Sounds busy, eh? I thought things would quiet down after IOC, but it has been quite the opposite. Overall, things are going very well here. I have already come to realize my Peace Corps service is flying by way too fast; next Wednesday, the 15th, we swear in 47 new volunteers as the A-15 group. This of course means my half-way point is approaching quick, so I’m going to begin drafting my mid-year reflection in the next few days. Here’s what I’ve been busy with in the meantime:
Art Camp on the Mountain
The students of the Koghb Art School spend one month each summer on a mountain outside Noyemberyan. Many of them spend the night, painting the beautiful nature of our region by the day and eating bar-b-que and sleeping in tents at night. It’s quite the lifestyle; I was fortunate enough to visit a few weeks ago (although only for the day – I hope to spend a night before they come down). Their artwork is truly beautiful and I hope to bring some back with me to America if anyone is interested. I will post some samples one day. We had a great, relaxing day, starting with a tasty lunch, followed by a nap on the mountain-side, a hike to some caves, and culminating in some soccer at sunset. It was an amazing day. Some photos…
Vartivar
Vartivar is the summer holiday for Armenians; think a combination of Memorial Day, the 4th, and Labor Day. All of Noyemberyan descended into the woods to celebrate over horovats, dashi-dushi dancing and of course, pouring massive quantities of water all over one another. I went with my host family, Gohar and Mxo, to the forest (well, under a tree in some guy’s field) where we had a very nice picnic. Despite a small “gasoline fire” scare, all was well and a good time was had by all. It was especially nice to drench some of the little children who like to give their American friend trouble… suckers.
Mid-Service Conference
All of the volunteers from my group (37 out of 51 are left) met together this past week for our Mid-Service Conference, in which we reflected on our work from this past year, whined about our problems, and reunited with long-lost volunteers to make plans for vacations, COS trips, and the occasional work project. It was actually a very well put together conference by Peace Corps; we had a lot of time for relaxation, and they treated us like adults. We also had our doctor checkup and language test – I would like to report I am surviving on both accounts ๐ Oh, there was one more important thing. Here’s a hint, it prompted me to rename the conference “Mid-Service Shower”. And it was goooood.
Computer Camp
Now I am finally back at site and back to work. This week my NGO and I are coordinating a computer camp for 12 8th-10th grade students. We are teaching them how to search/use the internet, scan and manipulate photos in Photoshop, understand computer and networking hardware, and to make their own personal webpage! It is actual a pretty cool camp and is going really well so far (today was the first day). We have girls and one student with a disability (although he’s very good at computers) so we’re reaching a very good audience and it will hopefully be a great inspiration to the area youth. I know when I did computer camps at that age, it inspired me to continue studying – and look where it got me. Hopefully several of these campers will find some inspiration from our lessons and take it further in their lives. We also have a professional IT speaker, Garegin Chugaszyan, Information Technologies Foundation President, coming to talk about IT careers, so that should be good for them as well.
And all the rest…
Sorry this is such a long post, but it’s been busy ๐ Otherwise things are going well with me. I was elected chairman of the Information and Communication Technology initiative for Peace Corps. I am still training for the Athens Classic Marathon in Greece on November 4th (more on that soon). I am climbing Mt. Ararat (Armenia’s national mountain) from September 5-9. And I get to see some loved ones1 over Christmas. Hard to believe what one can accomplish in a year, and what the next year will bring with just a little more experience under my belt. Stay tuned for mid-year reflections, coming soon to theaters near you.
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2 Responses:
August 9th, 2007 at 8:33 am
Kyle,
First, I would probably be interested in some art. Send me some pics and or post them here and give me a price.
Second, Not sure if you knew or not, but I will be “studying” in Ireland this fall. I doubt there is anyway I could get to Armenia, but if you wanted to come to Ireland (for a shower) or meet somewhere in Europe for a weekend, let me know. (I have 4 day weekend every week, so could be worthwhile).
Al
June 11th, 2008 at 12:57 am
[…] Otherwise, things in Noyemberyan are going well. I am doing a computer camp next week (much like last years camp) but with more of a focus on the Internet, correct web site design techniques, and fun things to […]