Today it will have to be bullet points. Haven't had much time to write ....

* Hilary Clinton came to Armenia!
* The US Ambassador came to speak to us for an hour. That was cool (?)
* I went rollerblading on a street next to hills, cows, and sheep.
* I pet a donkey and if you sit on one it's apparently good luck... but I did not do that.
* My Armenian is surprisingly sort of coming along. Yay me.
         [This is how you say Thank You: "shno-la-ka-loot-syoon." Long right?!]
* I saw a baby calf who was less than 24 hours old. SO CUTE.
* Saw a fish get beat-up... then ate it.
* My sister and I made a pizza with bread, ketchup, cheese, meat, and veggies. (pic to come)
* Played soccer or "football" with the kids who beat the crap outta me.
* My middle brother's leaving to Russia for work in a few days. SAD! :(

THE END! Til next time :)

May 31, 2012

I was walking to school, which is only a 3-4 minute walk, but my brother happened to be driving out so he drove me to the front of school where we were all meeting, I come out and all my peers say “whoa, little miss princess rolling up in a Benz” haha we have a Mercedes tehehe J Now I’m picked on for being the “princess.” The End.

May 30, 2012

My parents own a market (“hanoot”) down the street and our class had a homework assignment to find market items and ask how much they are so I brought all my peers to the market and my mom was more than happy to help us. She kissed me goodbye when we were done and ONLY me so I felt super special ^^

My new friends and I started to take 30 minute walks in the morning just to get some fresh air and some English in our systems haha it gets stressful being silent and unable to have conversations for a whole day! The first morning we went to the “left” of town and saw just endless fields of green and lots of cow poop on the streets. The next morning we went to the “right” of town and found this graveyard with an old grandpa guarding it. He came up to us and asked if we’re the Americans, we said yes, he looked at me and said “chae Americatsi” meaning I’m not American, so I said “yes Koreatsi-em” à “I am Korean” and he looked so much more satisfied HAHA then he kept saying I was Buddhist, but I assured him I was Christian and even gestured a cross… he was insisting I was Buddhist even after all my words and gestures… apparently Asians have to be Buddhist? HAHA it’s cool~!

We get a lot of “what-the-heck-are-these-girls-doing” looks when we take our walks cause Armenians don’t really “exercise” or “take walks,” but these walks have really helped us bond and get our morning “health” walks in before our long language classes so we have decided to make them a daily thing J

This is what I see five minutes from my house! BEAUTY. pure beauty.

May 29, 2012

I WAS WRONG. We don’t have a dog, a cat, and a rabbit… we have a dog, a cat, about TEN rabbits including two GIGANTIC mama & papa rabbits, two grown pigs, two piglets, two doves, and a bunch of chickens/hens. SUPER AWESOME! (*cough* Dasom be jealous! *cough*) I even got to get our morning eggs from the hens right from the nests (do you call them nest? I’m not sure haha)!

Trevor and the kid rabbits. Big papa rabbit on bottom left (HE'S HUGE). baby piglets on top right. and Gucci on bottom right!  love that dog. I miss my Romeo! 

                                  

I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M LEARNING ANOTHER LANGUAGE. It’s been fun but frustrating feeling like I can’t speak with my family or have deep conversations with my sister. Gestures and one-word answers just don’t get you far! I must say dinners have been quiet… But this is me complaining when I have NO RIGHT to whine! I really have the best of situations and OF COURSE language is going to be tough! Who was I kidding?! Like my new mom keeps telling me, “one month, you will be good.” I want to believe her! I just can’t wait to get there…

Papa told me today he wants me to eat a lot so I can tell my real papa back home that I am being well-fed haha isn’t that the sweetest?! He came back home later with a handful of yellow and purple flowers for me… took out a knife from his pocket, cut the bottom of the bouquet, and put them in a glass of water so I could put them in my room. I really feel like the princess J He went to the mountains with my uncle and aunt to pick these special herbs and greens for food and tea and said he thought of me when he saw the flowers. Papa is hardly at home cause he’s always at work, but when I see him every morning before I wash-up he says “Balee-louise” and “Vonts-aek?”… “Good Morning! How are you/sleep well?” Our conversations have been short, but he tries so hard to have conversations, jokes with me, and stuffs me up with lots of food!

Flowers on my drawers from my papa :) 

My sister and I did our nails together while listening to Rihanna and Eminem on my laptop today haha apparently Armenians are really into Eminem and Tupac haha. Anyways, as I was doing her nails, I realized all her fingers were callused and her hands worn… she is only 22 and the youngest of 3 and yet has to do all the household chores… culture shock?!? I think YES. The girls in an Armenian family are responsible for most or all household chores: cooking, cleaning, laundry, sewing, serving, guests, etc etc. The boys of the family work outside but when they’re home they have no responsibilities. If they need their socks from their room they’ll ask the girl to go get them. Things like that are somewhat similar to the American culture where little siblings are bossed around to do things by older siblings, but it is so much more intense here and in a very different perspective.

First day in my village. My mama and sister took me to this small church thing on top of the mountain. 

I still can’t believe I’m here! And I still can’t believe I can shower tomorrow morning! Who knew I would be so lucky as to shower whenever I want?! I even brought dry shampoo thinking I would be in desperate need of my hair looking somewhat decent haha but like I said… this is an easy transition. My situation won’t nearly be as nice after my training haha

May 28, 2012  HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! 

Aren't they the greatest <3 

I’m in the “Princess House!”

When I got the names of my host family there were rumors going around that my house was like the “princess house” and that my family was super sweet and the mother spoke very slow and clearly so we could understand better.

THEY WEREN’T RUMORS! All true. I really do live in THE Princess House and my host mom is the most precious of all moms! BE JEALOUS. I have a grandma and grandpa who live next door, a mom, a dad, one sister who is 22, one brother who is 24, and another brother who’s 25. And guess what?! I’m 23! Isn’t that perfect?!         

22, 23, 24, 25. IT WAS MEANT TO BE.

I complete this little sequence of theirs J I only hope I’m worthy enough to be a part of this family and to live like the princess they have been treating me as. My grandma took my face and kissed me! She took my hand and just kept looking at me with a smile… we couldn’t say a word to each other, but it was such a warm feeling.

We had SO MUCH FUN doing these. Mama told me she has never laughed this much :) 

After a 40 minute “marshutini” van ride my group of 12 trainees finally made it to our NEW HOME for the next 3 months. When we made it to our school all of our host families were waiting outside for us with anxious smiles, excitement, and even some with flowers and balloons! We found our families, went our separate ways, and our journeys began!

I came to this brick wall house with a bunch of gardens in the back not knowing what to expect and when I stepped inside I thought to myself, “this can’t be real.” I never thought I was signing up for such luxury! There’s no way I get my own padded bed, closet, desk, and hot-water-no-hole-in-the-ground-toilet bathroom!

WHAT THE HEEZY?!

I almost feel like I’m cheating something. Don’t get me wrong! I love it. But this really wasn’t what I was expecting! I had so many images in my mind and this didn’t even come close! But then again, who knows, after my 3 months training when I have to move out and go to my permanent village of 2 years, it might be a different story. Most volunteers live in places with no electricity, hot water, or actual toilets haha that’s where the real crazy fun begins :p

Anyways, I have a pet dog named Gucci outside and a cat from Russia named Kooka inside. We also have a white rabbit with HUGE ears I can’t remember the name of. I can’t wait to bond with my sister like a best friend especially since we’re basically the same age. My mom and dad seem very happy and try everything they can to talk to me (with hand gestures). My brothers smoke outside for my sake even though smoking inside is the norm! Neighbors came from all around to say hi to me like I was some “prize” haha. THIS WILL BE GREAT.

Now if only I can become fluent in Armenian by tomorrow… that would be great J

All the kids haha so cute 

Our LAST NIGHT! before we all separate into our own host families. How exciting and intimidating all at the same time! It really all begins tomorrow...

We have been prepared, told what to expect (sort of haha), and are ready to pack-up, AGAIN, and move into our new homes with new families for the next 3 months! We have had only two language classes so far and yet we will be dropped off to our new homes tomorrow afternoon and will live with an Armenian family in our villages during our Pre-Service Training (PST). How in the world am I going to say ANYTHING to them?! I love getting to know people and finding out about their lives and what they're interested in, but I have a strong feeling there will be a lot of silence, hand gestures, and maybe even some miming going on tomorrow for dinner haha GOTTA LOVE IT! Like Peace Corps says, we gotta be flexible!

Just a few interesting facts they taught us about Armenian families today:

~ Children are THE center of attention in the Armenian family. I will be considered a child of this family. Therefore I'll be getting TONS of attention (which I'm used to HAHA just kidding :p)
~ No shoes in the house, no flip flops to work, no laying on top of bed covers, no jackets or jeans on bed.
~ I will be fed A LOT. If my plate is slightly empty, it will be filled. If I say I'm not hungry, my plate will be piled on with food. If I'm on the table for dinner, there WILL be a shot glass filled with vodka... ARMENIAN vodka... very strong potent stuff that you ALL know I can't handle haha
~ You can't wave or talk for long periods of time to the opposite sex in public or it will be considered taboo... or they'll assume "something else."

There were loads more that we learned but those were the few that stuck out to me. I'll let you all know more about my family and village and situation as soon as I figure it out! I can't wait to tell you all about it. For now, I will leave you with a picture of my dear family back home cause starting tomorrow I will be a part of another family! hehe
I CAN'T WAIT

Me, Mom, Dad, Lil' Sis Jeanie, my baby Romeo.
(Yes, I had long hair. Always did except for now!... Armenia will soon see it that long again!)
 I LOVE YOU FAMILY YU!  I'll jump back into this family 2 years later! hehe

WELCOME TO ARMENIA!

We arrive at the airport at 4:30am and Peace Corps staff were waiting outside with signs for us, a huge shuttle, and a truck for all of our luggage haha. LOTS OF LUGGAGE.

They take us to the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral from the 17th c. AD to see the sunrise at this breathtakingly beautiful historic location, have breakfast, and meet all of our new PC staff.

It was dark for a good while before the sun rose haha it was way too early.
See the sun rising on the top right?! Those are the Mountains of Ararat in Turkey... which they stole from Armenia :(

We were tired, cold, excited, in awe, nervous, and a bunch of other emotions all at once, but we all had this adrenalin rush and just had a good time while enjoying the view. For Example.... lol

New friends. Such blessings.
We went down to the torture chambers underground haha funnn
Top left: David's "myspace picture" which I called "FOB picture" haha
Bottom Left: my first roommate Marisa who is just so darling!

We got back onto the shuttle after a few shpeels here and there and headed off to resorts somewhere about an hour away. Blah blah blah blah blah. Food here is GREAT. Instead of losing weight, I think I will be gaining according to the Armenians and PCV's already here... haha SAD. I got placed into a village of 5 villages with 12 other trainees. I will be in small village and with 3 wonderful teachers (Hasmik, Anna, and Inga) who will help us, train us, teach us, and be with us for the whole 3 months of training in our village. I've been told I will be living with a host family on my own and they will most likely have children! Yipee. Just what I wanted. We had our first language class today for just an hour and learned all about safety, health, and what to expect.

Alright, well it's way past my bedtime. I am exactly 12 hours ahead of y'all so my 8pm is your 8am haha Okay! One last picture :)

The view outside our resort. All mountains. All green. Such beauty.
(NOTE: Thanks David for letting me steal all your pics AGAIN!)

May 23-25 shuttle, flight, layover, flight, shuttle, ARMENIA!

After a long two days we finally arrived in Armenia. An hour shuttle ride to the airport from our hotel in Washington D.C., 4 hours in the airport, 12 hour flight to Vienna, 14 hour layover in a day hotel, another 3 hours in the airport, 3 hour flight to Armenia, FINALLY a 1 hour shuttle ride to our hotel! Kind of intense, huh?! haha but we all made it safely and we were all so enthusiastic about finally arriving that we clapped as the plane landed. It was 4:30am, most of us haven't showered or slept in basically two days and we were clapping with excitement!

Here's a little bit of what I saw in Vienna, Austria for the 14 hours I was there... well, technically only about 6 hours or so because airport security takes FOREVER and etc etc, BUT I did have time to explore Vienna for a bit and it was GORGEOUS. The buildings, sculptures, gardens, museums, streets, ahhhh <3

A few snapshots of this beautiful city.  And of course I took a few polaroids, but I'll have to post that next time.

In the city we got to explore for a few hours in Vienna we saw this astounding "show?" I can't explain it, I don't know how it was done, but my mouth was WIDE open for about 5 minutes and we all stood there trying to figure it out haha take a look for yourself! My friend took pictures from all angles :)

No string, no wire, no mirrors... just floating in the air with ease. FLOATING! Real people too. No fakes. He was blinking and smiling and everything. Explainable?! You tell me...

We didn't all go out and explore Vienna because we were kind of told not to... but how can you not when you're IN Vienna and have more than half a day to venture out?! haha so here we were, we figured out how to take a subway train kind of thing, and we just walked around the main city for a few hours together and took lots of pictures !

We had a map, exchanged some money, went out, and explored the city.
Oh, and I stole all these pictures from others :)

So much to share but I just feel like it's IMPOSSIBLE for me to really share all and have you feel or read or see what I'm feeling and seeing and experiencing!

I will try my best. I miss you all. I love that I'm able to do this and really try and share my experiences with you all. This might be the most I will be able to do for a while, but I will definitely at least try to write little snippets here and there whenever I can ^^