conferences, meetings and macaroni

I'm not so sure about the macaroni part....

Hello! Sorry it has taken me so long to get around to posting again. Amazingly enough, I have been busy...and when I finally got this thing together there was no internet connection....for 10 days. So frustrating. Anyway, the next one is nearly done as well, so hopefully in a day or two there will be more new material. Hope you are well. J

I spent my first night in Yerevan this weekend. A new experience indeed. All the places PCVs normally stay were full so I ended up at a "bed and breakfast" with four other volunteers, which was actually someone’s apartment that had beds, and you guessed it, breakfast. The apartment had two bedrooms—the hostess slept on a couch—and I even got the luxury of a bucket bath in the morning, which was good because I love bucket baths. Right. Our host did have CNN in English, which allowed us to see some of thee hurricane coverage in a language that I could understand (most international news in this country is in Russian). My host family will translate the Russian into Armenian for me, but even then, my understanding of their understanding is sketchy at best. That, I am not sure how comprehensive Russian coverage of American news actually is....

The reason for my venture to the big city was a host of meetings for projects or potential projects that I am involved in (or potentially involved in). I now have more opportunities, seemingly unlimited time, and a language barrier. I have still not heard from my tutor, and am about to start the search for a different one if I don’t start something soon. My language continues to get better, but I am anxious to be able to actually communicate with my counterpart and to stop having conversations with people like the one that follows:

Neighbor: Will you get married in Armenia?
Me: A little later.
Everyone: Laughter
Neighbor: You speak Armenian badly.

Of course, the neighbor talks like he has a mouth full of marbles and I can’t understand a word he says. This conversation was later related to me, in Armenian of course, and I understood everything that was said. Perhaps after some tutoring he will stop coming over here to tell me how poorly I speak. Its not really that motivating.

What was motivating was the time I spent in Tsakhadzor for a post-PST counterpart conference. Not only was my counterpart able to see me interact with peers who speak at the same level as I do (I think she finally realizes that I actually speak pretty well for four months of studying...), but we were also able to come to a mutual understanding in terms of work schedules and goals, with the help of a few translators and my Program Manager. The event also functioned as a nice reunion with my LCF’s and some extra motivation to study a little harder.

I am, of course, still waiting for tutoring to begin. I have now spent six weeks trying to establish this relationship. I was waiting for her to call me and set something up, but today I received a call from one of the other Vayk volunteers, relaying the message that I should call her. Getting closer. Slowly.

It is a good thing I am patient, but perhaps I am too well trained. Armenians do not know how to wait in lines. Their preferred method is to mob whatever it is they want, while elbowing women and children out of the way until they have reached their goal. Never is this more evident than when trying to catch a marshrutnie from a bus station. While trying to get to Gyumri, I stood at a bus stop for over three hours watching over and over the same scene: a marshurtnie pulls up, loaded with people coming to Yerevan, the people literally start chasing it through the parking lot until it stops, at which point the door is ripped open and people start stuffing themselves in. Notice I didn’t mention the people already on the marshutnie getting off…that’s because it hasn’t happened yet. Elevators are the same way, people rush in without letting those already on to get off, which is not only inconvenient, but greatly minimizes the amount of room available for new riders. Hmmm. I am becoming better at aggressively pushing myself onto public transportation, but I am so trained to wait my turn that I am often stuck waiting and waiting and waiting. My new technique, developed while trying to get off the subway in Yerevan, is to check people with my backpack as they force me farther back onto the train instead of allowing me off. It works pretty well.

I am happy to report that I have finally gotten busy enough to necessitate a calendar! I have still not begun regular meetings with my counterpart but am becoming involved in more community events, meetings, committees, etc. Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the opening of the new maternity ward at the Vayk Hospital. For a small no-name town like Vayk this was a big deal, and resulted in the presence of the American Ambassador, his wife and others from the embassy, as well as several NGO’s, Yerevan based news crews, and of course citizens of Vayk (and the Peace Corps Volunteers).

I did not have the privilege of viewing the hospital before the renovation, but I have seen other floors of the hospital as well as the before and after pictures of the ward in question. I think it is safe to say that we were all astounded by the shiny white walls, new tile floors, flushing toilets and generally cleanly appearance. There is still a ways to go in terms of sanitation of sheets, blankets, etc., but this was a huge step in the right direction, funded in part by a community self-help grant through the embassy. The hospital transformed from a place that I would be reluctant to camp in, to a place that I might consider going to as a hospital…if I was in dire need ....or something.

Not only was it nice to see facilties slowly rising to western standards, but also it was encouraging to see the community and staff involvement in such a large project. The unfortunate flip side is that this tends to be the only type of project many Armenians are interested in—the kind that gives them money. I am fortunate to be paired with a counterpart who is very influential in the community (and happens to be the director of the hospital ward in question). It is my hope that through her influence and eagerness to produce change we will be able to have impact without the aid of thousands of dollars of grant money. I suppose time will tell.