It’s Tuesday night and we have now completed seven full days of our “Jampar” in Gyumri. The camp is running much smoother now that we and the children have become more comfortable with the daily routine. But, the kids are still extremely excited. It’s very easy to see that they have never experienced something like this camp. Every game, every song, every activity we do the kids genuinely enjoy. Seeing their looks of amazement when they watch Sensei Berj do some karate moves and the giant smiles on their faces when they do the chicken dance with 18-23 year olds during morning exercises are all we need to let us know that the kids are loving the camp.

As each day goes by our relationship with the kids grows. We have become very comfortable with each other. The jokes seem to be rolling freely now. Yesterday morning, the guy counselors finally confronted the group about the only real issue we’ve had so far; the flower issue. We explained to them how sad we were to see the girl counselors receive flowers every morning. Today, we were kind of regretting it because we are now all receiving what seems to be an endless supply of flowers throughout the day.

The kids mess around with us too. The boys collect tons of these spiky balls that grow on weeds all around our camp. These “pooshes,” as the kids call them, seem to stick to everything including clothes and hair. So once they collect enough they choose their target and carefully approach. Once their leader feels the time is right he yells “Hartsagoom!!!” and they all attack. You try to defend yourself at first, then you try to run but you turn around to see that you are surrounded. The attacks are always well organized. The designated target ends up with about 60 pooshes stuck all around his or her body.

Life outside of camp is pretty relaxing. The ten of us have become very close. We spend a lot of time in the living room just hanging out. We do a lot of talking. We play nardi, chess, and different card games. And we joke around a lot.

Deegeen Lilly, our host, is incredible. Every time we see her she greets us with a huge smile and always asks us if we need anything. Every morning she makes us breakfast with coffee and tea. She has made us dinner the passed couple nights. She always offers us something to eat and it’s impossible to refuse because her food is so good. Every time one of us coughs or shows any sign of being sick she gets worried and tries to diagnose our ailment and treat it properly. She cares for us like we are her kids. She laughs a lot and her laugh is adorable. She is amazing. She works nonstop in the kitchen taking care of the house, her husband, her three kids, and the ten of us, all while smiling and giggling at every little funny or interesting occurrence.

-Serop Chalian

Imagine your summer filled with breath-taking landscape, food that entices your senses, monumental structures, endless laughter, meeting locals that will offer everything in their household to you, and taking on the responsibility of being a counselor/mentor to a group of underprivileged kids. Reality transcends imagination when you find yourself in Gyumri, Armenia.

Our real work has finally begun.

Today, at 10:30 AM we gathered at the center where we will be hosting our two-week long summer camp sessions for the local kids in Gyumri. By eleven o’clock 81 kids were present at the center. They were over-pouring with excitement as they could not sit still in their seats. The smiles on their faces and eagerness to start the camp session was absolutely priceless.

We started the camp session with our national anthem, ‘Mer Hayrenik’. We introduced ourselves and the camp rules. Next, we did some exercises, which was followed by ‘yogurt-time’ which is basically snack/recess time.

The day continued with an English period where we separated the kids into three different levels based on their English language speaking ability. After English, we had song practice; we handed out songbooks to the kids and taught them ‘Akhperus Oo Yes’. I was pretty surprised to see how fast the kids learned the song… I mean the melody and tune are pretty hard to pick up in a short amount of time, but somehow, these kids had the ability to grasp it very quickly! Later we had some lunch.

The next part of the agenda was probably my favorite. We went down to the field to play ‘Steal the Bacon’. Serop and I were standing at two different corners and Berj told all the kids to separate into two groups – to go toward either Serop or me.

It was really funny to see all the girls run toward me and all the boys run toward Serop. We decided it would be cool to leave the teams like that and play Steal the Bacon with an added twist, girls vs. boys. Sad to say, the boys beat the girls, but it was a very very close game! I am more than positive that the girls will win the next time we play. Our first day of camp ended at 4:00 – some of the kids walked home while others waited for their parents to come pick them up.

Having this amazing opportunity to be a counselor to a group of underprivileged kids in my own homeland is truly a gift. I have been a counselor at AYF Camp for quite some time now, but it is different here. It is very hard to explain with words but there is this self-satisfaction you feel here, because you realize that you are truly making a difference in these kids’ lives. Needless to say, this self-satisfaction is worth more than anything in the world, because you know that it will shape your own life and you will carry it on with you for the rest of your life.

On another note, it was Kevork Kebabjian’s birthday today!! Not a lot of diasporans have the chance to celebrate their birthday in their homeland, so he was extremely grateful for this opportunity!

-Sanan Haroun

Բարեւ սիրելի ընթերցող: Իմ անունս է Մանուկ Բէկինեան: Ես Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութեան Հայաստանի Երիտասարդական Միութեան անդամ եմ ինչպէս նաեւ 19 տարեկան ուսանող: Այս կուսակցական ընկերներուն խնդրանքով միացած եմ խումբին ամբողջ տեղովութեան որուն հետ պիտի մնամ Հայաստան, ընկերակցելով իրենց: Կ’ուզեմ պատմել խումբի տպաւորութիւններուս մասին:

Նախ ըսեմ որ առաջին հանդիպումի պահեն, իրենք շատ համեստօրէն դիմաւորեցին զիս, բոլոր ընկերները շատ բարի, խելացի, եւ անշուշտ ընկերասեր: Այդ ըսելով, շուտ կարողացայ ընկերանալ իրենց հետ: Երբ տեղեկացայ որ ընկերները վեց ամիս շարունակ աշխատած են ինքնաշարժներ լուալով, նախաճաշներ պատրաստելով ու այլ դրամահաւաքներ կազմակերպելով որպէսզի իրենց ունեցած քումարով քան Հայաստան, այստեղ, եւ հայ փոքրերուն համար բանակում ծրագրեն սորվեցնելով Հայրենասիրութիւն եւ այլ գաղափարներ, հուզուեցայ…

Շարունակելով պատմել ընկերներուն մասին աւելի մանրամասն. Այն ընկերները որ շատ հայրենասէր են, անորմով ես համոզուած եմ բազմաթիւ անգամներ: Օրինակ՝ ընկերներէն երեգը Հայաստան այցելած են, բայց շտապեցին Հայաստան առանց առիթը բախցնելով: Իսկ միւս ընկերները առաջին անգամ ըլլալով հաճոյքով կը մնան Հայաստան: Այս փաստը շատ ուրախանալի է քան ամէն հայ որ պատրաստ է ամէն ինչ թողելու եւ հայրենադարձ քալու, չնայած որ ամէն հայի թանկ է հայրենական կարօտը:

Կյումրի հասնելով, բանակավայրը այցելեցինք ու սկսանք մաքրութեան: Սեղանները տեղաւորեցինք որպէսզի ամսուն 22-ին երեխաները դիմաւորենք: Բոլոր ընկերները շատ մեծ հաճոյքով աշխատեցան: Կյումրի գալէն առաջ սակայն, երկու օր մնացինք Արցախի մէջ: Այդ երկու օրուայ մէջ ամբողջ Արցախը շրջեցինք: Պէտք է ըսեմ որ ամբողջ ժամանակը, ընկերներս շատ հուզուած էին, որովհետեւ գացին այնպիտի վայրեր ուր պայքարած էին մեր Արցախի պատերազմի հերոսները: Տեսանք նաեւ Ֆետայիներու յիշատակումը թանգարանի մը մէջ եւ կրկնաբար պէտք է ըսեմ որ բոլորն ալ շատ հուզուած էին քանի որ ամէն օր կարող չես  տեսնել թէ ինչ տեսակի տանջանքեր կրած են մեր ֆետայիները:

Լաւ յոյսով եմ որ համաձայն կ’ըլլաք կարծիքներուս հետ: Այս անգամ շատ քիչ գրեցի խումբին մասին բայց երբ մենք աւարտենք բանակումը, ես աւելի մանրամասն տեղեկութիւններով կը բացատրեմ:

Manug Beginyan

The future of Nagorno-Karapagh remains in limbo as the world powers attempt to determine its destiny.

While the world remains unsure of what will happen in the region, the people of Karapagh do not concern themselves with such matters for they have already decided their destiny–freedom, independence, democracy.

“We’ve united This is not Karapagh, this is Armenia. Let the rest of the world not recognize us, we don’t care, we are one,” said Gala Aroustanian, the owner of the Museum of Fallen Freedom Fighters of Artsakh.

With the help of other mothers in the area, she established this museum after the death of her son toward the end of the war in 1994. For Gala and for many others in the self-declared independent country, it is impossible to give up lands that have the stains of their people’s blood.

The pride of the people can be felt everywhere you go. They remain as strong and as beautiful as their mountains. The people seldom throw trash on the floor, and you can catch young men holding on to their cigarette butts until the nearest waste disposal. Often you will find smiles on the faces of the people walking down the street, and they enjoy giving you a cheery hello. Their hospitality is beyond belief. Throughout our three day stay in the region, we were offered food and drinks many times by strangers who expect nothing in return.

When I would ask about the possibility of President Serzh Sarkisian signing away the 7 liberated territories, I would always receive a bit of dismissal. “The government is government, the people are the ones who fought and freed our lands and ourselves we will not give them away,” said Arayig, a freedom fighter who I bumped into on the streets of Shoushi. “Politics is a dirty game, but when it comes down to someone hurting our children, we are the ones who will respond.”

With an unquestionable resolve in her voice, Gala similarly said: “Let the President meet with whoever he wants, but he cannot make any decisions without the people of Armenia; without the mothers, soldiers, sons and daughters of this land. We have already solved our problem.”

Be it a statue, a symbol, or a grave, nearly every corner of this mountainous republic serves as a testament to the soldiers who fell while fighting for freedom.

Interestingly, young men who were only infants during the war, carried the same sense of pride and strength we saw in the elders and veterans. When asked if they would give up land for peace, 23 year old Masis Haroutounian responded, “peace isn’t something that can be sold.” A young Zorig Ghazarian from Shoushi spoke of the splendor of Sushi and the impossibility of it ever being occupied by Azeris. “Shoushi is the spiritual home of Karapagh, there’s no way the people will give it away. It is simply impossible.”

The OSCE Minsk Group, which has been mediating the conflict since the early 90s, continues its attempts to find a solution to the Nagorno-Karapagh conflict. However, what they have been saying lately is not in touch with the reality on the ground.

According to every individual I spoke to on the streets, if the US, Russian and French co-chairs of the Minsk Group succeed in pressuring Sarkisian to sign away land to Azerbaijan, it will only instigate another war.

With this in mind, the ARF Bureau made the same warning only two days ago. The possibility of war begs the question of the people’s readiness to fight.

For Masis the responsibility to defend one’s homeland is crystal clear and sacred. “Absolutely; I will fight. A lot of people might say that they will not fight, but if war breaks out, then they most certainly will.”

Zorig, meanwhile, told us of a story of a small group of youth he once met who cynically called us to just “give up the lands and get it over with.” According to Zorig over 90 percent of Karbakh’s population is unwilling to “give away what is ours.”

“Our people are a proud people, a happy people, a peaceful people, but a people who can no longer be submitted to foreign rule and oppression,” he states.

–Berj Parseghian