Thanks to everyone who sent me a birthday card or package! I had a pretty good first birthday in Armenia.  My students decorated the blackboards and sung happy birthday to me.  Then my Armenian friend Manik had a surprise birthday lunch for me at a café with a few teachers.  It was really nice to get together outside of school. 

Later that day Danelle and I went to the huge monument in Noyemberyan and chilled there for a few hours.

I went to Yerevan on Friday for a meeting and met up with some other volunteers at our hostel. We spent the afternoon at an outdoor cafe, summer is finally here! We had a great time dancing the rest of the night and I went back to my village the next day.

Today I am traveling to Yerevan to meet the new volunteers.  A few of us will stay at their hotel and help them adjust to Armenia.  I barely remember those first few days because we were sleep deprived and jet lagged so it will be interesting to do it again!  

23 days until Florida :)

Shake Shake Shake

On Monday I experienced my first ever earthquake.  It was just before 9 in the morning and I was getting ready to go to school.  The ground started to shake and I thought it was just a large truck driving on the road above my house.  Then, my house began to shake back and forth and I realized it was an earthquake.  I ran outside, but by the time I finally got there it had stopped.  I stood outside talking to my neighbors, all wearing their pajamas, and they kept asking me if I was afraid.  To be honest earthquakes totally freak me out now.  I wearily went back into my house, saw there was no damage, and finished getting ready.  I started walking to school when suddenly 20 students rushed the street and yelled to me that school was cancelled because of the earthquake.  There was no damage to the school, but they closed it in case of aftershocks (There actually was a strong aftershock later that afternoon).  I think we were the only school in the region that was closed.  The epicenter of the earthquake was in Azerbaijan and people as far as Yerevan could feel it.

I had a conversation the next day with an Armenian who asked if we had earthquakes in America.  I said yes, but not usually in Florida.  I then explained hurricanes to her.  She said hurricanes sounded much more frightening because of the water and wind. I told her I was much more afraid of earthquakes because there is absolutely no warning before it strikes.  I hope that was the only earthquake of my Peace Corps service… Oh well, at least I'll be earthquake-free Florida in 38 days! Sorry Washington DC (49 days!), your earthquake last year isn't going to win you any favors ;)

Portugal!

I just got back from a weeklong vacation in Portugal and had an amazing time.  So amazing that I didn’t want to go back to Armenia.  I did much better adjusting to Armenia this time around than I did after Istanbul.  It helps that its warm and sunny now, and that I’ll be going to America in 42 days, not that I’m counting J More like desperately hoping the time flies by so I can see my family again.  Portugal was a week to recharge my batteries and visit a beautiful country.  I climbed castles, visited churches, and explored Lisbon until I couldn’t walk anymore.  I also did many American things, like eat at Burger King, and watch an American movie in English.  Hunger Games: Awesome.  I started rereading the books on the airplane back to Armenia.  Here are some pictures of Portugal: