Dearest Babies, Lovas and Friends,
It's been so long since we last spoke! I know Ari had her guest spot, but I have not sat down to share with you a tale or two in a over a month. I haven't taken this long of a hiatus in I don't know how long! You must forgive me as I was busy giving Ari the good 'ole Hayastani tour, then frolicking in the land of gold and honey, THEN some very unexpected housing upheavals. I have been trying to find the time/energy/will to write you all since I have been back but alas, it only came to pass now.
So, perhaps you are such an avid reader that I need not remind you of what was going on at the start of August but I fear the truth of the greater majority is that you do not have any clue nor do you care. Alas, a quick recap is needed. At the start of August I was wrapping up the grant completion report for this past National Poetry Recitation Contest and gathering together a team of volunteers to create a committee for the 2014 installment. Unfortunately, about two weeks after the first committee meeting the team lost its most valuable player as she decided to end her service early. Luckily, I have been able to keep the ball rolling without her, even though it just isn't quite the same. Expect more about the 2014 National Poetry Recitation Contest soon!
My time with Ari in the last two weeks of August was absolutely marvelous. It engendered a completely new lens through which I am currently viewing my service. While there are difficulties and challenges faced on a daily basis Armenia truly has a special place in my heart. From the comfort and love I share with my host family, to the beauty of the landscape, to the taxi drivers calling me their sister upon hearing my Armenian there was much I felt proud to show Ari. All these things and more began to take on a new shade of meaning. The thing I appreciated most about Ari's trip was our on-going in-depth conversation about the culture here. We did many a thing, met many a volunteer and spent our final night together on the green patch of grass in Yerevan until 2 a.m. waiting for out flight times.
On the morning of August 28th both Ari and I boarded flights back to JFK airport. Unfortanutely, our flights were booked about four months apart and we did not have the same itinerary. After a day of time travel I arrived in my beloved NY and was picked up by dear friend Meagan. The first thought I had upon exiting the baggage terminal was, "UGH, the freaking humidity!". I had truly forgotten the oppressive nature of late August heat in New York. Without hesitation Meagan and I headed over to the most reasonable sushi joint in Babylon. I thought I'd be a pal and take care of the check as she'd driven all the way out to pick me up. Good lord! America, can we please relax with the cost of a dinner out?! Jeez louise. In the morning I was very grateful to spend time with my other dear friend Kaitlin. In the bagel shop I exclaimed, "OMG, KAIT! LOOK! THEY HAVE ARIZONA ICED TEA IN HERE!!!!!", all the other normal Americans in the place looked at me like I was on drugs. I think I embarrassed Kaitlin a bit but after a lifetime of friendship this is merely something she has come to expect.
Lord, I could tell you every last detail of my trip home but it would truly take too long and I don't want to waste either of our time. The highlights of my vacation were as such : a most perfect beach day on Lake George swimming with my niece Soleil; docking the boat before a storm like a champ; gurlfrands and brothers camping; a night cap at The Point with MK and 'firsty'; a most perfect beach day on Long Island with Regina; mani pedis with Momma; a night out in Babylon full of ridiculousness; yet another beautiful day riding the Cross Island ferry to CT; good times with cousins; a tasty meal with brother Andrew and sister Tess; kitty snuggle fest; motorcycle rides in the night and day; last meal in America with seriously tasty mussels; the royal treatment to end it all perfectly. Whew, feels good to finally get that all out there. In all honesty, it was the perfect trip home and I am so glad I made the decision to do it.
After waking up for my connecting flight in the Paris airport with 30 seconds before the intended departure time, I safely arrived in Armenia. I headed over to my friend Ashley's apartment in a small village which sits directly outside Yerevan. The next morning my host father Samvell called me. I thought it was a kind 'Hey- welcome back!' but I shortly realized his phone call was so prompt due to necessity. The family whose house I'd been living in was set to return to Malishka in approximately 5 days. He explained that I had that same amount of time to leave the house. I was on such a high from America that I floated through this process as in a dream. I felt no rush to return to a place that was no longer my home so I instead visited my friend Phi at her somewhat new place.
Five days later, my site-mate Elisabeth and I packed up the OBSCENE amount of shit I have gathered since being out on my own, then into Samvel's car and later his house. I have been living back with my host family since September 16th. There was a house which I fell in love with which wasn't approved about a week and a half ago. I don't want to remember the beautiful balcony there because it only makes me want to cry. Yet tomorrow I finally get to move into my new place. I will post pictures as soon as it's ready!
Songs Of The Month: Sara Lov - Frankie
The XX - Stars
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
A Guest Writer! (Also, my first visitor)
Hey Babies! I hope you're enjoying your last licks of summer, soaking up those rays and shameless wet breakfasts. The following post was written by my dear friend Arielle Schecter. I asked her if she wanted to write a guest post as I thoroughly enjoy her writing and also because it makes me feel special to do so. I haven't edited or altered anything beyond adding pictures to the narrative; it's pure Arielle! I will update ya'll on other happenings next time. Meanwhile, enjoy a fresh perspective!
8/21/13
We were in Yerevan yesterday and the day before. I jogged across a tall bridge yesterday morning, over and back, over and back. I pretended in my head that I was an elite athlete training for the Olympics, hoping the gawking men would understand my fiction and be proud for me. I don't think it worked.
There's a park underneath the bridge where smooching young people go at night, but not too late. Carolyn tells me that women in Armenia are virtuous, or they're considered 'bad girls'. I don't think you're allowed to be a combination of both. The men all have tattoos on their thumbflesh webs indicating blood type - a souvenir from army conscription.
Lots of women wear high heels here. Carolyn admits this doesn't make sense in the villages, where the roads are bad, but they do it anyway. That's why the old women have smushed-up feet and backs.
Yesterday we saw a radiant pregnant lady in a white dress. She walked with her cautious-looking spouse through a park near the biggest church in Armenia. I got dizzy just looking at the arched ceiling in there. Carolyn got propositioned by an elderly gent who at first scolded her for taking photos of a janitorial worker. "I think they think it's shameful to do that to her while she's doing that kind of work," Carolyn explained.
We lit orange vigil candles in a side room and walked over to the park, where a man in a striped shirt made conspicuous circles around us on his child-sized white and red mountain bike. We didn't like that, so we left for an outdoor cafe near a giant wading pool guarded by a set of honking black swans. There was also a piano made out of fake grass. I bought my niece a coloring book from a vendor who shook his calculator at me when I failed to understand the 200-dram (50-cent) price quote. I think people assume I'm Armenian not because I look like one but because they're not used to foreigners. I'm getting a lot of practice for my smile-and-nod routine.
8/22/13
It rained yesterday at Lake Sevan. We sulked in a tented cafe while Euro-pop blared from the speakers. I think I had five espressos. A fly-covered dog tried to befriend Carolyn, but she wasn't having it. "He's probably dying," she pronounced.
(I asked Ari if she wanted to wrap-up her post; she declined. I can not leave the post in the middle of the highway...so...this is where I say "To Be Continued" and you anxiously await the next episode!)
8/21/13
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| Church, Yerevan |
There's a park underneath the bridge where smooching young people go at night, but not too late. Carolyn tells me that women in Armenia are virtuous, or they're considered 'bad girls'. I don't think you're allowed to be a combination of both. The men all have tattoos on their thumbflesh webs indicating blood type - a souvenir from army conscription.
Lots of women wear high heels here. Carolyn admits this doesn't make sense in the villages, where the roads are bad, but they do it anyway. That's why the old women have smushed-up feet and backs.
Yesterday we saw a radiant pregnant lady in a white dress. She walked with her cautious-looking spouse through a park near the biggest church in Armenia. I got dizzy just looking at the arched ceiling in there. Carolyn got propositioned by an elderly gent who at first scolded her for taking photos of a janitorial worker. "I think they think it's shameful to do that to her while she's doing that kind of work," Carolyn explained.
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| Piano, Yerevan |
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| As the Clouds Roll In, Lake Sevan |
8/22/13
It rained yesterday at Lake Sevan. We sulked in a tented cafe while Euro-pop blared from the speakers. I think I had five espressos. A fly-covered dog tried to befriend Carolyn, but she wasn't having it. "He's probably dying," she pronounced.
I've already broken my watch and dropped a towel in a muddy puddle. Things are going well otherwise. Carolyn picked a rose flower from her yard to put on the table alongside the almonds, coffees, and German yogurt cups. She's on the phone planning a poetry recitation contest for her students. She's already informed me that if we wanted to smoke cigarettes or have a glass of wine while I'm here, we'd have to do these things in secret.
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| Carolyn and Dog, Lake Sevan |
There is a pear tree in Carolyn's yard, and also one with figs. There is a nice view of the garden from the outhouse doorway.
Judging by Carolyn's stickered pantry items, olive oil is nearly three times more expensive than sunflower oil. Tomato paste is a popular Armenian cooking ingredient; it comes in large jars. The water tank suspended over the sink is a great conservation motivator.
The requested imports of peanut butter and Papermate Flair pens are displayed prominently in the kitchen. I've never seen Carolyn as excited as she was when we found pesto in the SAS grocery store in Yerevan. "You don't understand," she enthused. "This is unprecedented." I smiled encouragingly. "And tuna!" she almost shouted. "Ari, they have tuna!"
Friday, August 9, 2013
Busy Bee
This past week has been one of the more productive since the end of Border2Border. I am almost certain that the National Poetry Contest grant completion report is finished. I am keeping my fingers crossed though, as there's something new required every time I turn around. Meanwhile, I have gathered together a team of volunteers to start work on the 2014 Contest. I am so excited to take this project to the next level. As the chairperson (or Boss, as I like to refer to myself) I have the great pleasure of 'nay-ing' and 'yay-ing' ideas. I am going to give a big shout out to a fellow TEFL volunteer Erica Vendetti right now, as her professionalism and enthusiasm thus far has already greatly exceeded my expectations. You should just see the meeting minutes she sent me yesterday...
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| Big Daddy Ararat in the background. |
Over the next couple of weeks, things are going to start gearing up significantly. This year I am hoping to have the Poetry Context grant live by Thanksgiving. If you are thinking 'have the grant live - what does that mean?', let me explain. As a Peace Corps Volunteer I am not allowed to directly receive funds for projects. To get around this, there is a special grant opportunity (though the word 'grant' is misleading) which allows a volunteer to fund-raise officially through Peace Corps. Essentially, I write an almost identical grant application as the one which is not a fundraiser and it gets sent to both staff here in Armenia and in Washington, D.C. It is then either approved or not; when it is approved Headquarters will put it 'live' on their official website (where some of you may have visited for last year's project). From there, the volunteer is fully responsible for insuring that the money is raised. Friends, family and interested organizations can visit this temporary website to donate to the project. Only once the total amount of money is raised do the funds get handed over to the volunteer. Are we on the same page now? So like I was saying, I want that puppy live by Thanksgiving so that come Contest day there are no money problems.
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| Phi Baby Jan |
The day before the A21 Swearing In Ceremony I went on a day trip to Lake Sevan. I wasn't exactly prepared for swimming, so I had to suffer through this great yearning for a couple of hours while tanning on the shore line. On the way back to the city, there was a beautiful sunset hitting Mount Ararat. Unfortunately, I didn't have my good camera with me so please forgive the picture quality. I also got an opportunity to spend some time with my beloved friend, Phi.
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| Cameron and I at a cafe in Yerevan. |
Here in my region of Vayots Dzor, we officially have three new volunteers. There is both an older woman and young man in the nearby town of Vayk, and another young woman in Yeghegnadzor with the existing volunteers. On Wednesday, they took the Peace Corps Oath and graduated from trainees to volunteers. As tradition, we all gathered at a cafe for drinks as a large group. Here is a picture of my new site-
mate and I... as you can tell we will get along fabulously.
There is a lot of decision making to be had before my friend Ari arrives in country so that I can give her my complete undivided attention. She lands in Yerevan on Monday the 19th, only 10/11 days away! I am seriously looking forward to showing her around. GAH!
In other news, my dear friend Kaitlin was able to send out a letter, a very belated birthday card and a second beaded necklace that I will wear as a bracelet. I realized that of all the people very close to me, she is the only one I wasn't able to see when I was home back in December. In light of this fact, receiving mail from her means more to me. (Brittany, the same goes for you). I was happy to know that she's been reading the book I sent to her, 'Untethered Soul' - which my brother Andrew sent to me back in November. Coming home from the capital to find some love waiting for me was exactly what I needed.
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| We are always together in spirit! |
Saturday, August 3, 2013
One Month More Of Summer
With the month of July behind me, I look forward to the upcoming events of August. First on the agenda is the Swearing In ceremony for the incoming group of volunteers in a few days. Most of the current volunteers will travel to capital for this event. It will definitely be interesting to be a part of the audience this time around. I look forward to officially welcoming our new site-mates to the Vayots Dzor Region. I am looking forward to some fresh faces in the area and the official start of Year 2.
A few days after Swearing In, I will travel to my friend Branwen's site to help out with the sports camp that she has organized for the kids in her community. I am so excited about this day because I get to share basketball with Armenian children! Though I quit after 9th grade, I still love this game with a passion. Give me a good, fresh Spalding and I'm a happy girl. The plan is to teach them some fun drills, so everyone is moving all at once. I don't know if we'll be able to play an actual game... but it will be funny if it ends up happening. It might be something like the softball game back in April with Armenian men who had never touched a glove in their lives. All I will say is that it was more entertaining than any MLB game (especially a Mets game).
Then, on the 19th of August my dear friend Ari will arrive in Yerevan. Quick story about my friendship with the one and only Arielle Schecter. We met three years ago in Seattle, Washington during an AmeriCorps VISTA training. Like with all other large social gatherings - I slowly ease my way into finding like minded folks. At first, I like to sit back and watch people pretend with one another. This social phenomenon never ceases to amaze, and I imagine that as I get older and this trend continues, I will still continued to be entertained. Anyway, there I was in a large conference room of other 20-somethings who weren't quite ready for big real world jobs and opted instead for AmeriCorps. I was keeping to myself and scanning the room for potential husbands as people flowed around me. One individual (gods bless their soul) struck up a conversation with me. Upon learning I was a New Yorker, they pointed at a young brunette across the room saying, "She's a New Yorker too." "Oh, really?" I responded, and promptly walked away to introduce myself.
From the moment we introduced ourselves, Ari and I spent the rest of the conference trading witty and sarcastic remarks about the shenanigans of events such as the one we were made to suffer through. Unfortunately, she was headed off for her year of service in New Orleans while my job was located in Boston. After three days we were both certain we would keep in touch, which has become a fact over the last three years. Since our time together in Seattle, Ari and I have only had two other opportunities to spend time together face to face. On both of those occasions, we were in New York. While I consider myself a New Yorker , in truth Ari is far more New York than I can ever claim to be. She grew up in the city, lives and breathes and knows the city. The two times that we've had a chance to meet up, she took me to low key places she's familiar with. We sit, talk and laugh and there never seems to be enough time. Well now - there's going to be plenty.
Ari will be in Armenia for 9 nights and 10 days. I have lots of things in store for her and she's compatible for me in that she's going to go ride the Carolyn wave. Hopefully, by the end of our 10 days together we will have discovered more common interests and grown closer than before.
p.s. Ari is an amazing talented and entertaining writer. Read about her life happenings down in New Orleans here: http://arielleschecter.blogspot.com/
Quote Of The Week:
Me: "I watched a bug come to life for 8 hours the other day."
Country Director: "Okay..."
Site Mate: "So he was too big to be killed by the electric fly swatter?"
Me: "Yup. Anyway- it was fascinating. I wrote a poem about it."
Site Mate: "HA- what did it say."
Me: "Nothing- I'm lying. I didn't write a poem. But I did think about writing a poem. HEY! Have you guys every watched a cat stalk and kill a butterfly?"
Country Director: "I think I'm going to require more secondary projects..."
A few days after Swearing In, I will travel to my friend Branwen's site to help out with the sports camp that she has organized for the kids in her community. I am so excited about this day because I get to share basketball with Armenian children! Though I quit after 9th grade, I still love this game with a passion. Give me a good, fresh Spalding and I'm a happy girl. The plan is to teach them some fun drills, so everyone is moving all at once. I don't know if we'll be able to play an actual game... but it will be funny if it ends up happening. It might be something like the softball game back in April with Armenian men who had never touched a glove in their lives. All I will say is that it was more entertaining than any MLB game (especially a Mets game).
Then, on the 19th of August my dear friend Ari will arrive in Yerevan. Quick story about my friendship with the one and only Arielle Schecter. We met three years ago in Seattle, Washington during an AmeriCorps VISTA training. Like with all other large social gatherings - I slowly ease my way into finding like minded folks. At first, I like to sit back and watch people pretend with one another. This social phenomenon never ceases to amaze, and I imagine that as I get older and this trend continues, I will still continued to be entertained. Anyway, there I was in a large conference room of other 20-somethings who weren't quite ready for big real world jobs and opted instead for AmeriCorps. I was keeping to myself and scanning the room for potential husbands as people flowed around me. One individual (gods bless their soul) struck up a conversation with me. Upon learning I was a New Yorker, they pointed at a young brunette across the room saying, "She's a New Yorker too." "Oh, really?" I responded, and promptly walked away to introduce myself.
From the moment we introduced ourselves, Ari and I spent the rest of the conference trading witty and sarcastic remarks about the shenanigans of events such as the one we were made to suffer through. Unfortunately, she was headed off for her year of service in New Orleans while my job was located in Boston. After three days we were both certain we would keep in touch, which has become a fact over the last three years. Since our time together in Seattle, Ari and I have only had two other opportunities to spend time together face to face. On both of those occasions, we were in New York. While I consider myself a New Yorker , in truth Ari is far more New York than I can ever claim to be. She grew up in the city, lives and breathes and knows the city. The two times that we've had a chance to meet up, she took me to low key places she's familiar with. We sit, talk and laugh and there never seems to be enough time. Well now - there's going to be plenty.
Ari will be in Armenia for 9 nights and 10 days. I have lots of things in store for her and she's compatible for me in that she's going to go ride the Carolyn wave. Hopefully, by the end of our 10 days together we will have discovered more common interests and grown closer than before.
p.s. Ari is an amazing talented and entertaining writer. Read about her life happenings down in New Orleans here: http://arielleschecter.blogspot.com/
Quote Of The Week:
Me: "I watched a bug come to life for 8 hours the other day."
Country Director: "Okay..."
Site Mate: "So he was too big to be killed by the electric fly swatter?"
Me: "Yup. Anyway- it was fascinating. I wrote a poem about it."
Site Mate: "HA- what did it say."
Me: "Nothing- I'm lying. I didn't write a poem. But I did think about writing a poem. HEY! Have you guys every watched a cat stalk and kill a butterfly?"
Country Director: "I think I'm going to require more secondary projects..."
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Summer Unplug-ish
Well, well, well. My efforts to remove myself from the outside are and were not as solid as originally planned. I never expected that the grant report I was working on would require so much communication with my advisors and supportive friends. Unfortunately, my version of Microsoft Office is not compatible with the format and therefore I had to travel into the capital where our Peace Corps Office is so that I could put all the required information into the form. There were some other complications and hiccups, plus the beer at lunch time helped none for motivation. I ended up staying at a friend's for the night so that I could finish work the next day. Now, all I need to do is collect all necessary documents and receipts and send that bad boy in to staff. Yay for a completed project!! (In case you were wondering, this report is for the National Poetry Contest that took place back in May).
While to my great embarrassment I have been checking Facebook and gmail daily, then yesterday I spent two hours gchatting with girlfriends at home, I still have been getting things done that I sought out to do when the Unplug was planned. Most important among those things is spending more time with community members here in Malishka. One of my goals for Year 2 is to spend more time socializing with Armenians, not saving my social hours for Americans. It will also continue helping my language along. Speaking of, I have had a lot of funny language incidents recently.
One came with my little boyfriends who will be in the 5th grade next year ( they have the naivete and energy of boys entering the 3rd grade in America...). My neighbor's son Tigran will come over my house nearly everyday and occasssionally his friend Eric will join him. They enjoy using my electric fly swatter and playing 21 questions. Typically, once I shoo them away they will come barreling up the stairs one last time, just for the thrill of getting yelled at when they reach the top. Once they're really on their way out, they will break roses off the bush in my front yard and shoot them into the kitchen window with Tigran's hand made bow and arrow; which I might add, is pretty impressive...now making me suspicious of who actually made it...anyway, I digress.
The boys love to meet other volunteers who come through town and were particularly infatuated with a boy from Chicago for his desirable good looks (blonde haired, blue eyed boys are admired by all for their Caucasian beauty) and athleticism. Last week, when Eric returned from a little vacation with his family, he and Tigran came for their usual visit. I hadn't seen Eric since the Border2Border team was staying at my house so we had a lot of catching up to do.
But first, a quick lesson in language. In Armenian, if you want to indicate that a person or thing is in a certain location, you add "oom" (Õ¸Ö‚Õ´) to the end of the place. For example, if I wanted to tell my family that I was in Yerevan, not Malishka I would say: "Yes Yerevanum em, hima. Malishkaum chem." (I am in Yerevan, now. I'm not in Malishka). Ok, hopefully you can understand that. I will now give a transcript of my conversation with Eric.
Eric: "Ms. Caroline - do you have a place in Chicago?"
Me: "In Chicago?" (Having not understand that 'chikagoyum', pronounced with a hard 'ch' sound instead of the 'sh' Americans use, was indicating in chicago, thinking instead that it was an object).
Eric: "Yea, you know - like your friends."
Me: "Uh, I don't know Eric."
Eric: "UGH, IN CHICAGO, DO YOU HAVE A PLACE? IN CHICAGO!? IN CHICAGO?!"
Me: "What is this word, I don't know this word 'chikagoyum'... what is it, can you explain?"
Tigran: "ERRRRIIIC, she doesn't understand. But she's from New York."
Me: (Beginning to pick up the gist) "Eric, are you asking me what state I'm from?"
Eric: "Yes. No. I mean, do you have a place in Chicago!?"
Tigran: "No, my brother, she is from New York. Her parents live there."
Eric: "Yea, brother, but does she have a place in Chicago?"
Tigran: "Oh my god, Eric, you're an idiot."
Me: "Ok, Eric, say this word again I will find out what you mean."
Eric: "Chi-ka-go-yum."
Me: "Alright, I'll ask someone."
Tigran: "Ms. Caroline, did you call Kevin yet? I want him to bring us an electric fly swatter like yours, so call him - okay? OKAY?!"
Me: "Yea... I don't know Tigran, maybe. Alright, goodbye youse, I have work to do."
Tigran and Eric: "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH GOODBYE( in English)!!!!!!", as they run out the door and down the stairs.
The next day I met with my student, Christine, who will travel to Texas on August 5th to stay and learn for one year in an American high school. I wanted to take her out for ice cream in Yeghegnadzor and catch up on lost time. If you remember, this is the Malishka gem that I've referred to in the past. She's incredibly intelligent and mature. Even though I am ten years older than her, I admire her in many different ways. On our way back to the village, I remembered my conversation with the boys and decided to ask her about what it meant. As I was trying to remember the exact way that Eric had pronounced it, I ended up using the soft 'sh' that as Americans we use in pronouncing Chicago. The moment it left my mouth, I realized the misunderstanding. Together, Christine and I laughed at this very simple word that got seriously lost in translation.
A couple of days later, my gas tank (with which I cook) emptied. I called my host father Samvell to take care of business, as he so loves. A few hours later he and his friend showed up, took the tank, called the electrician about my dying refrigerator and headed into town. They returned less than an hour later and then took me over to the host family's to do laundry. I was unexpectedly and pleasantly surprised to find Siranush's mother, two sister-in-laws and their beloved family friend Shushan all sitting around the table. I had arrived just in time to be fed (which, lets be honest, is always the case). I didn't realize how much I'd missed tatik's (grandmother's) cooking. When I was living with the family she'd come over a few times a month and cook us a meal. I haven't had her cooking since probably March. She was just as excited to see me as I was her, heating up the food and setting me a place at the table. She didn't sit down until I was totally situated.
Over the next two hours, I sat listening to the women laugh and trade stories. It reminded me of sitting around the table in my Nana's house in Rhode Island as a kid with my cousin, Sara. My mother and her sisters would relish in the company of one another. Sharing stories about their husbands, laughing so hard they cry, reminiscing about ridiculous times from their youth and just like the women at the table in Siranush's house forgetting for a while that they had an audience and talking about...adult subjects. It has been a long time since I sat around listening to my mother and her sisters laugh with one another. It didn't exactly make me homesick, as I simply felt grateful to be a part of a sisterhood like that once again.
It's moments like that when I forget that I am not 'one of them' and feel at home. It's moments like that, when I can see and understand why I am who I am. One of the things I appreciate most about being in Armenia is the very different colored lenses through which I am able to reflect on my life. In general, I am very introspective and reflect on all things that occur in my life, good or bad. I try to understand them fully and intricately. Often times I will be in the midst of a moment or experience here and suddenly memories will come to me, things that I have not thought about in forever. Not that they'd been forgotten, but that they had gotten lost in the mix of things. Generally, they are positive memories. Almost always the thought following the memory is something along the lines of, "God, at that point in time, I would have never imagined my life where it is today. At this table, with these women, in this language, and me - 26 years old. Ha. Weird."
I will continue with my unplug as planned until the 1st of August. Now that the bulk of the grant report work is finished I can sit back and relax. I picked up one of my favorite books, Forever by Pete Hamill, at the Peace Corps Office so I have something to occupy my time with. Some of you should expect letters in the mail, as I have been writing more of those than usual.
Alright my babies, back into my bubble I go. Tell yourself I said, "hi". Then, go buy a nice bottle of dry Sauvignon Blanc and drink it on my behalf. Stare at the stars and moon, and know I do the same every night.
Lovers youse
p.s. Can you (Phil, Crystal, Mom, Dad) give my baby Soleil a kiss for me? Tell her I miss her to death.
While to my great embarrassment I have been checking Facebook and gmail daily, then yesterday I spent two hours gchatting with girlfriends at home, I still have been getting things done that I sought out to do when the Unplug was planned. Most important among those things is spending more time with community members here in Malishka. One of my goals for Year 2 is to spend more time socializing with Armenians, not saving my social hours for Americans. It will also continue helping my language along. Speaking of, I have had a lot of funny language incidents recently.
One came with my little boyfriends who will be in the 5th grade next year ( they have the naivete and energy of boys entering the 3rd grade in America...). My neighbor's son Tigran will come over my house nearly everyday and occasssionally his friend Eric will join him. They enjoy using my electric fly swatter and playing 21 questions. Typically, once I shoo them away they will come barreling up the stairs one last time, just for the thrill of getting yelled at when they reach the top. Once they're really on their way out, they will break roses off the bush in my front yard and shoot them into the kitchen window with Tigran's hand made bow and arrow; which I might add, is pretty impressive...now making me suspicious of who actually made it...anyway, I digress.
The boys love to meet other volunteers who come through town and were particularly infatuated with a boy from Chicago for his desirable good looks (blonde haired, blue eyed boys are admired by all for their Caucasian beauty) and athleticism. Last week, when Eric returned from a little vacation with his family, he and Tigran came for their usual visit. I hadn't seen Eric since the Border2Border team was staying at my house so we had a lot of catching up to do.
But first, a quick lesson in language. In Armenian, if you want to indicate that a person or thing is in a certain location, you add "oom" (Õ¸Ö‚Õ´) to the end of the place. For example, if I wanted to tell my family that I was in Yerevan, not Malishka I would say: "Yes Yerevanum em, hima. Malishkaum chem." (I am in Yerevan, now. I'm not in Malishka). Ok, hopefully you can understand that. I will now give a transcript of my conversation with Eric.
Eric: "Ms. Caroline - do you have a place in Chicago?"
Me: "In Chicago?" (Having not understand that 'chikagoyum', pronounced with a hard 'ch' sound instead of the 'sh' Americans use, was indicating in chicago, thinking instead that it was an object).
Eric: "Yea, you know - like your friends."
Me: "Uh, I don't know Eric."
Eric: "UGH, IN CHICAGO, DO YOU HAVE A PLACE? IN CHICAGO!? IN CHICAGO?!"
Me: "What is this word, I don't know this word 'chikagoyum'... what is it, can you explain?"
Tigran: "ERRRRIIIC, she doesn't understand. But she's from New York."
Me: (Beginning to pick up the gist) "Eric, are you asking me what state I'm from?"
Eric: "Yes. No. I mean, do you have a place in Chicago!?"
Tigran: "No, my brother, she is from New York. Her parents live there."
Eric: "Yea, brother, but does she have a place in Chicago?"
Tigran: "Oh my god, Eric, you're an idiot."
Me: "Ok, Eric, say this word again I will find out what you mean."
Eric: "Chi-ka-go-yum."
Me: "Alright, I'll ask someone."
Tigran: "Ms. Caroline, did you call Kevin yet? I want him to bring us an electric fly swatter like yours, so call him - okay? OKAY?!"
Me: "Yea... I don't know Tigran, maybe. Alright, goodbye youse, I have work to do."
Tigran and Eric: "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH GOODBYE( in English)!!!!!!", as they run out the door and down the stairs.
The next day I met with my student, Christine, who will travel to Texas on August 5th to stay and learn for one year in an American high school. I wanted to take her out for ice cream in Yeghegnadzor and catch up on lost time. If you remember, this is the Malishka gem that I've referred to in the past. She's incredibly intelligent and mature. Even though I am ten years older than her, I admire her in many different ways. On our way back to the village, I remembered my conversation with the boys and decided to ask her about what it meant. As I was trying to remember the exact way that Eric had pronounced it, I ended up using the soft 'sh' that as Americans we use in pronouncing Chicago. The moment it left my mouth, I realized the misunderstanding. Together, Christine and I laughed at this very simple word that got seriously lost in translation.
A couple of days later, my gas tank (with which I cook) emptied. I called my host father Samvell to take care of business, as he so loves. A few hours later he and his friend showed up, took the tank, called the electrician about my dying refrigerator and headed into town. They returned less than an hour later and then took me over to the host family's to do laundry. I was unexpectedly and pleasantly surprised to find Siranush's mother, two sister-in-laws and their beloved family friend Shushan all sitting around the table. I had arrived just in time to be fed (which, lets be honest, is always the case). I didn't realize how much I'd missed tatik's (grandmother's) cooking. When I was living with the family she'd come over a few times a month and cook us a meal. I haven't had her cooking since probably March. She was just as excited to see me as I was her, heating up the food and setting me a place at the table. She didn't sit down until I was totally situated.
Over the next two hours, I sat listening to the women laugh and trade stories. It reminded me of sitting around the table in my Nana's house in Rhode Island as a kid with my cousin, Sara. My mother and her sisters would relish in the company of one another. Sharing stories about their husbands, laughing so hard they cry, reminiscing about ridiculous times from their youth and just like the women at the table in Siranush's house forgetting for a while that they had an audience and talking about...adult subjects. It has been a long time since I sat around listening to my mother and her sisters laugh with one another. It didn't exactly make me homesick, as I simply felt grateful to be a part of a sisterhood like that once again.
It's moments like that when I forget that I am not 'one of them' and feel at home. It's moments like that, when I can see and understand why I am who I am. One of the things I appreciate most about being in Armenia is the very different colored lenses through which I am able to reflect on my life. In general, I am very introspective and reflect on all things that occur in my life, good or bad. I try to understand them fully and intricately. Often times I will be in the midst of a moment or experience here and suddenly memories will come to me, things that I have not thought about in forever. Not that they'd been forgotten, but that they had gotten lost in the mix of things. Generally, they are positive memories. Almost always the thought following the memory is something along the lines of, "God, at that point in time, I would have never imagined my life where it is today. At this table, with these women, in this language, and me - 26 years old. Ha. Weird."
I will continue with my unplug as planned until the 1st of August. Now that the bulk of the grant report work is finished I can sit back and relax. I picked up one of my favorite books, Forever by Pete Hamill, at the Peace Corps Office so I have something to occupy my time with. Some of you should expect letters in the mail, as I have been writing more of those than usual.
Alright my babies, back into my bubble I go. Tell yourself I said, "hi". Then, go buy a nice bottle of dry Sauvignon Blanc and drink it on my behalf. Stare at the stars and moon, and know I do the same every night.
Lovers youse
p.s. Can you (Phil, Crystal, Mom, Dad) give my baby Soleil a kiss for me? Tell her I miss her to death.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Summer Unplug
Today is Thursday, the fourth official day of my summer unplug. Back in the Spring I
had decided it would be good to give myself the sort of isolation/separation
from other American folks that I originally desired when joining the Peace
Corps. I recall talking to my boyfriend at the time about my mother expecting
to speak with me weekly. I thought she was so out of touch for thinking this
was a possibility. He told me that I should expect regular Internet access, and
I thought he was also crazy.
Little did Carolyn know that they were both closer to
reality than she. Yet none of us could have predicted that not only do I have
access to the Internet at all times but I carry around a cell phone that almost
always has service. The sole difference between how plugged-in I am here in
Armenia versus America is that I don’t use a Smartphone. (Which definitely is a
big difference when you consider all the ways a Smartphone can be
utilized). So, what’s the big
problem?
The point I am making is that I still place value in
spending more time in the present, whether it be while you are alone or when
you are with others. Over the last month and a half I have spent most of my
time with other Americans. While it was great meeting Armenians from all over
the south of the country during the Border2Border walk, my social and downtime
was only with other volunteers. I guess you could say I hit my point of
capacity recently. While I was heading home from a weeklong conference with the
group that I came here with back in May of 2012, the light bulb went off in my
head, shouting: UNPLUG!
I was so excited to remember this intent, especially after
the past few emotionally intense weeks. In fact, I was so excited that I nearly
texted my friend just to tell him I wouldn’t be talking to him for three weeks.
I realized that seemed odd, so I waited until I was back in Malishka to send
out an email to friends that I am in touch with a few times or more a week just
so they knew that I was turning off my phone and did not intend to check my
email. I Skyped my parents, my brother Andrew and friend Raivis just to get
some last licks and tell them what was going on so that they didn’t become
concerned when our Sunday skype sesh didn’t happen the next two weeks.
(Speaking of, ya’ll make my Sundays with those calls).
Monday I kept myself busy cleaning the house to prepare for
the upcoming long and slows days that I knew would be a result of the unplug. I
am well versed in summer uplugs. My family’s home in Lake George, New York has
been without reliable Internet and cell phone access forever. (Though, there is
now access to these things it just feels wrong using them). Ever since I was in
high school and could appreciate what it meant to be away from a computer I
have always looked forward to my time at the lake to unplug. It’s so nice not
feeling that you need to answer emails or check your phone every 30 seconds to
make sure you haven’t missed a call, Facebook notification, text message or
forwarded email.
While I have used my phone and the Internet, it has not been
for American social purposes. I made plans with the student from my village (do
you remember that post about my ‘gem’?) who will fly to America on August 5th
to spend a year as a transfer student at an American high school in Texas. I
made plans with my counterpart to go visit her tomorrow and of course have been
in touch with my host family.
The rules are as such:
No calling/texting Americans (exception: birthday phone
calls)
Phone is on only to make outgoing calls, then is switched
off
Facebook is only for contacting Armenians; check/send the
message – get off
You are allowed to post on the blog (but not obsessively check your stats)
You are allowed to return phone calls to your country
Director
You are allowed to get needed work information
You are allowed to make plans to visit someone or for
someone to visit you
You are allowed to watch a television program or movie only
if:
You
have journalled
You
have practiced yoga / ran/ walked
Quotes Of The Week:
“I am SO happy you now know that there’s still time for you
to fill out the survey, Ms. Rodgers!”
“Am I supposed to know what that means by the words you
said?”
“Right now, I’m like a 6 but when I arrive I’ll be about an
8.5. You need to confirm that later, okay?”
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
“WHAT IS THIS?
I MUST PAY MORE THAN $20 A MONTH TO RENT AN APARTMENT!?” (Expectation to
re-adjusting to American life)
“Ah – that was nice.”
“What, making a man cry?”
“No man, being in love.”
Songs Of The Week:
Gravel – Ani Difranco
Hyperballad- Bjork
Green Light- Florence + The Machine
Monday, July 8, 2013
Summertime And The Livin's Easy
Hey There Beautiful/Handsome!
I hope you got your groove on just as I did this past 4th of July. The celebration with my site mates this year blew last year's out of the water. That probably has to do with the fact that we got to call all of the shots. Elisabeth and I put together a traditional American style BBQ, complete with tasty cheeseburgers, pasta salad, beers, chocolate chip cookies, watermelon and my first ever brownies from scratch. I thoroughly enjoyed both preparing for the get-together and the time spent with my site mates - new and old.
Last week, the three volunteers that will officially become Peace Corps Volunteers six weeks from now and then move to Vayots Dzor (the region of Armenia in which I currently reside) were here for four nights. If you have been following my blog since its birth then perhaps you remember my 'site visit' to Malishka. It was the first time Peace Corps felt real, and my first experience without the Peace Corps training wheels. Site visit can be many things, but my current site mates and I made it a point to insure that the new volunteers' visit was memorable in a positive way. Hence, the BBQ Liz and I planned together. After stuffing our faces and sharing a few good laughs, we sent the newbies on their merry way and Lauren, Liz and I got down to business. And by business, I mean a well needed girls-only dance party.
The next day our honorary PCV, Lucy (a Fullbright) came down to stay with Liz and I for the night. She and Liz put together a nice pasta dinner with a tasty homemade alla vodka sauce, the first I've had since being in Armenia ( or possible ever, I don't really think I've ever had homemade alla vodka...). Afterwards, we watched 'Grave Encounters' in the dark, dead of the night. It was both hilarious and thrilling in that thriller/suspense way only bad scary movies can be. The next morning I helped Lucy get on her way down to Kapan. She is in the process of seeing what she can of Armenia before ending her time here and heading back to America. It's been a delight having her here during my service and I look forward to meeting again Stateside.
Later that afternoon, I left Liz at home to meet up with the newbies and my current sitemates. Together we headed down to the river outside of Yeghegnadzor. There is no direct road down to the river and on our way there we had a few hiccups. The final one, was my, Lauren and Rosie's attempt to wade down the river with our backpacks on. Considering I had my speakers and good headphones on me, this maybe wasn't the most well thought-out idea. A half hour or so later we finally met the guys down near the bridge where there is a place to sit around and lounge. Lauren and I decided to get in the water and go for a little swim. She suggested that we ride the current downstream and see where it took us (as least I think that was her suggestion). Lauren is from Colorado and has had far more experience with rivers than oceans, where I am the opposite. Before I knew what was happening I was being pulled quickly downstream. Luckily, I do have faith that I am a strong swimmer so I didn't panic. Yet, I can easily see that having gone in a much worse direction had I not the faith in myself as I do. That shit was no joke!
Good lord! Do I trust the ocean, know the ocean and miss the ocean with all my heart. Sigh.
That same evening, back at home, Liz and I had laid down for bed with a movie on. Around 10:30 she stepped outside for a pee break and heard someone coming up the stairs (but couldn't see him). He heard her and they both stopped. "Carol?", he called out. She came scampering inside saying, "Carolyn - there's a man at your house!" So I ran and grabbed my coverup, then went outside with a hammering heart. "Alo?" I called. "Carol?" my landlord responded. While I was able to exhale, it was still a little disconcerting and took me a second or two to regain my senses. I continued down the steps and asked him what was up. "Look at the bees!" he declared. A week earlier, it had become clear that some bees had made a hive in the outdoor couch downstairs. That evening he had come over to kill them. The hive was about a foot by a foot. An hour and a half later he called for me again- and very proudly presented the massacred hive. I went to bed happy that I no longer had a bee problem nor a man-killing-bugs problem.
The very next day was a children's holiday here in Armenia called Vardavar, or "Water's Day". Essentially, children spend the day outside dousing each other with buckets of water. Last year I did not participate in the festivities - and no I don't have a good reason. But this year - I had Liz with me to join in on the fun. For about an hour we played with the neighborhood kids. I had a really good time and am glad that I let my hair down for a day with the kids.
Tomorrow I will go to Yerevan for yet another, lovely, Peace Corps training/conference. Then on Saturday I will spend the day with my beloved Brian Bokhart, before he leaves the country for good. I am going to miss him to the moon- but more on that next post. My eye lids are beginning to shut and the bugs are driving me crazy!
Songs Of The Week: 'The Sun' The Naked and Famous
'Back To Black' Beyonce & Andre 3000
Quotes Of The Week: "MARIAH!"
I hope you got your groove on just as I did this past 4th of July. The celebration with my site mates this year blew last year's out of the water. That probably has to do with the fact that we got to call all of the shots. Elisabeth and I put together a traditional American style BBQ, complete with tasty cheeseburgers, pasta salad, beers, chocolate chip cookies, watermelon and my first ever brownies from scratch. I thoroughly enjoyed both preparing for the get-together and the time spent with my site mates - new and old.
Last week, the three volunteers that will officially become Peace Corps Volunteers six weeks from now and then move to Vayots Dzor (the region of Armenia in which I currently reside) were here for four nights. If you have been following my blog since its birth then perhaps you remember my 'site visit' to Malishka. It was the first time Peace Corps felt real, and my first experience without the Peace Corps training wheels. Site visit can be many things, but my current site mates and I made it a point to insure that the new volunteers' visit was memorable in a positive way. Hence, the BBQ Liz and I planned together. After stuffing our faces and sharing a few good laughs, we sent the newbies on their merry way and Lauren, Liz and I got down to business. And by business, I mean a well needed girls-only dance party.
The next day our honorary PCV, Lucy (a Fullbright) came down to stay with Liz and I for the night. She and Liz put together a nice pasta dinner with a tasty homemade alla vodka sauce, the first I've had since being in Armenia ( or possible ever, I don't really think I've ever had homemade alla vodka...). Afterwards, we watched 'Grave Encounters' in the dark, dead of the night. It was both hilarious and thrilling in that thriller/suspense way only bad scary movies can be. The next morning I helped Lucy get on her way down to Kapan. She is in the process of seeing what she can of Armenia before ending her time here and heading back to America. It's been a delight having her here during my service and I look forward to meeting again Stateside.
Later that afternoon, I left Liz at home to meet up with the newbies and my current sitemates. Together we headed down to the river outside of Yeghegnadzor. There is no direct road down to the river and on our way there we had a few hiccups. The final one, was my, Lauren and Rosie's attempt to wade down the river with our backpacks on. Considering I had my speakers and good headphones on me, this maybe wasn't the most well thought-out idea. A half hour or so later we finally met the guys down near the bridge where there is a place to sit around and lounge. Lauren and I decided to get in the water and go for a little swim. She suggested that we ride the current downstream and see where it took us (as least I think that was her suggestion). Lauren is from Colorado and has had far more experience with rivers than oceans, where I am the opposite. Before I knew what was happening I was being pulled quickly downstream. Luckily, I do have faith that I am a strong swimmer so I didn't panic. Yet, I can easily see that having gone in a much worse direction had I not the faith in myself as I do. That shit was no joke!
Good lord! Do I trust the ocean, know the ocean and miss the ocean with all my heart. Sigh.
That same evening, back at home, Liz and I had laid down for bed with a movie on. Around 10:30 she stepped outside for a pee break and heard someone coming up the stairs (but couldn't see him). He heard her and they both stopped. "Carol?", he called out. She came scampering inside saying, "Carolyn - there's a man at your house!" So I ran and grabbed my coverup, then went outside with a hammering heart. "Alo?" I called. "Carol?" my landlord responded. While I was able to exhale, it was still a little disconcerting and took me a second or two to regain my senses. I continued down the steps and asked him what was up. "Look at the bees!" he declared. A week earlier, it had become clear that some bees had made a hive in the outdoor couch downstairs. That evening he had come over to kill them. The hive was about a foot by a foot. An hour and a half later he called for me again- and very proudly presented the massacred hive. I went to bed happy that I no longer had a bee problem nor a man-killing-bugs problem.
The very next day was a children's holiday here in Armenia called Vardavar, or "Water's Day". Essentially, children spend the day outside dousing each other with buckets of water. Last year I did not participate in the festivities - and no I don't have a good reason. But this year - I had Liz with me to join in on the fun. For about an hour we played with the neighborhood kids. I had a really good time and am glad that I let my hair down for a day with the kids.
Tomorrow I will go to Yerevan for yet another, lovely, Peace Corps training/conference. Then on Saturday I will spend the day with my beloved Brian Bokhart, before he leaves the country for good. I am going to miss him to the moon- but more on that next post. My eye lids are beginning to shut and the bugs are driving me crazy!
Songs Of The Week: 'The Sun' The Naked and Famous
'Back To Black' Beyonce & Andre 3000
Quotes Of The Week: "MARIAH!"
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