Photo Set

Well, hello everyone.

You could say it has been awhile. You could also say that I’ve been busy.
Where to begin…

Took an 8 day vacation to Georgia with my then girlfriend, Erin. We
wandered around for a few days, seeing the sights and taking in all Tbilisi
and Batumi had to offer. We visited an ancient Roman fortress which (at the
time) had a working water piping system.

We climbed up to see Mother Georgia and another fortress in Tbilisi. We
strolled in a newly constructed park. On the fourth day of our vacation, I
asked Erin to marry me…and she said yes! I had an engagement ring brought
over by another volunteer the previous month. Her and I had together spoke
on this subject, so while the date and place was a surprise, she knew I had
planned to ask.

On the last day of our vacation, we treated ourselves to some fine desserts
at a very swank restaurant featuring live music. And not just any music, a
violin and piano accompaniment. We each ordered a fabulous dessert and
shared. Both our selections were scrumptious!

In Batumi, where it rained for a portion and was kind of cold, we walked
through the botanical gardens. We sat along the Black Sea and rode the
train a few times.

So that is pretty much exciting! Aside from that, I’ve been putting
together a project to incorporate some new computers and an interactive
whiteboard for my school. It’s been quite something, but I think it’s
getting pretty solid.

We have our Mid Service Training conference beginning mid-June. There, we
will work more with our counterparts and get to officially meet the new
group arriving later this month! I can’t wait to meet the new groupies and
share my stories of life in Armenia with them.

So that’s pretty much it. Later peeps!

Photo Set

Hello Internet friends and random readers. The month is March and days
are noticeably longer. Been unusually busy this past couple weeks.
Putting on some finesse on a website for the school where I work,
baked some cookies at another PCV’s place, helped oversee and judge
writings in a writing competition, and lastly…preparing for a couple
trips.

The first trip is for some trainings on databases and working with
Microsoft Access. For a few hours, I’ll be leading a workshop on how
databases are all the rage when it comes to data management.

The second trip takes me out of country. Myself and another volunteer
are planning to visit Georgia. Trains, marshutnis, taxis, places to
stay, what we’re doing, etc are all being planned out. Should prove to
be quite exciting and just another notch in the old “culture belt” and
a chapter on adventure. Georgia has its own language and currency, so
hopefully with our Armenian and English skills, we should at least not
end up in France!

The photo of me stirring batter is rare evidence that I do, in fact,
have some idea how a spoon works. The photo of me with the hat and
another volunteer Erin, was taken at a nice burger place in Yerevan.
She is the individual going with me to Georgia. The last 2 photos are
of the writing competition I mentioned earlier.

L8r.

Photo Set

Here are some recent photos of my family and school celebrating the
day in February, where you jump over a fire!

And a sunset from the train station.

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Well, it’s that time of year again. The birds singing, flowers blooming, snow melting. Actually, wait. I think I’m getting ahead of myself. All around me, I hear from other volunteers about “freezing pipes,” and “snow so deep,” and “my hot water tank froze!” It’s all lies I say! Blasphemy and lies! As I sit back in my easy chair and stare out frosted windows, it’s nothing but dead trees and dried grass! This mysterious white wonder I hear is all the rage, is nowhere to be found. My site has 3 occurrences of snow since “winter” began. It’s only this last time, that it stuck around for longer than 24 hours.  I’m apparently stuck in this pocket of magic and rainbows, where the sun always shines and gophers fart glitter. A place where, during the summer, trees sweat and concrete softens to near quicksand. I’ve always lived in places where snow comes early and sticks around until mid-June! I want to be able to frolic and build snowmen. I could gather enough snow from my entire village and build a midget sized snow elf! However, I recently recovered from a terrible sinus infection that had me unable to function for the better part of January. Even simple things like oatmeal, yogurt, and tea were challenges to swallow, due to the massive swelling of my lymph nodes. But, I’m finally recovering and able to walk around again.  February holds several holidays both American and Armenian. Today, is St. Sargis day, whereby, young men and women are supposed to eat salty bread before going to bed. They cannot drink water beforehand. During the night, in their dreams, whoever gives them a glass of water, is the person of whom they are to wed. Needless to say, I’ll probably be asked to partake from my host family. Which, I’ll oblige, if only to see whether the legend holds any truth. I’ll keep my trusty sidekick, a bottle of Noy (brand of water), by my bedside. So that come morning, I can wash down my sorrow of having not slept, due to dehydration! That’s all the happenings I have for now. Please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, etc.  

Well, it’s that time of year again. The birds singing, flowers blooming, snow melting. Actually, wait. I think I’m getting ahead of myself. All around me, I hear from other volunteers about “freezing pipes,” and “snow so deep,” and “my hot water tank froze!” It’s all lies I say! Blasphemy and lies! As I sit back in my easy chair and stare out frosted windows, it’s nothing but dead trees and dried grass! This mysterious white wonder I hear is all the rage, is nowhere to be found. My site has 3 occurrences of snow since “winter” began. It’s only this last time, that it stuck around for longer than 24 hours. 

I’m apparently stuck in this pocket of magic and rainbows, where the sun always shines and gophers fart glitter. A place where, during the summer, trees sweat and concrete softens to near quicksand. I’ve always lived in places where snow comes early and sticks around until mid-June! I want to be able to frolic and build snowmen. I could gather enough snow from my entire village and build a midget sized snow elf!

However, I recently recovered from a terrible sinus infection that had me unable to function for the better part of January. Even simple things like oatmeal, yogurt, and tea were challenges to swallow, due to the massive swelling of my lymph nodes. But, I’m finally recovering and able to walk around again. 

February holds several holidays both American and Armenian. Today, is St. Sargis day, whereby, young men and women are supposed to eat salty bread before going to bed. They cannot drink water beforehand. During the night, in their dreams, whoever gives them a glass of water, is the person of whom they are to wed. Needless to say, I’ll probably be asked to partake from my host family. Which, I’ll oblige, if only to see whether the legend holds any truth. I’ll keep my trusty sidekick, a bottle of Noy (brand of water), by my bedside. So that come morning, I can wash down my sorrow of having not slept, due to dehydration!

That’s all the happenings I have for now. Please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, etc.  

Link The Red Apple - http://b0x.ee/wzQBDD (via Boxee) A video on abortions in Armenia. Very interesting. Subtitled in English.