Today marks the beginning of our service with the Peace Corps. We reported to a staging event in Philadelphia this afternoon. Tomorrow, we fly to Vienna, and then on to Armenia. In the last few weeks we’ve been in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. So, in a way, it’s the end of one trip and the beginning of another.
I’ll try to post a quick entry when we get there.
Andy
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Packing and Saying Goodbye
Since my last day at work on May 5, Nicole and I have been packing, moving, re-packing, storing, and organizing all of our stuff. It’s been difficult deciding what to do with it all. Some of it has been given away, some of it has been sold, some of it has been stored, and some of it will come with us to Armenia. It’s amazing to see how much stuff we’ve accumulated in just a two bedroom apartment…it kind of sneaks up on you.
One thing I was glad to be rid of was the volume of receipts, account statements, and other records that I’ve stored over the last few years. Realizing that I needed to go through them all before I leave, but reluctant to deal with it, I procrastinated to the last minute. Finally, I set aside some time to take care of it. Not far into the process, I recognized that I could probably spend days sorting through it all deciding what’s important, deciding what I need to keep and store. Then, sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by mounds of papers, I had an interesting thought…burn them all. And that’s what I did. I walked up on the hill to where my in-laws burn their papers with what felt like 50 pounds of documentation recording almost all my transactions over the last five years. Ten minutes later, I walked down with nothing. It was very liberating. It’s funny how people get attached to stuff like that. I spent so much time collecting and organizing those papers…it always felt like a burden. I guess it’s time to simplify things a bit...be kind of a minimalist.
We’ve also been traveling up and down the east coast visiting family before we leave. It’s been difficult saying goodbye to everyone, and a little draining running around like we have been, but we’re thankful to have the time to do it. It’s a little weird to think that we’re technically homeless and jobless right now. Well, I shouldn’t say that, everyone we’ve stayed with has been very generous. We haven’t felt homeless. It has been time very well spent.
Here are some pictures that we’ve taken over the last couple of weeks…
Packing and the last supper in our apartment:
Goodbye to friends and family:
One thing I was glad to be rid of was the volume of receipts, account statements, and other records that I’ve stored over the last few years. Realizing that I needed to go through them all before I leave, but reluctant to deal with it, I procrastinated to the last minute. Finally, I set aside some time to take care of it. Not far into the process, I recognized that I could probably spend days sorting through it all deciding what’s important, deciding what I need to keep and store. Then, sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by mounds of papers, I had an interesting thought…burn them all. And that’s what I did. I walked up on the hill to where my in-laws burn their papers with what felt like 50 pounds of documentation recording almost all my transactions over the last five years. Ten minutes later, I walked down with nothing. It was very liberating. It’s funny how people get attached to stuff like that. I spent so much time collecting and organizing those papers…it always felt like a burden. I guess it’s time to simplify things a bit...be kind of a minimalist.
We’ve also been traveling up and down the east coast visiting family before we leave. It’s been difficult saying goodbye to everyone, and a little draining running around like we have been, but we’re thankful to have the time to do it. It’s a little weird to think that we’re technically homeless and jobless right now. Well, I shouldn’t say that, everyone we’ve stayed with has been very generous. We haven’t felt homeless. It has been time very well spent.
Here are some pictures that we’ve taken over the last couple of weeks…
Packing and the last supper in our apartment:
Erasing our paper trail...we're off the grid now:
Goodbye to friends and family:
We've spent a lot of time with many great people over the last few weeks, saying our goodbyes. Thanks to everyone for all your support and kindness, we wouldn't be able to do this without you all.
With much love,
Andy & Nicole
Monday, May 18, 2009
Introduction
Nicole and I decided to start this blog as a way of recording our experiences in Armenia with the Peace Corps, and just as importantly, to communicate with friends and family while we are away. I’m not sure how much time we’ll have once we get there, or if we’ll have access to reliable internet, but we’ll do our best to post regular updates describing our travels and our personal observations. Here’s the information about our Peace Corps assignment:
Country: Armenia
Program: English Language Project (both of us)
Dates: June 2009 to Aug 2011 (God willing)
Here’s a map of the area since many people we talk to don’t really know quite where Armenia is:
Country: Armenia
Program: English Language Project (both of us)
Dates: June 2009 to Aug 2011 (God willing)
Here’s a map of the area since many people we talk to don’t really know quite where Armenia is:
Feel free to comment on any posts or send either of us an email. It will be great to hear from familiar people while we are in a foreign place. Thanks to everyone for all the support.
Andy
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