Has spring sprung yet?

That’s the question of the month. In Gyumri, we’ve had some teaser days of 50-degree weather, with beautiful, warm sunshine and clear, blue skies. I even got to stop wearing wool socks and doubling up on my pants! But then about halfway through the month, temperatures dipped back down to a high of 30s during the day and well below freezing at night. All the snow had already melted, but last week, Mother Nature must’ve thought, “Let’s have snow again just for funsies,” and it also snowed again last night (but a lot of it has already melted so that’s good). When the cold first returned, my host mom initially didn’t turn on our gas heater, so for the first couple of days, I formed a very loving and intimate relationship with my Peace Corps-issued personal radiator. I now know all the best and most comfortable ways to sit on and/or hug a personal-sized radiator in order to maximize warmth transference and retention. I can also give some sound advice on how to multi-task and do work on a laptop while still maintaining a close bond with your radiator. So if you want any tips on this particular topic, hit me up. Though recently, whenever I start complaining about the cold, I stop and think about my close friend in Colombia (who’s also teaching English) and how she told me that she’s constantly sweating in 90-degree weather and humidity (Thanks Sara!!). That really puts things in perspective and makes me actually grateful that I’m cold rather than dripping sweat. If you know me pretty well, you’re probably aware of my nose and its sweating habits, so the cold is definitely a good thing.

During training, Peace Corps told us that the winter weather would probably affect our emotional and mental health when we moved to our final sites, since we were arriving and adjusting to new and unfamiliar surroundings at the onset of winter. At the time, I kind of brushed off any worries about feeling down in the dumps during the winter since I’ve never thought of myself as someone whose moods are affected by seasonal changes. Now in retrospect, I think it was inevitable that I experienced multiple lows and highs during the winter months, especially in Gyumri. In December, January, and February, I experienced changes in my mental attitude daily, if not hourly. One day, I might have woken up dreading going to school, then had an awesome breakthrough moment with a student, then gone to bed questioning my integration into my community (especially since Gyumri is NOT a village) and my time in the Peace Corps. And then the next day, I might have had the exact opposite kind of day, a high-low-high day, with waking up and going to sleep loving my Peace Corps experience. Honestly, about a month ago, towards the end of February, I was probably going through my lowest dip thus far. After three long, cold months, I was feeling very unsure and stressed out about my work in the Peace Corps and my presence at my school and in Gyumri. I felt like I wasn’t having any kind of positive impact on my school and that I was failing at integrating and making connections in Gyumri. I was constantly stressing about different projects, deadlines, and expectations, including post-Peace Corps prospects. There was a stretch of nights during this low period where I was already extremely anxious about what I’m going to do after Peace Corps and spent hours looking up post-Peace Corps career and educational opportunities nightly.

But along with the slightly warmer temperatures and small preview of spring weather this past month, I’ve definitely been on the upswing in March. Yea, I’m still stressed about multiple different projects and their various deadlines and expectations, but I’m now also really excited about them! March has seen much more positivity, with me having more confidence and a better understanding of my site and placement and thus being more productive with all my work. A close friend back in the States recently asked me what my day-to-day life is like, and I answered honestly: daily life here isn’t super exciting; often times, it’s actually boring. But as cliché as it might sound, it’s the little things that make a difference. I didn’t have to travel anywhere this month, so I’ve really valued my time at site, making special little memories here and there:

Gyumri School #26 debate team

• Helping the school’s debate team prepare for a competition and tagging along to cheer them on
• Working with the 7^th grade to prepare English poems and songs for their Mother’s Day (April 7 in Armenia) presentation
• Playing soccer with my counterpart and our 11^th graders
• Attending a student’s 16^th birthday party
• Baking a German apple cake from scratch for my host mom and sister for International Women’s Day (which is a big holiday in Armenia! We got 2 days off of school for it! Why is this day not a bigger deal in the US??)

  

  German apple cake baked by Americans in Armenia #culturalexchange

And last night, I attended a jazz concert by a French quartet that I was invited to by the Swiss organization I’ve been working with in Gyumri, and it was fantastic! I’ve realized that even if my work as a teacher isn’t immediately effective or doesn’t necessarily ever meet the TEFL indicators of a successful service, the meaningful relationships and friendships that I’m forming with people all over Gyumri are the foundations for a life-enriching and inspiring service, both for the Armenians I work with and myself.

I think another reason why I’m currently so upbeat is cause I know that March is already almost over (!!!) and I have a lot of events and commitments coming up in April and May, so these next couple of months are going to fly by!! Plus, the school year is essentially over around mid-May since all the kids just go ahead and mentally check out for the summer, which means…SUMMER IS SOOOO CLOSE!!! I’m already beyond excited for this summer! My schedule is jam-packed in the best possible way! I have Border to Border starting on June 1 for three weeks, mid-service training at the end of June, the Peace Corps’ Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) camp at the beginning of July, then I’m taking a trip HOME!! Yes, I’m so stoked for my visit back to the States (details about that trip coming later), but let me backtrack and tell you a little bit about the amazing Peace Corps Armenia program that I already know will be a major highlight of my service: Border to Border.

Border to Border 2016 logo

I’m so incredibly excited and #blessed to be a part of Border to Border 2016. Border to Border is a Peace Corps Armenia health initiative founded in summer 2010. Every summer since, teams of Peace Corps and Armenian volunteers have hiked and camped across the country, stopping in villages along the way to teach interactive lessons on personal, social, and community health. Our mission is to promote healthy living, through a healthy body and a healthy mind. We want to promote a healthy lifestyle, and thus are backpacking and 100%-walking across Armenia in order to lead by example. This summer will be the 6^th annual Border to Border, which will take place June 1-22. In the past, there has traditionally been two teams (a North route and a South route) that meet somewhere in the middle of Armenia at the end of three weeks. This summer, there will be three teams for the first time! The original North route is now the Northeast route, and the Northwest route is the inaugural, new route.

We are currently fundraising for Border to Border 2016 and are a few thousand USD short of our goal. Please consider contributing to this exceptionally impactful and unique project. Every little bit helps and a (tax-deductible!) donation of any kind will be greatly appreciated! Below you will find our Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) donation page, as well as the official website for Border to Border 2016 and the Border to Border Facebook page. You can read more about Border to Border at any of these three links.

Border to Border’s PCPP donation page

Border to Border 2016 website

Border to Border Facebook page

That’s all for now. More updates to come soon as things pick up in April and I have a surprise coming on March 31!

Love, Արիան (that’s how you spell my name in Armenian)

New Year’s, 2.0

Yes, technically today is March 1, which means I did not stick to my goal of writing one post per month, since February has come and gone. In my last post, I wrote about how I had the entire month of January off since there was no school due to the swine flu. In comparison to January, February flew by!!

When I first arrived to site in mid-November, I had a lot of free time, as I was just getting to know my students and not outright teaching yet. Additionally, Gyumri is pretty inactive during the winter, as many organizations and people slow down and “hibernate” because of the cold weather. As I had a lot of time to kill then, much of my time was spent catching up on TV shows and re-watching Gilmore Girls #teamlogan4lyfe. But ever since school started back on February 1, I’ve been super busy, picking up more and more projects and responsibilities as February wore on. Here’s just a handful of the busy changes and additions I’ve made to my workload:

1. I’m now more involved in the classroom, co-teaching with my counterpart, and we’re starting to co-plan lessons together too!
2. My school director wants to apply for a grant to build a language resource center at our school, so I’m starting to get the ball rolling on that.
3. I’m organizing the regional poetry competition in Gyumri for the National Poetry Recitation Contest that Peace Corps sponsors in Armenia.
4. I recently started volunteering at a Swiss humanitarian organization in Gyumri called KASA (Komitas Action Suisse-Arménie). One of their programs that I’m getting involved with is the Francophone program, so this may also give me a chance to brush up on my French!
5. I agreed to help the French teacher from my school learn some basic English (her daughter recently moved to the US), so imagine teaching English in French to an Armenian. Yep, it’s a doozy.
6. Having formed more established relationships with my students, I’ve started three English clubs at school. A couple of weeks ago, my 6^th grade English club helped me wish the Davidson College Swimming & Diving team good luck at their conference championship meet.

Good luck Davidson!! Go ‘Cats!

In Armenia, March 1 is considered the first day of spring. And with the start of a new season coinciding perfectly with my increased involvement and projects, March 1 feels like New Year’s Day all over again (hence the title of this post, obvi). Originally, I didn’t write any New Year’s resolutions for 2016. But with this self-initiated, second opportunity to make resolutions for the “new” year, what better time than now to establish commitments for 2016, especially with spring symbolizing rebirth and renewal. And since I’m really into lists for some reason in this post, here are some of my “New” Year’s resolutions for 2016:

1. Co-plan lessons in more detail with my counterpart.
2. Have better classroom management (I think I might be too buddy-buddy with some of my classes…).
3. Improve my Armenian and not be timid about speaking.
4. Wake up and run in the mornings before school (this resolution would not have been possible in January, but with the arrival of March, early AM temperatures are now in the balmy 30s rather than subzero).
5. Stay in better touch with my PST host family in Mrgavan.

Nelly’s 1st birthday party!

Speaking of my first host family, I was able to visit them for my host baby sister’s 1^st birthday on February 20. I was only planning on stopping by for a quick visit to drop off a birthday present, but when I arrived, they were setting up for a party. They asked me to stay for the party, and man, I am sooo glad I stayed. It was a crazy, hilarious party. My host parents hired these people who dressed up and (supposedly) looked like Mickey and Minnie Mouse and got everyone (kids and adults) dancing and playing games.

While hosting this birthday party, my host mom was also extremely pregnant with her second child, a baby boy. The day after the party, when I was about to leave to go back to Gyumri, she casually mentioned to me that she might go to the hospital later that day or the next day and have the baby. I was so bewildered because the baby wasn’t supposed to arrive until early- to mid-March and my host mom was so casual about probably having the baby that night. Low and behold, I get a message from her a couple of days later telling me she had the baby. And to top things off, she informs me that she had a baby girl. Not a boy, like she had been told by her doctor. A girl. This is exactly how my messages started with my host mom:

Host mom: “Congrats!! You have another little sister!”
Me: “Sister????”
Host mom: “Aha boy became girl ;)”

This story is definitely one for the archives and one I will never forget. Obviously, I can’t wait to meet the new baby next time I visit.

Wrapping up this post, I want to mention an insight I recently had about my Peace Corps experience. Towards the end of February, when I was getting all of my responsibilities and priorities sorted, I started really reflecting on my Peace Corps service thus far. Lately, my time in the Peace Corps has reminded me a lot of my college experience. As a 2015 college grad, I can readily draw comparisons between my Peace Corps and Davidson experiences. Some of you who are fellow alums or current students might be thinking, “Oh no, that can’t be good. She must be drowning in work.” Not quite, but Peace Corps is definitely not a 9-to-5 job. I’m constantly working on or thinking about various projects, commitments, and goals. We’re told during training that our jobs here are 24/7, that we are Peace Corps volunteers 24/7, and for me, that’s similar to how I was a college student 24/7 at Davidson. But don’t get me wrong; the similarities between Peace Corps and college aren’t only work-related. As a part of Peace Corps Armenia, like in college, I’m meeting people from all over the US and the world, making life-long friendships, and creating treasured memories. Maybe this post should’ve been titled “College 2.0” or “Davidson 2.0” rather than “New Year’s 2.0,” though in all honesty, the Davidson experience can never truly be replicated, and the Peace Corps experience itself is positively exceptional and one of a kind.