TO:

We had SO MANY polaroid moments, or "Roid Moments" as we call them. Special indeed.

A-21’s: Janessa, Jenny, Aislin, Kiki, Cyndi – everything leading up to this story is thanks to you girls. My overflowing “giddiness” and unusually big smile I took to school today was thanks to you girls. The way I see this second year of my Peace Corps service as a gift and so full of potential is thanks to you girls. My bad for the super “cheesiness” of this all, but honestly, this past weekend was like a cheesy love story for me and how I fell in love with all of you at first sight! I was hesitant about the weekend, about 90% sure I wouldn’t do the 5-hour bumpy ride over to Sisian, and honestly just wanted to be my introverted self and stay home. The day we spent together at the lake, our conversations, pizza dinner, and hair-braiding party were so EASY and I truly enjoyed myself. The compliments I received about the work I’m doing in my village, my hair-braiding skills, and just who I am as a person were encouraging in a way that made me see actual little changes I’ve helped create in the past year in my village and in myself, and how to me my work may seem minimal, but seeing that they weren't so small in the eyes of newcomers made me see the bigger picture of it all. Basically, what I want to say is “THANK YOU,” for letting me be ME, for making this weekend the best I’ve had in my time here in Armenia, for joining us A-20’s and making it feel as if we’ve been friends for ages, and having such over-the-top positive spirits. I’m so glad we can support each other and I can’t wait to get to know all of you even more! Wine Festival, yea?!?!

I am ever so lucky to have found a sister who enjoys her hair being braided as much as I enjoy experimenting with hair. Just too "Cinderella and her missing glass slipper" PERFECT of a match we are!

Phi - this is the reason why I didn’t end up calling you in Yerevan and didn’t have time to meet up!

Meghan - because the weekend you organized and encouraged me to come to really brought me a lot of hope and joy for our last year of service. The challenges and little pushes you’ve given me here and there have ALWAYS proven to be worth it and such a blessing in more ways than you can imagine! Our accountability and growth in each other and in God helped me to see all the good in what happened today and sparked my fire again, which has been horizontal for too long now! Tears and everything! This weekend made me realize that I have changed so much in the past year in ways that I couldn’t see, and the greatest part about those changes?! The new volunteers were the ones to point them out to me! WHO “WOULDA” THOUGHT?!?! I’m just really glad that I came and was able to meet these bright new beautiful girls who let me be ME. It was just SO easy and refreshing. Thanks for the perfect weekend at the most perfect time.

Lauren - because you’re the one who encouraged me to take chances with people and just see where things go. To not be so scared or think of the worst, and just go for it with full trust that there’s possibility of GREATNESS that’ll come from it. Two hours after our conversation, there I was standing in a grocery store being asked if I would be willing to take a walk with this stranger and just take some pictures. What do you think I ended up doing?! This story is 95% thanks to you!

               Now it makes me want to do what I NEVER thought I’d have the guts to do and travel around the world with just a backpack on my own and see where it takes me. It’s not scary anymore, it’s EXCITING.

________________________________________________________________________________     

. David From Iran .

“Excuse me, but I think maybe you can speak English?” was what he asked me in the supermarket. Rather than trying to figure out the answer, this is what was going on in my head, “I can either help him real quick and escape the situation OR help him and see if there’s more that can come from this.” Less than a year ago I would have tried to get rid of him as soon as possible and jet, but this time I thought of my conversation with Lauren a few hours ago about how she met amazing strangers on her trip alone to Turkey because she allowed it, was JUST contemplating about how I could waste two hours in Yerevan before my bus home, and kept hearing myself say “WHAT THE HECK! JUST DO IT!”

David from Iran who lives near the Caspian Sea, 32 years old, works for an Iranian oil company, and in Armenia for a week just because he felt like it. Oh, and LOVES Americans, apparently. Haha. 

We ended up walking around Yerevan for two hours together, had some really interesting conversations about Iran, humanity, his life and my life, I got two new baby plants for my apartment as a gift, and best of all I had someone carrying my backpack around for me when only two hours ago I was trying to figure out where I could sit and wait to not die from the heat! By the way, I’ve been looking for plants for MONTHS now and here I am receiving them as gifts from a perfect stranger. What made it THAT much better was that they were bought from this sweet little old lady hunched over on the corner selling these plants she nurtured and grew herself in old sour cream containers. Now you all know how much I LOVE the older folk and how much I LOVE supporting those who are truly passionate about what they are passionate about. You can imagine how overly joyful I must have been. What a beautiful BEAUTIFUL blessing that I wasn’t expecting today! And man was it written ALL OVER my face! David’s exact words were, “you’re blooming just like your plants. You really are a little angel.” Now he kept calling me an angel and complimenting me, and might I say I usually really can’t handle those kinds of words and they ‘erk’ me in a way that makes me twitch with dislike, but for some reason at that moment, in that situation, I was just so psyched to have taken this CHANCE, not knowing what could come from it, and it being SO FREAKN’ GOOD!

I took a leap of faith today. A test of confidence. A DARE.

                  It was the ONLY way I should have spent my afternoon.

                               The most ENCOURAGING way to start the new school year.           

                                               Sparked a flame in me to DO & LET GO.

                                                               THAT will be my last year in Peace Corps.

I still have to name them. Waiting 'til I see some personality :)

He recited this poem in Persian, which was such a beautiful language to listen to by the way, and translated it for me. My favorite part was, “You bring this tasty watermelon and it smells so wonderful, but what makes it smell better is the scent from your hands on the watermelon. Your hands smell better than watermelons.” I know it must sound so strange, but it really was so pure and gorgeous the way he said it in his native language and even the translations. Different cultures have different ways of expressing beauty and this one was definitely one I have never heard before… and I liked it. So Fresh.

            “Your hands smell better than watermelons.”

Now I must say it ended up getting a little strange towards the end when he started asking me about my love life, if I was married or had a boyfriend, etc. I told him I had a boyfriend back at home (haha no I don’t, but I thought it’d be smarter to say so) and he would ask me if I truly loved him, if we were going to get married, and that he wished he were in my (fake) boyfriends’ shoes. HAHA. Oh dear. Sorry for bursting this “perfect little fairy-tale story bubble” you were probably imagining it to become, but it did end up being a little too much for me and I left him saying goodbye & good luck with a handshake, and, unfortunately, a high-five (apparently that was his “thing”) haha.  

NONETHELESS! I DID IT! Went out of my comfort zone, took a chance, did something new, got to know a perfect stranger, and had, for the most part, a splendid time! AND I got two new additions to my family of plants! 

                                                            Not too shabby for Andrea.