So after my month hiatus I hope to be regular again with my blog postings.
It was nice starting school. I had a lot of fun going to school, getting started with everything. I went to my English classes where the English teacher and I got things off to a really good start. Usually what I do is sit in the front and sit with the kids who don’t do too well with their English. I read passages and help to pronounce the words correctly. The best part about this is I get to speak in an outrageous British accent because they learn British English. The most enjoyable part is saying stuff under my breath about speaking in a British accent and not having anyone understand what Im saying. I do feel quite silly speaking in an accent which is not my own. Got to take it for the kids.
We also started our State mandated Healthy Living Curriculum this week. It went really well. I work with one of the two PE teachers, Silva. She is great because she really seeks out my input. One of the goals in Peace Corps is skills transfer. Finally, after a year being here, I can see the fruits of my labor. “Labor” is an understatement, but like I have mentioned in the past, how can you really expect to change the perceptions and ideas of people who have been thinking the same way their whole lives. However I have noticed two profound changes. One in each of the teachers I work with.
The English teacher doesn’t rush the kids anymore and goes over and helps the kids pronounce the words part by part. She also has started to ask the students more things in English. Before, everything was in Armenian. I told her that the more she talks in English, the more the kids will learn. So, she has started with that.
For my PE teacher, its the critical thinking that we have been working on. Last year I taught with Silva and she still remembered to always ask “why” the answer is correct. We had our first lesson and even after asking a question and getting the correct answer she always asks “why” the answer is the way it is. This was a great start to the week.
The cafeteria was not started because of some miscommunication but now everything is on track and in three weeks we should have a renovated cafeteria. The bathroom is still working well (thank God) and there have been no problems to this point.
Two weekends ago I came into Yerevan and went to Artbridge, a western style breakfast place. They have free internet and Mike likes eating there. I used the internet, he ate. Anyway, while we were there, we noticed a foreigner and much like Armenians starring at foreigners, we have started doing the same thing. Out of the blue, she asked if our internet was working, which at that point it was not. Anyway, we started talking. She is in microfinance and goes out into the regions to do her work. I don’t really understand what her work is, actually. Anyway, its always nice to have new people come through.
Saturday, I was in Yerevan because I am looking at carpets. After the carpet factory, we went to a coffee place and talked. It was Mike, myself, Jason, and our new friend. While we were there talking, another girl came into the coffee shop and just stood behind us. I think she was trying to figure out what language we were speaking. She stepped up and asked “Are you all Americans?” which we our reply was just a stare. We said yes, and she introduced herself. She has been here for about a month working for an NGO, doing things like teaching English and organizing exchange opportunities. You could see the relief on her face when she was explaining how great it was to finally meet Americans she could talk to. The best part was when she asked “if I give you all my cell phone number will you call me when you are in Yerevan?” So, we all talked to each other and spent about an hour getting to know different aspects of each others lives.
I think that’s the most interesting thing. Sometimes its just nice to know someone from your own country. We often joke about it here, about Peace Corps friends, and how you would never be friends with some of the people here but because there are only a limited amount of us, we are friends, genuine friends. This is what I look forward to the most, meeting a group of new people who don’t know each other. That’s all I have to say about that.
I wanted to talk about one of my other friends too. Lately, when I have been in Yerevan, I have tried to hang out with Khashi, my Iranian friend. He and Molsen are here studying Architecture, working to get their masters. Khashi may questionably be one of the most open-minded, most intelligent people I have ever met. He and Molsen were talking about politics. They were talking about the Persian Empire, the Roman Empire, Assyria, Mongols, Barbarians, Ahmadinejad, Obama, etc. Really interesting. Khashi has a really strong sentiment against Media. His sentiments which I agree with. He said that Media makes an effort to focus on the differences and negative aspects of groups, not ways that they are similar. These differences become exacerbated by these different groups and gives points of unrest. This and several other things he said made a lot of sense. Additionally, these debates were all done in English. Almost flawless English. Oh, he is also fluent in Armenian and Farsi. Always really interesting meeting with both Molsen and Khashi.
Snow has been falling, but its not too terribly cold. I love being at home now because its really warm and I feel comfortable walking around just wearing a T-shirt even though Grandma thinks Im nuts. Interestingly, I don’t know how she can live with so many layers on because I am usually sweating sitting next to the furnace.
In about 4 weeks I meet my friends Will, TJ, Derek, Alex, and Kamran in Spain. I am really excited about that since it has been almost 2 years since I have seen the first four. I will be packing some of my things and taking it to them to take back to the US. Some of my winter things. Its surreal really. One of my sitemates is leaving mid-May to start grad school and another one may leave mid-June. Its starting to happen and I don’t know how I feel about it. Its already the end of January. This spring is going to fly by.
I feel like this blog is probably the worst written. Don’t know.
Until next time...
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