Kyle’s Journey in Armenia

I’d like to preface this post with a note about the previous. Due to the delicate political situation in the country, and Peace Corps’ role as a non-politically affiliated organization, I was asked to password protect my last post about the situation in Yerevan, and any future posts about politics in the country. The password is, and always will be, my last name. However, if you would like a more accurate picture of the situation I recommend reading the US Embassy’s media reviews or other international sources.

So aside from that, life has been great. As I’ve continually griped about since returning from America, it’s been a horrible winter and an even worse adjustment. It was much easier coming in with low expectations than going to America, tasting the “good life” of hot showers, and then coming back to the coldest winter on record since the 70’s. Well, the skies have opened, and spring has arrived. Yesterday, at 10:55 AM, our water came back on after 67 days! It was nice to hear the buzz in town being about something happy. The weather has finally improved here, too, and today I joined my friends from the art school on a hike to a local monastery, Mshkavank. We have beautiful nature and it was nice to take a break and spend some time outdoors with friends. We brought bread, sausage, cheese, etc to make sandwiches, and it all felt very … normal. Until a couple of the girls walk away from the picnic table and start to build a fire. Confused, I asked what we were cooking, as I thought we were only having sandwiches. The answer: coffee, silly! No matter how far from home, the Armenians still find a way. Anyway, today I also celebrated my favorite day of the year: the first day you can wear a t-shirt and not freeze to death!

Things are going well in Noyemberyan. Construction on the bathroom project has been going well, as everything has been completely demolished (which they’re very good at – I hope they can build with such efficiency!). Here is a look at the rooms in their current state. Beautiful, eh?

This weekend we having the second annual English Writing Olympics, which is part of an inter-Caucasus competition. 7th-11th grade students will write creative compositions in English, which we’ll then judge and submit to the Armenian competition (those winners will go against the Georgian and Azeri entries). We are also hosting a spelling bee at the beginning of April, and next week is our big planning meeting for International Outreach Camp 2008.

Oh, and I saw what I would call a “defining moment” of my Peace Corps’ experience yesterday, at the community football field. Naturally, a cow was grazing in the middle, when a pack of stray dogs approached it. They started circling the cow, nipping at it, as it was clearly encroaching on their territory. The situation looked gruesome until 3 other cows approached and stampeded, scaring the dogs off. It felt like West Side Story meets the Peace Corps.

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