My English clubs started a few weeks ago after a brief post-summer hiatus. The first two sessions were small, with less than eight kids and easy to manage, but now I have 25 regulars. I had meant for club to be invite-only in order to avoid having different English speaking levels, or any kids who … More Peace Corps Armenia: For Example
The heat breaks like a fever and fat fig leaves glitter in the rain. Had I really forgotten what a cool breeze felt like? This first storm comes like a celebration, with dancing trees and thunder song. Swallows dot the hazy purple sky and sing, and it comes from nowhere and everywhere, like something has … More Peace Corps Armenia: Andzrev Galis E
It doesn’t seem like I could possibly have anything to teach Nune*. She’s in her late sixties, a garden expert, makes a better cup of coffee than I, and is decidedly unimpressed with both my Armenian and my cooking. So I was surprised when she came in to my room with a skein of yarn … More Peace Corps Armenia: Blink and You’ll Miss it
“I know this!” My student said in English. She grinned. “I like this song,” I told her, glancing at my laptop screen. Let it go, from Frozen, had just started to play. I smiled to myself—I had been hoping they would recognize this part of the movie. “Me too,” She and her friend craned closer … More Peace Corps Armenia: Narrative Arc
The thing that strikes me most is how alive everything feels here. Mornings are slow. I wake up around eight and have a cup of coffee, then a cup of tea, then go to the school and do English clubs for two hours. Twenty kids a class, turquoise walls and a chalkboard. I sweat through … More Peace Corps Armenia: Kami
I was planning on seeing my bad day all the way through, while I kicked a stone down the road in a pair of shoes not meant for distances measured in kilometers. These shoes are my only pair that have seen three continents. I got them in Norwich after I soaked my old favorites beyond … More Peace Corps Armenia: Raw Garlic is Spicy
