Mountain Men and Beekeepers

February 19, 2009 - Work is good, and busy. I'm getting to know my very interesting director pretty well, and working with a couple of other great folks who hail from Yerevan on a pretty daily basis so that we can all go to a couple of the larger villages where we're conducting our 7-week long local economic development programs. We're working closely with about 35 villagers from each village. My primary responsibilities are to take photos, get together translations, and write methodologies about how we're conducting the program (as we are employing a few different ideas to create one new program). It's been fun to get out and meet the real mountain men, driving by the lake and mountains, and having great sunny days. Both of the villages we currently work with are more specialized in, or have the ability to be more specialized in, bee keeping (which research has apparently shown that those who are beekeepers are also more prone to have excellent artistic abilities), wheat production, milk products production, and fish farms.

Oh! I do miss my friends and family but luckily the time has been very full, little time to think about it too much.

Three things I recommend to in-coming volunteers who may be reading this journal: little portable radio with good speakers you can plug media into, an English dictionary (how many times do I wish I had a dictionary when I am reading or translating? More than I have needed one ever before!), and Gor-tex boots and jacket (too useful, you would find out how so about 6 months into your arrival).