Hi Berj!!

A marshrutka is an old van that transports people around the city and from region to region for super cheap. They jam pack the maximum number of people they can fit to make things as efficient as possible. It is also the van that got me to Gyumri for the first time, and the van where I met Robert.

The ride to Gyumri from Yerevan is about two hours. After shifting and moving in my very tight space, finally I fell asleep. My nap did not last very long, and I woke up to a kid breathing on my face sitting a row behind me on his moms lap. I turned my face, and fell back asleep. Half way to Gyumri the marshrutka took a break at a small market. As I was filling my water bottle, I noticed Vache was talking to the kid who was breathing on me so I naturally walked over. Robert came up to Vache, apparently because he looks like Berj Parseghian (who was the 2009 Youth Corps coordinator)..This probably has to do with the fact that they’re both unshaven handsome guys..Robert had attended our Gyumri camp two years ago, with Berj, and was excited to find out how he could come back to participate this summer. Pulling his mom’s hand, we could see the memories he had from 2009 in his eyes.

Hearing all the stories from past participants and seeing pictures and videos, didn’t make me feel as touched as this two minutes I spent with Robert. We didn’t say much to each other but the expression on his face and mine didn’t need any. Those few minutes showed me that this program really does bring a lot of joy to the kids it reaches…To me this is what building a bridge between Armenia and the diaspora is all about.

And to Berj, just wanna say that Robertuh parev ooni kezi 🙂

Sweaty in the mashrutka, but smiling,

Arpa