Dave, Judy Smith get second chance in Armenia
By Judy Smith
Special to the StarNews
Published: Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, September 9, 2011 at 12:31 p.m.
The journey Dave and I began last October when we joined the Peace Corps and
traveled to Niger, Africa, ended with abrupt evacuation and return to the
U.S. after only three months.
Terrorist activity in the capital city of Niamey and other areas of Niger
was deemed a threat to Peace Corps safety and security. Currently, all 98
volunteers who wanted to continue with Peace Corps service have been
re-assigned to countries all over the world and Peace Corps service in Niger
has been suspended indefinitely.
After three weeks back in the U.S., Dave and I were invited to continue
service in Armenia, a small Eastern European country about the size of the
state of Maryland.
We accepted the invitation even though our hearts were still in Africa where
we had just begun our work in the Health (Judy) and Farm (Dave) sectors. Our
acceptance meant three more months of pre-service training, this time in
Armenia. We’d begin to learn another language, study a new culture, and
engage in totally different technical training for our work. I would be a
TEFL (teacher of English as a foreign language) and David would be in
Business and Community Development.
Now we have completed the above mentioned training and have been sworn in as
official Peace Corps volunteers for the second time. We hope to accomplish
the goals of the U.S. Peace Corps this time around without interruption.
Our first weeks in Armenia were a resounding success. We met 39 amazing
volunteers ranging in age from 22 to-71 years with backgrounds and
experiences just as diverse.
During our training, we lived in the rural home of a young Armenian couple
whose work was dairy farming. Their family included a 2½ year old son and
two older sons, one who had just returned from his two-year mandatory
military service and one who was still serving his country.
The family enthusiastically accepted us and our bonding with them was rapid.
Their willingness to house and care for two total strangers from another
country and our opportunity to serve with the Peace Corps in a second
country within the same year were beyond belief.
Although we saw and experienced endless contrasts between Niger, Africa, and
Armenia there were striking similarities. The warm welcomes and needy people
who reached out in anticipation of working with us as Peace Corps volunteers
were factors which quickly assured us that we were, indeed, following a
realistic dream by continuing our pursuit of Peace Corps service.
During our training we were able to visit several areas of Armenia
surrounding the Peace Corps training village. Our group lived in five
different rural villages where we studied the language (Hayeren) and culture
of the country.
All 41 of us were fortunate to visit historic churches and monasteries , The
National Gallery of Armenia, the History Museum of Armenia, the Genocide
Memorial Museum, and the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts – Matendaran
during our training.
We attended a classical chamber music concert and participated in an evening
of music and dance at the Cascades in the capital city of Yerevan. Our
cultural training certainly differed from that same training in Africa. We
contemplated how we could be seeing these sites and performances as Peace
Corps volunteers.
Soon we realized that this inclusion of culture helped to broaden our
understanding of Armenia with its dark, traumatic history which was filled
with war, poverty, natural disasters, and death. Only through viewing some
of the historical remnants followed by experiencing current exhibitions of
hope, talent, and joy could we truly understand Armenia and its people.
Armenia, with its homogenous population, boasts of a literacy rate of 98
percent, yet continues to struggle with high unemployment, poverty,
governmental incongruities and the overshadowing weight of past traumas. The
appreciation for beauty, music, friendship and family accompany the
harshness of severely cold winters, limited food choices and job market
realities.
And so we live in our new country with its inspiring mountains and
protective valleys that nature provides us and the Armenian people. Language
barriers certainly exist and the English-Armenian dictionary continues to be
our constant companion.
However, we will learn from our new host family in our permanent town and
they will learn from us. What better way to model peace than one to one?