The Road to Armenia

It's been an incredibly long and emotionally fatiguing start to the volunteer process. After flying to DC on Wednesday, we spent about 8 hours in trainings and registration stuff before finally breaking for dinner around dark. For most of the day, I felt reassured about the PC process, buoyed by the quality of folks that surrounded me. It's a good group, ranging in age from 20 to 75, totaling 58 volunteers in all.
Checking in 58 volunteers with approximately 140 pounds of luggage each was just this side of a disaster. We left for the airport at 12:30 for our 5:45 flight, and several folks made light jogs to the gate to make it on board on time. 58 to DC, 58 to Vienna though. So far so good.
Due to a 14 hour layover in Vienna we were given a day hotel to shower and rest. While some did that, a group of us powered through the fatigue and ventured to city center for churches, bratwursts, and the last good beer for quite a while. We've been repeatedly forewarned by current volunteers that Armenian wine and beer is borderline undrinkable, while the cognac and homemade (vodka), are solid. So getting a few beers in while in Vienna seemed prudent.
From here, it becomes a guessing game. I will be in Charentsavan, Armenia for the next 10 weeks, but I don't know where I'll be after that. I also haven't met my host family, who I'll start living with in 3 days. I know I'll be doing teacher training, but in an educational setting and system that I have no familiarity with. Mostly, I know that at the end of this next flight, I'll be living in a land with one of the wildest alphabets ever created, featuring about 6 'U's, 5 'J's and a question mark that looks like a small fish to me at this point. Adventures to follow

Beginnings

The Basics….

For the last eleven years, I have worked in the public schools of North Carolina, mostly as a special education preschool teacher, but also as a regular 2nd grade teacher for one brutal year. At the end of year ten, I felt a little burned out by the classroom experience, and wanted to take advantage of the world of opportunities that are out there for a 33 year old special educator, with no mortgage, kids, or other compelling reason to stay in North Carolina. Thus…the Peace Corps.
I’ve known since I was a teenager that I wanted to work in some sort of public service, leading me eventually from music education, to elementary education, to early intervention and special education with preschoolers. It’s what I do, but not necessarily ever who I AM. I’ve always felt more than a little out of place – as the first male grad from the Child Development Program at UNC, or the only male teacher at every workplace I’ve been in over the past 11 years. The lack of compelling reasons to stay in North Carolina made the Peace Corps an attractive outlet. I get to continue doing what I do - service and education - but with the adventures and experiences of living abroad to go with it.
In 15 days, I’ll be heading to Washington, DC, and from there to Yerevan, Armenia. This blog will be my best attempt to share some pics, some stories, and some tall tales with the folks I’m leaving behind. Thanks for reading.