Miscellany

Time for another post with a collection of random information – and for the revelation that when I write this kind of post – I’ve been blogging for almost five years now, and am stating this for the first time – I title them with headlines that come from the “leftovers” Jeopardy categories. Did you notice?

It’s been hot here. Maybe in the 90s F? So far, it has cooled down enough at night that I can sleep well; it was hot at Chad’s. I suspect that one of these days it will be too hot to sleep at night, but am not sure it’s worth it to invest in a fan, though I could leave it with Zina or donate it to another volunteer. I’ve been feeling tired at night for the past week or so, and I realized it’s because my room is hot. I’m doing hot yoga in the morning, too! The sun peeks over the ridge and fills my room just as I’m getting started on my routine these days.

Have I mentioned that the days are long? I think so. They’ve been long for a while, and of course this week they’re the longest of the year. For the solstice, it rose at 6:33 am and set at 9:35 pm. Yerevan is at 40 degrees latitude, about the same as New York and Chicago, but I think the days seem longer here because there aren’t tall buildings to create shadows, so it stays very light very late.

One thing I enjoy here is seeing the swallows (that’s what the people here call them; a PCV birder says they are in reality swifts) fly around this way and that in the early morning and at dusk. There are so many of them! I imagine that without them there would be many insects to deal with. I got a few bites when I was away over the weekend but have had none in Yerevan. Why don’t we have swifts in major American cities? (Conversely, I have seen only a handful of pigeons here).

I’ve also heard quite a few planes lately – fighter jets practicing, I think. Except that each time I hear them, I wonder if the next war with Azerbaijan has started and if I’m about to get a text message to that effect from our Safety and Security Coordinator. I’m much more alert here than I felt I needed to be in either of my other assignments, though there was always the possibility of something happening there too.

I’ve been working on a miscellany of things with my counterpart away – most notably an entry for MCC’s Poverty Reduction Blog, my Peace Corps Final Report and Description of Service (with room to add projects that I’ll work on when she gets back) and one of the online surveys that we have to complete before we COS (the other won’t be available until July). In addition, I’m developing the flyer, testimonial and internet listings for Zina’s Bed and Breakfast. I’ve also started going through the English-language version of the MCA-Armenia web site, which is my de facto default project when there aren’t other assignments. I love that.

I’ve also had a miscellany of social activity – a lunch with Mel, Gordon and Jeanne (they were in Georgia for two weeks; I missed them!) last Tuesday that somehow turned into the whole afternoon, a lunch with Shannon last Friday that somehow turned into the whole afternoon (not without a little guilt though; I have to get over that and enjoy these afternoons while I have them), a coffee with the OSCE program chair, who is leaving Yerevan soon, another orchestra/Republic Square evening. Next Tuesday is a ballet – Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet – and I may go to an art opening tomorrow evening.

I think strawberry season is just about over. I can’t say I had as many as humanly possible, but I had a lot, and I still think they are the best strawberries I have ever had. Cherries are out now – they are good too, but I don’t like cherries as much as I like strawberries (and we know strawberries are better than snakes!). And I finally had my first apricot – Armenian apricots are supposed to be the best in the world. This one was all right. My host mother said she wasn’t even sure it was Armenian – she can’t tell where the produce is from these days. She also said the really good ones are too expensive. I told her I would give her extra money so I could see what the best taste like! She said it’s early and we’ll wait a week or two. I just hope the recent hailstorms didn’t ruin the crop, as I hear it did last year….

When I go to other PCV’s houses, I enjoy seeing how they live. I especially like looking at their books. More and more PCVs have Kindles now – it makes sense; you can read so many more books and save all that weight in luggage and in packages from home – but I think that as more people get them, something that’s traditionally been a big part of Peace Corps life – the trading of books among fellow volunteers - will be lost.

I’ll close with some good news – the PCV who broke her ankle in three places just before our first trip to Syunik in February is on her way back this week! She was medically separated but was reinstated – so she won’t COS with the A-18s, but she’ll be able to complete her service here. I would love to get back down to Meghri and Kapan – they’re supposed to be beautiful in the summer – but I think I have to chalk that up to, “you can’t do everything.” I am glad I got there once!

The pictures are miscellany too – more from this past weekend.