How could it be two months since I last posted? I say this every time. Maybe I've internalized my day to day life so much that everything seems routine. That said, here are a couple of highlights from the last two months. Pics will be in the next blog entry.
- Surb Sarkis - I was invited to celebrate the Armenian equivalent of Valentine's Day - dinner with a large group of Armenians at my favorite restaurant, the fish farm. I've written about the fish farm before and included a couple of pics. I went with another vol who was visiting Gyumri. As we walked from my house to the fish farm, we were navigating down a somewhat slippery hill when a man on a white horse galloped full speed up the hill past us. That was a new experience and has relevance to the evening's events
Once we arrived at the fish farm, we were led to a private room containing a very long table filled w/ at least 30 people. Fortunately some friends from Caritas were there so I could converse beyond my simple Armenian. We had entertainment: a very good dancer demonstrating traditional Armenian dances and wore what looked like vintage costumes. She was exceptionally graceful and the dances were fascinating to watch. If I can get my hands on a video, I'll attach it.
Musicians played (two duduks which sounded so much better playing traditional music than they do when shrilling out bad pop), poems were recited and of course, many long winded toasts offered.
My two favorite rituals of the evening:
- a plate of soft crackers were laid out every few feet. They are extremely salty. An unmarried girl is supposed to eat one, avoid drinking water and if her dreams include someone bringing her water, that is who she will marry.
- all the guest were given small cups full of flour. We trouped outside (its about 20 degrees) and everyone found a spot on the stone pathway to empty their flour cups. My colleagues told me to remember where I left mine. Then, according to old tradition, the "hero" rides to the location and if his horse steps in your flour and leaves a horseshoe print, you will have good luck in romance. Sure enough, the man on the white horse, now wearing a cape and a crown galloped down the hill and onto the stone paths. He deftly managed to get his horse to plant his feet all over the path so most people has a horseshoe print in their flour. If I looked at the right place, my flour had a horseshoe also.
The food was typical Armenian fare with the wonderful addition of the fish farms khorovats trout - yum.
I am now so used to walking to and from the fish farm down and then up the slippery hill, across the rope that blocks the hill from cars (it would be wildly dangerous for a car to attempt the hill) and around a few deteriorating houses to my apartment building that it seems completely natural, not like an adventure in a strange land. Have I gone native? I doubt it, tho I must admit I am very used to meetings starting considerably later than the time scheduled and schedules themselves being quite flexible and prone to last minute arrangements. It no longer makes me crazy, maybe a little anxious until I remember where I am and relax into the culture.
Another high point of the last two months: the actual beginning of my business incubation project- developed with Caritas - that was funded through a Peace Corps grant (primarily by one big donation). The goal of the project is to spark economic development in a rural village north of Gyumri (and act as a pilot for future economic development activities). After reviewing business plans made during some Caritas training, we selected a proposed fish farm for the first business. The unique thing about this grant is that our agreement with the business owner is that within the first year to 18 months, he regrants most of the funds he receives back to Caritas so another business can be funded. This way, we are not simply handing out money (a method which does not produce sustainable results). The business owner has to contribute part of the business costs himself and then must give back the funds he receives to support new efforts. Having some skin in the game creates a stronger desire to succeed and makes it more likely that the grant money will be returned.
The start of this business has taken much longer than I expected. By the time the funds arrived from the Peace Corps (this is called a partnership grant - the terms are posted on the Peace Corps site and individuals can contribute to any number of projects listed on the site), winter was on its way - the village is at a higher altitude than Gyumri and is considerably colder. So construction of the ponds quickly became problematic. Finally, the business owner was able to secure access to an existing pond in the village so we could start growing the fish. He will build the actual fish ponds on his land when the ground thaws in the spring. Meanwhile he has been acquiring materials so he will be ready to go when the weather permits.
So two weeks ago, Zhanna, Gurgan (Caritas employees) and I accompanied Sergei (the business owner) to a fish hatchery to buy the first 5000 fish. The hatchery is in the middle of nowhere and I really mean nowhere. The fish were loaded into a plastic tank in the back of a van Gergei borrowed, driven to his village and deposited in the temporary pond. The water comes from a fresh spring and flows thru at a rate that prevents it from freezing no matter how cold it gets in the village. Look at the pics of the process in the next blog.
Another event that was fun for the Gyumri vols - Peace Corps week. We were asked by administration to find activities that informed others about Peace Corps and encouraged volunteerism in Armenia. We set up a program where the attendees heard from Peace Corps and Armenian volunteers about their experiences. Ho hum. The real fun was two carnivals we held in volunteer villages in the Gyumri area. The carnival consisted of game stations with each one symbolizing a characteristic of a good volunteer. Of course, the real point for the children was the games themselves. We also made chocolate chip cookies with children at a local orphanage. Again, see pics in later blog entries.
Last catch up item. I've started the networking and other prep process to begin looking for short term international consulting opportunities for when I leave late summer. I'm spending much time on web sites of international development organizations and reordering my resume to include the Peace Corps experience and de-Americanize my resume so it is acceptable to European organizations. I didn't realize how vocabulary can peg your nationality (for example, EEO is strictly an US concept; fair employment practices is the more internationally understandable expression).
Ok, we're caught up for now. Look for pics.
Some of the fish being scooped up.
