privolnoye

Another visit to a village.  Another incredible time with an incredible family which feels like some kind of gift I do not deserve.  But what to do but completely soak it in which, of course, is what I did. This time another PCV and I, plus a Latvian friend of mine from the European Volunteer [...]

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my jeans are happier

Today, for the first time in 440 days, I washed (some of) my clothes in an actual washing machine (as opposed to hand-washing and later  my trusty Riga-8).  Some PCV’s have actual spinning, see-the-suds-through-the-door machines.  I don’t and was thrilled at the prospect.  I was not. however, prepared for what happened next.  After washing them, [...]

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mold tastes like dirt and ghosts eat cake

Spring Chicken is quite upset with me.  It has been raining for a few days.  Rain makes mud.  Mud gets stuck in paws and then leaves stains on clothes and tracks on the office’s tile floor.  I am not allowed to keep her inside the cottage and bringing her mud ridden to work would be [...]

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i’m going to have skin on my hands again (thanks riga-8!!!)

Ok… exaggeration.   However, once I lived in a blessed land of spin cycles, in a land where piles of warm laundry fall around you like hugs, in a land where I used to actually COMPLAIN (?????) about so called ‘Laundry Duty’.  For the last 10 months I have lived in the land of back-straining, skin-removing, [...]

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really gross and really upset and really glad that i can kiss and make-up in armenian

You will not see any pictures in this post, and once you read on, you will know that pictures are NOT something you want right now.  But first: I had one of those moments today. I’m walking home on a road I’d never walked before.  Raindrops are finding their way through my jeans.  The broken [...]

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water and my SANITY IS GONE

I am a slave to water.  Water only runs for me from 10am-1pm, and last night I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to Saturday which would be the next time I’d be home when the water is running.  I washed my dishes with little pots of water from the bucket, rinsed [...]

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spring, cookie dough and a drum circle

I know, I know.  Wow. Very interesting Brent.  Thrilling.  But lets take a minute and really examine what this photo means.  First of all, in this cookie dough you’ll find vanilla, brown sugar and Nestle milk chocolate morsels, none of which you can find easily, if at all, in Armenia.  This is a cookie dough [...]

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