I Found Myself in Armenia

It’s quite the cliche thing to say but the truth is that the month or so that I have been in Armenia has done more for changing my perspective on many issues and understanding my own self, wants, needs, desires and dreams than the last 20 years of my life. The world can offer all the riches out there but Armenia will always make me feel every inch the royal. Where else can you wake up to the sight of the majestic Ararad, a sacred relic to the world as a whole? Where else can you share ice cream with a taxi driver or play chess with old men on the street or find the heart of Christian religion, untainted and pure? Where else will I look around me and see a home as opposed to a temporary lodging beautifully adorned but lacking a certain warmth that Armenia radiates? From the warmth of the people, particularly outside Yerevan, to the cool sirenity of the nights, life offers more than I could have possibly imagined back in Toronto. Here, I can breathe clean air and drink from the mountain springs. Here, I can feel the magnitude of my love for a country I only managed to dream about as a child. Here is where I am myself, where I laugh with abandon and walk with a confidence I have never felt before. As the Armenian legend told to our children states` an Armenian is strongest on his own soil where his roots extend for centuries while his power depletes in half on foreign land. Here, every emotion is amplified, but moreso, every moment is a refreshing new step that leads me closer to discovering my own self.

Tamar