In this interview, we hear from Sarah. Sarah is an Education Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia. What Sarah shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Sarah talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Sarah’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity during Service
- Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Education volunteer in Armenia?
A Typical Morning Routine
I usually wake up around 7 and during the winter turn my heater on immediately (I’m in one of the coldest parts of Armenia). I usually stay in bed until 8 and spend that hour reading the news, sending Instagram reels to my sisters, or looking over lessons for that day. Once I get up, I get dressed and head downstairs to eat a small breakfast and head to school. My school is about a five-minute walk away from my house when the weather is nice and about a 10-minute walk with the ice and snow.
Teaching Schedule and Classroom Life
School starts at 9 and this year I have 4 or 5 classes every day. I teach at a secondary school that has 1st-12th grade students, but English classes don’t start until 3rd grade. All of my classes are 45 minutes long with a 5-minute break between classes. After 3rd period we have a 10-minute break where I and all of the 1st-4th graders have lunch while all of the rest of the teachers drink coffee. During classes, my counterpart does most of the teaching while I do the exercises (especially reading and listening). I never have a 7th-period class so that’s when I hold my English clubs.
Running English Clubs
Currently, I only have a club for 3rd grade and 4th -6th grades (although usually in my 5th-grade girls come), and I have each club once a week. I’ve tried to have other clubs but my older students often go into Gyumri for paid tutoring or clubs at the TUMO center (I mean robots and coding are pretty cool). After school and clubs, I go home.
Evening Activities at Home
I usually relax for an hour or two and then have dinner with my host dad when he gets home from work. After I eat I look over the next day’s lessons and work on whatever sewing, crochet, or baking project I have going on. When it’s warmer I’ll go running about an hour before sunset. Once I get back from my run I’ll sit in the living room with my host parents and I’ll watch TV with them. Usually, we watch the news which really helps you learn vocabulary after a while.
Around 10 I’ll brush my teeth and “go to bed”. After I get into my PJs I might call my grandma and chat with her about my day.
Once a week I have tutoring with my Armenian tutor for about an hour and a half, usually during the week but sometimes on the weekends depending on the schedule. On the weekends I usually sleep in. If I go into the city I go on the weekends and usually meet up with the other volunteers there. During the warmer months, I often go hiking one weekend a month with the other volunteers. Periodically I have to go to the capital for medical appointments, and Peace Corps trainings or meetings. I usually do a lot of shopping for things that aren’t available while I’m there.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Armenia?
Early Awareness of the Peace Corps
I was aware of the Peace Corps since I was really young. My Uncle Jim is an RPCV who served in the last cohort in Uruguay. When I was probably around 6 or 7 my family was preparing a big meal at my grandparent’s house for Thanksgiving or Christmas and I loudly declared that it was too much work why couldn’t we just have tacos. Come to find out the big meal is deeply missed when you aren’t celebrating with friends and family.
Growing Interest During College
I didn’t have any big plans of joining the Peace Corps then, and even when I discovered more about Peace Corps in high school I figured it wasn’t for me. I decided to just focus on getting my bachelor’s degree and then planned on becoming a social worker. I somehow ended up taking a lot of classes that focused on grassroots advocacy and community action, and the Peace Corps kept popping up.
Knowing that I needed to get my masters before I became a social worker I decided that the Peace Corps would give me a great chance to practice some of the skills I had learned, learn about another culture, and maybe help me be a better social worker down the road.
A Journey of Patience and Resilience
I didn’t choose Armenia, Armenia chose me. I applied for an English Education/Youth development role in Montenegro in May of 2020. Obviously, no one was going anywhere then. I still needed to finish my final semester of college and was hoping by the time I finished in December the pandemic would be under control enough that volunteers would be leaving with the anticipated January departure date. That was not the case.
I was getting ready to go back to campus when my college announced that we were not returning to in-person school. An acquaintance at school had just posted in our Facebook group that one of her mom’s friends was looking for a live-in nanny and I jumped at the job. I finished my final semester of college and still hadn’t heard anything from the Peace Corps, but I enjoyed my job so I continued nannying.
In March of 2021, I got an email saying that I had been placed under consideration for a TEFL position in Timor-Leste after googling Timor-Leste I agreed to do an interview in April. My interview was interrupted by one of the kids I was nannying to let my interviewer know that Peace Corps should be pronounced Peace Corpse, luckily my interviewer was amused.
At the same time his dad, an epidemiologist, was working with Peace Corps to develop their return to service plan, so I knew it would be a while longer before I heard back (that didn’t stop me from aggressively checking my email though). All this time I was meeting lots of RPCVs who kept giving me various tips and suggestions for how to prepare for service. I moved with the family I nannied for to North Carolina, I started volunteering as a domestic violence court advocate, and continued waiting.
Overcoming Medical Challenges
In May of 2022, I finally got an email asking if I would like to be considered for Morocco, and I said yes. After 24 hours I had an invitation and began the length medical clearance process. I got all of the normal forms plus glasses and a pesky questionnaire about my weight and eating habits. I made all the appointments and they went pretty smoothly at first until I got COVID and needed to reschedule my dentist appointment, but no big deal.
Then I got more forms about my weight for my PCP and OB/GYN to fill out (shout out to them for being so cool about filling out forms). Then I had to see a nutritionist who declared that while yes I had a low BMI – but based on a family history of being thin, being active, and having no disordered eating habits, I would be perfectly fine in the Peace Corps.
Peace Corps Medical did not agree though. I needed to gain weight. So I did everything in my power to gain weight but I wasn’t able to gain enough weight fast enough. Three weeks before departure I was told I could not go to Morocco and I was given two options I could reapply in a year or get a new invitation to go somewhere leaving after January 1st (shout out to my pre-clearance nurse for advocating that option). I took the second option.
Finally, Armenia!
I received an invite to Armenia a week later. I stayed with the family I was nannying for until their new au pair arrived and began nannying for a different family. I finished gaining the weight I needed and finally got cleared in mid-February. In March of 2023, I finally became a Peace Corps trainee almost 3 years after applying.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation:
Life in a Rural Armenian Village
I live in a rural village with about 1200 people near Gyumri (the second largest city in Armenia), and very close to the Turkish border. My host family hosted the volunteer from the earlier cohort that got evacuated due to COVID. Since then my host siblings have moved to Russia so it’s just me and my host parents.
When I first arrived I got compared to Taylor (the previous volunteer) a lot, now she gets compared to me when she comes to visit. My host mom is the Assistant Principal at school and used to teach Armenian, but she’s partially retired so she doesn’t teach anymore. My host dad used to design IT infrastructure for the government (both now and during soviet times) but now he teaches IT at the University in Gyumri.
My Host Family
My host mom loves to gossip so she always knows what’s going on, and my host dad is an introvert (we love him for it). Like most Armenian women my host mom can be very territorial over her kitchen, but she’s always been willing to let me bake and let me cook a bit more now (although she’s suspicious when trying my cooking). I enjoy cooking and Armenian food while usually tasty isn’t very diverse (my host mom cooks soup for 90% of our meals), so I’m happy to be cooking more.
My host parents include me in all social gatherings (except funerals) and any day trips they go on. I’ve been able to go to a wedding for their godson (godparents play a very special role in the wedding) and every birthday and holiday celebration they’ve been invited to. My host mom introduced me to everyone as her daughter, so I am very much a part of the family.
Seasons and Village Life
During the summer the village gets at most to a pleasant 80 degrees and is usually in the 60s at night. During the winter it gets very cold. Last winter it was -22 one morning when I was walking to school and the highs during February rarely got above freezing. My village doesn’t have gas so most houses are heated by wood-stoves (typically burning manure bricks) and electric heaters.
I never leave my heater on when I am sleeping or not home so my room gets really cold, but I came prepared with a lot of wool clothing so I’m fine. We also have electric heaters at school but they can only heat the school up so much and after New Year’s you often have to wear a coat with several layers indoors at school.
My village is a mix of pretty conservative values and practical thinking. During the warmer months, most women wear skirts and dresses (usually longer) and always with pantyhose even at home. But once it snows everyone wears pants. Women tend to get married around 18-20 in my village and usually have kids shortly after, but their husbands are usually the same age or a year or two older.
A Welcoming Community
The people in my village are very proud of their men in the military but none of them encourage military as a career and instead encourage their sons to be farmers or go to college for a career. Girls are encouraged to study and do well but often encouraged to do feminine careers. Everyone in the village is very nice to me though, and they look out for me. While it can be a little odd when a random tatik (grandmother in Armenian) comes up to me and compliments my sewing it’s rather nice that they really include me in their community.
Running in the Village
When it comes to exercising no one in my village exercises, but they all tend to lead very active lifestyles. Almost every family has a large garden and those that do have a lot of berries and fruit trees. Many families have fields outside the village where they grow potatoes or wheat, and many people also have cows or sheep. We have two or three shepherds and three or four cow herders that collect the cows and sheep in the morning take them to graze and return them at night.
During the summer I often go running and while this gets a few weird looks or offers of a ride my village now accepts that Americans are weird and go running. Even though they think it’s weird they support it, so last winter when jackals were spotted outside the village near where I run I had at least four students come and tell me not to go running to avoid the wolves (they were jackals, not wolves but none the less I appreciate it). In the teacher’s lounge that day and later at home with some of the neighbors they planned a way for me to run through the village and avoid the jackals and the dogs that weren’t chained.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had?
I’ve had too many memorable experiences to count.
My 5th grade girls are shocked to know that people not only keep dogs and cats inside in the US but they even pay for said dogs and cats. Upon discovering that I like cats they offered to get me some kittens for free. I regretfully declined, although my host dad and I don’t know if the kittens who showed up the next day were a gift from them.
People in my village often pronounce my name similar to one of the Armenian words for cold so everyone always laughs when I respond to that instead of my name.
One day in the teacher’s lounge the other teachers started talking about sewing, turns out we all only sew for ourselves and small children because adults don’t understand or appreciate the work that goes into sewing. This just goes to show you that some things really are universal regardless of culture.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about Education challenges in Armenia?
Resource Limitations
I think my biggest challenge as a volunteer is the lack of quality resources. My fellow volunteers, especially Jim, are always happy to share the resources they make, but sometimes they aren’t helpful or usable in my context.
My school has one projector that makes special appearances a couple of times a year because it doesn’t work well, so if I make (or use) a presentation I have to bring in my laptop, and games like Kahoot or Jeopardy won’t work in my classes. My school has a printer but it doesn’t work very well and prints black steaks all over the pages. I still print off important resources occasionally at a print shop in Gyumri though.
Textbook Issues
All of these are surmountable challenges though, my biggest challenge is our textbooks. They are full of mistakes, even the new ones. I do my best to supplement the textbooks so that my students can still learn a lot, but it can be hard when working in a low-resource setting.
Adapting to Different Learning Needs
Another challenge is the varied abilities in my classrooms. I have students who likely have dyslexia or another learning disability, but there isn’t any support for them, so I often try to suggest activities that suit multiple learning styles. Another challenge is working with my counterpart. I have a wonderful counterpart, but sometimes she and I disagree on the best way to teach. We sometimes have a discussion about it, and if I don’t convince her to try my idea we just stick with her plan instead.
That being said she’s usually willing to try something at least once. This worked really well for my 3rd-grade class, I purchased dry-erase sleeves, and markers and printed off a handwriting sheet that we use to practice writing the letters on.
Adjusting to Food Differences
My biggest non-project-related struggle is food. I miss American food so much, and by American food, I mostly mean the American version of Mexican, Indian, Thai, Chinese, and Italian food. Until recently my host mom has insisted on cooking everything for me, but I’ve been able to cook more recently. I’ve also thrived baking and while I’ve needed to be creative at times, it’s my favorite way to show off American culture (favorites include banana bread, gingerbread cookies, and pumpkin muffins).
6. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
I teach 24 classes a week and have two clubs so I don’t have a secondary project. I do spend a lot of time answering various questions from students and teachers at school and my neighbors as part of the Peace Corps 2nd goal.
I am very active in collaborating with other volunteers and answering questions or giving suggestions. Part of this is in my role as a warden. As a PCV warden, I work with Peace Corps staff to help develop our Emergency Action Plan and am responsible for making sure all the volunteers in my area are accounted for in the event of an Emergency or when doing Emergency drills.
Advice and Support
7. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Education volunteer in Armenia?
I think the most important thing to remember as an Education volunteer (or really as a PCV in general) is that every situation is different. Each volunteer has a different site, counterpart, and school situation. Everyone has different resources available and different levels of support within their school. My school is thrilled to have a volunteer and go out of their way to help me out, but we have very limited resources.
Most days we don’t have water at school, electricity comes and goes at school sometimes, and our classrooms have desks, chairs, chalk, and a chalkboard. As a result, what works for one volunteer might not work for another. We all work together though, we often ask each other for suggestions and advice, and while one volunteer’s suggestion isn’t always applicable someone usually has a suggestion that works.
My other suggestion is to set boundaries early. Once you agree to something it can be hard to back out of it. Teaching 20 hours a week and having a couple of clubs might not seem like a lot, but once you include planning a preparing for classes and clubs it can be a lot of work. Cultural immersion is also exhausting sometimes, I’ve been here for almost two years now and I still have to focus when having a conversation in Armenian, and cultural customs still require thought. Don’t be afraid to say no early on, because you can always do more later.
8. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
Sometimes training is really helpful, but other times I’m sitting there trying not to fall asleep. My best advice for training is to make sure you fill out the surveys before and after training to help staff better understand what’s useful and what’s not. If you’re struggling with something at site or worried about it mention it in the survey before a training. If a session wasn’t useful say so in the survey at the end of a training. Obviously, some of the training sessions have to occur no matter what just make the best of it and enjoy your time away from site.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
9. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Armenia volunteers?
I’m pretty happy with what I packed, but I also know myself pretty well. As a nanny, I traveled with my second nanny family to France for a month during the initial stages of gas shortages and rolling blackouts. This gave me a really good idea of what to pack and what I couldn’t live without. I also packed for myself and not necessarily based on the packing list.
Toiletries and Clothing
I have incredibly sensitive skin, so I packed more than just an initial supply of toiletries, but most people just need enough to get through PST (you could pack less than that, but you have very limited shopping time during PST). I’m also very particular about my clothing, between my sensitive skin and hatred for fast fashion I packed a lot of clothes so I haven’t needed to purchase any clothing since coming to the Peace Corps, but if you aren’t super picky there’s plenty of clothes here in Armenia.
On the clothing front essentially you want to pack a capsule wardrobe and clothing that can layer. I did just fine last year with a couple of pairs of wool base layer shirts and leggings that I could layer with tank tops, long-sleeve tops, and sweaters. My hiking boots and socks double as snow boots and warm socks.
Hobby Supplies
I packed for my hobbies, so I brought measuring cups and spoons for baking, sewing supplies for sewing, crochet hooks, and some art supplies. If you don’t bake, sew, or crochet I wouldn’t suggest any of those things. Some of the best things I brought with me were cheese powder for mac and cheese, molasses for baking brown sugar substitution, and taco seasoning.
Things I could have done without backing include a pair of heels that broke immediately after swearing in, a food service size of grape drink mix, and my sister’s khaki pencil skirt instead of my own. I did a ton of research before departure and spent and had 3 years to consider and plan what to pack, so I’m pretty happy about my packing job.
10. How has learning the language been?
I started learning Armenia in our pre-departure language course shout out to Rima, my tutor, she’s the best. Unfortunately, I was working about 60 hours a week, speaking French to the kids I nannied and taking my language classes at 11 pm, so I didn’t get a lot out of them.
Once I arrived in the country we started taking language classes for four hours a day, and living with a host family in the village during both PST and at site has really helped me with my language skills.
Here in my village my counterpart and one other teacher are the only ones who speak English so learning Armenian has been essential to my survival skills. The teachers at school, my host parents, and my neighbors all are patient with me which really helps. They want to have conversations with me so we all do our best and make it happen (not without communication mishaps but we laugh it off and keep trying). Sometimes it’s hard Armenian words can be long and have a lot more consonants, along with very few cognates.
During our first LPI, I got a score of Intermediate Low, my mid-service LPI was Intermediate High, and hopefully, I can get Advanced Low by COS. I take Armenian lessons every week with a tutor who helps me with grammar and vocab that I can’t just pick up by listening.
Social Identity during Service
11. Service Experience:
Fitting In
Outwardly, especially in Armenia, I don’t stick out too much in Armenia. I’m a young white female who dresses pretty femininely, most people think I’m Russian or Ukrainian but I can blend in if I want to and no one has trouble believing that I’m American. I know some of the other female volunteers have struggled with misogyny, but I haven’t had many problems because I have “female” hobbies and my host mom is happy to tell everyone what a good girl I am. Some of the expectations of females are frustrating to me, but as a foreigner who isn’t planning on living in Armenia after service, they don’t affect me.
Hidden Challenges
On the other hand, the hidden parts of my identity can be a struggle sometimes. I grew up poor, my family hovered around the poverty line for most of my childhood. Addiction and mental health issues are also a major problem for my family. All of these things carry a major stigma here in Armenia and when these issues are affecting my family back in the States I can’t exactly talk about them here without risking my community thinking that I’m a bad person as a result. I sometimes talk about the issues when answering questions about the US, but I’m always careful not to express my personal experience as personal.
Navigating Social Norms
I don’t drink alcohol because of the addictions that run in my family, but toasting is a big part of Armenian culture. After a discussion with my LCF (language and cultural facilitator), I decided to just tell people I’m allergic to alcohol. People are a little skeptical of my “alcohol allergy” along with my real allergies to caffeine, and artificial fragrances but they are very accepting of seasonal allergies.
I have had some more in-depth conversations about poverty and addiction with people I’m closer to once I know them better but these have only happened recently. Another factor that’s hard about growing up poor (and still having limited savings) is the extras of service.
Financial Pressures
I have been able to travel to Italy and split the cost of an Airbnb with the other volunteers for Christmases. I was super lucky and met the family I used to nanny for in Italy and they paid for most of my expenses in Italy so I only paid for the plane ticket and a couple of our meals while in Italy. It can be hard watching other volunteers travel back to the States during leave, having longer vacations, or having family and friends visit them in Armenia.
Another financial stressor during service is supporting family, my parents are doing okay now, but don’t have any extra money. When my sister lost her job and then didn’t get a paycheck until the first full month of work at her new job, I helped her with rent. When her tire blew, I helped pay to get all of her worn-out tires replaced. Am I required to help, no but I’d rather use my savings to help my sister stay safe than enjoy a fun trip somewhere.
Final Thoughts
Talking with Sarah has been a fascinating look into the ups and downs of Peace Corps service. It’s clear that while challenges exist—whether it’s adapting to cultural norms, finding creative solutions in low-resource settings, or balancing personal and professional identities—the rewards of service are deeply personal and lasting.
For those considering Peace Corps, remember that every volunteer’s journey is unique. The highs and lows, the lessons learned, and the connections made will all shape your experience in ways you can’t predict. Prepare to adapt, grow, and lean into the unexpected.
If you’re an applicant or invitee, take the time to learn as much as you can, pack your sense of humor, and stay flexible. As Sarah shows, service isn’t always easy, but it’s filled with opportunities to contribute, connect, and learn—both about the world and yourself.
Good luck on your journey!
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Sarah’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create positive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Armenia Government.
