First Summer in Vanadzor (2023)
We arrived at our permanent sites on May 26th, 2023 right at the start of the summer vacation. As TEFL volunteers, we follow the schedules and holidays of our school. So for those of us in the sector, it was a good time to arrive at our sites since the school year had just ended. It gave us free time to integrate into the community and ease into the school setting through summer clubs. Those in the Youth and Development (YD) sector were thrown straight into the thick of it, but luckily they are all very adaptable and jumped right to work!
Summer Clubs:
2 weeks after living at site, I met officially with my counterpart Nara Jan and the Vice Director Mane Jan to plan for how I would run the summer clubs at my school. We discussed which age groups, the number of students, and the topics I would cover. We decided to meet twice a week and keep our group small with roughly 15 kids from the 6th and 7th grades. Each week introduced new topics and themes through games and other activities. A favorite of the boys was when I taught them how to play the basketball game horse. Anything to get them moving instead of sitting at a desk was a hit! It was great working with the kids, they taught me so much and helped me gain confidence in my teaching ability for when school would really start in September.
Game Night:
I'm a sucker for games so when I learned that the church had weekly game nights I quickly started attending and brought my PC friends with me. I don't know how sister Rhoades does it, but she always manages to come up with new/interesting games each week. So far my favorite is either the 'Rock, Paper, Scissors Race' or '4 on a Couch'. Even though it is no longer summer, it is now a tradition for us that Wednesday night is game night at the church and then we go out for food after. Jazz Cafe is a regular spot for us, mostly for the vibe and of course the fries! In our opinion, they have the best fries in Vanadzor. If you're ever in Vanadzor on a Wednesday night come join us at church for game night and food after!
Movie Nights:
I like to watch movies and I knew that if I invited my friends over my laptop screen (though 17 inches) would not be large enough for all of us. So after I moved into my new apt one of the first things I bought was a projector. Definitely not a necessity and probably puts me into the posh corps category, but it wasn't too expensive and it makes me happy. One thing I've learned about Peace Corps is you need to find little things to help make this experience easier. For me it's movie nights...and with the projector its made my place the designated movie spot for the volunteers in Vanadzor. Each Friday night we get together and take turns choosing a movie. We're all across the board in movie preferences but we make it work and its been interesting to see everyone's favorite movie genres from classics, action, musicals, documentaries, comedy, romance, etc. If you're ever in Vanadzor on a Friday night you're welcome to join us for a movie and glovo dinner with us.
Volunteering at American Corner
At the Vanadzor library (near Artsakh Square) on the 3rd floor is the American Corner. It's run by Ana and a few other ladies and is supported by the U.S. Embassy. During the summer, we went to introduce ourselves at the American Corner and got ourselves a library card. While there I gave Ana my phone number and told her she could reach out if she ever needed anything. Since that first introduction, I have had the privilege of volunteering a few times to either co-host an English club or host a discussion group. It's allowed me to meet several people here in Vanadzor and see a real desire for its occupants to learn English.
Excursions:
Trying to find the cross on the hill: Armenia is a very religious country. On many of the hills, you can see crosses that have been placed there as a reminder of our Savior, Jesus Christ. My first apartment had a perfect view of one of these crosses. I asked my host mom Tamara jan if she knew of a way to hike up to it. She wasn't sure but told me that one of the roads would probably take me there. Since it was summer and I wasn't as busy I had time to go and explore. On one of my treks walking around town, I decided to take a road that might lead me up to the cross. On this walk, I found a cool set of stairs that led up the mountainside. The higher I went the more beautiful the view got. You could look out across the valley and see all of Vanadzor and its unique architecture. The abandoned soviet factories, the skyline, and the greenery make the perfect aesthetic for photo taking. Along the hike, I met several nice people who I chatted with to help break the awkward stares. A simple "barev dzez" went a long way to open up the conversation. Honestly, I think they were just surprised I knew some Armenian and were happy to put up with the patchy conversation.
I got close but I wasn't able to find a direct road to the cross. One man I met was nice enough to offer to let me cut through his field so I could hike up the hill, but the scary-looking dogs stopped me from getting very far... wild dogs and I don't have a great track record. So I figured it'd be safer to try again another time when I wasn't alone. I've since looked it up on a few different maps and am going to try again when time and weather permits.
Hike to the old abandoned Soviet Camp: Under the USSR regime, Vanadzor grew into a major industrial city. However, after its fall in 1991, many of the factories, resorts, and camps shut down and were abandoned. Now many of the structures are falling apart and look eerily like something you'd see from an apocalypse movie. So of course it makes for an interesting place to visit and explore... Our friends Aren and Asya whom we met early on in the summer mentioned a cool hike nearby that we could go on to one of the abandoned camps...so obviously I was down to go! It's not really fair to you guys reading this blog, because I can't properly express how beautiful the hike up or the camp and the surrounding area itself was. Something about its rugged and brokenness is just appealing amongst the beautiful backdrop of the Vanadzor mountains. Knowing the history of the place and seeing the resiliency of the people to stay strong and true to themselves even amongst the trials they've faced adds to its beauty. As an American, I've definitely taken for granted the privileges that I've been blessed with and I'm grateful to learn from the Armenian people.
Unexpected free trip to another country: I'm not sure how it is at other posts, but PCV's in Armenia are now ready for anything and any situation! I've learned that when you're given instructions on what to pack, you don't tell yourself "It's just a training drill, you'll be back tonight". You pack everything they tell you and make sure to bring extra underwear and plenty of clothes! Sad to say I learned that lesson the hard way along with most of my cohort when we all bonded over doing our laundry together daily with shaved-down laundry soap (shout out to Sarah for being the only prepared one out of all of us).
I also learned sometimes you just have to make the best of a sucky situation. Being cramped together on a hot bus with no food or water for several hours is not ideal... Not having any cell phone service in a foreign country is not ideal... But being with your friends and exploring a new city after training is awesome! So much happened during those few days and if we weren't close before this trip we were definitely a lot closer after... For example, my friends learned what a klutz I am after I somehow managed to trip on nothing...I don't know how I do these things...sometimes I even surprise myself with my clumsiness. But I learned from falling and injuring my foot that I have really good friends who will take care of me.
The trip was only a safety training exercise for us, but I learned that I need to be prepared at all times and not take my time here in Armenia for granted. We serve in an area that does not have a great relationship with its surrounding countries and our service could end at the drop of a hat. Not dwelling on that aspect, I really have come to love Armenia and its people. They are so friendly and have opened their arms to me. At the end of my service, I want to reflect and see all the memories and relationships I've made.
River rafting in Tumanyan: River rafting has been on my bucket list for a long time... who knew all I needed to do was move across the world to check it off the list? Honestly, I probably could have done it sooner back in the States but I'm glad my first time was here in Armenia.
We found the group "Rafting in Armenia" randomly on Instagram and reached out to check on availability. Planning trips is always a little stressful, but adding on language barriers and not knowing the area well can make it more difficult. The customer service rep though was so accommodating and helped answer all of our questions. They even helped us figure out transportation which was the most difficult part.
Our bathing suits though very conservative didn't stop the stares that we received as we waited in Hayk Square to get picked up by our driver who took us to Tumanyan for the drop-in location. Luckily we didn't have to wait long. At the drop-in location, we met the other groups that would be participating in the excursion and our river guides. There was a large Russian family that seemed to be having some sort of family reunion and 2 Germans. The Germans joined us in our raft and we quickly became friends.
Before entering the water they gave us some instructions on how to paddle and the different commands that we would need to know to maneuver safely in the water. The water was relatively calm with just enough thrill factor to excite all of us river rafting newbies. During the trip, it was fun to race the other rafts, drink from a waterfall, swim in the river alongside the raft, go bridge jumping, and even flip the raft over along the side of the bank to slide down it into the water. We were moving the whole time and I was exhausted at the end of the trip, but it was so much fun! I learned that I have near to no upper body strength each time I had to pull myself back into the raft from the water. My friends learned how much I hate heights as I screamed the whole way down from jumping off the bridge. And the other participants learned how loud Americans can be each time I laughed...and if you know me, you know that I can laugh pretty loud... It was a 10/10 experience and I definitely want to do it again next summer.
Exploring Vanadzor:
Vanadazor is the 3rd largest city in Armenia and I am very lucky to live here. It's a beautiful city nestled in a valley in the Lower Caucasus Mountains. Though Vanadzor is considered a major city you still have to be creative in finding fun things to do.
If you're an outdoor person this is the place for you! There are so many wonderful hikes you can do nearby and a few years ago a mountain bike place opened up. Not too far away is even a place where you can go white water rafting. (From personal experience I can tell you its very fun and the tour guides are great!)
If you're a foodie, there are several restaurants you can go to. Some of our favorites so far are Maran, Jazz Cafe, Masoor, Sajj Terouh Sette, etc. If you're missing American food... not to brag or anything but we also have KFC here in Vanadzor. However, if you want to save money and know how to cook you can also visit the Bazar and find fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat to make any meals you would want to cook (you might be limited on some seasonings and spices though).
In general, some of the things we like to do here include walking to the train tracks (it's a gorgeous view), petting/feeding the local dogs (there are a lot), attending the local events at Hayk Square (concerts, light shows, etc.), getting our nails done (it's so much cheaper here and the quality is way better than in America), and people watching in the parks.
We're still exploring the city and are constantly learning about new things but I'm happy to call Vanadzor home.
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