Identity

There are a lot of reasons why someone would join the Peace Corps. Maybe to travel, learn another language, or the experience of living abroad. But I don’t think most people would admit that a lot of times its because they want to find an identity. Now u may know who u are, what u want, and where u want to go, but that doesn’t mean u have an identity. An identity is the Fact of being who or what a person is. The Fact, of what u are. It is a strange term to put into that context. I know who I am, I know what I am, but I cannot say that I am the Fact of my being. That would mean that I am undisputedly exact and without variance. Which I know is not the case.

Everyone joins Peace Corps for a certain reason, and to me all those reasons are legitimate. But I honestly think, within Peace Corps, we are all looking for something. We want some blinking sign that says where to go or what to do. A sign that we discover, in a moment of darkness, that brings us back in to the warm, glowing light we want to be in. Maybe we weren’t even in darkness, but just a rut that we were stuck in. Or maybe no rut at all, and we were just looking for a change and did something we always wanted to do. But that doesn’t change the fact that where we were, compared to where we want to be, is a far away and distant place. I don’t think someone completely content with there life would join Peace Corps. Its either something you have always wanted to do, which shows in the amount of over 60 year old + volunteers that we have. Something you feel could lead to something great or make a difference, which is where all us 20-somethings come into play. Or something to take you away from where you never thought u would be, which is where the in-betweens come in. You could have had a great job, but decided u wanted to take a different path, and that is why u are here. Whatever the case, it all comes down to one thing I think… Identity

Being lost in a world that wants production and advancement 24 hours a day, we can sometimes be shoved under the rug. Or maybe you own the rug, and realize, you know what, rugs are over rated. I don’t want a rug. Maybe I like hard word floors, or maybe I like linoleum for my floors. They are easier to clean. Either way, something strikes each of us in a way that we know we are not who we wished out to be.

So we join Peace Corps. To save the world and all that crap. It’s about seeing a child’s smile when they learn about bla bla bla. Most of us go into a sector or job that we aren’t trained for, and get only beginner training for it at best. We realize that a lot of time will be spent arguing about nonsense and not actually putting into place life changing polices or programs for children. And the best part about being a Peace Corps Volunteer is when you realize that.

Countries like Armenia have a very rich and deep history. And even though Peace Corps has been here for almost 20 years, Armenians have their own beliefs and ways about doing what they think is the correct way to do things. Now. I would never come in to this country and say, “Well we do it better in America because we do it this way.” No way. Even if it is true… that will never come out of my excessively, large lipped mouth. I would rather learn how they do it; maybe offer some suggestions, if asked. And then I would do the same thing in a way that they have never seen before, only to compare the two. This way, they can take solid principles of what they know, and add new ideas that they could honestly see working better in their society. That is called utilizing a reference for positive change. Amen and all the more power to u if u can get this done.

So back to Identity. We all look for it. We all want it. Maybe in High School u were the Captain of the Cheer Leading team. In college u were playing NCAA sports and fighting for the national championship. Or maybe u were Joe Schmo working at 7-11 making my coffee at 8am when I was running late for work. I appreciate that by the way Joe. Either way, the point is that we all strive to find that calling. The calling that makes us lose sleep and decline invitations for drinks cause we think an hour more of focusing at work will make all the difference. It could be anything in the world, or it could be something u have always known, just never had the guts to realize. Anyway u put it, u want it to become your identity. Your zest for life; Your reason for breathing. The only thing u want to do for the rest of your life because u have decided that this thing, this thing is all u ever wanted. And once you have found it, u wont let it go, or let if waiver. It’s in the air u breath, and its in your dreams at night. It is your identity as a person. You. Maybe it’s a Job, or a Person, or a Cause. Either way, it’s a direction u know u want to move in.

And this, readers and gentlemen, is what I think most Peace Corps Volunteers are doing. Trying to find the yellow brick road, the butter for their bread, or the Tabasco to their eggs (ya, I am a big tobasco fan, and as of lately, eggs as well). The questions is… Do we find it in the 2 years abroad…? Sometimes. Not always though. But I think one of the best parts about Peace Corps, is realizing that your identity is out there, and that you just have to find it. Self-discovery is certainly the first step, and the most important in realizing what you want your identity to be. And once you do realize what that is… the skies the limit.

Goris Camp

So about 2 weeks ago i did a camp in a town 45 min south of where i live. The camp was amazing, and I think it was one of the best programs I have been able to be apart of, if not the best. Enjoy!

In August 2011, Partnership and Teaching NGO implemented a five-day leadership camp entitled “We Are Our Future” in the town of Goris of Armenia’s Syunik marz. Designed by the organization’s Peace Corps Volunteer, Austin Sherwindt, the goal of the camp was to increase the level of understanding and mutual respect between students of the Goris community, irrespective of physical, mental, or socioeconomic differences, while simultaneously promoting the ideas of cooperation and leadership. Held in Goris’ School No. 6, 36 children (ages 11 – 14) participated in the weeklong camp, of which 12 of the children were disabled and/or disadvantaged. The theme of the camp was relating our own structure to that of the earth, working from the inside out.

Using interactive lessons and informational seminars, the first two days of the camp focused on our personal health (knowledge, ideas, and physical health) and the proceeding two on our roles as citizens, both in our communities and the world. Each day, the children participated in a variety of leadership and teambuilding exercises, arts and crafts, and informational seminars presented by guest speakers from local organizations such as the Goris Women’s Resource Center and Goris’ Human Rights NGO. Topics covered included Leadership, Group Dynamics, Healthy Lifestyles (Nutrition, Exercise, Anti-Smoking, Anti-Drinking), HIV / AIDS Awareness, Civil Society, Project Design and Management, Environmental Problems in Armenia, Diplomacy, and Human Rights and Discrimination.

On the final day of the camp, the three teams of participants implemented the civil service projects that had designed throughout the camp. Team “Sphinx” went on an anti-smoking campaign throughout Goris, talking to local shop owners and community members about the dangers of smoking cigarettes. Team “Eagles” cleaned up a local tourist attraction and posted anti-littering information. Team “Smilers” (which was my team! and we won the week for the most points! whoop whoop) traveled to two kindergartens to teach 85 children about basic hand washing and teeth-brushing.

Heghineh Hovsepyan, one of the camp counselors, stated, “I am very happy for this experience. In the five-day period, the children learned to love and respect one another and how to work as a team in different situations. Most importantly, the children learned that they are responsible for building their future and, in doing so, that each one of them can be a leader.”

In May 2011, Partnership and Teaching NGO (P&T NGO) with the cooperation of World Vision’s Sisian ADP concluded their “Building DPO Outreach for Greater Disability Inclusiveness” project, which was designed to promote inclusive education in the Goris and Sisian regions. Coming off the heels of this initiative, the We Are Our Future summer camp was intended to foster an opportunity for disabled and disadvantaged children to work alongside student council representatives from those schools practicing inclusive education. This camp was done with the support of many different organizations, including representatives of P&T NGO, World Vision’s Sisian ADP, Peace Corps Volunteers, and Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States.

Summer Time in Armenia

Barev Reader,

So I know I havent blogged in a while. Sorry about that. It has been a busy summer. Had a surprise visit to America for 2 weeks, which was epic. The new training group of volunteers were swore in about a week ago, welcome to Armenia A-19's. Said goodbye to a lot of friends that were finishing their 2 years in Armenia, good luck A-17's. And helped out with 2 camps. One in Vanadzor which is about 6 hours north, and the other was in Goris, about 45 min south of Sisian. This post I will talk about the Vanadzor camp, and expect a post about the Goris camp within the week.

From August 8th to August 11th, Peace Corps volunteers, in collaboration with the Vanadzor YMCA, ran a hip-hop dance camps for all interested youth. 20 community members, ranging in age from 12 to18, participated. The camp was designed to promote healthylifestyles, individual self-expression, and confidence among the future leaders of Armenia, as well as increase the understanding of hip-hop culture, a widely misunderstood global phenomenon whose roots lie in America. Volunteers Maggie Woznicki (A-18, Sevan) and AlexLord (A-18, Sisian) choreographed and taught a hip-hop dance, and volunteer Matthew Crowley-Miano (A-18, Ijevan) ran sessions on b-boying, more commonly known as breakdancing. Micahel Zier (A-18,Vanadzor) provided rhythm demonstrations, and Kath Lestina (A-18,Vanadzor) facilitated. The camp originated from an expression of interest by the members of the Vanadzor YMCA during this summer’s Border2Border project, and culminated in a final presentation by the participants on the new skills they had developed during the camp.The community response was highly positive, and it is hoped that these camps will continue to run, both in Vanadzor and in other interested sites.

I had alot of fun teaching the YMCA children about dancing. The great part was that not only did we teach them a dance, which they rocked at, we also taught them the culture of Hip-Hop and the evolution of dance. Where it came from, the major influences, and where it is right now. The kids we so excited and interested, I hope we get to do this camp again. There is a video on FB of the kids doing there dance, hope you check it out! It was a long week, and our legs were tired, but the entire group enjoyed every minute of it, as well as all the PCV's. Hope to do it again soon!

READ!!!! Great Project in Armenia!

Thanks to Amanda Pascal at the YIC in Gyumri, Armenia. Got her project on CNN!

Click to Watch

Success Story, Here it is People

So i wrote this kind of as a report for our VAC committee in country as a success story, thats why its in 3rd person. I dont actually think im cool enough to talk in 3rd person about myself. Also, sorry it has been so long since i have written, and the quality (literal writing quality) is not good in this one. I pounded it out cause it was due the next morning.

On April 30 and May 1st, the Sport and Culture Progress of Sisian NGO organized the 1st "Kick The Habit" Anti-smoking/Importance of Exercising, Mini-Football Tournament in Sisian. This tournament was organized by PCV Alex Lord, with the help of Davit Hambardzumy

an, Director of the NGO and Alex's CP. It was for boys and girls, and they were divided into 2 age groups: 9-12, 13-15. We used a field that was constructed by the Armenian Football Federation in 2007, which they built for the Sisian Community. This field is a mini-football field, allowing each team to have 4 players on the field, and 3 substitutes waiting. The turn-out was great.

We advertised to all Sisian schools, as well as over a dozen Villages surrounding Sisian. The feedback was enormous, and we had over 20 teams participate in the event: 19 boys teams, and 3 girls teams. That is over 154 Sisian youth that played, participated, and was educated on the Anti-Smoking and Importance of Exercise information we were handing out. They were from multiple villages, as well as over a dozen different schools.

We also had an Armenia vs America game where PCV's Alex Lord, Tylor Dodge, Alex Schellhaus, Joel Gillen, and Bill Simonson all played against an Armenian team. The final score was a tie between the 2 nations: 11-11. The other PCV's were in attendance because they were helping organize, referee, hand out educational materials, and register teams. Also in Attendance was the Sisian Mayor, Sisian Football Coach, over a half a dozen local teachers, as well as over 150 spectating children, in addition to the 154 playing in the tournament. This event was so successful, we have been asked to repeat the event every year, and multiple times a year if possible.

"I think the best part for me was when I saw the girls teams playing. I think this was the first time in these girls' lives they have ever played an organized, real game of football with a referee, and most importantly without any boys on the field. They looked so happy, next time we are going to organize a tournament for only girls." Alex Lord

The winners of each division received a certificate of participation for each player, and each team received a trophy for winning their division.

Hope Floats

So being in the Peace Corps has made me realize alot about myself, and more importantly, what I want to do later in life. I work at an organization called the "Sport and Culture Progress of Sisian" Non-Governmental Organization, and I have officially changed me Peace Corps Assignment from Community Health Extension, to Community Outreach Generalist. This means that I am switching from a Health Sector Volunteer to a Community & Business Development Volunteer. This is because they stopped the Health Sector here in Armenia with Peace Corps.

This happening has made me branch out and do other things that I have never done. Luckily, my situation keeps me involved with sports, which I have always loved. And after doing a few different things, I realized Sports is what I want to do. And not just coaching or working, but Sports Development. And for this I would like to stay in the international setting and do International Sports Development. Maybe not living abroad forever, but maybe working with an Organization that is based in the US but travels abroad to do Sports Development. I really enjoy giving other people the opportunity to play organized sports, and get everything that I got out of it. I think it is very important what you can learn through sports: Teamwork, Confidence, Self-Worth, Decision Making Skills, the Obvious Physical Benefits, etc. These things cannot always be picked up in the classroom. Im excited about this because it feels good to know what I want to do.

As I was reading some Sports News on the Internet, I read an article called "Hope Floats." This article, posted here, is about a small fishing island in Thailand that the entire village is made of houses and walkways on stilts. They have no actual soil. And the local children watched soccer but had never played it. So they made a floating field out of old fishing boats, wood, and nails. They went on to become the champions of the Southern Thailand Soccer League in 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, and 2010. And they never got an actual field.

This is the type of stuff that motivates me, it shows me that sports can not only change an individual, but an entire community. The power of sports is generally not realized and not many see the potential it can have.

I'll post the article again. Click to Read the article, and watch the video.

Not The Normal Post, But A Must Read... and Listen

So my mother has been getting on to me about updating my blog. I know I have been quite slack about it lately, but you can take that as a good thing. Meaning that maybe I am so busy with spreading peace throughout the world... I dont have time to blog. Maybe my projects are going so well, and I am putting so much of my Western Education to work, that I dont have the mental stamina to blog.... So here is something a little different. You may never know....

I am a music dependant personality. Music can influence positively or negatively my mood. I love music. And when I hear albums like Esperanza Spalding's self-titled album... i know music loves me too. If you have never heard of Esperanza Spalding, click here and read, now you do.

I first fell in love with her about 5 months ago. Thanks to those geeks at the iTunes Genius Sidebar, she came up as an "Artist I should know" when I was listening to other music similar to hers. And i similar to hers and not the same as hers, because nothing compares. I listened to one song, and I was hooked. So i downloaded her album "Esperanza," and my early suspicions were confirmed, I had fallen for a girl from Portland.

Now one reason I am smitten over her is because of this...

Even if she didnt sing like a carmel covered angel and play that bass, I feel i still have good justification for my infatuation. Just look at that hair.

For you people that need proof of her entrance into the music scene... she just won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Click here and read. BAM, try that on for size.

The Basics. Ok, So, Here We Go.

She is a 26-year old, classically trained jazz/chamber music fusion musician, singer, and composer. Having attended the Berklee Academy of Music, where she immediately became a professor after graduating at 20, she began to travel with well known jazz musicians, and then the President.

These are my 2 favorite songs by her, but you should download everything she has. I celebrate her entire catalogue... (Meeting With The Bob's Reference if you are cultured enough) Click, Watch, but above all just Listen and Enjoy :)

Ponta De Areia

Precious

Armenia: Poor and Unhappy... They said it, not me

I saw an interesting post by a friend on Facebook, and decided to do some research about the subject. This comes from www.worldvaluessurvey.org. The title of the article is, "Development, Freedom, and Rising Happiness: A Global Perspective (1981–2007)."

The article challenges the current idea about how happiness is believed to be at a set level and revolving around a set point, and that individuals or societies can not change this. However, this article goes on to argue that through such changes like democratization, economic development, and increased social tolerance have increased the extent to which people perceive that they have free choice, which in turn has led to higher levels of happiness around the world.

Because the happiness levels of given societies do not seem to change over time, the idea that economic development brings rising happiness has been widely rejected. Although richer nations show that they have a higher subjective well-being than poorer countries, these differences may reflect cultural differences in what happiness means.

"The people of high-income countries are much happier and are more satisfied with life than are the people of low-income countries, and the differences are substantial. In Denmark, 52% of the public indicated that they were highly satisfied with their lives (placing themselves at 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale), and 45% said they were very happy. In Armenia, only 5% were highly satisfied with their lives, and just 6% were very happy. In contrast to the small income-linked differences usually found within most countries, the cross-national differences are extremely large."

It goes on to explain that this survey was not allowed into the ex-communist societies until after the collapse, so the long-term data can not be taken.

"But let us note that Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine all have shown much lower levels of Subjective Well-Being than their economic levels would predict... ...We suspect that these low levels reflect the traumatic experiences linked with the collapse of communism."

I havent asked an Armenia if they are happy, specifically. But I have always stated that they will always give you an answer of hardship. Whenever I ask certain community members how things are going, they always answer with, "Its cold... We have no work... It was a bad year for fruit, last year was better..." or some type of answer always on the negative point of view. This is kind of disconcerting, even when I explain that I came here to help, and that I think there is opportunity to do many things here, they always tell me that there is no hope for Sisian.

I dont write this to show how negative Armenians are, or to express that I think this country is hopeless. I write it to show what we are up against. This is the statistic my friend posted:

According to World Values Surveys from 1995 to 2007, the 10 unhappiest places on Earth are:
1. Zimbabwe, 2. Armenia, 3. Moldova, 4. Belarus, 5. Ukraine, 6. Albania, 7. Iraq, 8. Bulgaria, 9. Georgia, 10. Russia.

Do you notice how many of them are CIS countries? (Commonwealth of Independent States) ...Google it...

People talk about other places in the world that need help, and ask me why I was sent to an area that in Peace Corps is coded as "The Caucus Region of Eastern Europe." They say, how lucky to have been sent somewhere so nice as that. One friend, that shall remain nameless, said she heard that Peace Corps Volunteers in this region live in condo's and have wireless internet, and what's so hard about that she asked. Well, 8 of the unhappiest countries are in Eastern Europe, and out of 4 countries within the Caucus Region, 3 of them are on this list as well. And by the way, we dont live in condo's, nor do we have wireless internet.

Peace Corps is different in every country. You learn that very quickly. We may not live as physically hard as those volunteers that are on the Serengeti, or live with the Masai Tribes in Africa. You can get used to crapping in a hole, or not showering for weeks, or not having electricity. And I will dare to say that 95% of Volunteers around the world do not fall into what the general public believes is the regular stereotype for a Peace Corps life. But we have much harder things than that.The hard part, for me at least, is being in a country that breeds a depressive mood, and shows no interest in why you are here, or in helping you, let alone themselves. Perseverance and Determination are what drives all volunteers, especially on the worst days.

Food for thought...

Coming this Spring..

So we have these things in Peace Corps called VRF. Volunteer Reporting Form. They are due every 3 months, and they are the worst things in the world. They take a long time to complete, are annoying, and very comprehensive. BUT, they also make you look forward to thing you will be doing soon. After I wrote this entry in the “Planned Activities” section. I am excited to read this and I thought I should share this with my avid readers (all 2 of you… mom and dad). Enjoy! Oh yeah, I will post the rest of trip to Ethiopia soon. And this is a picture of Me, Tylor, and Aaron on a walk in the snow. This is where Aaron and his wife Lauren live, Shaghat Village, enjoy...

I am currently planning a soccer tournament for my region for late March to early April. There is a lot of interest in playing soccer here, but only a select few participate in an organized fashion. So this will be a small-sided tourney, each team having 5 players: 4 playing and 1 sub. I am trying to partner with the Armenian Football Federation’s “Football in General Schools” program. This program has the same objective as mine basically. I also want to pair this with a Health Fair the same day or weekend, that way we can explain the importance of being active and being involved with sports. We will cover both the physical benefits, as well as the mental and behavioral benefits of participating in organized sports.

I am working with an individual that wants to start a organization with the idea of helping community members with disabilities know their rights, so they wont be taken advantage of. That will hopefully create a more transparent use of government funds in the area of disabled persons right and access.

I am forming a partnership with the Civic Center of Sisian, in which I will hopefully help in their projects that extend out in to the surrounding villages. Their programs cover things like Human Rights Seminars, Health Assertiveness and Community Health Needs, Business Development, and free use of a lawyer for legal consultations.

I am trying to start a geography club at the local Community Center. This would be a club free to all that want to attend. We will speak in Armenian, but they will learn all book related knowledge in English. This is mainly to expand their scope of the world, as well as their English knowledge. It will start with local geography (rivers, mountains, hills, etc.) that way they can connect it to what they know. Then it will branch out into the Caucasus Region, then onto other continents. I also have access to Discovery Channel videos in Russian, which will let them see video’s of some of the places we will be learning about.

I am currently trying to get involved with a Sports School next door to my NGO, which has facilities to train athletes in soccer, basketball, and volleyball. I am trying to for a relationship with the Director so that he will let me use the facilities for local community games and sports clubs. I am toying with the idea of trying to start a few leagues for different sports.

We are currently in the process of planning a poetry contest for Sisian and the surrounding villages. This will be done with all other PCV’s in the area, including myself, and my NGO will sponsor the event. We will have children read, remember, then recite poems in English. They will be judged on many things: pronunciation, recitation, inflection, etc. This is to help let them practice their English, as well as learn how it may be correctly spoken.

I am currently working with a FLEX alumnus that lives in Sisian to write a grant for their FLEX alumni grant. With this grant, we plan to give heat to the local history museum, do small restorations, and provide a summer camp for kids that will take them out to historical sites around Sisian and they will do excavation. This is a brand new project that isn’t fully developed, but is becoming quite impressive in its initial stages.

My New Address!

Copy this over to a Word Document and Print it out and put on boxes or whatever your sending. All of it, it needs both the English and the Armenian. And don't trouble yourself with trying to write the armenian... lets just be serious now. Just Copy, Paste, Print, then Glue...Its the easiest way to do it!!!

Alex Lord 15 Sisakan Street Apartment 8 3501 Sisian, Armenia Syunik Marz

Հայաստան Սյռւնիքի Մարզ 3501 Սիսիան Սիսական փողոց 15/8 Ալեքս Լորդ

Ethiopia Part 1 - The Art of Travel

So I had a very interesting experience going from my small town in Armenia to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I left Dec 19^th, to make the 4-hour trip up to Yerevan, then planned on leaving the 20^th to go from Yerevan to Tbilisi, Georgia, and my flight was leaving on the 21^st at 3:30 am. My flight path was as follows: Tbilisi, Georgia-Munich, Germany, Munich-Frankfurt, and Frankfurt-Addis Ababa. So the trip up to Yerevan was interesting because I get on the Marshutni, public transport, and there is a woman from Addis Ababa on the van with me. I spent the 4-hour trip discussing the differences between the Armenia and Ethiopia, and what I have to do while in Addis. Her and her husband, who is from France, were very nice. In Yerevan we exchanged information and both promised to talk after the holidays. So in Yerevan I stayed with some friends that night, and planned to leave for Tbilisi the next day around noon. When I woke up I was explaining something about our PC ID’s and why they have our passport # on them when it hit me… I left my passport in Sisian, 4 hours away. I couldn’t believe I had done this, I made lists on what needed to be done and everything, but somehow Passport didn’t make it on any of those lists. So I called my site mate Ben, who went to my apartment, got my passport, and gave it to the marshutni driver to hand to me in Yerevan. Oddly enough, I was totally confident in my passport making in with no hiccups. Only problem was that the marshutni was leaving at 12:30pm, it takes on average 4 hours to get to Yerevan, and my marshutni to Tbilisi was leaving at 5pm, from a different Bus station. So giving everything went perfect, my passport would arrive at 4:30, and I had 30min to go half way across the city. To put my mind at ease, I went to the station where the marshutni was leaving from and negotiated a taxi that was going. This way, the taxi could wait for me if anything happened to the passport on the way from Sisian. It was a little more expensive, but I was also sharing it with 2 other people, and he agreed to take me all the way to the airport, which would save me money in the long run. Passport arrived a little before 4:30, I tipped the driver 1,000 dram (3$) and say he is a lifesaver. My Taxi picked me up and I was in Tbilisi and at the airport by midnight. Little did I know this was only the first of many problems and events for this trip.

Flying from Tbilisi to Munich was no problem, easy, maybe a 3-hour flight. Once I got into Munich the fun started. Right when I landed snow began to fall. And when I it was time to board my flight to Frankfurt, the airline closed the Frankfurt airport due to weather. Yes, I was one of the thousands of travelers stuck in airports during the 2010 holiday season. So as I was discussing options with the flight crew for Lufthansa, they informed me that even if the airport opened within the next 2 hours, I would still my flight fro Frankfurt-Addis because they were so backed up with other flights that needed to go out first. So I made decision, and told them to get me a train ticket within Germany from Munich-Frankfurt. My thought was, no matter when the airports opened up, if I am already in Frankfurt, I only need to catch one plane and not 2. The 2^nd being within Germany from Munich-Frankfurt. I thought it made more sense to wait in the airport that was taking me to my final destination. So they paid for a 4-hour train in Germany. Which turned out to be amazing. I had only spent one day in Germany back in 2007, and so I saw a new Germany, a beautiful, snow covered Germany. Once I got into Frankfurt, it was a Madhouse!!! Thousands of people just waiting in line, and sitting around, and laying on cots. So I found what line I needed to be in, and after about an hour of waiting, I got to a desk. This woman said my flight was already canceled and she only had one flight that she could put me on stand by for. So I took it. So I had about 11 hours to kill in the airport. So I walked around, ate some food, had a good German beer, and spoke with other travelers stuck in this Voyager’s Limbo. We shared experiences and laughed at how worked up people would get about airlines that were handing out free food, and they would get so mad if all they got for free was ham and not turkey. Its free food people, its much better than paying 10$ for McDonald’s. So anyway, I waited at the gate for my potential flight that was supposed to be leaving at 11pm. They announced there are 31 stand by passengers. I thought, “O Great, im spending the holidays in the Airport.” So as they are calling names and filling empty seats, people are waiting like it’s the Price Is Right and running to the gate when their name is called. They say, “We have only 2 seats left…. Mr. Lord and (don’t remember her name) Please come to the Front Desk.” BAM!! Im on the flight!!! Im excited cuz this means I may be finally able to get some sleep. I look at my check in Ticket and it says seat 1D, I think to myself, SWEEET, I get the Emergency Row with extra legroom. So im getting on the plane, talking to some little cutie that attends Boston College and is traveling to India to see her family, and I walk straight on and they say, “Your seat is to the left, very front row.” But everyone when they walk on the plane is taking a right… I think to myself, hmmm interesting. I part with the cute Bostonian girl and walk to the front row, find 1D and my jaw drops… I AM IN 1^ST CLASS! You betcha. I sit down and instantaneously a glass of champagne is handed to me. Did I mention the flight is 7.5 hours to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia? O Ya. I sat in the lap of luxury, and the complete opposite of everything meant to be Peace Corps.

So needless to say I didn’t mind having to wait 11 hours, and be on stand by for this trip. It was all worth it in the end… or so I thought.

I left the 30^th at 11am, and had the same flight path: Addis-Frankfurt, Frankfurt-Munich, and Munich-Tbilisi. Everything was on time and smooth on the first 2 flights. Then on the flight from Munich-Tbilisi, everything landed on me at once. Basically I had been traveling for around 22 hours, and this flight was a 3-hour flight leaving at 11pm, and arriving at 3:45am. So I planned to sleep the entire way. Fate had a different idea of what I would be doing. So I get on the flight, and am having a great conversation to the woman across the aisle about the state of Armenia as being a CIS country. CIS is the Commonwealth of Independent States, an Organization created for all post-Soviet Nations. It was very interesting because she has a Doctorate from Harvard, and when we talking about health initiatives in villages, she was so surprised to here what I thought about it and how to get it to work. She said she was going to re-design her entire project on Village Health Interface. So as we are having this discussion, 20 min into the flight, some parents with twins around the age of 5 start disciplining their kids. Which makes them cry, and they do not stop crying the ENTIRE flight. Its 1am, and it is as if I am in a day care that was just told Barney was canceled forever, they were soooooo loud. One of the starts crying heavily, and starts cough. And I look at the guy on my right and I say, “That kid sounds like he is going to puke he is crying so hard, the parents may want to…” I didn’t even get to finish my sentence when I turn around and in the seat behind me the kid starts puking everyyywherrrreeee. Luckily the kid missed me by about 4 inches. It was all over the aisle and the back of my seat. I almost puked from hearing, then seeing, then smelling it. Now comes the big finale. The Flight Attendant comes over with a flash light, looks at it and says, “Oh Dear, Im gonna need help with this.” Did she go get another flight attendant, no, did she ask the parents to help, no, what about the kid that puked, no… She asked me to help. I’ve dealt with puking children before, no problem, but after 24 hours of no sleep, I was not in the mood. But she was cute, and I have a soul, so I said yes I will help. I had to hold the flashlight and the trash bag while she rubbed disinfectant wipes on it. And I couldn’t just hold the light, I had to show her where to clean, so I had to actively look for puke for her to clean up. Once it was all done, the parents didn’t even apologize or say thank you, they just let the kids continue to cry. Now come the fruits of my labor. Since I helped clean it up, they gave me a free bottle of a Chilean 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Not an airplane version of a bottle, a real bottle, the whole thing. And in Armenia, the wine sucks, so I was ecstatic to get this bottle of wine. I drank it with my new friends I met at the Star Hostel in Tbilisi, Georgia (this is my plug for them, its by far the best hostel in Tbilisi). My new friends Tyler and Kat, and April from Hong Kong. Good people, Great times, and Good fun.

Soon to follow will be a post about my time in Ethiopia, look forward to that!!

Into the Wild... I now live alone

I now live alone. I have moved out of my host families’ house and have spread my wings into my own nest. It’s a good feeling. Nothing against my host family, but it can be difficult sometimes. They are great people, a lot of fun, and always someone to practice my crappy Armenian with. But the sense of freedom that I get with being able to eat when I want, shower when I want, and walk around in the nude is just delightful. I better cover up though; we are expecting snow this weekend. Im just hoping I am not snowed in. I am traveling to Ethiopia in about a week and a half. I am going for Christmas to see my brother Peter that lives their, and my brother Arthur is coming from DC with his wife Amy. I am really excited about it. I have 2 layovers in Germany, so that means the possibility of some western food and a good beer. It will be nice to get in touch with some family for a few days. I am hoping to also get in touch with some Peace Corps Ethiopia Volunteers. It will be interesting to compare their experience with mine. My brother Peter actually just swore in some new volunteers into Ethiopia about a week ago. So they are green and excited I bet.

I participated in my first Flash Mob as well this past week. It was World AIDS Day on Dec 1. So the HIV/AIDS PC Initiative planned a flash mob in Yerevan for it. It was the brain child of Kevin Crookshank, I helped cause my sister Amy has done them before. We had about 80 people show up, we froze for 1 minute in a very crowded place in the city, holding signs with information and statistics. I had the honor deciding what went on the signs. Mostly it was world and Armenian statistics on AIDS, but I also through in a couple that I came up. Given Armenia is a post soviet nation, this was my favorite: Condoms, effectively keeping sex safe since before Soviet Times. HA! Gets me every time.

I have just past the 6 month mark here in the Peace Corps. I think it’s a big milestone. They say if you can get through the first year, and in Armenia the first winter, then it’s a breeze after. Speaking of, we actually lost a volunteer this week. She was in her 60’s and having a hard time adjusting. Credit to her for sticking it out so long though. I really didn’t get to know her very well until this last week when I was helping her do something at a conference we had in Yerevan. Next thing I know, she is leaving. I wish her all the best though.

So speaking of being here 6 months. I think I am hitting a reflection point. I have been thinking a lot of what things I really want to do, have done, or haven’t done. I know that I haven’t been at my site long enough to make a big difference. But I think its important to look back and re-assess ever so often. As I think about things, I notice a contagious attitude that I have caught. I don’t know if its cause of some movies I have seen lately, or the people I have been hanging around, but I am really getting this attitude of the whole “being a world citizen” thing. That is to say, making a job out of traveling and finding new experiences. At least for now, I look back at what I was doing before I came. I worked at a Private Wealth Management Financial Firm, and I was working with everything that had to do with finances and office management. I think back about how I was so concerned, at the age of 23, at what mutual fund I was picking for my 401K. And I kind of chuckle at it. I think, wow, I was planning for 55 at 23. Not to say that is a bad idea, but I think a lot of people just plan for the future and accumulate, accumulate, accumulate. That is their goal, and that is their plan. But once they get to that point where they can spend what they have earned, or travel and see what they have wanted to see, 30 years has passed. And I think sometimes when you build things up for so long, there is no way they will meet your expectations. Some things you need to do now. Not later. This isn’t a testament to living in the here and now. Lets be smart about this. Im not saying planning is a bad thing, but action is just important. And I think some people forget that. Don’t get caught up in salary/accumulative/chain-of-command building lifestyle. Enjoy every essence of life, and don’t wait for it to be here. Cause its here now. You will never be as young as you are right now, and you can never have a re-do. Believe me, ive tried. Whether that is with people or decision. It wont always be easy, and sometimes the wrong path will be taken. That’s why it’s called a struggle; you’re supposed to sweat.

I think this is for those that are on the fence about making a decision or going a new place. Just do it. Maybe the younger crowd is who I am speaking to, but not completely. I just wonder how you can be so sure about who you are, what your doing, and why it was right…. If you haven’t seen everything that’s out there. So just keep looking….

"No quote this time, think of something clever yourself for once.... HA!"

My 1st Armenian Wedding.... Wait you Said I'm the Groom???

(me and 2 of my brother, Vahe and Smbat)


Ya, your read it right. Ok not actually, but their was an offer on the table. No mom i didnt take it. Basically my family is trying to get me to marry the bride's sister that i met at the wedding. Although she is 25 and it is Amot (shameful) if a man marries a woman older than him, that isnt stopping them though.

So the wedding was full of tradition, drinking, and lots of things i didnt understand. I had to have my tutor explain some of them to me.

Weird thing #1: First off we go to the Groom's house, shoot some homemade vodka, sing his praises, then we go outside and dance while his sisters dance with baskets over their heads, 6 in all. Each basket it to represent a fruitful life and is full of gifts... ok i understand that one.

(sisters of groom dancing with gift baskets for bride)

Weird thing #2: As we drove off to the the brides house where we present the gifts, buy off the family, and toast to her, the groom's mother threw water on the back of the car to represent good luck in buying his bride.... ya i dont have a photo of this one.

Weird thing #3: Ok so we are at the bride's house, and they give the bride gifts as she is sitting in chair and me and the groom are chillin out in the other room talking. Then, a young boy must replace her shoes with white boots and zip them up for her... this one was not explained to me, but i know it has something to do with them preparing her for her big day maybe....

(young boy putting the white boots on the bride)

Weird thing #4: This was kind of cool. After the groom comes in and gets the bride, we go into the family room and do some toasts. Then as we are leaving that some young boy has a decorated knife, and stabs the doorway. This is when the groom's best man gives him money and "buys" the right to take her to get married. And this is only supposed to happen once, but as we drove out of the village, children would hold ropes across the roadway and stop us until they threw out coins for them. This also happened at the church we went to and the apartment at the end.

(same young boy accepting money from the best man as "payment" to take the bride)

Weird thing #5: When entering the apartment after the church, they must break 2 plates on the door way. These, turns out, are them breaking any bad spirits that would start out with the marriage, ensuring a long happy couple...

Weird thing #6: Lavash, kind of like long thin pita bread, is draped across the bride and groom's shoulder as they enter the house. This is for good luck and prosperity.

Weird thing #7: There is no smiling by the bride or groom.Something about it being bad luck. So the entire day, the entire time, there is noooooo smiling. Basically it looks like neither of them wants to be there and this is an arrange marriage, which sometimes happens here as well....

And many more weird things that i still dont know what they mean. Although i didnt understand it, it was a greatttt time. Lots of dancing, announcements, toasts, singing, and god-awful homemade vodka. Which was around 70-75%, could take rust off an exhaust pipe i bet. It was a great experience to have, and i made a ton of friends. I also met the majority of my host moms side of the family and they all loved me and i loved them. So now i have people to visit when i go backdown to Goris.

Lastly, i also learned i have a food allergy. The morning after i was sitting with my host cousins daughter (who i loved and she cried when i left... she is 11), and i took a bite of a fruit i have never seen before. First bite nothing happened, but the 2nd time i got some of the outer skin with it, and BAM, it happened. My mouth went dry, my tongue started to swell, and i couldnt swallow and more-or-less chew. after about 15 sec, it went away. So i tested this theory again, about 4 sec after i took a bigger bite, this time it felt like my mouth was filled with pillows and nothing would move or moisten. I repeated this action a few times trying different parts of the fruit. All i need to do now is learn and remember the armenian word for it and to avoid it. Although my mini science project was kinda fun.

Also, here is a pic of who my family is dead set on making my future wife...

Video of me in Armenia!!

This is a video of me around the end of June during our teaching practicum for the Community Health Education Sector. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbLQxfFr9o8

My weekend tailgating in Armenia….

You heard it correctly. I tailgated in Armenia, in honor of the start of UCF football. So this weekend marked the first Saturday in September. And for the last 3 years, every Saturday in September, October, and November was one thing and one thing only. Football. And not just any football, college football. And not just any college. The University of Central Florida or UCF. The 3^rd largest Univ in the nation. That’s right people, eat it up. And I didn’t just do it for the fact of football, or for ritual of drinking with a guy named skinny Pete on Saturday’s. (and yes a guy named skinny Pete was their every Saturday actually) It was for the experience and the atmosphere. It was for the face paint, the same wig I wore to every game without washing for 3 years. The jerseys that say 24K even though he left 2 years ago (you get it if you’re a knight). It was for the fact that every girl looked gorgeous on game day, outside under a tent, wearing black and gold knee high socks and playing beer pong or flip cup and skimming beers of guys because they were hot. For that random game you got dragged into with people you don’t know and now you have to shotgun a beer then have a dizzy-bat relay race. (This is the point where my mom google’s what shot gunning a beer is… then emails me…) And for “that guy” that walks around with no shirt on and thinking he is the hottest thing since skin colored band-aide’s and carrying his own 6 pack in the cardboard box while his buddy is driving a cooler full of beer and running over empty beer cans, ya that’s right, a motorized cooler. It was for the feeling you get when you are walking to the stadium with 44,974 other people, and that sacred tradition of shaking your keys at opening kick-off.

This was the first time I have truly been homesick. Because I am thinking of every Saturday when me and the boys took a Moe’s tent, a grill, and tailgate in between the Psych building and the Alumni Center on top of the drain, same spot for 3 years. This is why I am homesick.

I had the privilege of obtaining a leadership position at UCF where I was the student ambassador to the UCF alumni association and the UCF community. So I was basically a walking billboard for the Univ. I learned to love every aspect of that school. I am confident that if you cut me now, I will bleed black and gold. So going to these games, seeing the students, the alumni, the boosters, it was my tiny version of heaven. I loved every minute of it, rain or shine.

So yesterday was the first game against South Dakota. We won, great start to the season. But I was I walking to a café to hang out with some other volunteers and have a beer, and definitely it was a hard walk. My first toast when I got to the café was to UCF football. But more importantly it was to my friends that I went to every game with. It was to everything I mentioned above, the atmosphere that I wasn’t going to have. I knew I would miss things when I joined the Peace Corps, but I never thought that Saturday tailgating at UCF would be atop the list 3 months in to service.

After my day with volunteers yesterday, I was walking home and I was listening to my ipod, and I was jamming to a little O.A.R., and a song came on called “I Feel Home,” I have attached the youtube link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSuaqVxFqq4 and some of the lines just made it all a little worse… and then better. The song says, and this is a couple random lines, “There are few things pure in the world anymore, and home is one of the few…I feel Home when im chillin outside with the people I know… in a thousand years and a thousand tears, I will find my original crew… I feel home, when I see the faces that know my own…” as you can imagine, it was like throwing gas on a fire. But it was good. It brought to light so many good memories, and times when I will never forget with the people I will never forget. Like the time me greg, skinny pete (told you he was real) and jenna drove to UMiami when UCF played them, and we had random people come ask us if this was the car they could do a beer bong off of….? Of course we answered. Or when me and adam went to the bowl game in Tampa, and we sat next to a federal judge and his drunk wife who offered her husbands services if we ever got into trouble. Or when we picked up 2 parents that were drinking on the side of the road during parents weekend and took them to campus so they could find their daughter.

But after thinking about this for a while, and listening to that song all the way to the end, I realized something. Even though im not with those guys, and we all live in different places now, they are always with me. Everywhere I go, every smile I have, is partly because of them. What I see with my own eyes is their lens to parts of the world they have never been to. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for these same people, and I know no matter when I am in the world, they are still my best friends. I could go months without talking to them, and the next time I speak with them, it’s like we just hung out yesterday, and we will be tomorrow. With so much going on in life, its memories like these that are important. The ones that make you forget about the rough situation of today, and troubles that may come tomorrow, but all you can think about are the memories of yesterday. And with going through so much with these individuals, I consider them family. Doesn’t matter what happens, they will be a part of everything from here on out.

So this rum drink I currently have in my hand, this one is for you Boys. Every member of the palace, every UCF game we went to, and every time I got you a gold parking pass. This is for every game we went to, and the ones I know we will go to in the future. This is for every argument over what time to go tailgate, and for the time I dragged all of you out in hurricane force winds to tailgate at the game. P4L

Alex

“Mr. UCF”

What do I want out of the Peace Corps?

Why did I join? Why have I decided to sacrifice 2 years of my life? What has driven me to pursue this? Why did I go through an 18-month application process? What drove me to quit my job, leave my friends, leave my family, end relationships, sell my car, get rid of most of my possessions, pack a bag, and move across the world to a place I don’t speak the language, understand the customs, or know exactly what im doing. The last few days have been a relentless mental search for this answer. Now I know maybe I should have decided this before I left Orlando, but that’s not how it happened. I did have reasons for all of it. And now that im here, have those reasons changed. Because wanting to do the Peace Corps and actually joining and going for 2 years are two very separate things, with two very separate motivations.

I think while applying, the reasons were to get an experience that you can’t really get anywhere else. I also didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, so why not? Maybe after the 2 years, there will be a giant blinking sign of where I am supposed to go and what I want to do. I was expecting that sign after college, didn’t happen. Now maybe it will happen after all this. But still, that doesn’t explain why I couldn’t just find a job I liked and stuck with it.

I went to 3 different colleges in 3 years. After high school, moved to NC, that first summer in college, moved to ATL, moved back to NC to a new city and new college, moved back to FL to Titusville first, after that moved to Orlando for school. So in 4 years the longest I was in one place was about 15 months. I think maybe I was feeling that urge to move again, do something, and go somewhere. So I applied my last semester in college. After I graduated college, I found an internship that turned into a full-time job. I stayed there while I was going through the rest of the application process. All this was setting up this large decision to join the Peace Corps.

I think the reasons as to why you join the Peace Corps and why you stay in the Peace Corps for the full two years differ. And they are different for everyone. Some are placed in a region or job that they can really make some difference in, some just think living in another country is enough, and not really accomplishing much is fine with them.

Now the reasons for why I want to be here are a mixture of a lot of things. I have always kind of looked for something. Maybe that’s why I changed schools so many times. I don’t really know what I am looking for, but I know I wasn’t gonna find it where I was. So I think part of me wanted to go look for it in a far away place. Not sure what that is, but its almost like there is something out there I am supposed to find, and im not gonna sit home and wait for it, im gonna go looking for it. Could be an ideal. Could be a person. Could be a cause. Could just be the experience of looking through my eyes in a new place. But whatever it is, that’s why I am here. I also want to see things no American has seen. I want to be the first draft of eyes to look upon something, and then refine and retune what it is for other eyes to see, or maybe read right here. I want to help and show a different way of doing things, but more so I want to be taught a different way of doing things.

Today marks 3 months into this 27-month journey in Armenia. I am still looking and searching for my place here, what I am going to do and how it can affect me. And I am writing about it in hopes to influence or inform one person.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”