and I hear back!
I finally got my first letters from the school, with lots of questions from the kids, and promptly sent off this reply:
Hey you -
Wow! Thanks for all the letters - it was great to get so much mail, all in one massive package. From what I can tell, the envelope got sent out on the 19th of September, and I got it on the 13th of November - it looks like the mail may take a while. So if it seems like I'm not answering your questions, it's pretty likely that I just haven't gotten your letters - I can only hope the outgoing mail (i.e., from me to you) is a bit faster. This should be your 4th letter from Armenia, and you probably know some of the answers to your questions by now. I'll answer them all anyway - or at least all I can remember - just for good luck. Before I start on that task, I wanted to let you all know that those were really great letters, and some marvelous questions. I wish I could write each of you back your very own letter, but as there are 50 of you and only one of me - well, it would be pretty hard. I like writing you-all very much, but there are only so many hours in the day. It's the best I can do for now. If you'd like, I could try to set you each up with an Armenian penpal - I don't know if I can, but I can try. Let me know if you're interested in this, ok? For now, I'm just going to try to answer all your questions, in no particular order - if I skip something, let me know and I'll cover it in my next letter.
Here goes: My birthday? September 22nd - it's often the fall equinox as well, which I think is pretty cool.
Where did I go to school? I went to school in a lot of places - when I was very little I went to school in New York City; then in Northfield, VT (1st grade through 4th grade); then in Montpelier, VT (from 5th grade through 8th grade); and then U-32 High School in East Montpelier; and then Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA (part of Temple University). Since graduating college I've taken various classes here and there but haven't been in school full time - learning is just one of those things that never ends. I'm 37 years old now, and I'm still doing homework! And taking tests, too. Because you're such smart kids, you've probably figured out that I grew up in Vermont (well, mostly - I was only in New York a couple of years when I was very young); then I moved to Philadelphia for college. After that I moved to Maine, then New Mexico, then Texas, then New Hampshire, then Vermont, then Texas, and then Vermont again. In between all this, I've visited (in chronological order) Canada, Egypt, Somalia, Mexico, and England. Now I'm here in Armenia, and expect to be staying my full two years - possibly three. Everywhere I've been is different, everywhere has things to like and dislike - usually we're most comfortable with what we know and are used to. Myself, I've pretty much found things to like everywhere I've been - though I think I'll probably end up in Vermont eventually. It's my home state, after all - it's where I grew up, and where my parents still live.
Which brings us to my family - one older sister, who lives in Minnesota, MN; mother who lives in Burlington, VT; father who lives in Northfield, VT; various relatives scattered about the country, and a lot of friends all over the place. I think of my friends as part of my extended family - it's just as likely that I'll be at their homes for holidays as it is I'll be at my parents' or sister's. I don't have any one 'best' friend - I have a lot of very close friends, all of whom I love dearly. Neither my sister or I have any children - you can't join the Peace Corps if you have children unless the children are all grownup, and I'm still too young to have children that are all grownup. Now I have my host family here as well - I lived with them for three months when I first got here, and they continue to be an important part of my life here. They are great people and I feel very lucky indeed to know them. Mama, Papa, Karina and Artush, Hasico and Anya, all living in one house; cousins and extended family all around. Artush is the son of the family, Karina his wife, Hasico and Anya their children - it's common here for the sons to stay at home and start their families under their parent's roof, if it's possible. Most people continue living with their parents until they marry - and if they don't marry, they may stay at home all their lives.
That's one of the many differences between Armenia and the US - in a lot of ways it isn't that different here from there, but in some ways it's very different. The weather's pretty similar to the Northeast (right now we're at the start of fall, and it's chilly outside, there's snow in the mountains and frost in the fields); the people here worry about heating bills, too; the clothes aren't that different - a bit dressier in general. I usually wear just what I would wear in Vermont - but most people dress up a bit more. Appearance is very important here, and people take a lot of pride in how they look. Shoes ARE shined, clothes ARE ironed - on the other hand, people often wear the same clothes day in and day out. A lot of people only have a couple of different 'good' outfits, and so it's not shameful to wear the same clothes day after day - it IS shameful to wear dirty or wrinkled clothes, to not shine your shoes. No one cares or even notices if you wear the same clothes for a week - but get a smudge on your jacket (which I do a lot - mostly from leaning up against walls) and your friends will start brushing you off as soon as they see it.
A lot of you asked me if I had any pets - right now I don't, but I have had cats, dogs, mice, gerbils, hamsters, ducks, rabbits, and a horse in the past. I didn't think it would be fair to the animal to get a pet when I was going into the Peace Corps, and I think it would be really hard for me to have a pet here in Armenia. There are a lot of animals here, but not a lot of pets. So for now, I'm without animals - maybe when I get back to the States and settle down I'll get a cat again. I do miss having pets - they're good friends to have, and can be great comforts. I'll be in Armenia for two to three years though, so it'll be a while before I get another pet.
The time difference - from what I can tell, we're about 9 hours ahead of you. It can make telephone calls difficult - I've gotten up a 5:00 a.m. (my time) to call my friend in Vermont at 8:00 p.m. (his time). It's 1:30 in the afternoon right now, I've just gotten my phone working (that's been a battle) - and my computer tells me it's 4:30 in the morning in Vermont, which means I can't call anyone there right now. I'm going to do my dishes instead - it's not quite the same as talking to a friend in the States, but it's a lot cheaper. I do get lonely at times, and miss my friends and family back in the States (and a really good cup of coffee from Muddy Waters - and sushi! Last night I dreamed about eating sushi, and it was really tasty) - but most of the time I'm just too busy trying to figure out how to pay my phone bill, or what that person just said to me, or how to change the wick on my kerosene heater, or SOMETHING to get very homesick. There simply isn't time - and there's so much else to think about here. A lot of things take more time here than in America - things like taking a bath, or washing dishes. Get the bucket of water, wait for it to heat up, pour it into the basin, fill the bucket with rinse water - it's a good fifteen minutes before you even start the washing up. Wash the dishes in the basin of hot water, put them in the sink, and then rinse with the bucket of cold water. Making a phone call? Walk twenty minutes to the post, place your call with the person behind the desk, and wait for the call to go through before walking the twenty minutes back. It's not that any of this is terribly difficult - it just takes more time. Or maybe it's just what my teacher used to say to me about tasks expanding to fill the time available - it seems like I should have more free time than I do, but somehow it's never there.
Now, about Armenia - yes, there's a national flag and a national anthem. No, there are no oceans (Armenia is surrounded by four countries - Iran, Georgia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan) but there is one big lake, Lake Sevan. Armenia is a very old country, which used to be much larger, with a history dating back over 2600 years and its very own alphabet and language - the people here are very proud of that history and of their heritage. However, life here has been - and still is - very difficult for many people, and many Armenians have left and now live in other countries. For the Armenians are still here, life is often very hard, and it has been since the earthquake and the breakup of the Soviet Union. I wasn't in Armenia during the earthquake, and there haven't been any new earthquakes since I've been here, but the damage is still very visible. My life here isn't very difficult, but for many people life is extremely hard. For almost everyone here, the last twelve years have seen a drastic drop in living standards. I think it's important to remember what most Armenians had fifteen years ago - they weren't hungry, they had medical care, the roads were paved, everyone had a place to live, everyone had the opportunity for education, the factories worked, there was new construction all the time, the trains ran, and the lights and water worked. There were problems, but they were very different problems.
Now very few of the factories work, many people still live in the temporary housing brought in after the earthquake - big metal shipping containers which may or may not have running water. Many people who work aren't paid for their work - doctors and nurses haven't been paid for over a year; teachers haven't been paid for three to four months. The roads aren't fixed, the buildings aren't fixed. Construction projects are stopped; the cranes rusting in place around the skeletons of buildings. People are hungry. Education is expensive, and not everybody can afford it. Healthcare is also expensive, and most people can't afford to go to the doctor or the dentist. It's a big change from the past - and while it is getting better, it's a slow process.
It's as if you woke up one day and the power was out, and when your mom tried to call the power company no one answered. And then the water stopped working, and there was no one to call about that either. When you went to the store there wasn't much there, only a couple of sacks of flour which were really expensive. And that kind of cereal you really hate. This sort of thing just went on - if your car broke down you couldn't get a new one or parts to replace what had broken. Even if you had the money, there was nowhere to buy what you needed - but you probably didn't have the money anyway. The trash stopped getting picked up, and no one repaired the roads. Streetlights went out. Elevators broke down, and weren't fixed. People stopped going to work, because there wasn't any work once they got there. Your school didn't have heat in the winter. That's kind of what happened here. So, even as things are getting better - the lights are on, and there's food in the market - it's not the way it was before; nothing works the way it should or the way you're used to it working. You always remember the way it was before, when everything worked.
That's what living here is like - the amazing thing is that despite it all, despite all the hardships, people have been incredibly kind and generous to me, this stranger in their town. Not everyone is, of course, but I've met some truly wonderful people here. And coming here has given me the chance to write you - truly, I am very glad to be here in Armenia now. I realize I haven't answered all your questions, but I've written three pages and this has got to stop somewhere! Or I'll never get it to the post, just sit here typing madly away and you'll never get a letter at all, and THAT would be a great pity indeed. So, I'm going to stop here, and get on with cleaning my room - hopefully this will be enough to keep you entertained for a while.
Love to you all - Meg
Hey you -
Wow! Thanks for all the letters - it was great to get so much mail, all in one massive package. From what I can tell, the envelope got sent out on the 19th of September, and I got it on the 13th of November - it looks like the mail may take a while. So if it seems like I'm not answering your questions, it's pretty likely that I just haven't gotten your letters - I can only hope the outgoing mail (i.e., from me to you) is a bit faster. This should be your 4th letter from Armenia, and you probably know some of the answers to your questions by now. I'll answer them all anyway - or at least all I can remember - just for good luck. Before I start on that task, I wanted to let you all know that those were really great letters, and some marvelous questions. I wish I could write each of you back your very own letter, but as there are 50 of you and only one of me - well, it would be pretty hard. I like writing you-all very much, but there are only so many hours in the day. It's the best I can do for now. If you'd like, I could try to set you each up with an Armenian penpal - I don't know if I can, but I can try. Let me know if you're interested in this, ok? For now, I'm just going to try to answer all your questions, in no particular order - if I skip something, let me know and I'll cover it in my next letter.
Here goes: My birthday? September 22nd - it's often the fall equinox as well, which I think is pretty cool.
Where did I go to school? I went to school in a lot of places - when I was very little I went to school in New York City; then in Northfield, VT (1st grade through 4th grade); then in Montpelier, VT (from 5th grade through 8th grade); and then U-32 High School in East Montpelier; and then Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA (part of Temple University). Since graduating college I've taken various classes here and there but haven't been in school full time - learning is just one of those things that never ends. I'm 37 years old now, and I'm still doing homework! And taking tests, too. Because you're such smart kids, you've probably figured out that I grew up in Vermont (well, mostly - I was only in New York a couple of years when I was very young); then I moved to Philadelphia for college. After that I moved to Maine, then New Mexico, then Texas, then New Hampshire, then Vermont, then Texas, and then Vermont again. In between all this, I've visited (in chronological order) Canada, Egypt, Somalia, Mexico, and England. Now I'm here in Armenia, and expect to be staying my full two years - possibly three. Everywhere I've been is different, everywhere has things to like and dislike - usually we're most comfortable with what we know and are used to. Myself, I've pretty much found things to like everywhere I've been - though I think I'll probably end up in Vermont eventually. It's my home state, after all - it's where I grew up, and where my parents still live.
Which brings us to my family - one older sister, who lives in Minnesota, MN; mother who lives in Burlington, VT; father who lives in Northfield, VT; various relatives scattered about the country, and a lot of friends all over the place. I think of my friends as part of my extended family - it's just as likely that I'll be at their homes for holidays as it is I'll be at my parents' or sister's. I don't have any one 'best' friend - I have a lot of very close friends, all of whom I love dearly. Neither my sister or I have any children - you can't join the Peace Corps if you have children unless the children are all grownup, and I'm still too young to have children that are all grownup. Now I have my host family here as well - I lived with them for three months when I first got here, and they continue to be an important part of my life here. They are great people and I feel very lucky indeed to know them. Mama, Papa, Karina and Artush, Hasico and Anya, all living in one house; cousins and extended family all around. Artush is the son of the family, Karina his wife, Hasico and Anya their children - it's common here for the sons to stay at home and start their families under their parent's roof, if it's possible. Most people continue living with their parents until they marry - and if they don't marry, they may stay at home all their lives.
That's one of the many differences between Armenia and the US - in a lot of ways it isn't that different here from there, but in some ways it's very different. The weather's pretty similar to the Northeast (right now we're at the start of fall, and it's chilly outside, there's snow in the mountains and frost in the fields); the people here worry about heating bills, too; the clothes aren't that different - a bit dressier in general. I usually wear just what I would wear in Vermont - but most people dress up a bit more. Appearance is very important here, and people take a lot of pride in how they look. Shoes ARE shined, clothes ARE ironed - on the other hand, people often wear the same clothes day in and day out. A lot of people only have a couple of different 'good' outfits, and so it's not shameful to wear the same clothes day after day - it IS shameful to wear dirty or wrinkled clothes, to not shine your shoes. No one cares or even notices if you wear the same clothes for a week - but get a smudge on your jacket (which I do a lot - mostly from leaning up against walls) and your friends will start brushing you off as soon as they see it.
A lot of you asked me if I had any pets - right now I don't, but I have had cats, dogs, mice, gerbils, hamsters, ducks, rabbits, and a horse in the past. I didn't think it would be fair to the animal to get a pet when I was going into the Peace Corps, and I think it would be really hard for me to have a pet here in Armenia. There are a lot of animals here, but not a lot of pets. So for now, I'm without animals - maybe when I get back to the States and settle down I'll get a cat again. I do miss having pets - they're good friends to have, and can be great comforts. I'll be in Armenia for two to three years though, so it'll be a while before I get another pet.
The time difference - from what I can tell, we're about 9 hours ahead of you. It can make telephone calls difficult - I've gotten up a 5:00 a.m. (my time) to call my friend in Vermont at 8:00 p.m. (his time). It's 1:30 in the afternoon right now, I've just gotten my phone working (that's been a battle) - and my computer tells me it's 4:30 in the morning in Vermont, which means I can't call anyone there right now. I'm going to do my dishes instead - it's not quite the same as talking to a friend in the States, but it's a lot cheaper. I do get lonely at times, and miss my friends and family back in the States (and a really good cup of coffee from Muddy Waters - and sushi! Last night I dreamed about eating sushi, and it was really tasty) - but most of the time I'm just too busy trying to figure out how to pay my phone bill, or what that person just said to me, or how to change the wick on my kerosene heater, or SOMETHING to get very homesick. There simply isn't time - and there's so much else to think about here. A lot of things take more time here than in America - things like taking a bath, or washing dishes. Get the bucket of water, wait for it to heat up, pour it into the basin, fill the bucket with rinse water - it's a good fifteen minutes before you even start the washing up. Wash the dishes in the basin of hot water, put them in the sink, and then rinse with the bucket of cold water. Making a phone call? Walk twenty minutes to the post, place your call with the person behind the desk, and wait for the call to go through before walking the twenty minutes back. It's not that any of this is terribly difficult - it just takes more time. Or maybe it's just what my teacher used to say to me about tasks expanding to fill the time available - it seems like I should have more free time than I do, but somehow it's never there.
Now, about Armenia - yes, there's a national flag and a national anthem. No, there are no oceans (Armenia is surrounded by four countries - Iran, Georgia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan) but there is one big lake, Lake Sevan. Armenia is a very old country, which used to be much larger, with a history dating back over 2600 years and its very own alphabet and language - the people here are very proud of that history and of their heritage. However, life here has been - and still is - very difficult for many people, and many Armenians have left and now live in other countries. For the Armenians are still here, life is often very hard, and it has been since the earthquake and the breakup of the Soviet Union. I wasn't in Armenia during the earthquake, and there haven't been any new earthquakes since I've been here, but the damage is still very visible. My life here isn't very difficult, but for many people life is extremely hard. For almost everyone here, the last twelve years have seen a drastic drop in living standards. I think it's important to remember what most Armenians had fifteen years ago - they weren't hungry, they had medical care, the roads were paved, everyone had a place to live, everyone had the opportunity for education, the factories worked, there was new construction all the time, the trains ran, and the lights and water worked. There were problems, but they were very different problems.
Now very few of the factories work, many people still live in the temporary housing brought in after the earthquake - big metal shipping containers which may or may not have running water. Many people who work aren't paid for their work - doctors and nurses haven't been paid for over a year; teachers haven't been paid for three to four months. The roads aren't fixed, the buildings aren't fixed. Construction projects are stopped; the cranes rusting in place around the skeletons of buildings. People are hungry. Education is expensive, and not everybody can afford it. Healthcare is also expensive, and most people can't afford to go to the doctor or the dentist. It's a big change from the past - and while it is getting better, it's a slow process.
It's as if you woke up one day and the power was out, and when your mom tried to call the power company no one answered. And then the water stopped working, and there was no one to call about that either. When you went to the store there wasn't much there, only a couple of sacks of flour which were really expensive. And that kind of cereal you really hate. This sort of thing just went on - if your car broke down you couldn't get a new one or parts to replace what had broken. Even if you had the money, there was nowhere to buy what you needed - but you probably didn't have the money anyway. The trash stopped getting picked up, and no one repaired the roads. Streetlights went out. Elevators broke down, and weren't fixed. People stopped going to work, because there wasn't any work once they got there. Your school didn't have heat in the winter. That's kind of what happened here. So, even as things are getting better - the lights are on, and there's food in the market - it's not the way it was before; nothing works the way it should or the way you're used to it working. You always remember the way it was before, when everything worked.
That's what living here is like - the amazing thing is that despite it all, despite all the hardships, people have been incredibly kind and generous to me, this stranger in their town. Not everyone is, of course, but I've met some truly wonderful people here. And coming here has given me the chance to write you - truly, I am very glad to be here in Armenia now. I realize I haven't answered all your questions, but I've written three pages and this has got to stop somewhere! Or I'll never get it to the post, just sit here typing madly away and you'll never get a letter at all, and THAT would be a great pity indeed. So, I'm going to stop here, and get on with cleaning my room - hopefully this will be enough to keep you entertained for a while.
Love to you all - Meg
posted by meg at 5:40 AM
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