Fresno, CA, U.S.A.
I was so excited for the 2 hour drive from Yerevan to Gyumri because I
was dead tired and was still trying to make that eleven hour time shift. I
knocked out for a majority of that time until we had to slam on the breaks for
some cows that were crossing, or maybe they were sheep, I don’t know. I was a
zombie. But after that jolt, I couldn’t stop staring at Gyumri. My eyes couldn’t keep up with the number of
brick buildings that were passing by, nor could they comprehend the amount of
rubble that was left, everywhere, from the earthquake. I felt like I was in a
different world. I don’t remember
feeling any one emotion, I just couldn’t comprehend what I was looking at. Our
Gyumri coordinator, Shogher, or maybe better known as the Gyumri Boss Lady,
jumped in our car and told the taxi driver how to get to our host homes. We
arrived at my host family’s apartment complex and for some reason, it
immediately reminded me of the apartment I stayed at in Russia. I started to
reminisce about that summer and all of the kid’s faces and all of the bread we
ate. A quick second later, my host sister came out to greet us, and four of us
took my McDouble sized luggage up four stories; I still owe them coffee for
that. My host sister welcomed me so warmly with her presence, with some food,
and with a walking tour of her district. I felt at home there the minute, maybe
the second, I walked in.
Then, the life of an intern
began. In Gyumri, I got to work with the Sakharov Human Right’s Center and the Youth
Initiative Center-Mission East. Both places are amazing and both are super
involved with their city and their people. Working at the Sakharov Center has
left a huge impression on me. Seyran, the boss, took us to the village of
Teghut to participate in a human right’s game. There were about thirty to forty
youngsters there from all over Armenia, who were there to engage in human
rights. I also got to see the various trainings that were held at the Sakharov
office, and all the different ways they engage their community. Each training
had a full table, and each chair had an eager individual. They all are working
so hard to make way for an up and coming Gyumri future.
I only got to spend three weeks
in Gyumri, but three weeks was a preview of a much larger picture. The warmth
of the people living there is still felt and I have this desire to move back
there just to watch what happens. Anyone who is involved knows that they are
making progress in rebuilding their city and in rebuilding hope. A lot of
families are still affected by the earthquake, yes, but, the effect the people
I met are making is even more profound. Gyumri is one of the most beautiful
places and I am so excited about the present-day efforts that are being made,
so that the world can understand how beautiful it is as well. Yes siroom em
Gyumri.
Թարգմանությունը շարունակության մեջ...
