More than a Million

When I was applying for Youth Corps I had no idea what I was getting myself into. To me, Youth Corps did the unimaginable . I left my comfort zone and got put into a room with six strangers. I had never thought how impossibly easy it would be to live with six people who I had never met before. Even though we have been together for two weeks, I feel as though we have become a family. We learn to work with what we have, look out for each other, and help one another discover ourselves. The reason behind this lies within our passion. The passion we have for Youth Corps, our homeland, our history, and for the future of Armenia and Karabagh. We are all united for one reason: to make an impact and build a bridge of communication between the diaspora and the homeland.

As the first week of camp in Stepanakert comes to an end, I am dissappointed that we only have one more week to spend with the kids. I have made such a connection with the kids at camp that I want to devote more time to them and inspire them in the way that they have inspired me.  They fill me with strength as each child hugs and kisses me good bye at the end of every camp. In all of honesty, I was skeptical and worried about how I was going to handle over a hundred kids, but as soon as I stepped into the classroom, things happened naturally.  I look forward to each camp day because these camps give me a purpose and a something to fight for. They give me hope for the future of Armenia and Karabagh. Some may define happiness in monetary values and materialistic objects, but to me waking up every morning and seeing the kids at camp is worth more than a million.

Mane Khachatryan