Report from Hayastan
Parev sireliner,
I have been in Armenia for just about a month now, and I don't know where to start...
Let's begin from last night. Raffi K. had organized a blogger get-together at Raffi's Kebab, and a great time was had by all. It was very nice to associate (or be challenged to associate) faces and voices to (most of) the names and stories I've known for quite a while now. A bunch of truly great and interesting people, and I hope (or know?) that this won't be the last time we all see each other. The barsgahaygagan jash was followed by a traditional consumation of opium around a table. Opium, of course, is the name of this quintuple chocolate ice cream served at Astral cafe..what did you think? Good times and good laughs. Thanks for everything Raffi!
Adgé zad, I am currently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with some free time, as my current project is completed and I am waiting for my boss to get out of a meeting so I can have my own meeting with her. The experience so far has been great, and I am very appreciative that my boss (special assistant to the Minister) took the care to assign me tasks that are relevant to my field of study and future ambitions. There is something like 12-15 interns working here (most from the States, 2 from Montreal, and quite a bunch from Hayastan) and it is a great thing to see. The MFA is getting ready to host the Armenia-Diaspora conference in September. I urge all those who can participate to come to town. The event coincides with the 15th anniversary of Armenia's independence, and the MFA has truly great projects (one in particular) that they wish to launch, and that can change the face of rural Armenia for good.
The two remaining members of the AGBU Montreal Armenia 2006 team left Saturday morning, and I must confess that things started to get a little lonely since their departure. As I had written in my first blog here, the Armenia 2006 team was comprised of 15 youth from the AGBU Scouting Movement of Montreal. We had been planning and fundraising for this project for the past two years, and I can now proudly and confidently say that it was a great success. We worked at the S.O.S. Children's Village in Kotayk with 6 Hayastantsi volunteers from the Armenian Student Brigades (Hay Usanoghakan Jokatner), organizing games, songs and other activities for the kids, and then renovating the houses, fences, playgrounds and fields of the village. Thanks to our fundraising efforts, the support of the AGBU Scouts' Council and our many generous sponsors, we were also able to donate books, pencils, t-shirts and stickers to all the kids at the Village (about 100 of them), soccer balls and basketballs and other athletic equipment to the Village itself, as well as treadmills, stationary bikes, exercise mats and balls and two very needed air conditioners to the Yerevan Children's Rehabilitation Center (for children with motor disabilities) where our team had volunteered in 2003. It was the first time in Armenia for most of our young group (Most of us are between the ages of 16 and 19), and it was a thrill to see how they all reacted to being in Hayastan. This was definitely our greatest experience - both individually and as a team. Everyone went back to Montreal almost kicking and screaming, with a firm commitment to return as soon as possible, and fundraising efforts have already begun in Montreal, in order to satisfy other pressing needs that we saw at the S.O.S. Village and the Rehab Center. Seeing and being part of this group of youth that made these considerable achievements all on their own initiative was nothing short of an honour.
The group of Hayastantsi student volunteers was also great, and we clicked instantly. Emails and numbers have been exchanged, and everyone misses everyone already.
I also have to put a good word in for our superstars André (from Eurovision) and Christine Pepelyan, who came to the S.O.S. Village to meet and sign autographs for the kids. They were incredibly nice, down to earth and patient. They understood how much the kids loved them, and reacted accordingly. Kudos to these two real pros! They really made those kids incredibly happy. Now go buy their albums!
This log has already gone on for long enough. I will save my impressions of Armenia for next time. Let's hope the boss's meeting is over!
Tsdesootyoon Hayastanits,
Pari getsek,
Vrouyr
I have been in Armenia for just about a month now, and I don't know where to start...
Let's begin from last night. Raffi K. had organized a blogger get-together at Raffi's Kebab, and a great time was had by all. It was very nice to associate (or be challenged to associate) faces and voices to (most of) the names and stories I've known for quite a while now. A bunch of truly great and interesting people, and I hope (or know?) that this won't be the last time we all see each other. The barsgahaygagan jash was followed by a traditional consumation of opium around a table. Opium, of course, is the name of this quintuple chocolate ice cream served at Astral cafe..what did you think? Good times and good laughs. Thanks for everything Raffi!
Adgé zad, I am currently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with some free time, as my current project is completed and I am waiting for my boss to get out of a meeting so I can have my own meeting with her. The experience so far has been great, and I am very appreciative that my boss (special assistant to the Minister) took the care to assign me tasks that are relevant to my field of study and future ambitions. There is something like 12-15 interns working here (most from the States, 2 from Montreal, and quite a bunch from Hayastan) and it is a great thing to see. The MFA is getting ready to host the Armenia-Diaspora conference in September. I urge all those who can participate to come to town. The event coincides with the 15th anniversary of Armenia's independence, and the MFA has truly great projects (one in particular) that they wish to launch, and that can change the face of rural Armenia for good.
The two remaining members of the AGBU Montreal Armenia 2006 team left Saturday morning, and I must confess that things started to get a little lonely since their departure. As I had written in my first blog here, the Armenia 2006 team was comprised of 15 youth from the AGBU Scouting Movement of Montreal. We had been planning and fundraising for this project for the past two years, and I can now proudly and confidently say that it was a great success. We worked at the S.O.S. Children's Village in Kotayk with 6 Hayastantsi volunteers from the Armenian Student Brigades (Hay Usanoghakan Jokatner), organizing games, songs and other activities for the kids, and then renovating the houses, fences, playgrounds and fields of the village. Thanks to our fundraising efforts, the support of the AGBU Scouts' Council and our many generous sponsors, we were also able to donate books, pencils, t-shirts and stickers to all the kids at the Village (about 100 of them), soccer balls and basketballs and other athletic equipment to the Village itself, as well as treadmills, stationary bikes, exercise mats and balls and two very needed air conditioners to the Yerevan Children's Rehabilitation Center (for children with motor disabilities) where our team had volunteered in 2003. It was the first time in Armenia for most of our young group (Most of us are between the ages of 16 and 19), and it was a thrill to see how they all reacted to being in Hayastan. This was definitely our greatest experience - both individually and as a team. Everyone went back to Montreal almost kicking and screaming, with a firm commitment to return as soon as possible, and fundraising efforts have already begun in Montreal, in order to satisfy other pressing needs that we saw at the S.O.S. Village and the Rehab Center. Seeing and being part of this group of youth that made these considerable achievements all on their own initiative was nothing short of an honour.
The group of Hayastantsi student volunteers was also great, and we clicked instantly. Emails and numbers have been exchanged, and everyone misses everyone already.
I also have to put a good word in for our superstars André (from Eurovision) and Christine Pepelyan, who came to the S.O.S. Village to meet and sign autographs for the kids. They were incredibly nice, down to earth and patient. They understood how much the kids loved them, and reacted accordingly. Kudos to these two real pros! They really made those kids incredibly happy. Now go buy their albums!
This log has already gone on for long enough. I will save my impressions of Armenia for next time. Let's hope the boss's meeting is over!
Tsdesootyoon Hayastanits,
Pari getsek,
Vrouyr
posted by Vrouyr at 1:45 PM
2 Comments:
Vrouyr, it's good to see your project to go to Armenia with an AGBU-group has turned out so well! I had read in HUJ' program that a group from AGBU Montreal was participating in the project at the SOS Kinderdor and I already figured it'd be your group.
My friend's daughter Ellada will be in the Rehab Center in late August/September for what will hopefully be her last session of fysiotraining. I will be on the lookout for the equipment your group donated!
Have a good stay in Armenia!
Very cool stuff Myrthe!
Best of luck to Ellada.
Give me some updates about the center!
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