I stared uncomfortably at the hair in my food. Neither of us had been talking, so the recognition of the hair did not cause the awkward silence. But it reinforced the gap between us in my mind. A minute ago, … Continue reading →
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As I am not someone’s personal Valentine today, I decided to give myself a tiny pat on the back and a little encouragement, from the bottom of my heart. Here, please, help yourself to a little bit of this goodwill … Continue reading →
To be honest, I’ve been planning to “be an author” since at least third grade, when Mrs. Ramos held a year-long contest to see how many Pages we could read. After reading a book, we would record the title, author, … Continue reading →
We made it to February! What can we look forward to this month? Many birthdays: Martin’s, Lorene’s, Brian’s, Caroline’s (and all the rest of you–Happy Birthday!) A week in Tsaghkadzor, learning about project design management (I get to see other … Continue reading →
I found this quote posted in my younger sister’s room, a few days before I came to Armenia. I think it’s an appropriate reminder, as I think about the daily challenges we face as volunteers here. I want to be … Continue reading →
Perspective is everything. When I first considered joining the Peace Corps at a career fair at the beginning of my junior year at Michigan Tech, I still had two more years to go, which felt like an eternity. There was … Continue reading →
Gone! For two whole weeks, I have been away from my icy little town at the end of a road that no one goes down accidentally. It’s not on the way to anywhere except here (which, incidentally, makes it hard … Continue reading →
Happy New Year!* (No that’s not an asterisk taking back or amending my “Happy New Year” statement. Read to the end to find out why I put an asterisk there.) Nor Tari (New Year) in Armenia is not to be … Continue reading →
It’s a beautiful new year, full of promise and high hopes! Time to put the past behind us and focus on what’s ahead. What is ahead? My first and only FULL YEAR in Armenia as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Right … Continue reading →
It’s over. Christmas is over, and I will be glad if I never have one like that again. Now, I’m not one to air dirty laundry or to be overly negative and pessimistic, but I did want to be honest … Continue reading →
It’s a cold and dreary winter morning. 8:40 a.m. Everything is overcast. I’m shivering and tired, because I didn’t sleep well the night before on my hostel mattress that was more springs than mattress, under my thin little blankets. I’m … Continue reading →
It’s still a long way in the future, but I think about life after Peace Corps every single day. Repeating the cycle of “living with my parents again while I figure out the next step of my life” does not … Continue reading →
There is a guy who stands outside of the college most days and, no matter what time it is, when he sees me, he says, “Good morning!” (I think those are the only two English words he knows, but he … Continue reading →
I’m done with my third novel, my third year in a row. This one weighs in at 51,054 words. It’s a fictional, partly autobiographical story, one I’m not planning on sharing at this point. But don’t feel left out, because … Continue reading →
Usually when I think of Thanksgiving, I think of things I am thankful for. This year, instead of focusing on the material question, I decided to come up with a list of: Reasons WHY I Am Thankful. There are people … Continue reading →
In summary: it took me a year and a half from beginning the application to stepping foot in Armenia. For more details, see my new Timeline to Peace Corps page, located under the Peace Corps tab. You might also like:Peace … Continue reading →
As you should well know, it’s already past the middle of November. That means NaNoWriMo is in full swing! Yes, I am doing it again, writing another novel, the third year in a row. No, I still did not plan … Continue reading →
I’ve spent more than one Halloween trick-or-treating with my costume bulging hideously over my winter jacket and carrying my pillowcase with gloved hands. I have also celebrated my April birthday in blizzard conditions more than once. So I know what … Continue reading →
The salon was a tiny little pink room inside the woman’s house, with just enough room for the barber chair (which spun around but did not go up or down) and a small table with her assortment of scissors, brushes, … Continue reading →
…is this what you are all wondering? Evelyn Evelyn “Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn” Music Video from Amanda Palmer on Vimeo. You might also like:Carlsbad CavernsTo Tina’s in ColoradoGoing to Vancouver: How I make decisions
Just want to say thanks to Sally (and her sister Sarah) for the amazing care package! Reminds me of Halloween every time I dip into it. (No, I have not eaten the Velveeta yet. Waiting for a special occasion, like … Continue reading →
“This class will last 1 hour, and will be held every Tuesday from 2:10 – 3:10. I will start right on time, so please do not be late. There will be no cell phones allowed in class. I will teach … Continue reading →
“Evelyn! Թակդի Աիհֆէ դհիըթէթա թհդաթոֆիէհֆաոի!” Urgent tone of voice, concerned expression on her face, my counterpart swooped in out of nowhere, yelling in my ear about some important matter that only I could solve. Problem was, I had no idea … Continue reading →
Thoughts after the first day of college: School is so odd. The teachers don’t have their schedules yet, which is bizarre to me. I have so many questions about what happened today… I was told I could come at 11:00 … Continue reading →
When a place is brand new, there are a lot of fascinating sights for the first-time viewer. I don’t have full stories for the following pictures, but the little I can tell you is bound to arouse your interest and … Continue reading →
David, you win! A couple weeks after my post about care packages, I received one in the mail, filled with all sorts of wonderful goodies… Exactly what I needed to lift my spirits. Thanks again, David, for heeding the last … Continue reading →
While everyone back home is feeling rushed and frantic and having a “normal” two years, time for me has taken on a turtle’s persona. This first month at site has gone by so slowly that I’ll be at retirement age … Continue reading →
Did I forget to mention that before training was over, we finished our community project benches??? This first picture is the two finished benches. Look closely at the ground under the benches. We cemented the posts in ourselves. The next … Continue reading →
The longest blog post about our IT practicum in Armenia that you’ll find anywhere, ever. (Spoiler alert, in case you don’t want to read to the end: We taught three 2-hour sessions to an Armenian organization on various topics, to … Continue reading →
Pre-Service Training was not only about learning the culture and the language. Believe it or not, there was also time for classes related to our technical skills (or lack thereof) and how to be effective “Community Business Development” (CBD) volunteers. … Continue reading →
Are you absolutely dying to make my day? Then send me a care package!!! * It’s been a really tough couple of days for me, the kind of days that make me question my sanity, wonder about my coping abilities, … Continue reading →
There are some things that after you encounter them once or twice, just become your new “normal.” Such is the case in Armenia, where if you don’t just learn to accept things (always be flexible!), you will go crazy from … Continue reading →
Armenia is a country with an incredibly long history. As such, old monasteries, churches, and other historical monuments are scattered throughout Armenia. During PST, we had the opportunity to visit a few of them. I love seeing the incredible architecture, … Continue reading →
Today is the big day—the official end of pre-service training! By the time you wake up and read this, I will probably be a full-fledged official Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia. It’s an especially big ceremony this year, as this … Continue reading →
What’s the food like in Armenia? Is it good? Is it the same as America? Is it drastically different? Let’s see if pictures can help tell the story thus far of my food adventures, including typical Armenian food, and things … Continue reading →
The hope was that, Tom Sawyer-style, we would get other people to paint the long metal fence for us. Unlike Tom’s fence, however, ours was not a simple one-color picket fence. It was two colors, with very intricate designs on … Continue reading →
In early July, all the A-19 volunteers received our site placements, and had the opportunity to visit our new sites for a weekend to preview our upcoming two years in-country as Peace Corps Volunteers. The following snippets are taken from … Continue reading →
It seems like such an easy thing to do: play a simple American game with over 30 excitable kids anywhere from age 4 to 18, who have never heard of kick ball, and do not speak English. Okay, I guess … Continue reading →
I’ve been in Armenia for a few weeks now, and have established somewhat of a routine. The following are things I do in a typical day, and what time they usually happen. 7:00 a.m. (or so) – Walk over to … Continue reading →
Everyone was a bit nervous and giddy, myself definitely included, as we loaded up the vans and drove to meet our new host families. We had learned a little bit about the host family placement process, and knew that our … Continue reading →
First three days in Armenia: The 41 volunteers and PST (pre-service training) staff stayed in a hotel, located just outside of Yerevan in a sleepy little village. This helped us ease into the Armenian way of life and gave us … Continue reading →
Peace Corps personnel met us at the airport, which was a welcome relief, after the Vienna mess. We were directed to a luggage van and a big bus for all of us. All the bus seats contained a nice “welcome” … Continue reading →
Our Peace Corps group ran into a little snag in Vienna. We were told we would have day rooms in a nearby hotel in order to shower and rest and store our bags during our 14 hour layover there. But … Continue reading →
I awoke early and went looking for duct tape. The wheel on my luggage is falling off and I can’t roll it anymore, which makes it hard, because I have to lug around my big green hiking backpack and carry … Continue reading →
At home: The day started off predictably enough. My alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. and I groggily turned over and shut it off. Then, even though I was really excited to finally be leaving, I shut my eyes for … Continue reading →
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I’ve been in the U.P. for about month. Ah, home, sweet home. A lot goes on in May around these parts! Kids are finishing up school, weather is getting nicer (supposedly) so people are getting outside more, and moods seem … Continue reading →
AAAAARRRRRRRHRHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!! Just had to get that out. Note: It is April 12, 2011 as I write this and schedule it for posting. I figure that by this date, “Future Ev” will be ready to pull her hair out at … Continue reading →
** As graduation time approaches, I’d like to re-share a speech I gave at my own graduation ceremony. ** I used to think no one could see me when I hid under the kitchen table to peel labels off of … Continue reading →
I have gotten a lot more information in the last few days about what to expect when I get to Armenia. For instance, it will take me four days to get there, after leaving Michigan. If I did the math … Continue reading →
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