Pride and a Postcard Shot

On Tuesday I had several opportunities to be proud. The MCC and MCA-Armenia team went to Garni for a little ceremony for the 1000th borrower. As part of the program, MCC allocated $8.5 million that will go (now in a revolving fund) to farmers to help them implement some of the improvements they learned about in the trainings. Most of the money is going towards new greenhouses and cooling units. This particular farmer was building a cooling unit, which will enable him to extend his season and therefore increase his income. When I went last week to the interviews of the lenders I took notes but didn’t feel any particular emotion. But seeing the farmer and realizing that these small loans at favorable terms can make a big difference in the lives of – well, now 1000 borrowers but their families as well, so thousands of people – I felt proud. And the credit component is one small part of the MCC program here in Armenia. The total program is projected to help 420,000 people! I came back and wrote the story, which sailed through without changes; it will be used on the web site and for the next quarterly bulletin.

That evening, I went to an Independence Day celebration at the U.S. Embassy – just a little bit before July 4, because the Ambassador is leaving office this week. I don’t think any other PCVs were invited – it could have been the MCA-Armenia connection, but I assume it was the Princeton connection. I knew some people there – MCA and MCC, Peace Corps staff, embassy people I’d met, Fulbright scholars. Listening to the Ambassador’s remarks, I felt proud to be serving here during her term as Ambassador – she is really impressive, and seeing her in action and sharing that special dinner have made an impact on my service. I also felt proud to be an American, independent for 235 years, where we have freedoms that people in other countries only dream of – or maybe don’t even know to dream of. You can read the Ambassador’s remarks here - http://armenia.usembassy.gov/news060711_1.html - and her farewell message as she leaves Armenia here - http://armenia.usembassy.gov/news060311.html.

I rode to the 1000th-borrower event with the MCC Resident Country Director, and he mentioned the strategic partnership agreement that MCC and Peace Corps have and said that publicizing the MCC to the PCVs is part of what he views as my assignment. So I then wrote an article for the Peace Corps Armenia newsletter – between that and the one I wrote for the Peace Corps Response newsletter and talking informally to PCVs I think that might be the extent of what I can do; I offered to do a more formal talk for the trainees and was told they are too new. My other work task this week was proofreading the English version of the quarterly bulletin (for which the gender article is the cover story!). I love proofreading.

Wednesday night as I was getting ready to leave work, I sensed the sky darkening. I got down to the lobby and a dusty wind was blowing. Storm a-coming! I decided to chance it and got half a block before being pelted by hail and a cold, hard rain. I took cover until the worst of it passed and straggled home. My reward the next day was the postcard view of Ararat I had been waiting for – it was spectacular. Which is the postcard and which is the postcard shot?