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

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

I hesitate to write about my experience in Armenia only because it is difficult to find words to explain my emotions. Constantly being surrounded by everything Armenian amazes me every morning when I open my eyes in Yerevan.

Being a diasporan Armenian visiting his homeland simply makes everything in Armenia different, even so from everything Armenian that we have in Glendale. Speaking, listening, and reading Armenian everywhere here is obviously a natural thing to the locals, but I still find it strange as this is the first time ever I am being exposed to it. These include the greetings we receive every time we enter a grocery store, the sales receipts, the street names, etc.

Listening to lyrics like  “hou-merik inch lav-ne angakh hayasdan, hayasdan anoush eh sirenk hayasdan.” and driving around in the homeland establishes an actual physical bond that was previously just a concept in my mind.

Since our landing in Armenia, we are constantly reminded that it is apricot season and are told to try some everywhere we go. We’ve eaten apricots literally everywhere; at churches, at roadsides, street corners, at the airport, in buildings, and from locals offering us apricots just to be courteous.

We visited the museum Madenataran today and saw Mesrob Mashdots’ statue, the founder of our beautiful alphabet. The museum was filled with several ancient gospels and historic texts chronicling the rich history of our literature.

Next we went to the Dzizernagapert, which is the Armenian Genocide memorial. Before visiting the memorial, we went to the Armenian Genocide museum on the grounds; there I witnessed some gruesome photos and such that I had never seen before. A couple were the Turkish plans to massacre the Armenians, photos of the deportations, a Turkish solider teasing Armenians with a loaf of bread and things that just filled my heart with pain, anger, and disbelief toward what took place during the Genocide.

After leaving and visiting Erebuni and the Pantheon, and having the chance to adjust ourselves back into the spirits of lively Yerevan, we went to watch a soccer match between our local Pyunik vs. Dinamo (some Croatian team). We went with some friends from the local HEM (Armenia’s AYF) and were in for quite a surprise. People yelling, screaming, running, chanting, the energy in the stadium was so incredible! Team Armenia jerseys were everywhere, and half of our section was standing up the entire game. We left the stadium and took our energy out into the night life of Yerevan; it was the last night we would be there for a while as we geared up to leave for Artsakh the next morning

P.S. Armenian chants were a lot of fun; stuff like,  “hye-enk, hye-enk, menk hezor enk, menk hbard enk, menk bidi hakhtenk”

–Kevork Kebabjian

As you all have heard, the trip has been amazing. It’s my first time in Hayastan and it’s pretty hard to find words to describe the emotions you get when you visit places that you have read about and seen in pictures.

Today we went to the churches of Soorp Gayane and Soorp Hripsime. The designs and details and size of each of the buildings are truly unbelievable, especially after you find out that the churches were built around 600 AD. Etchmiadzin was also an amazing sight to see. And I know I might sound generic when I use words like “amazing” and “unbelievable” but it’s impossible to find words in any language that can describe the places we’ve seen. They really are places that you need to see for yourself.

Today was also a very emotional day for us. We went to Yeraploor which is a cemetery that holds the graves of our fedayees and our heroes that lost their lives fighting for Artsakh. You walk around and you read each tombstone. Some names you recognize from songs and stories and some you don’t recognize. Some are only 19 years old. But, you realize that each has given the same sacrifice for our people.

The groundskeeper, who acted as our guide, added to the emotions of sadness but also to the pride and appreciation felt towards our heroes. He fought and was wounded in Artsakh, on his hand was a tattoo which read, “PARK MONTE” in honor of the man who led the people of his region. He let us know that not many people have the honor of carrying that mark. As we walked he explained how each of the fallen is honored to be buried overlooking Ararat. He spoke of the courage needed to sacrifice your life for your country. His words were enunciated with such power and with such fire that you knew if conflict were ever to arise again he would be there to fight, regardless of his condition.

You can’t help but ask yourself if you would do the same. I think any of us can say that this experience at Yeraploor is and will be one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. Our new friend Albert did not hesitate to take a few pictures with us before we left.

Next, we went to Sardarabad where we met a woman who told us to wait around because the museum would open in half an hour. Slowly, our conversation builds and she begins to tell us how she takes care of the truly beautiful garden that surrounds the graves and photos of those from her region who passed during the battles of Artsakh, one of which was her beloved husband. She told us the story of his passing. She introduced us to her son, named after his father, who he had never seen before. You don’t know how to respond or what to say. What words can you find to express to her how meaningful and honorable her husband’s sacrifice was? Just imagine the strength of this woman and her family. Everyday she willingly goes to work, where she takes care of the memorial of her fallen husband. This was another unforgettable experience. The strength and courage of our people amazes me.

On a much much lighter note, I’ll update you on a few interesting events that have recently taken place. The other day Kevork, Kevork, Levon, and I went out to get breakfast for everyone. We stopped at a bakery to get some bread. The woman greated us and waited in front of a wall of different kinds of bread as we discussed what we wanted. We decided on two loaves. Before I continue, let me emphasize that we were at a BAKERY, we were planning on purchasing some BREAD for breakfast, we now knew how much BREAD we wanted, and the nice woman was standing in front of piles of BREAD. Take a second to visualize. OK, so the next thing that came out of Levon’s mouth was “Hatz oonik?” and we all kind of stood there for a second and looked at each other. Then we realized what he said and we all began to laugh. The woman also began to laugh as she responded by pointing at the stacks of bread behind her and saying “Ayo hatz oonink.” We’ve already reminded each other of the story thousands of times and it seems to be just as funny each time.

Another notable occurrence, after our tour of the Bureau building we were walking down an alley where we heard a familiar tune. We walked a little further and realized that an Armenian man in a big truck parked on the side of the road was bumping T-Payne’s “Blame It on the Alcohol.” Put yourself in our shoes. This time, all 8 of us began to laugh. Hopefully you guys find these stories kind of funny. We miss all of you back home and hope all is well.

-Serop Chalian

P.S. Alex, we can’t wait for your arrival.