Holiday Season arrives...subtly.

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone and it still doesn't quite feel like the holidays here. Every year in the U.S., Christmas items go on sale earlier and earlier (or at least that is the small talk in grocery stores). Here in Sevan, there is one person at the market selling a limited amount of tinsel, small Christmas trees, and some "Dzmer Papik" (Santa Claus) items. I have a red ribbon hanging in my room and listen to Christmas carols when I get the chance, hoping that I feel some of the warmth that the Christmas season usually brings. Here, Christmas is celebrated on January 6th but the real excitement comes for New Year. I look forward to sharing with you all the Armenian traditions that I will experience here on December 31st.

My two site mates and a couch surfer prepared a Thanksgiving meal (Turkey-free) for my family. It was good food and good friendship. Below is a picture of my host mother and I on Thanksgiving. She is sneaking some bites of my Grandmother's Corn Pudding recipe before dinner.

A little taste...

One of my favorite dishes here is a "Vinaigrette Salad" which usually includes kidney beans, beets, herbs, onions, and whatever else the woman feels like throwing in! In this picture, you can see it accompanied with some homemade bread and a cup of tea...staples in my life here.

I'm Dreaming of a White...Halloween?!

This past week was Fall Break and I fully took advantage of my time off. Besides for visiting the capital, Yerevan, I have not had the chance (or funds) to travel around the country. Monday-Wednesday I visited friends in Martuni, a small town about an hour south of me. While some worked productively on a Sport Seminar, I caught up on movie watching, cards, and knitting.

Early Saturday morning I set out on an adventure to the South of Armenia…and an adventure it was! We took a four hour winding, taxi ride through orchards and beautiful mountainous terrain. About fifteen of us volunteers spent the night in a cave off of my friend Katie’s small village. Costume contest, scavenger hunt, and attempted fires ensued. The next morning when the bus driver refused to take the trip to the cave to pick us up, we were forced to walk uphill for an hour in a snow flurry! That’s right; Armenia had its first snow on October 31st. What a way to spend Halloween! After being used to the Sevan scenery for a few months now, this trip restored my faith that this is a beautiful place to live for a couple years and has potential for lots of adventures.

Tonight I will spend celebrating my brother’s last night in Armenia for 5-6 months. He leaves for Russia tomorrow morning and my father will soon follow. Then it is back to work for a few weeks. Ideas are flowing and I hope I can accomplish something at my work before winter comes in at full force.

Fall-ing Into Routine

Barev dzez:

I am really starting to feel at home in my host family and I think the feeling is mutual. At first, I found it hard to go about my daily routine without a "You can't do that!" Now, I think my family is getting used to my silly American ways and I am more comfortable standing up for myself and telling them, "I am different, I am American."
The subject of moving out was brought up this week. They decided it would be better for me to wait until Spring or Summer to move out because of harsh winters. Unfortunately, it was my plan to move out as soon as Peace Corps allows in December. Also, my host mom mentioned that since her husband and son will be going off to work in Russia in the next couple weeks, that she would be too lonely if I left too. This should be a difficult obstacle to overcome. I want to be on good terms with my family so I can frequently visit but I am so excited to live on my own. I think it will be easier to meet people if I live more in town. I will have more neighbors and live by the teachers and students in my school. Plus, with winter quickly approaching, a 5 minute walk to school sounds much more enticing than the 20 minute walk I have now.
School life has also felt much more comfortable as I am starting to fall into routine. I only go 15-20 hours a week because it is mentally exhausting to listen, speak, and discipline in Armenian for too many hours in one day! I feel much more relaxed at school now and am starting to get to know some of the children. This week, my site mate and I are starting after school aerobic clubs for 7th grade girls (think Zumba or Jazzercise). We will have a club at her school on Tuesdays and at mine on Wednesdays. I think this will make my work experience so much better!
Although it may seem like my life here is falling into place, there are daily ups and downs, which of course is expected in these first months as a volunteer. It is not the lack of showers, uncomfortable beds, or poorly paved roads that ruin my shoes that are the difficult things. Missing the familiarities of home from Chicago to Cedar Falls and everything and everyone in between is the hard part.
Yes karotum em dzez:
(I miss you all.)
~Maggie

"Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow."
- Anonymous

Chigitem:

Barev dzez! I cannot believe it's already been a month since my last blog post! I appologize for not being the most productive writer but procrastination seems to have followed me all the way to Armenia! To be honest, there has not been too much to update everyone about this month but I'll try to make this interesting...

September 1st is National Knowledge Day, also known as the first day of school every year here. The school day started out with the older girls singing to the anxious crowd of students and ended with a televised oath taken by the teachers. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I vowed to...maybe next year's 09/01 I'll understand what they are saying.

Since school has started, I have been awkwardly following around my two counterparts, a P.E. teacher and a Life Skills/Healthy Lifestyle's teacher. I have never been in a more consistent state of confusion and awkwardness in my entire life. The school schedule changes daily so I never know where I am going. They do not have a lunch period here and it is also considered rude to eat in front of other teachers. For those of you who know me, that is a huge problem...I love food...frequently. I have to find ways to sneak food and it's probably really creepy of me but I need my dose of energy to deal with those rowdy kids!

So five weeks have passed since all the A-18s moved to their permanent sites. This meant that all of us were allowed to leave our sites and travel in country. A few of us organized a little reunion in my town. We rented cabins on the lake which seemed like a great idea...until it rained continuously. Nevertheless, it was still a fun weekend and great to see all the other Americans. Over half of our group of 55 came.

This coming weekend, the health and environmental volunteers who work in schools have a conference with our counterparts. It will be good to bond a little with my Armenian counterpart and find out how we can work together in the coming 23 months.

*Chigitem: = I don't know.
This is the story of my life.

Settling in...

Barev everyone!

I have resided in my permanent site for one week now. I have established a routine of morning tea and a run with my site mate Kathryn. The run is excellent because we are becoming familiar with the town (and working away the bread calories). Yesterday, we stumbled across a tiny village connected to Sevan and also a brewery. Today, we ran to the beach. Some days I have spent at home reading and playing games with my 12 year old host sister and some I go to the main strip and try to meet new people. I think I really lucked out on a site. It is a 30 minute walk to the lake and the main street in town is lined with markets and shops. Yesterday, an Armenian said that tourists always declare Sevan has "a little touch of Europe." Today, I worked up the nerve to call my counterpart (work partner) and the conversation went as follows (in Armenian):

Maggie Jan, Are you good?

Me: Yes I am good, are you good?

Yes, I am good.

Me: Good, I am in Sevan now.

Good, what are you doing?

Me: Ahh..ummm…nothing. Are you good?

Yes I am good. Are you good?

Me: Good. Can we meet next week?

I don’t understand.

Me: When do you start work?

On the 19^th.

Me: Ok I will call close to the 19^th. Goodbye

Thanks for calling Maggie Jan.

Me: Thank you, goodbye

Successes of the week:
Met with an English/IT NGO
Met director of the Culture Building and saw their museum, dance studio, and theater
Found out about social services offered through the Mayor's office
Made bruscetta for the first time
Bought items to make bruscetta at the markets
Understood a joke in Armenian
Memorized 40 and counting Armenian words

Called my counterpart
...and pretty sure I don't smell after 6 days without a shower

We did it!

August 5, 2010
I, Maggie ........
do solemnly affirm
that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic
that I take this obligation freely
without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion,
and that I will well and faithfully discharge my duties in the Peace Corps.