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Wow. It's only been the fourth day of camp in Gyumri and I have already been having just the experience I desired to gain from this trip and even more. I remember approaching the school, Toumanyan 3, for the first time and seeing hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at me, burning with curiosity. All the worries, concerns, and apprehensions I had erupted into a mini panic attack as questions ran through my mind. How would I be accepted and judged by the children, their parents, Gyumri locals and other adults we worked with? I hoped my Armenian would be good enough. Would the camp run smoothly? Would I know what to do all the time?

Whereas an average American child might not consider the supplies we brought to camp particularly remarkable or envy-worthy, two kids from Gyumri refocus our city-dweller perspectives. Those two young boys, who unfortunately were denied entrance into the camp due to space limitations, happened to jump through the window of our office and steal two deflated soccer balls before disappearing from the school.

I thought I knew what a real Armenian barbecue was about coming from Glendale, California where on Sunday's my family would get together and have khorovats. However, after experiencing our first khorovats picnic in Gyumri I realized I was completely wrong.

On July 11, we made our way down a nameless street in the rain, kind of nervous that the rain might discourage kids from coming to the first day of our camp. But no, we were welcomed by more than 200 kids who wanted to be part of the first session of 2011 AYF Camp Gyumri. Our capacity, supplies, and resources would only allow us to accept 100 campers. This meant that we would have to do the unthinkable and turn kids away. Our hearts couldn’t say no to all of them so we decided to take in an extra 10 kids and make our supplies last by giving up our lunches.

I don't think people always fully appreciate and understand the greatness of Armenian youth organizations. It's been almost a full year since I participated in the Homenetmen scouts jamboree where I met new people and formed friendships that would have otherwise never have been formed. The bonds made would last a lifetime, but I sadly left Armenia believing that I would probably never see most of these people again.