lavash chips (kind of like homemade tortilla chips), fresh salsa, no-bake cookies and a little red wine, which my site mate Donna and I enjoyed.  And I also, received phone calls from 6 of my new Armenian friends and countless Peace Corps friends.  And, as if that wasn’t enough, 4 of the girls from English club surprised me with roses today.  So while I certainly missed celebrating at home, I can’t think of a better way to have spent my 31^st.  Mom also sent me a pretty amazing birthday box, Baltimore and the Ravens are now very well represented over here:)

 

sweet birthday presents from my awesome mother

 

birthday celebration with my counterpart Gegham

Birthday dinner with my site mate Donna

 

               
 Gavar continues to feel more and more like home every day.  October 1^st I moved into my new apartment and could not be happier with my new digs.  Another Peace Corps volunteer lived in my place before, so it came highly recommended, mostly because of its amazing shower, which is hard to come by here in Armenia.  I also have a kitchen with a stove and sink, working on getting a table and fridge, but it’s pretty easy to make do without both, a large room, which is basically my living space, with my bed, wardrobe, dining room table, and an amazing shade of pink paint, and a sun porch, which I mainly use to dry my laundry and store things.  Come winter…which probably means in a few days, I will close that room off as it will be way too cold to venture into, and I will mostly live in the main room of my apartment.  It has already started to get quite chilly here and I have to admit, I have slept with a wool hat on once or twice already.  But my counterpart, Gegham, has sworn that we will be getting a heater for my place this week, so I should be able to start warming the place up soon.

My apartment!

                I continue to be amazed at how wonderful the people are here in Gavar and became even more aware of that during the several meetings I have had with various NGO’s and organizations over the last couple of weeks.  Last week I met with the Director of the Orphanage, the Police Chief, several members of leadership from Gavar State University, two of the other PCV’s counterparts, one from Gavar’s rehabilitation center and the other from a business training center, and the business school (a group of some of the most motivated and influential young professionals in Gavar from several different NGO’s).  I was able to propose some ideas to the different NGO’s and they also identified several ways in which they would be able to use my skills and are eager to start working with me.  I also realized even over the last two weeks how lucky I am to be placed in Gavar.  There are several NGO’s and a lot of people really working hard for Gavar and many of them are very open to my involvement. While I am still in the process of scheduling projects and proposing ideas, I have a lot to look forward to and am very grateful to be in such a great site.  This past Sunday, I did a presentation on conflict management to the members of the business school and was invited back next week to do a presentation on leadership.  I will also be heading to a village called Martuni, on the border of Azerbaijan, for a presentation on business management alongside Counterpart International and Arpine, one of the Armenians I’ve become closest to in my time here, from GCCI (Gavar’s anti-corruption center).

                So life is good, continues to keep me on my toes, I really never know how things are going to go here, am practicing patience like never before, and am learning a lot about just not having expectations because nothing ever happens the way you think it will.  The other volunteers are really great too.  Now that most of us have moved out on our own, the level of freedom and independence we feel is pretty awesome.  A few weeks ago, I headed to Talin, a town just west of Yerevan, to participate in the Talin 5K, a really awesome event hosted by one of the other Peace Corps volunteers and his organization.  It was one of the best weekends I have had in Armenia and was so encouraging to be a part of such a successful event.  Over 120 people participated, kids, adults, PCV’s, people from the US embassy, and the enthusiasm from the town of Talin was just really inspiring, it’s amazing what can grow from a good idea! 

getting the kids ready for the 5K

                                                     

Jumping with Brian, the PCV who organized the 5K!

                                

Two weeks ago, I got to see a new part of Armenia, a bit south of Yerevan, and it was beautiful.  It is amazing, for how small of a country Armenia is, how vastly the landscape can change.  There was a wine festival in the town of Areni and I met up with 40 other Peace Corps volunteers, it was actually quite amazing to be around that many Americans!   And then this past weekend, a bunch of us went to cheer on Armenia in a World Cup Qualifier game against Italy.  While Armenia did lose, they made one legit goal against Italy and the energy in the stadium at that moment was like nothing I have ever experienced. I think I can officially say, I now have Armenian pride!

with my dear friend David at the Areni Wine Festival

PCV's love Armenia!

        Thank you again to all of you for the birthday love and for all of your support during this crazy adventure I am on.  Hoping to send some more good updates soon!

a little added bonus, view of Mt. Ararat from Yerevan last Saturday morning