Astkhik's Reflection
To have a dream and not the tools to fulfil it is a shame. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to give back to my home country, and the Hidden Road Initiative was my tool to make this dream come true. The Hidden Road experience was without a doubt the most humbling experience of my life.
From the heart-warming welcome we received, to the heart-wrenching goodbye, our time in Akhpradzor was spent in awe of how hard the villagers work every day, how excited the children were to gain new knowledge, and how beautiful their “simple” life really is.
I was one of the teachers in the science, math and English class of our “camp,” here we really got to see what the children’s strengths and weaknesses were. We noticed that the children were very excited to show us what they knew. This excitement helped them get over their initial shyness and allowed them to learn. Some things the children were not used to at first, things such as lining up and walking in a straight line from classroom to classroom, but again, they were quick to learn.
This experience, to me, was more than just bringing computers and internet to the village; it was about making a real connection with the people of this tiny village. The sheer joy they received from our short visit was enough to make the trip worthwhile. The villagers were so proud of their village, they took us on a 3 hour hike in the mountains behind the village. Here we found the ruins of an Armenian city from the 9thcentury! They took us to the ancient wall that had protected their city. Standing on that ground, I could just imagine the warriors running across the field, fighting the Byzantines or something.
From the heart-warming welcome we received, to the heart-wrenching goodbye, our time in Akhpradzor was spent in awe of how hard the villagers work every day, how excited the children were to gain new knowledge, and how beautiful their “simple” life really is.
I was one of the teachers in the science, math and English class of our “camp,” here we really got to see what the children’s strengths and weaknesses were. We noticed that the children were very excited to show us what they knew. This excitement helped them get over their initial shyness and allowed them to learn. Some things the children were not used to at first, things such as lining up and walking in a straight line from classroom to classroom, but again, they were quick to learn.
This experience, to me, was more than just bringing computers and internet to the village; it was about making a real connection with the people of this tiny village. The sheer joy they received from our short visit was enough to make the trip worthwhile. The villagers were so proud of their village, they took us on a 3 hour hike in the mountains behind the village. Here we found the ruins of an Armenian city from the 9thcentury! They took us to the ancient wall that had protected their city. Standing on that ground, I could just imagine the warriors running across the field, fighting the Byzantines or something.
