Volume II Number 4: September 14, 2005
Life is full of changes
Hello Family and Friends!
Welcome to Peace Corps 101. It about learning to deal with stress, unexpected changes (quite often), bureaucracy, new cultures, new languages, living in a new country (halfway around the world), and, despite your best efforts, to be told that your services are no longer rendered, short of the two year service that you signed up for.
We’re leaving Armenia. As of September 13, 2005 Peace Corps Armenia and Peace Corps Washington have rendered me as physically incapable of performing my duties in Armenia. This means that my shoulder problem can not be taken care of in Armenia and that I need to seek treatment in America. Despite that I had an EMG on September 7 and the results were positive about my shoulder, Peace Corps Washington has stepped in and said that our time is up. We are confused, frustrated, and do not want to leave.
There is no doubt that it has been an exciting, educational, stressful, wonderful, draining, insightful experience. How could it not be? Knowing friends like Gohar, Selvat, Armen and others has allowed us to see that there are so many ways to live life and still enjoy what you have. We have been able to learn from our children about simplicity and the joy of exploration and knowledge. Peace Corps administration has taken dealing with stress to a whole new level for us. It has been a roller coaster of a ride that we will never forget.
You have been there to support us in ways that you could not imagine. You have read about our experiences, shared them with friends, printed our newsletter to distribute, sent us a care package, talked to us on the phone, and wrote to us. Every one of these has helped sustain us while living in Armenia. Thank you.
The last two weeks have been spent in preparing to close this chapter of our lives and starting another one. Saying good-bye is so hard. We knew that if we left next July it would have been hard but with everything so unexpected it seems to have its added difficulties in saying good-bye.
Oh I’m done with this email. Unfinished.
Brett & Laura