Below the Facade

Barev Dez (hello)!

I can’t believe I’m already at week two. A plethora of things have happened since we left the states, for that, it feels like we’ve been here for months though. We had our first trainee to leave the pack, now we are down to 39. I do wonder, what is the standard deviation of people who leave during training though?

Yoga in my Room!! I need to keep my sanity!

My fancy room! It's been a while since I've had a room to myself!

I’m going get a little personal and share tidbits of my reflections. I knew this would not be easy, but these past two weeks have pushed my comfort zone an array of ways.  I am confident in myself and my ability to adapt; however, I was not prepared for the emotional baggage I had carried with me to explode so soon.  And because I value my mental wellbeing, I have not been as social with my host family as I typically am. My main goal right now is to get through training without having a nervous breakdown. I’m really glad to have found a friend, with whom I can share my feelings and frustrations without judging me. I have been journaling and I find it very soothing. In addition, I’ve called home a few times to talk and vent. I hope I didn’t overwhelm anyone too much. Your words of encouragement means a great deal. I’ve put up the notes you guys wrote to me from my bon voyage party up in my room, so that it will serve as a constant reminder that regardless of what happens, I have people who believe in me. I know it’s never healthy to repress emotions, but at the moment, there is really nothing left for me to do. I’ve done all I could.  It helps me to think that I have this opportunity to bury myself and to forget about my heartaches, disappointments, and guilt.  I need to focus on building my language skills, teaching portfolio, building/ maintaining relationships, learning the Armenian culture, and staying physically/mentally healthy. These are my priorities. I just need to have faith in God’s plan; everything will fall into its place. For now all I really can do is to stop fixating on things out of my control, and with this new surplus of energy I can get empowered to do a kickass job here with the Peace Corps. 

On a completely side note, why is it that it’s penny for your thoughts, but when you want to share something it’s putting your two cents in?

Akunk's fish farm!

My Armenian is absurdly limited right now, but I can still make my family laugh, does that count for anything?

I’m doing my best to keep my sense of humor and so far it has served me well. A few people find my facial expressions when I react hilarious. J

When Armenian students learn English, two of the most difficult letters to pronounce are the TH-sound and the W-sound.

The exchange rate right now is 1$=400 Dram.

Yesterday, June 1^st, was Children’s Day in Armenia. All I saw was children singing and dancing on a tv network for a solid two hours during one of my house calls with my host Mom Greta.

My language class!!

My host mom is a stay at home mom. My host dad is a house painter. They have 4 daughters, one host son from the previous year, and yours truly. Two of the daughters are married. The family is really good about not rushing their daughters to be married. I say this because their family on some levels remind of me of the Bennet family from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. My host grandmother and host grandfather live on the same property (Tatik and Papik). We have one cow, a few chickens, a dog, two cats, 6 pigs, one greenhouse, and a cute garden. I asked Tatik to take me with her to church on Sunday, and I have been informed that mass starts at 11a.m. and lasts until 2p.m. I’m super intrigued to see the difference between American instant gratification values and Armenian values of time and space.  

And last, but not least, due to Armenia’s collective nature, the Armenian word for alone holds the same meaning as sad and lonely.

Coolio. Until I have the internet again! StaySutSoon (byee!)

<3 phiphi