I know many of you are wondering “What the heck is Ashley
doing in Armenia? I mean, it’s been nearly A MONTH and she's hardly posted
ANYTHING.” Well dear readers, I do apologize for my lack of contact. Needless
to say, I have been all kinds of busy trying to learn how I will navigate the
next two years of my life. A life that is filled with a plethora of new faces, a
new language, a new alphabet, new work, new expectations, new ideas of
normalcy, and new meshes of emotions.
I moved in with my host family on May 29th and
was greeted with open arms. The village has a total population of about 520 and
everyone lives very close. My host mother and father are extremely kind people
who always ensure that my comfort level is high and my belly is full. And just
a couple of weeks ago, I was greeted with three new faces in my household: my
host mother and father’s daughter-in-law and her two sons, aged 10 and 3; they
will remain here for the summer. There is a large diaspora of Armenians living
in Russia (and elsewhere) due to lack of work. My host mother and father’s son
is a part of that, and he is staying in Russia to continue to work.
There is hardly a time where there is nothing going on at
home; my mom is continuously working in the garden, milking the cow, making
cheese or juices, cooking, or doing dishes….or having a little coffee break. My
host father raises bees and up until about a week ago, we had 40 beehives in
our front yard. However, every summer they get taken to orchards near Lake
Sevan and remain there until fall. It is my understanding that these (I
believe) apricot orchards are very rich in floral life, so the honey production
is increased dramatically. My host father sells his honey all over, which has
gone as far as France!
My host mom making strawberry juice while her great-nieces watch
Michael-jan raving about the excellent coffee (it really is the best coffee I've ever had!)
Bees!!
We also have a plethora of vegetation growing in our yard:
cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, cherries, walnuts, beans, greens,
and a variety of others. We also have a cow, about nine chickens, and four
pigs. Needless to say, my host parents stay very busy ensuring all is
well-kept.
While my host parents work on the farm and in the house, my
daily life consists of waking up at about 7:15ish and having a hot shower
(woo-hoo! I’m embracing this while I can) and a wonderful spread of food for
breakfast. I’ve attempted to tell my host mom that I don’t need so much food
for breakfast, but I always receive bread, butter, and fresh honey, cucumber
tomato salad, fresh cheese, and some combination of meats, eggs, cream of
wheat, and/or oatmeal. In addition, I have tea or hot cocoa. Then my host
mother asks if I want coffee (which means coffee, chocolates, and any other
fruit or pastries that are available). Usually, I don’t have enough time to
enjoy this and head off to school.
There are three other PC Trainees in my language class. This
class is held at the local school which is complete with seven rooms total,
including the principal’s office. We
generally have class from 9AM-1PM six days per week. This means we’ve covered a
LOT of information in a relatively short time period. My retention has been
lacking in places, but overall I think I’m doing alright. After language, we
all leave to our respective homes for lunch. Lunch is very much like breakfast
but instead of the cream of wheats, eggs, and/or oatmeal, I get beans,
potatoes, soup and/or cooked greens in addition to the standard table spread
(bread, cheese, butter, honey, salad). After lunch, I usually have enough time
to have coffee and sweets and engage (at some level) in conversation with
whomever happens to be present; sometimes it’s just myself and my host mother,
but other times neighbors visit and join in on coffee and conversation.
After lunch, all the trainees in my town travel to a nearby
town where we meet up with others in my program (Community and Youth
Development) for tech training. Each day, we have a different presenter provide
us with information regarding governance and leadership, organizational
management, or other information which may be useful to us once we move to
site.
We then go back home for yet another meal and evenings are
generally spent with family and friends, and for me, more studying and
homework.
I’ve grown pretty accustomed to life here. We have a washing
machine, so laundry is pretty easy, we have a toilet (which we have to bucket
flush, but I’m not complaining), and like I said earlier, I have hot water for
showers. My room is fantastic and complete with a comfortable bed, a coffee
table and couch, and a vanity.
My bedroom
The main room in our home
The beautiful wood inlay floor
Tomorrow I learn where I will be placed for my
permanent site. I am extremely anxious to learn about the town and organization
that I will be spending the next two years of my life with. Thursday and Friday
I will have the opportunity to meet my counterpart (the person whom I will be
working with most closely throughout my service) and over the weekend, I will
be in my new town with my new host family.
I know this post is extremely long, so kudos if you’ve got
this far. I will definitely post again once I know a bit more about my
assignment , site, and new host family. Shnorhakalutoon for reading and please
stay tuned for more!
