Finally… the last week of school rolled around.
Its really weird thinking about how fast time went. The other volunteers and I always have commented about it but well its the first time im writing about it on here I think. Its really fucked up. For me it feels like that I first came here a few months ago and well in reality, ive been here from the start to the end of a normal school year. Its really weird, but well they say that time flies when you are really living life. Lifes weird haha.
Now so, to be honest, the week was going to be as normal and usual as every other one. One thing though is that I sady woudnt be able tobe there on the last day of school. Which really sucked. I coudnt be there for the celebration of the 9th graders finishing their last day or celebrating in the teachers room for another succesfull school year. But well the day of the open door at the Embassy was calling, so I reallz coudnt say no. And so, the week happend.
Monday and tuesday the book club sadly didnt happen, but well thats life, maybe it was also meant to end that way since I started the reading club a month or two into my FSJ. But for that, I did other things with the children after school. On monday for example, David, Alik, Sipan and garush took me on a little Walk into the forest and mountain behind out house. While it looked much farther, we managed to get up there in around 30 minutes. We started off by passing some fields past out plaground and then just walking up plains and the grassy hill/ mountain side. As usual the conversation carried us as we went. On the way i saw a good amount of pretty flowers so I would definetly pick them and well, keep them as a little printing projekt of mine. The nature was really astounding. It really made me think about maybe living in such a small and hamonyious place enclosed by nature, like i litereally woudnt get tired of the view. It kinda puts things into perspektive. Now, so a after two small breaks and a dreadfull last steep part we managed to reach the top. Close to the top, we even encountered some snow which was really crazy since it was around 26 degrees but i guess armenian snow is just a bit stubborn haha. On the top, we walked amoung the remains of a destroyed military outpost, which was probably bombed down during the gritty period between armenia and Aserbajschan. We walked around a bit more while i collceted flowers and they showed me the distant other sall rurual villages and areas as we lay down on a side of the side of the hill. On the way down , we where just talking as usual,and then Stipan asked me what my favorite number was and I was like “ I dunno, i dont really have one… whats yours?“ and he was like “ Mine is 7, becuase on the 7th day god created us humans“ and well i thought that id just share that small conversation with you all because i just found it adorable. Disclaimer, I dont care about religion haha. But now , here enjoy some pictures I took on our little walk:
David and Garusch both dying on the way up.
Flowers I picked ^^
Thursday we had another one of those „Good bye alphabet book“ festivals, but this time from the other class and surprisingly, they had completely different contents and programs so it was interesting to see that they put so much effort into it. But even though they had differnt contents, it was dope as fuck haha. Heres a picture of Little Edwin during the event:
Edwin grinning and looking at me during his perfromance
Alright! So friday,the big day rolled around! I wokeup and put on some nice clothes ( Shirt and a tie) since it was the last day and the graduationof the 9th graders and headed off with my packed backpack to school. I came there pretty early around 9:30 isch because I still had to type up and print out the name and title cards of the “ Deutsch with stoff“ products which would get hanged up at the german embassy later that day. So i get the final things done and well at around 11, the „Last schoolbell“ Event happens for the 9th graders. They basically made a small thing out of looking back on their time at the school and thanking each and every teacher individually while their picture is beamed onto the wall. Of course and surprisingly, I was also thanked and got a small role and card. But well, they also had a few little funny skits here and there which I aslo fun to see. But yeah, sadly when it slowly neared to 12 I had to get going becuse the ordered marschroutka for me and the group of kiddos was ready to leave at the Vivacell MTS. So i said goodbye quietly, shook Elens baby nieces hand a last time haha and got going as fast as I could. After walking hurriedly to the centre, i was pleased to see that almost all kids where already in the van. I recounted and was updated that not one, but 3 childresn wernt coming so i crossed them off my list. I didnt complain becuase that mean less work for me haha but i did find it wack that they coudnt make it. And well after waiting 5 minutes, Ashot, the last not present member, arrived and we started driving into the direction of Yerevan. I must say that thge warm weather, tight clothes and heavy backpack plus the pressure and dread of the day really already hd an impact on me so i was already so exhausted on thee ride into yervan. The kids wernt behving too bad so ijust made sure to remind them when they talked too loud, but otherwise the ride was good! So a break to fill up gas and 2 hours later, we drove direction Embassy after entering the city. The day plan was a bit chaotic so i had to explain to the driver that we where only first going to stop very quickly infront of th embassy before driving to another location. He managed to understand and after quickly attching the names and titles to the finished textile products and hopping out, explaining dana what was what and what she had to do, and hopping into the transporter again, we drove of to the next destination which was the Goethe centrum.
Why the goethe centrum you ask? Well since the things Me and ELisa would be presenting at the open day are based on the Goethe Institus „100 years Bauhau- Bauhauswomen“ celebration, dana thought that it would be good to also show the other kids what it was all about by leading them through the exhibtion created at the geothe centrum. And I agreed. So after a short ride down there, i decided that we would be walking back to the embassy since there was no parking space for the transporter, and coordinating the whole pickup/ transport would be too stressy so that was the go to option. So i told my little group to take everything they need for later with them, So like passports, wallets, phones ans such,bags had to be left in the van since we coudnt take them into the embassy. Everyone was done and hopped off the transport and walked the remaining 100 meters to the goethe centum. During the ride i noticed that the group would rather just walk around and enjoy Yerevan a bit and I did promise that if we did have time, we would do that, but during the ride into the city, I realised that we where already swamped time wise so it did suck a bit to have to tell them that. But well, i think they survived ^^.
I stopped at the entrance of the Goethe centre and well just held a small speech about where we are, what we will be seeing and why. So i led them into the big entrance hall where german and armenian texts where written on the wall with pictures of the artists and their works& Ideas. Nadia ( another person from the Centre) was nice enough to join us for a few minutes and say some words in Armenian , aswell as give out some „Merch“ haha. The Balloons, booklets and pens where quickly snached up by the children. After she left, the big group split up into smaller groups and started explorng the exhibition. I must say that i was pretty surprised at how big it actaully was. I thought that it would only limit itself to the entrance hall but the upper conference room as well as the library where equiped with reading and viewing material. Ultimatly, the collective came together again in the library again where, instead of reaading the Bauhaus things, they started reading other books haha. Soon after though we had to leave, so not too much time wasted doing nothing.
As mentioned before, we ( I) had decided that we all would walk to the embasyy becuase of practicality. 2 mintes into our walk, i could smell the rain in the air and the clouds did seem quite angry. The rain did come and well we managed to stay out the worst parts of it becuase we (I) commanded us under stratigically imporant areas like parks, trees and tunnels. Though we did have to stop once at the start because the rain was really hammering down. In that moment, all the kids hated me haha and where constatly complaining. But after getting lost once and 30 minutes, miracoulosly we managed to get to the embassy. After a pathetic „security check“ we all where inside and well, i told them that they were free to do anything they wanted as long as they stayed in the embassy. First they where quite confused and not sure what to do with their knew freedom but it didnt take long untill i coudnt spot any one of them anymore. So yeah, the embasy just hosted alot of stands from many organisations, ngos and german political parties/istitues. The event was also in cooperation with the french embassy and the fernch embassador was promised to show up but well they lied. The german embassador also talked for a bit before having to attend an emergency diplomat meeting with pashinyan ( where the rench embassador also was ). So yeah, besides the stands there where also food sands offering beer and german sausages and Crumbs also was incharg for the food so it was interesting seeing some familiar faces. While all the stands where busteling and doing their thing, there also was a „stage“ where a actuall prgramm was being done. There where panel discussions, Q and as, and well also performances from various schools and events. For example a hand full of selected from the in a differnet post mentioned german Hit paradegot to perform their song again. Lianna being one of them and despite some technical probels, she really did kill it. I think she really waas the best perfromance that day. BUt that was otherwise it. After the performance of Lianna i ecastaticallz congratuated her which amde her reallz happz and the DAna offered to paz for a round of food and drinks, which some kids actuallz declined, to their loss of course. After the quick feeding, we gathered all kids together and herded them and their massive goodie bags filled with calenders, notepads, piggz banks and all kinds of other interesting and weird things, some of which i dont even know how thez got a hold off ahha, and put them on the bus which send them back straight to chambarack. And yeah, then it was mz free time haha. I happilz enjozed a beer and a two sausages and just relaxed around the premisces. the other volunteers and I talked about our summer plans and just enjozed the lovelz day.After that we went home and quicklz had a quiet evening after the whole stress of the last official school daz.
Yeah. Well that was the final day of „work“ at the „school“ haha. See you in the next post!