My Site Visit

Barev!

This weekend I took a break from language classes, technical training, and cow stampedes to visit Sevan, Armenia. Come August, this will be my home for two years. If you have Google imaged Armenia, you have probably noticed one big lake, Lake Sevan. I will be living on the NW side of the lake. Supposedly it is one of the coldest places in Armenia (but also gorgeous). The town has a population of roughly 22,000 which I feel is more suited to me than a small village community. There will be two other Peace Corps volunteers living in my town.

I will work at the largest school in Sevan, a 20 minute walk from my home, team teaching the National Healthy Lifestyles curriculum (for 8th and 9th graders), a Life Skills class (not really sure what that is), and Physical Education. It is hard enough for me to seperate the Anahits from the Armiks so volunteering in a school with 750 students and 75 teachers should be interesting. My counterparts and school director had me in for coffee and seem really nice. If they learn to speak at my kindergarten Armenian level, then things might be perfect.

The family that I will be living with in Sevan (for at least the first 4 months) is completely different from my current village family. My host mother is Ukrainian and my father and brother will be working in Russia during the school year. I have a 25 year old sister who speaks English and an adorable 12 year old sister. I'm trading in farm animals for a potato farm (fine by me). The women of the family are great cooks. My host sister even mentioned getting spices in Yerevan so we can make some Mexican food together! I look forward to starting a semi-permanent life here soon.