Kyle’s Journey in Armenia

The past week and a half have been rather tumultuous here in Armenia, following the Presidential Elections of last Tuesday. Officially, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan has been declared the winner. The international reports noted they were, “with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards for democratic elections.” So that’s good, right? Well, the opposition parties have lived up to their name, and have been peacefully protesting in the streets of Yerevan since last Wednesday. What that will mean for the country, I can’t say. I would suggest you follow the news reports so graciously translated by the US Embassy for more information. For the Peace Corps volunteers, it means we’ve been temporary asked to not travel to Yerevan, and to “remain vigilant”. Don’t worry, Mom, it’s not Kenya, but it’s certainly the most exciting political event that’s happened since I’ve been here. I doubt things will get much worse, but it’s one step closer to my dream of a helicopter evac… Anyway, I guess that means no KFC for me this weekend :/

Fortunately, they are letting us travel in the regions, so this weekend I am going to Artashots (in the far North-West) to go cross-country skiing. I’ve never been, and I’m really excited. There is a couple there that were Olympic champions during the Soviet times, and they offer weekend X-country skiing trips for dirt cheap (~$40, including lodging, food, rentals, etc for the weekend). I’m excited about that, and the fact they have a hot shower. For those keeping count, it’s now been 58 days without water.  *Sigh* is Spring anywhere in sight??

There has been a lot to do here in Noyemberyan lately, so I haven’t been too disrupted by the elections and water. The main thing is that construction has begun on our bathrooms! This is a big step for us, as we’re very good about taking things apart, but it’s always the putting it back together part that scares me. They are doing well so far, and while it will be at least a few weeks before I have anything tangible to show off, we are making progress! I’m also helping the Koghb Art School with their website, which is fun, because I haven’t really done a lot of website work lately, and I really do miss it. We hope to have it finished and posted within the next week or so.

Which brings me to an interesting point. As I mentioned last time, I’m over 3/4 done with my Peace Corps service, and it is time to be thinking about the future. Right now, my life compass is pointing in the direction of warmth; specifically, Dallas, Texas. While I’m only about 80% sure right now, it’s looking like that’s where I’ll land come August. I plan on getting back to the software side of life, but more into Software Engineering, and hopefully eventually into IT management. If anyone has any potential work/housing/happy hour connections for me, please send them my way!

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