Holistic Doctors in Malishka! Say WHAA?!?

Sorry for the delay between postings, folks. I know you have all been anxiously awaiting some new tale from the world of yours truly. I imagine when you see this posted into the FB feed that you will feel your heart rate quicken and a stirring in your belly similar to that of when you were on the precipice of your first kiss.

Last week there were two Armenian holidays, so including my off-day on Thursday, I only had two days of school. One of those days, my program manager came to visit. She met with my Principal (or Director), myself and my counterpart. Interestingly, as I met her at the school's front steps and we entered the school, she informed me that it is a direct insult to the Principal if upon her immediate arrival she did not go see him first. He had only wonderful things to say about me, that I show up for meetings I don't understand, that I understand more Armenian than the volunteer before me and that I am 'cheerful'. It's uncommon here in Armenia to smile at others for something unwarranted. Most people are typically frowning or neutral when greeting one another. This is because they regard smiling as foolish or childish, and they want to be taken seriously. This is also the thinking behind their mean mugs in photographs, no matter how exciting an occasion.

I am not sure what the exact details are behind the holiday on Monday, but I tagged along with my family to the village church. There we each lit three candles, admired the grounds which over look the ruins of the original Malishka. Afterwards, we headed to the first graveyard where Siranush's father is buried. I hadn't realized that he only passed away two years ago, which is really no time at all when you are close to a person. As she approached the tombstone she greeted him, "Barev, Pop" (Hi, Dad). Her husband Samvell prepared a small little fire in the appropriated silver bowl behind the gravestone as Siranush and the twins cleaned the tombstone and surrounding area. They wiped the stone down, pulled out weeds and burned incense in the fire when the area was ready. They didn't say much throughout the process, but it was certainly emotionally intense. There were many other families in the graveyard doing the same thing.  We went to a second graveyard for another family member but it wasn't quite as emotional.

Afterwards, we went to the home of the two residing holistic doctors here in Malishka. They live on the side of the mountain overlooking the rest of the village. They have an amazing view and home. The wife is Russian and the husband looks like Santa Claus. They were very cool people. I even got an energy balancing treatment while I was there! It was so awesome to know that I have access to holistic treatments while I am here. The Russian wife is trained in Tibetan understands of health and medicine, and I am not too sure about the husband. They are the godparents of Siranush, and I am welcome there for free treatments at any time.

Last Friday was the 21st Anniversary of Armenia's Independence Day. Oddly, no one did much of anything at all. We went to go see Samvell's parents who reside in this tiny little shack in the mountains during the summer months. It's a place that looks like somewhere I THOUGHT I would end up before I actually got here.

The next day I went to Yerevan to meet with the co-organizer of the National Poetry Contest that I am helping put together. After our meeting I went shopping with my friend Joy for some new shoes, but couldn't find anything that I liked and or fit me AGAIN. That night a big group of us went out to experience the nightlife of the capital. Things were... interesting. The entire night I kept thinking,"This is Peace Corps?" It's definitely weird to have vices available to me that I was hoping to not have the temptation of for two years. Oh, the irony!

I will post again over the weekend hopefully to fill in little awesome tidbits, but for now I am sick in bed with a bad a cold and want to close my eyes. I wrote only because I know how you've longed for a slice of my life!

"Sometimes, when I'm at home alone... I blow my nose." Joy Roberson

Song of the Week: Afro Celt Sound System: Listen to Me

Class Decorum

School is finally in full swing here in Malishka. Apparently though, the schedule could still potentially change up until September 15^th. There is a lot about my day-to-day life that reminds me of being in college (minus my extra curricular activities).  For instances, on Thursdays I don’t have class and my schedule is different everyday. Sometimes, I have a 3 hour break in between classes and if I don’t have a class until 3^rd period, I arrive for 3^rd period. At the moment, my busiest day is Monday, when I have five classes. Luckily though, on that day, I do not also have my least preferably behaved class.

At the moment I am teaching 3^rd-12^th grade, with the exceptions of the 4^th,7^th, and 9^th grades. My school was recently renovated and does not have the same broken down old-soviet-times feel as that of other schools I have visited. The view of the mountains in some classrooms is just breathtaking. Interestingly enough, I have yet to catch any of my students (okay – maybe the 5^th graders) staring out the window daydreaming. I remember getting lost in the beauty of the field hockey field day after day in my high school.

Being on the other side of the classroom has opened my eyes to my not-so-awesome behavior back in the dizzle. I had the tendency to vacillating between daydreaming, messing around with peers and actively participating in class. I guess I thought, because I did well and was (mostly) prepared for class, that I could get away with the bullshit. Well, I know now, that it doesn’t make a difference. No matter how well a student does, being disruptive in the classroom is THE most frustrating thing on the planet. It’s even more frustrating when you realize that you have no power or authority to control the behavior.

Just a glimpse of some of the ridiculous shit I would pull in high school: In 9^th or 10^th grade I had this history teacher whom had travelled the world and taken a lot of photographs. Her lessons consisted of 5 page outlines and a slideshow. It bored the shit out of me, so I employed my friend that sat behind me to play with my hair for the hour. I would actually lay my head backwards and take a nap during this woman’s class. It happened nearly every class and for some reason she left it fly. One day we had a substitute, so I went about my business and I remember this guy being so annoyed; especially since I acted like it was my god given right to have my hair played with during that hour.  Jesus…

Anyway, in my village’s school there are a lot of grandmother-grandchild, parent–child relations. As you can imagine, it doesn’t help the behavioral problems. It is also very uncommon to fail a student, or for a student to repeat a grade. I am not positive, but I doubt that there is one person in that school not heavily interwoven within the fabric of the community. It would shame a family if a student was to fail, and it would hurt the relationship if a teacher failed a student. The students are obviously aware of this and, aware of the fact that at the end of the day, they truly can treat me however they want and it will not affect the outcome of their grades. It's something that I am trying to figure out... and will later become a talking point in interviews.

Next week my program manager is coming for a visit and I look forward to discussing some frustrations with her. In the meantime, I continue my routines of writing, yoga and running (though it's been more difficult to center around the school schedule). I will start up my clubs in October and am looking forward to the Wine Festival in three weeks or so.


Weekly quote: "You let her eat our cookies, THE COOKIES?!?!" - Yours Truly

In the Beginning...

Hey gang,

Sorry for the lapse between blog postings. I have been busy getting ready for school to begin and, with it’s actual beginning! And lordy lord, am I glad to finally get the ball rolling.

Here in Armenia, Sept. 1^st is considered a holiday. No matter what day of the week it is, students and teachers alike show up in their Sunday best to congratulate one another on the start of the new school year. Every school differs in their actual celebration of Sept. 1^st, but my school had a small awards ceremony to recognize student’s efforts from the year before. The event was held on the steps of the school, with the teachers standing behind the Director as he spoke and the students and parents watching from down below. (For some odd reason, it felt sort of like the opening scene of Hunger Games).  Once the Director was finished the students, overwhelmed with joy, ran into the school.

Afterwards a great majority of the staff gathered in the teacher’s lounge to sit around and shoot the shit about the upcoming year until the marshutni came, about two hours later. There was no teaching, no talk of schedules… it was interesting to say the least. I joined about 10 other teachers for a mini celebration complete with pizza and coffee at the café in Yeg., where I am normally throwing back beers with my site mates. It felt a little odd, but one of the things that I am getting pretty good at here is simply sitting back and going with the flow. For some of my acquaintances that might seem a little odd, that Carolyn Rodgers needs to learn how to go with the flow - but being here has opened my eyes to the fact of a certain little factor that assisted in my general 'go with the flow' attitude. I do not have access to it here and well, it has certainly changed things for me. One of the things that the Peace Corps application always talked about was flexibility. Now, it has come to take on a very, very different meaning.  Sometimes, that means getting over the union of your personal and professional life.

Monday was the first legitimate day of school, with bells and classes and everything. My counterpart had decided that I would be the focus of the day, which I was unaware of until after the first bell. Just a quick re-cap: In the Peace Corps Armenia TEFL program, PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) are paired with HCNs (Host Country Nationals) for two years in an collaborative effort to further develop the English skills of students and community members alike. I am to be working in conjunction with my ‘counterpart’ in the classroom, on a daily basis. I had previously thought it might be to my advantage that she had just spent the last two years with a different volunteer. This hypothesis remains unproved.

I am doing my best to reserve judgment and be open-minded. Yet, it has proven very difficult in the face of my day-to-day reality. I’m sure I have said it, maybe not on here – but definitely to friends and family- that while I am in an amazing post; one where I have daily access to internet, running water, the food groups I am accustomed to, and a taste of western life should I choose a 3 hour drive away – there is still much that is challenging about being here. I always need to remind myself to never forget why I choose to come here: to be challenged and to experience the sort of growth that can not take place back home inside the box.

So, you could say that I’m getting what I asked for.

 “So, you mean, I bucket bathed for this?” Jesse ‘Ger-a-lee-eh’ Garrison