watts up in armenia: the rantings of an old man



watts up in armenia: the rantings of an old man

We're Here, Where ever that is.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL PEACE CORPS SITE, DOESN'T REFLECT PC POLICY AND IS STRICTLY THE RANTINGS OF AN OLD MAN.

[Excerpt]

There, hopefully that will satisfy the powers that be. Well we have finally made it. Anxiety attacks aside, we are here and somewhat settled with a local family. We are in a small village outside of Vanadzor, the 3rd largest city in Armenia. While our homestay is definitely a step up from Papua New Guinea, it still has its challenges. Hot water is available every 3 or 4 days, when the family stoke up the little wood stove that the water tank sits on top of. The food is good, but a bit on the starchy side. Dr. Atkins would roll over in his grave at the breads, potatoes, cheeses we are always eating. Our family is very accommodating and friendly. At least we think they are, since we don't speak the language we really don't know what they are really saying. Language lessons are coming along slowly. On our first class trip to the store, I ended up offering to sell them 2 liters of my blood rather than getting the price on 2 liters of vodka. I'd better work on that.

We had about 3 days of initial "training" once we arrived, before being sent out to our villages. Every day we have 4-5 hours of language training, and 2 days each week we come into Vanadzor for our "job" training. This program is totally different than PNG. There they just wanted us to survive. Here they want us to actually do something. It will be interesting to see what our jobs end up being. We know Peggy will be teaching English, and so far they have said that I will probably be working for an NGO on restoration of public monuments. I think they said "public", although as I said my Armenian isn't that good.

Well, I'm off to a dinner meeting with the other Community Development trainees to prepare for a presentation next week. These people are way to serious. One of the PC volunteer trainors told us this week to show up for a meeting in "suits, ties and polished shoes." Yeah, right. I did put on a clean shirt and change my underwear. And it wasn't even Friday, so I thought I went all out.

When this story was posted in June 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:



Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here.

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June 16, 2005: Special Events Philip Weiss, PCV murder writer, speaks in Baltimore June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 NPCA to hold Virtual Leaders Forum on July 29 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 "Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service.

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 6, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Kinky Friedman will "sign anything except bad legislation" 6 Jun Niels Marquardt Makes Chimpanzee Protection a Priority 6 Jun Laurence Leamer needs approval for "Today" appearance 6 Jun Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira is son of RPCVs 6 Jun Anthony Sandberg runs Berkeley sailing school 5 Jun Amy Smith field-tests sugarcane charcoal 5 Jun Mary Johnson organizes workshop on genocide 3 Jun Jonathan Lash in 100 most Influential Business Leaders 3 Jun Hastert jump-starts Chris Shays' Campaign 3 Jun John Coyne says 41 RPCVs applied for scholarships 3 Jun James Rupert writes on bombing in Kandahar mosque 1 Jun John McCain says to expand opportunities for service 1 Jun Jay Rockefeller's relationships with Japanese go way back 1 Jun Anat Shenker met her husband during service in Honduras 31 May Ryan Clancy punished without hearing for visiting Iraq 30 May Melissa Mosvick remembered as a fallen American hero 29 May Kurt Carlson played basketball against Togo's national team 29 May Helen Thomas's favorite president remains JFK 24 May

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