I'm here!

Parev! (Hello)

I've made it to Armenia. Sorry for the delay in writing. I just got computer access today. It's my first day at my job at Gyumri IT Center and I have a little down time to fill everyone in briefly.

I arrived in Yerevan after a very long time traveling. I was able to meet up with another Birthright, volunteer at Heathrow which was great. Ryan and I wondered around London all day tuesday and then caught our flight to Yerevan that evening. We got in to Yerevan around 7 am. I was relieved to actually be done with it all!.

Arsen (the Birthright driver) picked us up in the 15 passenger van (just like in Amercorps) and took us to our temporary housing right in the heart of Yerevan. Birthright has rented out a tiny apartment for the volunteers as they come and go through Yerevan. Really it's just a big room for all the girls to share and a smaller room for the one boy, Ryan (currently). I think a couple more boys are arriving in the next few weeks.

Allison, a volunteer from Chicago, greeted us at the door. She had arrived a couple days prior and had been at the apartment by herself. I felt bad for her. She doesn't know any Armenian and apparently had been living on crackers and frosted flakes for a couple of days! I think she was just afraid to venture out on her own. I was starving!! So the three of us walked to republic square and got some hummous, lavash and tabouli. It was delish. Just enough to hold me over.

Went back to the apartment and crashed. Slept for 6 hours while Alison was at her Birthright orientation. The three of us chatted for awhile and then got ready for the outing to the armenian soccer game against poland. What a great game and complete immersion into Armenian culture. I don't know how it happened, but Armenia actually won! The crowd went crazy and stormed the dusty streets chanting Hyastan , Hyastan! with Armenian flags. Some of the volunteers said that Ryan and I brought good luck with us from America. What a great first night!

Thursday, Ryan and I had orientation at the Birthright office and then wandered around Yerevan. Pizza is big here. Armenians love it. Ryan and I split basturma pizza. Basturma is a very garlicky beef jerky. It was very good, but potent.

Friday, we made our way to Gyumri and settled in at our homestay and got introduced to our work sites. My family is so cute. My host sister is named Julia. She is 20 and loves to dance and listen to armenian music. I told her in my broken armenian that I would love to learn armenian dance. So, after dinner for the past couple of days we have had dance practice. She is so graceful with her hands. I feel like an elephant in a china closet. The family is very inviting and warm and they have a great sense of humor. THey have been so patient with me and are almost as eager to learn english as i am to learn armenian. Last night, we got on the topic of women and the differnces between living in Gyumri and the USA. They were so surprised that I live by myself and am independent. Lucine, the friendly neighbor from downstairs, feels very stifled here with her duties as a wife and woman in Armenia. She dreams of an independent life in America. I guess my family is a little more progressive than others in the Gyumri area.

Well, i gotta run right now. The staff is about to introduce me to all the students. Time to smile and nod!!