Alas Spring!

Love the snow~ :) This is me trying to cross countriy ski!

As I write, I am reclined in my bed, unmovable, wearing three layers of shirts, topped off with no socks and a pair of shorts. It is a beaming 55 degrees in my home and maybe a blazing 33 degrees outside as it late at night. You may ask, “Why in the world are you in shorts, Syd?” followed by “Why are you unmovable”? Let me explain….

With the fresh sunlight and the snow starting to melt, there is a psychological sense that a warm front have moved in. Plus, the Armenian celebrate spring the first of March (always fun to celebrate a month or two in advance)thus, the freedom of shorts, instead of long johns creates some time of freedom for my legs. After this exposure to “leg freedom” I ventured out (in three layers) for the first time since the marathon (Nov 4th) and ran for 40 minutes a couple of days ago and then repeated the action as it “felt so good”. So my legs are sore as heck, and I am enjoying the warm front that has rolled in. Its stay may be short, so I am soaking up the sun before the next snow storm rolls through.

With the snow melting, the village has become to what I refer to as a Hershey Kisses Swimming Pool, without the sweet taste. The roads are massive puddles of water and mud, making them impassable. But for me, if there is challenge I will try. That I have been doing until yesterday, when I literally fell into one of these Hershey Chocolate Swimming Pools. It was dark and my flashlight could not embrace the greatness of this lake of mud. I just decided to swim across. When I got home, little water remained, but I managed to clean my self spick and span with just one bucket of water. Which leads to me….

…to talk about the professional development skills I have learned in the PC that, unfortunately, has no room on a traditional CV or resume:
Walking on Ice…yes it doing and a hard feat to do. I have achieved it!
Bathing…Not only do I bath by bucket twice a week (on a lucky week) but I have found how to conserve water. I bath in my rinsing water from my laundry. I have gotten more compliments of how beautiful I look after I did this, so I continue to save my rinse water.
Giradia….it is my best friend and it follows me everywhere, always providing company!
Petting….I have developed a strong tolerance for allowing unknown children to pet and touch me because I am different. It is so amusing! J
Toasts…You have a holiday or celebrating in the next couple of months! Call on any PCV who can flatter you with the most amazing words in Armenian or English!

Perspective. Perspectives.

So what have I been up to since I have last written? Well, I with some fellow American comrades, took a adventure up to northern Armenia for a weekend full of cross country skiing. The area up there was plummeted with snow, which make the “falls” much more soothing. The six of us were trained and coached by former USSR cross country skiing champions, as well as two-time Olympic champions. I definitely have come out as a better skier, that is for sure! The couple was fabulous and so were their children. They were patient, gave us their home for the weekend, and it was one of the most endearing culture exchanges I have ever experienced, and it is special to me as it was done through a beloved colleague of me: sport.

Before the skiing journey, my counterpart and I participated in a program management and design conference as trainers. My counterpart did such an amazing job throughout the conference! I was so proud of her! Her confidences soared as she tackled this national conference, using our grant working experiences, and her people skills! In the evening, there was some free time. My friends, Heather, Warren and I gathered an Armenian troop and taught them how to play Skip-Bo. It was a blast for all, but I think my winning Skip-Bo has been hindered, as a bunch of rookies beat me out! J

For the juicy part, Armenia had its president elections on February 19th. The prime minister, Serj Sargsyan came out as the victor, though some would argue it was an unfair outcome. There were peaceful protests, gathering hundreds of thousands of people in the capital of Yerevan. Then suddenly, the peace ended on March 1st, with a dispute breaking the tranquility, and a pure riot broke out, leaving over hundred injured, eight dead, cars flipped and burnt, stores broken into and looted, and a complete mess of Yerevan streets. There was been a state of emergency declared until March 22nd, with military and soldiers patrolling the streets, and tanks lining the center of town. I am told by friends both Armenian and American who live in Yerevan, that the situation in Yerevan has been and is quite stressful, depressing, and sad. All I really know is that the Peace Corps had given no permission to be in or by Yerevan for the past month and the alert recently ended. As of now, the President has sworn in (April 9th) and things seem to be going well.

I didn’t know if you had heard about this situation, as my friends and family in Nebraska heard the news from me, but in other heavily populated areas in America, with an Armenian congregation, it was front page news. It is a cheerless event for the country; however, I cannot comment an opinion, because in my village, things could not be more normal. Our classes were never interrupted. The country’s transportation was stopped for a couple of days to the capital city, but that really no had effect here. The only effect I saw was that more villagers must have been making more cakes or eating eggs, because it was the only time since I have been in Armenia that I could find some eggs! :) This could be just a random correlation, but it happened.

So with this situation, it has been interesting to see how involved Yerevan has been in my service. For me to reach any other part of the country, I have to go to Yerevan to catch the transport. We have a international writing contest going on and we cannot collect the entries from other sites who sent them to Yerevan. Meetings have been delayed, cancelled, rescheduled, etc. Plus some of my really good pals live in Yerevan and I have not been able to see them. Yerevan is like a little outlet for us PCVs. It has restaurants, showers, warmth, and meltable cheese. There is no doubt that I could live without Yerevan, but it is quite funny to reflect and really how much I have used Yerevan in the past.

Speaking of reflection, wow, I cannot believe that there is only four more months of service left. I have been thinking about it, but the villagers have really brought up the topic lately. March 8th is celebrated as Women’s Day and it is heavily celebrated. Many students wrote little holidays cards, with asking me to stay forever. Cute, eh? Then toasts were made, and eventually ended up with a plea for me to stay. It is funny, being trapped in the village without travel permission for the past two months or so, I have really hung out with the villagers on a more regular basis. The people mean the world to me and thinking of not living in Armenia is a distressing thought. These individuals stopped their lives to allow some random goodie tissue kid from the US to live with them; to become part of their daily routines; part of their families. They do so, with great patience, as we are constantly learning the language, having culture faux; I feel as if we come, have an influence on each other, and then leave. There is no doubt in me that these friendships will last, however it does pose the question of “do we really intrude as PCVs?” We come and go with our returns being years ago due to financial reasons. We assist and help in ways that we can, but in the end, and I was SO NAÏVE to this; the PCV gains so much out of the experience. I am taking more from this experience that what I have felt I have offered to the Armenian population. My sole goal to come here was to help. I realized how fortunate I was in the States, and I wanted to pay these actions forward. However, the Armenians have me beat because I don’t think I can ever repay them for the life lessons they have taught me. It is weird, to have a goal that needs to be achieved, only to find out that the receivers of your goal have in turn become the givers, and you, the giver, have become a receiver.

Phew, touchy moment there, but this is a common PC story, and as this experience has been shared between all of us…you all deserve the right to know.
So lastly, you may be asking yourself a final question, “Hummm, only four months left? What in the world is Syd going to do after Armenia? Will she go and save penguins in Antarctica?”

No, my dear Lindsey, I won’t be venturing down to the South Pole to help our dear flipper friends who are suffering from an alternate environment due to global warming. It is quite appealing, and it is a list of things I would like to do, but it is not my calling for the next five years or so….

But things are in action, and options have been confirmed. I am headed to the Philippines in August to serve as a lecture and teacher trainer of English in a college. I am swamping snow for humidity and typhoons! J Again it will be a 27 month commitment full of language training, cultural interactions, and adaptations of a new way of life; everything in which I am excited about. Through this experience in Armenia and the support I have received back home; the journey ahead in clear, challenging, and enchanting. I am certain that I have made the correct decision to keep paying forward the goodness I have received just being born in the United States, having wonderful parents, a great family, and unbelievable friends. I am just riding the wave of life and it is wicked fun!

Bless be the Groundhog. Candy and Hearts. Love to the US Presidents. Yah Spring! Happy Easter. May Day or Bust. Love the Moms!!!!

Peace, loves, hugs, and bless meltable cheese,
Syd
Happy Birthdays: Dad, Rebecca, Eileen, Eloise, Connie, Whitney, Cliff, Jamie, Lindy, Dave (late), Moni, Kristen, Mary, Aunt Barb, Upchuck Katie, PC Nancy
Happy Anniversary: Mom and Dad, Upchuck Katie, Laurel

Pictures

Go Marathon!

We watched this sunset on Santorini Island! How beautiful! This is sunset from my village.

The Marathon crew in front of the Akropolis in Athens. Jamie and I found the cereal aisle in Athens. We had cereal four times a day! :)

I cut my hair and bathed for New Years. My host bro took this "flattering" picture of me :)

Happy New Year

Howdy from the bitter cold of Armenia! I hope this update finds you all warm and happy as 2008 is in full gear! With my water pipes frozen and little warmth, my friend cut my hair….check it out! (PS, I did not edit this, so sorry for grammar error).

The holiday season was much more eventful this year. On December 19th, a couple of PCVs and I were chatting about what we were going to do for the holidays. Soon, it was decided that we would gather at my place. With that said, I did not have any heat in my home, and thinking that others would not want to bring layers and layers of clothing to stay warm, I decided to by a gas heater. It was definitely the best investment of 2008 as my two rooms average about 55F rather than 30F! My kitchen and toilet area, however, well, let’s just say your breath can be seen J

The holiday was spent with my dear PCV friends, a small gathering of us, as well as some of my Armenian co-workers. We sang, ate, celebrated, and rejoiced. Not one present was opened, though Santa Claus via Strongsville, Ohio, found his way to my home on Christmas morning. Thank you Santa J My Armenian co-workers speak English, but of course, we us PCVs gather, we speak so quickly and probably with a lot of slang. The Armenians told me that now they understand how us Americans feel when we go through the Armenian celebrations. We understand, but not everything J it was a nice culture exchange to say the least.

School let out December 23rd to January 21st. The New Year holiday is the biggest event in Armenia. It is truly celebrated for two straight weeks! It is common to lay a table of delicious fruits, nuts, traditional foods of kufta (smashed meat), and dolma (meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves or cabbage), lots of vodka, champagne, wine, and soda. I think you get my drift. It is quite a festival toasting to all the joys in the world. I visited over 20 homes and with that I consumed God only knows how much food! However, I can give you just a dolma estimate…about five dolma per home…yah, 100 dolma not even counting all the other things I consumed ;)

It was a blast with no sleep for the first couple of days. Christmas Day is celebrated on January 6th commemorating the old holiday. There is about a four hour church service and it is one of the few days in which holy water is given to the congregation.

During this time, I went back to my training village and spent a couple of days with my first host family, whom I love dearly! We had a wonderful time and I ate too much! In one day, I had four types of khoravats (like barbeque) and needless to say, my body couldn’t’ handle it! L

I also visited some other PCVs and some came down my way for work and of course social gathering. Not doubt, most of my time was spent in the village; also preparing for the Armenian National Spelling Bee, Inter-Caucasus Writing Olympics, fixing an English classroom at school, and working on various summer camp curricula. The time has really passed by quickly, that is for sure.

Other news, is that I have been selected to serves as a Pre-Departure Orientation Teacher for the FLEX (Future Leaders’ Exchange) in which I will prepare the out-going Armenian students about American families, friends, society, school systems, and cultural. This program is offered to the Eurasia countries in which in-coming 10th form students will study in the US for free under the finance of the US government. It is a wonderful program which students get a chance to live in a democratic society, learn about volunteerism, share cultures, and live in the experience. I am really excited about this opportunity and I cannot wait to start the work. It will require one week training in Moscow in April, followed by a summer two-week program for the students in which I will team-teach with a FLEX Alumni. It will be a great learning experience for all those involved.

So it is 2008, that means that my two years of service is in its final leg, so to speak. August 2008 I will be on my way back to the soil of the US, for some time that is. I am not for sure what the future holds, but my options are open. I will say, that this international education and cross culture experience is quite intriguing to me and I would like to find ways in which I could continue this path. Learning to understand each other is just a beginning, experiencing this exchange has a chance to change the world, and I enjoy being apart of this exhilarating ride! But no worries, no matter what, I will be US bound in August.

I cannot believe that PC Headquarters is already choosing the Armenian PCVs for the coming year. It is nuts how fast time flies when one gets older….is that a good thing?

I thank all of you who sent cards, packages, and nice words via internet during the holidays. It really touches my heart that you all think of me. The holidays, without a doubt, can be the toughest part of service. However, your thoughts make the time pass with warm and tender feelings.

Having a year to reflect, I cannot believe some of the quantitative goals I have achieved. Never would I have thought I would go to Egypt and wonders of the world; attempt to scuba dive; win three grants for various projects; successfully implement five environmental camps throughout the country; see Georgia and the Black Sea with dear friends; have my parents cross US borders to visit my life and me; implement various new activities at school; train for a marathon with the support from everyone in the village; complete a marathon; and so much more. Though it had its difficulties, 2007 provided me with a memorable year with lots of Kodak moments. I hope that you all have time to think about your 2007 and see what you have accomplished and what challenges you faced that will bring a new light in 2008!

Here’s to you and 2008!
Syd
Happy Birthdays: Dave C, Linda W. Becca (hey rooomie), Dad
Happy Anniversary: Katie! One year! Way to go Upchuck!
Late Bday: Lorin, Bobby
New baby: Cicely and Devard J

Tis the Season for YakTrax!

It’s YakTrax Season!

For all you rookies out there, it is officially the season of YakTrax. If you have no idea what “Yaktrax” means, you must not live in a land full of snow and ice! YakTrax are rubber metal shoe things that you put on the bottom of your shoes. This little shoe slipper thing easily shapes your shoes/boots and provides incredible amount of traction. In short, I am just informing you all that the snow has fallen, the ice is residing, and winter has been in full gear for a month in Armenia, or at least where I am. That means that there are only 5.5, yes, 5.5 months of winter left!

On a more random note, to conserve water and body heat, I have cut my hair! It is short and so easy! All I do is put some paste and mess up the hair and I am in style! The kids at school love it! They think it is funny, but then they tell me it suits me! Nevertheless, the villagers are not even too surprised with me; they just find me interesting, lovable, and weird. What a package eh? :P

As I always state, time is flying by, and I cannot believe it. There is just so much to do! I just had a fall spelling bee at my school last weekend. It was great to see the improvement from the students from only 6 months ago. This year, we will be hosting the 2nd National Spelling, and I am one of three people implementing this event. Not only that, but we are also implementing a creative writing contest to start at the local levels, and spread to a Trans-Caucasus contest. Critical and creative thinking and writing skills have been used frugally, and using a contest always helps with the incentive to write at a deeper level. The end result of this contest is going to be much more beneficial as the three countries; Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia will have a booklet produced of the winning essays. It is a nice way to increase neighborly relations.

In case you haven’t heard, I am trapped in Armenia. All borders around Armenia are closed off; as the most recent border closing of Georgia is due to their Presidential elections will be held in early January. So needless to say, I was not planning on going to Georgia or anything, but just found the concept of being trapped quite entertaining for the time being.

In the village, with many thanks to various contributors, we are reconstructing an English Learning Lab at my school. We have started the process, and are laying the floor and putting in windows this week. The cement and rocks have arrived, and the dirty work is soon to begin. As you may have guessed, I can’t wait to help! On another note, I have been very active in editing and recreating summer camp curricula for various camps to be held this summer. I love this work and I still get the goose bumps when I reflect on the experiences we (both Armenians and Americans) had during the camp season last year!

Thanksgiving came and went, with only a bit of celebrating. We had our annual Peace Corps Armenia conference in which we all gather for yearly meetings and updates. Here, we also had a Thanksgiving dinner. It was really yummy, I must say. Mixing peas, corn, and everything in my mash potatoes is just heavenly, then later, only to be topped with a real pumpkin pie! For the actual holiday, I was in the village, and made one of the best meals known to the American man; Kraft Macaroni and Cheese! After my meal, I went and hung out with my neighbors and tried to explain to them the purpose of Thanksgiving and all of its rich tradition. The funny thing is Armenians are always deeply expressing their thanks to one another, and my neighbors did not quite understand why we only do this once a year…I do have to agree that one time a year is not enough.

This month is super busy for me. We celebrated World’s AIDS Day with a national poster contest, last weekend there were some meetings to discuss the financial future of the youth environmental camps (still unknown) with some of the major NGOs, as well as some teacher-trainings and workshops here and there. My classes and clubs (basketball, English, and Eco) are doing really well. I have no big plans for Christmas this year. I am going to stay in the village and hang out with my friends and students. We are going to have a small Christmas program with the students singing English songs and later we will make some cookies. It should be a great time indeed!

The Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 6th, so Christmas on the 25th will pass without the lights and Christmas trees and other traditions that many of you are already pretty sick of! I have in fact; put some Christmas lights up in my living room, only to find out that they don’t work. Also, I have realized that I have a poor holiday song collection. Hopefully the students can sing their hearts out for me as they sing in English the holiday songs!

The New Year is the most celebrated holiday in Armenia. Families and friends will spend a lot time baking and preparing of the new year, which its celebration lasts until at least January 6th, their Christmas Day. It is quite exhausting work, and feel sorry for all the women who work so hard! Last year, I believe I visited 26 homes! That means I ate the traditional food, dolma, 26 times, and that does not count the number of toasts! I bet that number reached around 100. And now this year, I know more Armenian, which maybe will fend off the amount of dolma, but increase the amount of toasts...Yikes :)

The New Year celebration can be exhausting, as I stated, but it is blast and I can’t wait to celebrate it this year with my Armenian family, as a year has gone by, and some many things have changed. This year, I will be able to chime in all conversations.

As far as the language goes, I must be improving because just recently a couple of people called me a ”shatakhos” meaning that I talk too much! Uh-oh! I continue to take some tutor lessons because I want to perfect my grammar knowledge and work on my pronunciation….even though pronunciation gives me trouble in my native tongue as well.

Before I end this update, I must give a bit of an update on Greece. If you have not traveled there, it is definitely a spot to go. After participating in the marathon (which I would do again; I had a blast despite the knee trouble), we went to Santorini for some relaxation time. It was the end of the tourist season, so prices were cheap, the fish was still fresh, and it was like we had an island to ourselves! Santorini is quite beautiful and the sunsets are about at romantics as they come. Besides the nine hour boat ride to the island, we were in Athens seeing most of the ancient ruins and touring around the city. It was the first time I had been to a developed country in over a year and a half, and it was funny. I was the total outsider, as I am sure that was shown when all the PCVs screamed in joy when we went to a grocery store (a real grocery store) and the appearances of avocadoes, skim milk, brand name ice cream, and Honey Nut Cheerios made their appearances. Not a day did not go by for one week, where I did not eat at least three bowls of cereal with skim milk! Oh, cereal, how I love thee!

The marathon itself was a wonderful experience that I cannot wait to repeat. The course is suppose to be one of the more difficult courses, but we all trained in very high altitude which helped our lungs, though our legs were quite beaten up from running on such rugged surfaces. This pounding eventually won the battle over me, as during the marathon, I was in severe knee pain, and honestly had difficulty walking for three days after the marathon, but finished; only a little slower than I had anticipated. It turned out that I had sprained all ligaments and have water in my knee, which means I can’t do anything for three months! One month has gone by, and my mental state is well. I shot some baskets the other day, and wow, my knee felt it the following day! I am eager, despite the snow and cold, to get out and run again!

This update is quick long as it is, so I will end it soon. Here’s wishing you all a safe, healthy and wonderful holiday season. Please know that you all will be thought of, and when you all sing songs, gather around the tree, unwrap presents, or busy baking cookies, I am with you too. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, and Happy New Year. May 2008 be filled with laughter and joy and may you reflect on how lucky you were in 2007!

Sending this last post of 2007 with many hugs and love,
Syd
Happy Birthday: Cheryl, Mike, Ellen
Happy New Baby: Steph and Brian = Katie
Pictures will come in a week or so...

My First Marathon...

Hello all from Athens Greece! I thought I would sent a short note, as I have reliable, free, and fast internet in Greece! Yesterday I finished my first marathon. Here is a picture of me running (trying at this point in the race, as it was the final 2oom) and of my PCV pals that ran the race as well! We started in Marathon, GR and finished in the Olympic Stadium in Athens !We are know recovering from sore bodies and indulging on foods such as ice-cream, pizza, beer and other foods that can be found in Armenia, just not in the American-way! When results are posted, I will say. I started the race amazingly, and then followed by severe knee pain, and alas and heartbroken, finished the race, one hour later than my destined time. I was on pace for a 4 hr or less and finished under 5hrs instead. I have never been mentally and physically challenged in my life!

Next stop, we will tour some Greek Islands, and then back to Armenia with a stop at the doctors, to see what in the world I did to my knee while running, recreationally, 42km! I just hope I did not tear anything!

Here is quick blurb on the marathon, that I took from the marathon's website...http://www.athensclassicmarathon.gr/html/ent/017/ent.1017.1.asp...

Among all the Olympic events, the Marathon Race stands out because it was born by a real historic and heroic event. It was a feat accomplished by a news-bearing foot soldier from ancient Athens, who announced - with his last words - the victory of the Greeks against the Persians in the battle of Marathon (490bc). The 42,195m Marathon Race became one of the most competitive events when the Olympic Games were revived in 1896. A Greek athlete by the name of Spyros Louis, running what has ever since been referred to as the 'Original Course' from the ancient city of Marathon to the Panathinaikon Stadium in Athens, won the gold medal of the first modern Olympic Games and became a legend of Greek and international athletics. The Marathon Race has always had a prominent place in the hearts and minds of sports enthusiasts, as it represents the highest effort where the human body, soul and mind are tested to their limits as the runner presses himself/herself to the finish line. SEGAS has the honour and the historic responsibility to organize annually the Athens Classic Marathon on the Original Course. Since 1982, the Athens Classic Marathon has been dedicated to Gregoris Lambrakis, the athlete, scientist and Member of Parliament, who was murdered in the 60s and, by his death, became a symbol for Human Rights. From the year 2001 onwards, Alpha Bank, the official bank of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and one of the major banking corporations in Greece, has been the Official Sponsor of the Athens Classic Marathon and its valuable support led to the significant upgrade of the event in all aspects. Both SEGAS and Alpha Bank strongly believe that their co-operation will result to the establishment of the Athens Classic Marathon as one of the most popular and best organised Marathon Races globally. Thousands of runners from all over the world are expected to participate in this year's race. Apart from the sporting experience, they will have the chance to enjoy the traditional Greek hospitality, discover the fascinating landscape of our country and explore a city which is constantly improving its standards.

My Parents Came!!!

GO CUBS! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! I MUST BE PART OF THE CURSE! BUT THE CUBS BIGGEST FAN IS ROOTIN FOR THEM FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF ARMENIA!

Phew, now that I got that out of my system…this picture from my balcony...pretty sunset, eh?

Privyet! I thought I would throw some Russian your way, as “Privyet” holds the meaning of “hello”. No, I am not intentionally studying another language. It is just that some Russian words have been incorporated into the Armenian language, as you may know, from the years Armenian was under Soviet leadership. So yes, my stay in Armenia has truly become a “multi-cultured” experience!

Well, as you may have known, my parents took off their worn “American shoes” and tested a new pair in Armenian. For one week, I was surrounded by the presence of my wonderful parents, who themselves ventured away from their native land for the first time. We had a wonderful time and I tried to absorb them into the ultimate Armenian experience. We traveled as much as time would allow us (one week in Armenia is short!!!), which took us to my village for three days. Here my Dad was taken back to the days of the bucket baths, and Mom was lectured on village customs…aka No Smoking. They enjoyed every custom meal Armenian has to offer: khoravats, dolma, spas, many salads, meats, and course, the most delicious fruits and vegetables you will ever taste in your life!!!! I think if you asked my parents, they will definitely tell you that they left Armenian with full stomachs, as the hospitality in Armenia is a friendly never-ending affair. I believe they truly enjoyed the village life, though different, and even to this day the villagers are constantly speaking about “Sydi man ev pan ekan!” meaning “Syd’s Mom and Dad came”! They were and still are celebrities in the village. Many villagers commented on how young Mom and Dad looked, and a couple of grandmas mistaken Mom and Dad as my sister and brother. I guess that is a compliment to my parents, but me?? :) Some are even convinced that Dad is a famous actor. Now, I have NO idea where that comes from, but they are convinced that this handsome man, who in fact is my father, is at the moment, on set, preparing for his next movie!

We also traveled up to the Mid-Northern Region to see my first host family. Of course, Mom and Dad fit right in with them, and soon, my host dad and Dad were communicating through various hand signals and head nods. The kids loved Mom and thought she was a hit. This trip was followed with an eventful taxi ride home in which made us all chuckle, as random events kept occurring. From the taxi, we saw a sheep fall from a cliff, the taxi driver calling every police man a dog, and we saw just how quickly Dad can put on his seat belt when the cops are approaching. (Seat belt laws just went in effect this year, though most cars do not have seat belt.). It was quick hilarious, as Dad is not known for his “Cat-like” reflexes,

Of course we visited the some historical sites of Garni, Geghard, and Noravank. Garni is a restored 1st century temple, which was restored with its pure rocks after an earthquake in the 17th century destroyed it. It is the only pagan temple left in Armenia; as all others were ruined or demolished. Geghard is a 9th century monastery which was carved out of the mountain. It was carved from the top down, and the inscriptions inside of this monastery and its chambers are amazing. Unfortunately it is quite dark inside I am not able to show you this highlights. Lastly, Noravank is known for its beautiful scenery and crazy steps. Here, this monastery sits in the semi-arid part of Armenia. Mom and Dad now can attest that Armenia really does make up about 32 different climates, and they only saw ¼ of the country.

The rest of the time, was enjoyed by the 16th anniversary of Armenia’s independence from the Soviet rule, a private little tour of Yerevan, and spending time with my dearest Armenian friends. We chatted and chatted, and ate and ate, with Dad taking in a random nap or two during the conversations. (Jet lagged). But this didn’t’ seem to bother my friends, as they found it quite entertaining and took pictures. They have already stated that they are waiting for my parents’ arrival to Armenia again! In short, my parents were a “hit” in Armenia!

As it was magnificent to have my parents interact with what I have been absorbed in the past year and some, it was time for them to head back home, and they time passed too quickly. So, after the departure of my parents, it was back to reality, which was weird. I had spent so much time with them, and all of a sudden they were gone!

Despite coming from the low without my parents, the other day I was reminded of the reason why I am in Armenia. You see, during this experience, it is very customary to have ups and downs, and as I said, I was on the descending rollercoaster after my parents left. I took a student to the final round of a competition in which if she passes the third round, she can go to the US and study for free, for one year. She is already a success for making it this far, being the only villager in the competition from our region/marz. Plus, it is the first time a student from our village has participated in such a competition. Again, already a winner. She did well, and advanced to the application stage. Unfortunately her parents would like her stay in Armenia. But it was a huge event for her and the whole village. I am so proud of her!

As I sat watching/helping her fill out her application, I was intrinsically overcome by tears of happiness. In most cases, villagers are overlooked and not given a fair chance. Of course, this is my own opinion and observation, but I truly confide it my findings. Anyways, I sat looking and thinking how she is a “pure” product from the village. I have never tutored her, but only presented the opportunity that the program existed. Normally, word of such programs rarely reached outside of Yerevan, the capital city, without the help of Peace Corps Volunteers. And that is why I am in Armenia. You see, as you all know, I am probably not the best choice for an English teacher, as you may have already known, or have come from the conclusion from my blog updates. Don’t get me wrong, being a native speaker helps tremendously, but really, most of the teachers who know English, can tell me more about the grammar rules that I can dream about! But that is not the sole reason I am here. I am here to present new opportunities. Opportunities in which other people, whether, students, adults, teachers, community members, and the youth have fortune to expand their horizons in so many avenues; through educational programs, learning about the American culture, having pen-pals in the US, providing sports and English clubs free of charge, or my favorite, just sitting and chatting with my neighbors about life. Maybe we watch my cousin’s American wedding or maybe they want to know why my clothes are so different, bright, and colorful. They truly don’t grasp why I don’t like coffee or that I can’t sit down for a long period of time. But they understand that I am different, and that understanding creates an opportunity in which true friendships have been formed. I am surrounded by fantastic people, who appreciate my presence, but even more I have valued the opportunity that they have given me…It is true, what goes around, comes around. But this time, it is coming around too fast!

It is already cold. My room is at 50F as we speak, and snow is falling in the mountains already. Yikes! I just got gas in my home, so maybe it will be warm, but it is not hooked up into any type of heating system, just my stove. The sunlight is only around for about 10 hours, which makes my final month of marathon training interesting. Yes, I have decided to participate. I have run more miles these past three months that I did when I was competing in college, holy cow. I ran a 20 miler and didn’t die! The villagers think I am crazy running so much, but they think I am crazy without my running, so I guess it just provides more entertainment for them.

Classes are going well. I am really busy this year, and I have my hands in many other secondary projects. But of course, I still have my exchange programs with the students. We really enjoy writing to each other. It is such a highlight!

Well, I have provided you with many updates in the past month, so I will let you all rest until November…

Until then, I wish the Cubs would have won!!
Պաիչիկ և Գրկումներ—Kisses and Hugs
Սիդ-Syd

Happy Birthday: Suzanne, Stacy, Jill
Thanks to all of you who sent cards for me through my parents!!!

WAHOO! School is back

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the second year of my tour! To me, I am in my official second leg, as school in well under way, and it was at this time last year where I started concrete and tangible work. This year looks even more promising, but before I get too far ahead I need to update you what has occurred since my last update.

After our mid-service training, I headed back to the village to continue my summer English reading and writing clubs at my home. The students prepared themselves well, and when school started this past September 1st, it was easier to see who had studied over the summer. I spent some time hanging out at the lake and enjoying its beauty and innocence, as you know, it is one of the world’s highest altitude lakes. Duties called me during mid-August to the swearing-in of the new group of volunteers. Wow, my group; we are officially the veterans…scary J This new group is confident and young so good things will come from them. Mid-August also met celebrating my birthday at least five times! I have celebrated my birthday more in Armenia the last two years than I have had in my entire life! It is fun, but can be a bite overwhelming. However, it was a double-special day, as my first shipment of Cheetos arrived that day! Oh, that Chester Cheetah artificial goodness what an indescribable taste, and the crunchy noise was music to my ears! And then, the goody orange crumbs I licked away from my fingers! It sounds funny, but you forget what you don’t have until you see it again. I watched a movie with another volunteer and saw Cheetos in the movie, and since then, the orange deliciousness I craved! Special thanks to my fellow pal Heather’s mother, who has thrown a bag or two in Heather’s packages. Finally, on this day, I was able to spend it with many of my closet friends, both from the Armenian and American sides.

August 22nd was a colossal day in Armenia, and I was very excited I was a live witness. This day, Armenia who is rank rather low in the world rankings, played Portugal in the sport of soccer, or as the rest of the world calls it, futbol! Approximately 30,000 fans crowded the stadium that only sits about 25,000. Armenia, with its quick legs, score first, leaving Portugal stuck in their tracks, as everyone in the stadium jumped and hollered in joy. Portugal would eventually tie the game, and the 1-1 score was stuck; proving that Armenia is not this itty-bitty nation, but a strong, prideful, and loyal country. Portugal was a top world team, so it was a HUGE win for Armenia. To be apart of the screaming, yelling, and national pride is something that I will always hold near to my heart.

As many of you know, I am a sports fanatic. For instance, it is killing me that the Chicago Cubs are doing so well now, and I am not there to listen, watch or cheer. I am starting to think that I may be apart of the Cubs’ jinx! Anyways, many of you know that I have worked event management in the discipline of sports. This game was so pure without many overbearing marketing posters, banners, and promotions that can be seen at Americas’ sport arenas. The game seemed so pure. There was plenty of security, no concessions, and only one entrance open for 30,000 people. It was scary to enter the stadium as I really thought someone was going to get stepped on, especially the children. Many people were upset about this, so it will be interesting to see if at a later game, the admission procedure changes.

What is so interesting about futbol is how the sport itself is like an international language. For the most part, teams competing against each other don’t understand a common language, but they understand the common rules of the game. Yet, many fans come out and cheer their country. It is interesting to see how sport has united people, and in my experience in Armenia, sport has helped with so many off-the-field characteristics, such as a higher self-esteem, leadership, character development, working with a team, etc. Though it has its negatives, sports are good and have had a huge effort on the students I teach, and for the national pride I experienced at the last two futbol games.

After the game, I headed with Heather and our Armenian friends to Georgia where we spent some time on the beautiful, clear, stone pebbled beaches of the Black Sea. We even cultured the Armenians to McDonalds in Tbilisi while en-route to the Batumi region. Tbilisi is a wonderful, very European city. The EU Flag blows proudly in the air as the Georgians hope to one day become part of the EU. In Tbilisi, we were able to take advantage of the sulfur baths and cheap massages, though I would be prepared for the massager, as without warning, she took off her clothes as the sulfur bath pools are quite warm. This action took me for a bit of a surprise as the older woman had requested we do the same, but I was not going to do that! But there was not a bed or anything, we would just lie on the marble slab….so I nicely refused and kept my clothes on, while I received a massage from a nude massager…quite an experience I must say.

Then it was the night train to Batumi region, where we arrived on the beach of the Black Sea around 630am (that is what the pictures are of). The beach is so calm and gentle and we practically had the beach to ourselves for an hour. It was so peaceful! Soon, Heather and I found out that the majority of the population was speaking Russian, a language we had know idea how to speak. We found that our Armenian skills got us further than our English, as many Armenians were vacationing in the area, and we could communicate with them for translations through our Armenia. It is a good things we know some Armenia! Plus, it was great that we went with Armenians, as they knew Russian!

In the area, we visited the botanical gardens, ran on the beach, ate delicious ice cream, and got in a couple of games in of tennis, which I lost horribly to Heather and it was still fun! It was quite relaxing and fun to be with our Armenian friends. In the picture above, it is Heather, myself, as well as Rima and Aida. They gave me the permission to use their picture here! This picture was taken in Sarpi, near the Turkish border. Sarpi had the best beach, as the water was picture perfect and the cliffs gave Heather and I reason to just be crazy and jump off of them!

Soon, it was time to end back; so again it was back on the night train, to the marshutni to Armenia. It was a long but fruitful journey, in which I left my camera and other belongings in the marshutni, but with the big hearts of the Armenians and Heather, I was able to retrieve all the belongings.

September 1st arrived and school started. I am working at two schools this year, and hopefully four different teachers. Walking into the classroom this year was quite distinctive, as my language skills are better, the students recognize me, and I understand conversations in the teachers’ lounge. Some of our classes were combined, and I was happy to see that the students in which my counterpart and I have taught seemed to have a stronger knowledge base. It eased my tension about assessing our team-teaching, a concept unfamiliar in Armenia! So far, it has worked!

As of now, I am impatiently waiting for my parents’ arrival to country and preparing for a marathon for November. Man, it is already tiring! I ran 16 miles the other and there is only one road to run on!! All the marshunti drivers recognize and wave at me, which provides entertainment.

Oh, and my last plug is that with my community, we are reconstructing a new classroom, from scratch! Spreading concrete, applying plaster, placing windows, laying carpet, etc. Later, installing a computer, projector, desks, chalkboards, etc! It will be an English Learning Center. Something that is nonexistent in my village, but in great demand. Plus, this will be the best looking classroom in the area, creating an engaging learning environment! And guess what, you all can help! Yes, you can! If you have the time, please go to www.peacecorps.org , and go to DONATE NOW on the left side, next click on DONATE to Volunteer Projects, Eastern Europe, and BAM, there you will see S.Merz and Armenia! I have a description of the project as well. And yes, it is a 100% tax-deductible contribution!! I was inspired to do this by my community, and your endless support and questions in how you could help.

Again, I hope you all are well!
Big hugs,
Syd
PS. Marshunti is a minibus. It is what is used for transport.
Happy Birthday: Carter, Lexi, Jack
Happy Anniversary: Sister Sam and Chadd