I just wanted to post a quick note to say thank you to everyone for their birthday wishes. It really is hard to explain how wonderful it is to have support from my friends and family back home. Most days are great here, although some are not, and to know there are people there for me makes it all 😉 so, thanks!
For those who are wondering, I did have a great birthday. I visited some other volunteers in Yeghegnadzor, which is in the south of Armenia. We had a great time, which is fitting as they have named it “Fun-dzor”. The fun kicked off quick as my arrival was welcomed with a moderately drunken “Happy Birthday” rendition (2 days early..) and ended at midnight of my birthday by a second drunken rendition of “In Da Club” (the lyrics are “we’re gonna party like it’s my birthday”, mom) by lil’ ole me. In between, we had a great time, and visited the Noravank monestary. It was very pretty and was set in a gorge which they call the Grand Canyon of Armenia. Kinda similar, I guess…
I actually spent most of my birthday traveling back to Noyemberyan. I was able to meet two campers from IOC for lunch at the new Thai restaraunt (happy birthday!!!) and they brought me a cake and some very nice souveniers. I returned home late that night, and my host family had made me a cake and gotten me a very lovely gift. I am even closer to integrating now that I have pointy shoes and a polyester Chinese shirt! If anyone wants a souvenier from the “LP Athantic Nautical” let me know, I’ve appearently been there and all I got was this mis-spelled tshirt.
After crashing early, I woke up Monday and ran 13 miles as part of my marathon training. Fighting exaustion, my NGO wanted to celebrate my birthday as well. Instead of a traditional Armenian meal, I decided to treat them to a down-home American classic: CHILI! We cooked up about 6 pounds of chili and had a delicious feast. I’m pretty sure this is the first chili supper in Armenian history. I’ll make sure to put that on my resume. It was a really fun time and I was happy to share some American cuisine with them. While I thought it was delicious, I’m not sure they’ll be requesting it for the Christmas Party. But hey, that just means more for me!
Today was a very exciting day for my work – our newly constructed wheelchair ramps at School #2 made the national news! H1 – the national television station – did a report on our project and how we’re making our school handicap accessible. They interviewed our school director, as well as the director of the Bridge of Hope NGO which is cordinating the project nationwide. This year 8 schools (4 in Yerevan and 4 in my region) will act as pilot schools for the program, which goes nationwide next year.
We are one of the first schools in the country to be implementing the Special Education project, and I am very proud of them and all the community members for all the hard work they have done. Next year, several students who otherwise wouldn’t otherwise have access to public education will because of their efforts. On a larger scale, I hope that more schools, towns and government officials watch the report, and see the importance of providing accessible access to people with disabilities. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Push America (and why I’m supporting them with Push to the Finish), it’s that people with disabilities have amazing talents and deserve the opportunity to be a functioning part of our community like everyone else.
Here are some pictures of them filming at the school. I apologize that I only had my phone camera, but I will post some better digital photos on the first day of school (September 1st).
Every year, several Peace Corps Armenia volunteers participate in the Athens Classic Marathon as a way to challenge themselves, both physically and mentally. Initially, I thought they were crazy, but on November 4th, 2007, I will become one of them! I have registered to participate in the marathon for many reasons; originally, it was to push myself in new ways, as I’ve never run more than a 5k in my life. I have been running regularly since I joined the Peace Corps last August and am ready for the challenge that the original marathon route in Athens will bring.
While establishing personal goals are very important, I have always been one to do for others, and not just myself (hence my two years in the Peace Corps). In June, as many of you know, I helped manage a handicap accessibility project for a local school who will begin Special Education programs next year. The construction process and my ongoing work with people with disabilities reminded me of my extensive volunteerism at my university through my fraternity’s philanthropy, Push America. During my four years, I helped with the construction of several wheelchair ramps in rural Missouri for underprivileged families, spent two spring breaks and one summer vacation volunteering at camps for people with disabilities around the country (while raising over $4,000 for Push America). After speaking with Push’s office staff about my projects, and later my desire to run the marathon, they suggested I participate in the Push America Challenge.
That is how “Push to the Finish” came to be. The Push America Challenge encourages current and former members of my fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, to challenge themselves in unusual ways while raising support and awareness for Push America. Currently there are several participants, who are doing everything from Ironman Triathlons to sitting on a couch counting to a million (no frat jokes, please!). They range in age from 21 to 65, but all are pushing themselves in support of a philanthropy they care about. Push America has touched me in many ways, some of which are impossible to describe, and running a marathon in support of Push is another way for me to give back and ensure others can share my experiences, and more lives (both volunteer and client) can be touched.
I have committed myself to raising $2,000 for Push America during the next two months. I have worked very hard during the Peace Corps, my marathon training, and through various volunteer activities throughout my life. All I ask for in return is your support. Since I am in Armenia, the easiest way for me to collect money is online, so Push America has established a secure, online donation system. All donations are also tax deductible, as Push America is a 501(c)3 non-profit. But please remember: your donation will go much further than encouraging me to run 26 miles; it will directly help and inspire thousands of volunteers and people with disabilities. I would like to thank you in advance for support of this project!
Thank you all in advance for your support! You can monitor my fundraising progress, see how many days until the marathon, and get more information about Push to the Finish by using the menu on the right, the graphic at the top of the screen, or simply contact me.
August 15th is the Swearing-In ceremony for the new group of volunteers. For me, our ceremony last year was a powerful experience, and was truly a milestone in my life. I’m sure this year’s ceremony will be quite different from the “other side”: as a volunteer who has lived here a year, has integrated into his community, has studied the language, and has experienced the ups and downs of everyday life in Armenia. And of course as a volunteer who still has a lot to learn.
So without further ado, I present to you, “Peace Corps Armenia: A Year in Review”:
I figure the best way to understand where you are is to look at where you’ve been. Fortunately, blogging and journaling make it really easy to read about your first experiences, which I did last night. One thing I noticed was that they were full of surprises, adventures, and a lot of fun, but not really a sense of accomplishment. Just comparing this summer with the last really shows the transition I’ve made in this country. Last summer I went to some parties, I played some frisbee, learned some language, but didn’t really change anything. This summer, I’ve helped build a wheelchair ramp. I’ve helped my NGO bring affordable Internet to my town. I’ve helped Armenians learn about Americans through camps and English lessons. The key word in all of that is “helped.”
The last few days have been very good for me. I’ve had a lot of very good conversations with my neighbors, about the same things I would talk about with my friends, all in Armenian. I can walk in to my office, or the local school, and my ideas and thoughts will be considered along with everyone elses. I have something to do every day. When I went back and redid the Peace Corps Service section of my website the other day, it had substance; it was not just a bunch of speculation and ideas, it was concrete results.
I’ve also come to realize how much of a tangible results person I really am. I like numbers, and being able to say, “I built this,” or “I received these grants,” or, “I’m the chair of the IT Initiative.” These things are good for me, as they give me goals and a base to work from. But I guess one thing the Peace Corps has taught me, as much as I’d like to deny it, is that the intangibles are worth something. When the neighbor boys want high fives every day after work, or the grandparents outside my building want me to sit with them and listen to their story, or a student from my English club invites me to their birthday party, that means something. It really means people respect why I’m here, and they have opened up to new ideas. And I have opened up to theirs. It’s very hard to be open minded, period. Here, I’ve realized what a valuable skill that is, and how important it is for communication to occur between people of different cultures; without that, how will we ever really live together in this small world?
I was very happy to hear that the school director arranged for the national news to come to Noyemberyan next week to do a report about the wheelchair ramp we constructed. This is great on so many levels, as it shows people are noticing what we are doing, and why we are doing it. If people see our school constructs ramps and supports people with disabilities, why can’t others do the same? There is a national stigma about a lot of things here, which is often hard to break. Boys are above girls in the social heirarchy. People with disabilities aren’t considered a legitimate part of society. There is a lot of underlying racism in people here (although you can’t necessary blame them, living in a mono-racial society). But it’s about changing attitudes here, which I’ve realized you can only really do on a personal level. I try to show youth that it’s important to be part of their community, that Turkish people aren’t all bad, that men and women can be equal.
I do feel like I’ve accomplished a lot and grown in many ways since I arrived here last year. But I still have a lot to learn. One fact that’s always been hard for me to let go of, despite my continued exclamations to Sara, is that I’m not saving the world here. There are factors completely out of my control that it’s not my place to change. The political situation here is trying, and with the borders shut this country will stay disadvantaged. Gender and ethnic roles are rooted in hundreds of years of history, and a stratified society will inevitably leave some with less.
Without rambling too much longer – things are going well here for me. I’ve accomplished a lot, and have a lot of motivation to accomplish more. This next year will go much faster than the last. Before I know it, I’ll be part of the American workforce again, driving on the freeway and eating Taco Bell. I guess my biggest challenge now is how to maximize my time and effectiveness while remaining culturally sensitive. I was eating breakfast this morning (potato soup with a fresh peach and a slice of pig head – which is delicious btw) and thinking how I just might miss this place after all. I think it’s a sign you’ve integrated when you look forward to your bucket bath at the end of the day… 🙂
And I’d like to note I would not be here without the support of my Armenian counterparts, Peace Corps, my friends, my family, Sara1, and all those who continue to send me encouraging notes and emails. Without you I simply could not be here.
So, to summarize (finally ;)). “I’ve helped.” “Concrete results.” “Open-mindedness.” “Changing attitudes.” “Accepting I can’t do it all.” “Integrated.” These aren’t Peace Corps buzz-words to me any more, they’re what I’ve done. To accomplish that in only a year, in a different language and a different culture, means something. But these are the things we do here every day, and they make the bucket baths and the negative parts of the experience trivial in comparison. And I have a feeling next year will only get better…