Feelin Hot Hot Hot!

Happy Spring :)

The pictures above are from a recent snorkeling trip not too far from the island. Also is the smallest primate in the world :O)

Well, while most of you are eagerly awaiting warm weather, let me share with you mine, as summer has officially rolled around in my neck of the world! Which means, SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER! (yes, you may sing this little ditty if you like). But as the university has closed its classroom doors, life is still active on all portions of campus.

This summer won’t be dreary for me, as I will be going on a tour of teacher-trainings, helping with development and expansion of the English curricula, and teaching a Frisbee course in the PE department. Not to mention, there will be times where I might just leave work a bit early to catch the sunset or read in my hammock, which fits nicely on the beach here. I am assuming summer will pass with alacrity which before I know it, June will arrive bringing in the new academic year of 2009-10. So as you all are preparing your summer plans, I will be studying new faces and new names.

Many of you have been on my PC journey from day one and have inquired about the differences/similarities of PC Armenia and PC Philippines. While the countries are similar in many plausible ways, there are some rather exclusive distinctions between the two.

First and foremost, you simply cannot contrast the two countries. First, Armenia was landlocked only claiming the waters of Lake Sevan. Secondly, Armenia, though small in size (some say similar to the size of Maryland) has 32 micro-climates and three main mountain ranges that intersect each other. I had the coldest of winters at my site, and experienced some very hot summers in the valleys of Armenia.

The Philippines, however, is an archipelago of over 7000 islands, sits in the Pacific Ring of fire, and experiences typhoons to landslides. I am surrounded by not only water, but jungle-like mountains that have homed the tarsier (see above…world’s smallest primate).

Though these are the obvious differences, I have decided to break down into categories for a clearer view of just how special each experience has been/is. Some will be funny, some serious, and some for your additional learning attainment. If like for me to add any other category just let me know.

Category	Armenia	Philippines
Water Availability	Sometimes it froze	On my island, always have it
Bathing	Heated bucket baths	Non heated cold bucket baths
Meat	Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Beef	Chicken, Pork, Beef. Lamb, Caribou (I have tried dog too)
Ice Cream Availability	If lucky, five months out of the year	ALL THE TIME :)
Favorite Food	OH LORD I MISS SEPAS, Borsht, Lavish, Kebabs, Xorats (bbq), fresh veggies, Arakelyan Langit, hats, tapots kartofel (fried potatoes) & I miss dolma a little bit	Fried chicken, Pancit (all types), Halo Halo, Katambak (yummy fish), chicken curry, and lechon (roasted pig), seaweed, ganas, and I love some UBEY
Staple Foods	Bread, Cheese, Greens, Potatoes	Fish, Rice
One-in-a-lifetime food try	Liver Blinchik	Balot
School Year	Sept. 1-May 25	June 14- March 20
Christmas Day	January 6th	December 25th
Dominate Religion	Armenian Apostolic	Roman Catholic
Degrees from the Equator	40◦	9◦
Culture	Communal, super hospitable	Communal, super friendly
Favorite Musical Instrument	Duduk and/or Piano	Acoustic Guitar
History	Old and very interesting	Old and very interesting
People living in Country	Approx 3 million	Approx. 90 million
Supplies given by Peace Corps	Heater, Gas stove, Water filter	Life Jacket, and endless supply of sunscreen, mosquito net
Extra Trainings by Peace Corps	Hypothermia, how to keep your house warm	Water safety…what to do if your boat sinks
Languages/Dialects	2 languages (eastern/western) and up to 60 dialects	Around 170 languages
Language I learned	Armenian (different alphabet)	Cebuano/Bisaya (Latin alphabet)
Average Temperate at Site	about 65F (depending where you live)	85.8 F
Number of People Living in Host family home	6 including me (though normal is around 8)	10 including me
Favorite thing….	People	People
Second favorite thing	Language	Nature
Number of PCVs serving in country	88	120+
Flag Colors	KARMIR, KAPYUT, TSRANAGYUN! (red,blue,orange)	Yellow sun and stars, Red, White, and Blue
Holidays and Celebrations	Many—FUN!	Many—FUN!

So quite interesting, eh?

Back to the updates…

Misfortune was sent across the nation on February 13^th, and I went to the US for a quick trip (12 days) and met my dear friends there for a funeral of our dear friend, Lorin Maurer, who was on Continental Flight 3407. Though it was wonderful to be united with a wonderful group of friends, it was the most poignant way for a reunion. I am blessed to have many friends who picked me up in DC, clothed me in winter clothes, drove me to PA to the services, and then drove me half way back to Nebraska. What a wonderful group of friends! (A Shout Out to: Niq, Moni, Cis, Stacie, J, Bobby, Colby, Rhonda, V, Nate and Dave!)

I did have time to see my family and watch members of the family brave a snow storm ( I was so excited to see snow, and to use a blanket while sleeping) to see me. Card games, movies, food and drinks were shared by all, and little sleep was had (as my nephews and niece, adding to five, shared a room with Aunt Syd). It was great to see each and everyone, especially those little tikes that mean so much to me!

I also met up with my Pen Pals from Hiawatha and was able to speak about the Philippines to students in high school and elementary, at three different schools. It was so wonderful to share my experiences to keen listeners. But just as all the fun had started, soon I was boarding the transcontinental flight back to the Philippines.

I was then graced by a visit from a dear friend of the Armenian PC days, and we did do some island hopping and site seeing around the area (most of the photos are from this excursion). But yet, as all fun times quickly end, she left and then I was facing the end of the school year. Which frankly, leaves me to today, writing this update.

I am lucky to have great internet access (I am just lazy checking it), but rest assure, I am in full tune with the NCAA Women’s and Men’s Final Four tournaments…and with that, I will end with this…

GO SOONERS :)

Warm hugs and big high-fives

Your PCV friend,

Maam Syd or Sydulik