Armenia, My Love!

It all started with an intense game of UNO with some of the kids before the day started. After lining up and singing Mer Hayrenik, a small white and black puppy was found outside, shaking from the cold. The puppy looked so helpless and we immediately gave her some food and water. After taking care of the puppy for a little bit, the kids did some exercises followed by English class.

In English class, which I teach with Alex and Levon, we taught them the songs All My Loving by The Beatles and We Will Rock You by Queen. The kids sing these English songs with passion and just get a huge kick out of it.

I’ve noticed that in Armenia people are a lot more relaxed and like to enjoy the simple things in life. I feel that in the US we are constantly on the go and wanting more and more. As I walk down the streets of Gyumri, I feel a sense of pride to be Armenian and I feel like this is my home where I belong and I’m proud to be here. Being half Armenian and weak with the language, i do not feel out of place at all.

The kids at camp are teaching me Armenian while I help them with English, and I feel that I can understand a whole bunch more than before. At camp I feel a connection with the kids and I’m having so much fun. The boys are very naughty; never listen, while the girls are always listening and good. These kids are very energetic, never calm or quiet. When this 1st session of camp is over, I will miss these kids a lot.

However, my Youth Corps group is awesome and we’ve definitely gotten a lot closer. It’s like we’re always either laughing, having a good time, or joking. We have unlimited amounts of fun. This trip has been awesome and I’m sad we have only 2 weeks left.

–Arianna Deleon