Bittersweet Symphony
In the early hours of the day, you hear the sounds of the crowing rooster. In the distance, the firing shots.
AYF-WR Announces Winners of Syrian Armenian Scholarship
On Thursday, the Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region announced the recipients of the Syrian Armenian Scholarship.
How Baghanis Helped Me See The Bigger Picture
Baghanis is a small village in northeast Armenia, merely 1.5 miles away from the border of Azerbaijan. For those unaware of the situation between the two countries, Azerbajian is currently one of Armenia’s biggest enemies. There are continuous disputes between the two countries, which sometimes result in gunfire that can be heard all throughout this border village. Unaccustomed to the sound of gunfire, our group was completely oblivious to when and where this was occurring.
It's Not About the Destination, It's About the Journey
Long car rides and bumpy roads have become a given in almost all of our road trips, whether it be from Martuni to Yerevan or Baghanis to Proshyan...
A Picture Worth a Thousand Words
Coming to Armenia, we all knew that putting on the first ever AYF Youth Corps Jampar in Baghanis would be an experience of a lifetime. Since it is a small town with a small population and not a single one of us had ever been there, nobody really knew what to expect...
YOU Are My Leaders
When asked to serve as one of the directors of Youth Corps 2014, many thoughts ran through my mind. I was honored and thrilled, but at the same time, slightly intimidated by the idea of leading a group of young diasporans on a trip to our motherland to run a summer camp.
Temporary Tattoos
Last week, Arsen walked in to Camp Martuni with a bright blue temporary tattoo on his left hand. I told him I want one, and sure enough, the following day, he walked in with a tattoo for me. The tattoo took four tries to stamp on. The image was a Barbie doll, my favorite childhood toy. It lasted in its full form for three days, and every day it faded more and more.
Giving Back to Gyumri
I was fortunate enough to spend two weeks in Gyumri through AYF Youth Corps and the imprint that this city and its people have left on my heart is unimaginable. Although leading, organizing, and disciplining about 180 children at camp may be exhausting at times on me and my fellow counselors, it is all worth it each and every day.
Say hello to our little friend...
Say hello to our little friend, Artur. Artur is a 5'0” Karabakhtsi 17-year-old who was assigned to take care of us during our time in Karabakh, and boy, is he a character!
Thirteen Friends and Counting
Thirteen strangers living together in Gyumri,
But it did not turn out how I expected it to be...
