14-year-old reflects on trip to Armenia
Published: Wednesday September 19, 2012
As a 2012 graduate of the Armenian Sisters Academy, I traveled to
Armenia in June with nine of my classmates. During the school year
preceding the trip, we were busy fundraising and wondering what the
motherland would be like. During Armenian class in school, I would
think, “Wow, I’m going to be experiencing this for real in just a few
months.”
June finally came! We were getting ready for graduation, organizing
the funds we raised, and packing our bags. Then on the 19th, we met at
JFK, excited and ready to start the experience of a lifetime. After
long hugs and teary goodbyes to our families, we flew from to Charles
du Gaul airport in Paris and finally arrived at Zvartnots Airport,
Yerevan, Armenia, our homeland. As I was walking down the gate, I
turned around to look for my friends. I stopped mid turn, awestruck at
the beauty of our holy Mt. Ararat towering before me. It was about
8:00 pm then and the sun was setting, making the view even more
spectacular. What an awesome welcome!
We were fortunate to see so many beautiful sites including the
Matenadaran, Lake Sevan, Sardarabad and even experienced badarak at
Holy Etchmiadzin. We were lucky enough to travel to Karabagh and
stayed at an exceptional hotel in Goris on the way there. Everywhere
we went, the people were kind and welcoming; especially the elderly.
Although the experience was wonderful overall, certain sites stood out
for me.
One of the greatest parts of the trip was when we spent a day visiting
the orphanage in Gyumri which is run by the Armenian Sisters of the
Immaculate Conception. We arrived around lunchtime, and were served
amazing losh kebab and pilaf. There were only a few children there
because most of them were at Our Mother of Armenia, the nuns’ summer
camp in Dzaghgadzor, which we would later visit. In Gyumri, the
children taught us a game called badeej, (Armenian-style dodge ball)
and we ended up playing for hours. Despite our different dialects, we
easily communicated because smiles go a long way. I was amazed how
quickly we became close to these children who have so little in life,
but share their incredible enthusiasm and steadfast spirit. They were
very excited to have visitors and vied for our attention which we
willing returned a hundred-fold.
Another wonderful experience was when we took the Wings of Datev
skyride. It’s located in a land of rolling hills and valleys (well, I
guess all of Armenia is) and to top it off, the glass trolley car
rides thousands of feet above the ground. It traveled at a leisurely
pace; not slow enough that you get bored, yet not so fast that you
feel like you missed something. Sometimes the car would tilt in the
wind and everybody would shift and some (the girls) would scream. Once
back on the ground, we were touring the monastery itself, and while
leaning on its wall, heard a sudden GONG! The church bell signaled the
start of communion and we all literally jumped at least three feet! We
learned that the monastery was built with three surrounding walls and
the fourth side opens to a cliff. This provided protection through the
centuries. On the way out, some of us drank from a spring sprouting
out from the wall – the water was so fresh and clear!
One of my favorite places on the tour was Geghard monastery. It was
located in a small corner of one of the most picturesque landscapes
I’ve ever seen. Outside the complex, vendors had set up shop and were
selling all types of things. I bought some salor (plum) flavored
basdegh which was amazingly delicious. Once inside the complex, on one
of the small hills, there were wooden crates. Upon further
examination, I noticed it was the beehives my mother had told me
about. When she visited in the 1990’s she met the priest who tended
the bees, who wore only a veiled hat for protection. In one of the
rooms in the church there was a spring that came out of the wall and
over the years it carved a stream bed through the floor!!
An exciting spot for all of us was Vernisage. For those who don’t
know, it’s a HUGE open air market in central Yerevan that sells
everything from foodstuffs to carved khatckars to handmade tavloo
boards. There, one man’s trash is definitely another man’s treasure.
Vendors came from all walks of life, and bargaining was a much used
tactic. Our group would split up and buy whatever we wanted and then
meet back at the bus and inspect each others’ treasures and
occasionally trade them.
One of the final things we did that some of us loved (I did) and some
of us didn’t, was our trip to Khor Virap. (Some thought the pit was
too hot and stuffy, but that was the point!) In the parking lot, there
were men with cages full of doves. They would ask the guests if they
would like to release a dove, claiming that it was good luck. Most of
the time, though, the vendors pushed the doves into people’s hands and
made them pay after. One of my classmates received extra good luck
when a dove did its business on his pant leg! The pit wasn’t as deep
or narrow as I thought, and I’m glad St. Gregory had more room than I
imagined. Unfortunately, visitors had carved their names into the
walls of such a holy site. That day we had the best view of Ararat of
the entire trip.
I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to see Armenia for
myself. I was hoping it would be a fantastic experience, and it more
than exceeded my expectations, especially since I toured with my
closest friends. As a result, I hope to return as soon as I can.
Daron Pogharian
Armenian Sisters Academy
Radnor, Penn.