GLOW

Dear Friends,

After living in Armenia for nearly nine months, I have witnessed a critical gender gap that is seldom addressed in Armenian society. I am proud to work with the Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) program this coming summer to address this issue. GLOW offers adolescent girls life-changing self-development opportunities in a fun and friendly atmosphere. The girls will have a chance to explore issues they are concerned about, learn new skills and tools to enhance their self-development, discover their full potential, and become active contributors of Armenia’s evolving society. This will be the fourth year of GLOW in Armenia. The GLOW project has already received feedback about the positive impact on former participants. If this program is not implemented, no other young women in Armenia will have the opportunity to grow and change through the GLOW program keeping the status-quo for rural women. GLOW is a leadership program for young Armenian women, ages 13-16. The program begins with residential summer school, giving 50 participants the opportunity to work in a team based setting to explore topics such as personal development, gender, career planning, health, HIV/AIDS, peer education, human rights and leadership. After the summer school participants hold peer education sessions in their communities, contribute to the GLOW newsletters, and help organize regional reunions and follow up seminars during the year for other young women. The project is a strong cooperation of a local organization Stepanavan Youth Center and U.S. Peace Corps volunteers.

Without donations, this opportunity for girls across Armenia is not possible. Please consider donating through the following (tax-deductible) link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=305-068

To read more about the success of the GLOW project, follow these links:
http://www.america.gov/st/develop-english/2009/October/20091023163949berehellek8.436221e-02.html
http://www.irex.am/eng/newsroom/womancamps.html

Thanks for your support,
Maggie

For the Love of Culture

Barev dzez,

This week I have had several exciting cultural exchanges so I thought I'd take the time to share them with the internet world (or the few people that read this blog). It's the cultural experiences here that I'll remember forever and that make the challenging days so much better.

Trndez: Trndez is an old Pagan holiday. Armenians light fires in their yards to welcome the coming of Spring. It also symbolizes luck for newlyweds, and hopes for childbearing. It is custom to jump over the fire with family and friends for good luck. There is also a traditional dish eaten on this day of popcorn and wheat. Trndez which means toward a meeting with the Lord, is also 40 days after the Armenian Christmas and can now be justified to have some Christian meaning as well. I celebrated this holiday with the Sevan Youth Club.


Saint Sarkis Day: This holiday is all about making predictions of marriage, something I notice Armenians doing every day of the year. Single girls eat a salty treat, aghablit, and go to bed thirsty. They hope to dream a vision of their future husband bringing them water in their sleep. My counterpart gave me a aghablit to eat but unfortunately there was no man in my dreams last night...is that a sign? They also make a porridge dish, khashil, in which girls take a bite and then leave it on the roof at night. If it is gone in the morning, perhaps a bird took it to the house of an eligible young man for you.

Valentine's Day: This western holiday is starting to gain popularity in Armenia, although frowned upon by the church for it's root in business, not religion. I celebrated this day by talking about love to my English classes and telling them how we celebrate this day in the U.S. Then we made Valentine's which were pretty hilarious. How come most 7th grade boys cannot say a thing to me in English (after studying since the 3rd grade) but they know sayings like: "I need you, I want to kiss you, etc." I think that's an indicator of some sort..


I also baked cookies for my co-workers, neighbors, and well, mostly myself. In Armenian culture, it is seen as rude to give back a plate empty. So when my neighbors returned my plate, I was given sweet rolls. How sweet!

You Say Potato, I Say Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Hingali - Georgian dumplings filled with meat, cheese, potato, or other things.




Piroshki- fried dough filled with potato and herbs

Finding Comfort in Armenia

Barev Dzez!

First of all, I'd like to apologize because procrastination has gotten the best of me this winter. I really want to make it a goal to update my blog on a more regular basis. I am coming on 8 months in country. It is hard to believe that I only have a year and a half to go. Before, I couldn't do the whole counting down thing. I couldn't imagine being away from all my familiarities for 27 months, 25 months, or even 20 months. Now, 18 months? Completely manageable.

I haven't been as productive as I would like to be but I feel settled and comfortable in Sevan and ready to begin the work. I am growing more and more comfortable staying at my site; the excitement of meeting up with other Americans has somewhat died down. And as Peace Corps Armenia has changed somewhat in the past few months (Youth Development will be replacing the Community Health and Enviornmental Education sectors), I too have changed my role as a volunteer. I will be teaching English as a main assignment and at a different school in town. I look forward to the new challenge and feel I can really do some better work in that role.

I have finally recovered from the New Year. It was fun, exhausting, and filling! On the night of the 31st we set the table with overloads of food and waited until midnight. Then, we popped the champagne and had a family feast. Fifteen minutes later, I was ready for bed! The following week, I had to visit my host family's relatives and friends, eating on average 3 feasts a day. Each meal, like the others, started with a toast and ended with sliced fruit and homemade pastries. Two common themes around the table were: "You don't eat meat? What about BBQ meat? Chicken? Aren't you hungry?" and "How is New Year's celebrated in America?"

To counteract the calories brought on by New Year, I have started focusing on my fitness a little more, with the help of my site mate. We are taking free boxing lessons at the Culture House (perhaps I shouldn't say free; I have compromised my "Armenian womanliness" and my back is aching).

I also found an apartment to move into after our Project and Design Management conference in a couple weeks. I look forward to the freedom of grocery shopping, bare feet, and showers on a more regular basis. However, I will miss living with the best family in Sevan (pictured below).



*** To everyone who has sent cards, letters, and care packages over the holidays, thank you so much. Know that you are appreciated and reading your well wishes and updates about life back home brings a smile to me! I love you all! ***

I'm thinking.

Each day here I am learning and growing. Once I gather some thoughts and have the time after the New Year festivities settle down, I will write some of it down...or rather type, I guess.

Happy 2011,

Maggie

"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone elses hands, but not you."

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.