I left America on March 17th, 2019, and returned on March 17th, 2020, and I am determined to write a happy story even though I am heartbroken, because I have had so much. I want to tell you about Ovsanna, and Mariam, and Susik, and Diana, and the time Anushavan asked me if they had dounuts … More Peace Corps Armenia: Evacuation
This is going to be a bit of a mess. Hang tight. I was in the middle of writing a different version of this blog post, one with the words “everything is normal here”, when suddenly things stopped being quite so normal. Several things happed sort of at once. Armenia reported three more cases of … More Peace Corps Armenia: the bees came back, and we’re waiting
Full disclosure: I didn’t think I would struggle this winter. My summer was so mind-bendingly hot that I couldn’t conceptualize the cold. All of the things that Peace Corps said would be hard about the winter I didn’t think applied to me, because it’s not as cold as it could be at my site, because … More Peace Corps Armenia: Things I thought I knew
They warn you about the Winter. How it’s not the cold itself, it’s that you can’t get away from it. It gets dark so early, and the winter food is different, and you have been here just long enough that it’s starting to feel long. All Januaries are long, of course. It’s a long cold … More Peace Corps Armenia: stories to keep you warm
There’s snow on the mountains now, but still none in the valley. If it’s clear, the icy blue peaks of Mount Ararat look yellow and rosy in the morning light, like a watercolor. Everything is a little softer at that cold winter angle. Mostly though, it’s cloudy and damp, with the smell of wood smoke … More Peace Corps Armenia: Already Winter
hello stranger 