I cannot believe that it is already February. I cannot believe how much has happened since I arrived. The first month was extremely busy. I began a conversational English Club for teens that meets twice per week in an Evangelical school that belongs to AMAA, the organization where I work. Last night I began another conversational English class for young adults in AMAA's new leadership center. There is a lot of interest in practicing English in this country where Russian is the second language. There are not many opportunities to practice speaking English, yet it is essential in the labor market. I was not able to take all the students who were interested. I think that teaching these classes will be a very good educational and practical experience both for the students and myself.
I have also been given the chance to take on a journalistic role at AMAA. The organization sends me to its events, schools, projects and all the organizations that it supports. I get to go and interview the staff and write articles for AMAA's newsletter and reports.
The biggest project I worked on was a film about AMAA's child sponsorship program. People living in the U.S. and Europe can sponsor a child in Armenia. Every year, AMAA has to make a new film for a group of women who fundraise for this program in California. We chose children from four families who are living in extreme poverty. I went with the social worker, producer and camera operator, to visit each child's home and take some notes about the situation. Then I had to write a script for the film and record my voice for the narration. Today I watched the film and I think it will be powerful. If it is possible, I will post it on my blog soon.
