Summer Camp 2022: Natalie Amanian

My first memory of the Shvanidzor village was pulling up to the school and seeing the kids waiting for us with welcoming flowers and smiles. It was then that my feelings of nervousness and worry with this knew experience was not as big as I had thought. I spent the week getting to know the kids and teaching them how to use their sensory abilities through play therapy. My favorite part of the day was during the electives when we got to be with all of the kids at once and have so much fun. While most of the time I was teaching play therapy to the younger kids, I was also teaching social issues to some of the older kids.

As someone who has grown up in America and has constantly been involved in discussions with social issues, I found that I learned a lot from the students as they discussed social issues in Armenia. By choosing topics from disabilities to sexism, the kids were able to debate and discuss their opinions in a safe environment. One thing I learned from this class is that the goal of discussing social issues in these villages is not to immediately change the mindset of the students but to open up a conversation which might not have happened otherwise. When it came to play therapy, I really enjoyed watching the kids get messy and be able to play around. I think my favorite day was when the kids were able to use play dough to identify emotions with different shapes and colors. Because this was my first time doing the Hidden Road Initiative camp, I felt like I had a lot to prove to myself as I wanted everything to be perfect. I found that talking to my fellow teachers and breaking down my issues with them helped me improve the classes. 

​During my time in the Akhpradzor village, I was overcome with feelings of love and family. When we first arrived, so many families had invited us into their homes and treated us with kindness. Despite me being a complete stranger to them, I felt as if I was a part of their home. I remember the next morning I had gotten lost trying to find my host family's house but instead of feeling stressed about not knowing where I was, I genuinely fell in love with Akhpradzor. The calmness of the cows, endless flowers, and mountains made me forget the situation I was in. Akhpradzor to me was beautiful from the inside and out. From the people to their endless mountains, everything about Akhpradzor made me instantly not want to

leave. The kids from Akhpradzor and Makenis had such a fire and liveliness that made me want to give them an even better experience. During the social issues class, my favorite moment was the last day when we split up the class and had constructed a debate. The groups were able to argue their points and understand how to get into the mindset of someone who doesn't have the same opinions as them. My favorite memory from the younger classes is when we made stress balls out of orbeez and the kids were able to learn that there are different methods to coping with our emotions. If there was anything I could change about the Akhpradzor village was being more prepared for the amount of kids. I felt unprepared and that definitely effected the classes and there overall success.