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Hidden Road Initiative

News & Blog

Find out what's new at HRI and read what our volunteers have to say about their adventures in Armenia! 

HRI 2017 - Day 4

6/29/2017

1 Comment

 
Contributor - Lillian Avedian

I have been searching for Armenia my entire life.

I searched for Armenia in the Armenian school I attended for ten years in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, where I learned Armenian history, poetry, and language.

I searched for Armenia in the stories my parents and grandparents tell of struggling to hold tightly on to their Armenian heritage as immigrants and diasporans.

I have finally discovered Armenia: in the village of Shvanidzor on the southern border near Iran where my parents grew up.

​I discover my homeland in playing with the energetic schoolchildren, in stargazing under the beautiful night sky while listening to Komitas, in visiting the houses of the villagers and seeing their gardens and collections of homemade pomegranate wine.

This is my first time visiting an Armenian village, and while it is entirely foreign it feels unexpectedly familiar. I am rediscovering something I have never known, and the sense that my roots are embedded in the soil here is tangible. 

I am constantly aware of my privilege in that I may travel here for two weeks and enjoy the loveliest the village has to offer without living the realities of the difficulties of village life. I delight in the breathtaking scenery, the joy of the children, the taste of the apricots and figs picked from the trees, and the hospitality of the villagers, and then I may freely return to the comforts of my home in the States. 

Yet this experience has given me the gift, however selfish, of connecting me to my homeland and of allowing me to reflect upon my identity on the soil where my ancestors lived and worked. I love this land, and cannot help but feel that I belong to it.

To my fellow Armenians in the diaspora: come to Armenia. Visit the villages. Play with the children. Dine with the villagers. For it is here that you will discover the homeland. 
1 Comment
Houshig
7/4/2017 08:58:06 am

Great feelings about homeland!

Reply



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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission and Impact
    • Team Members
    • Chapters >
      • UC Berkeley
      • UC Los Angeles
      • UC San Diego
      • CSU Northridge
      • AGBU MDS
    • History
  • Summer Camps
    • Summer 2022
    • Summer 2021
    • Summer 2020
    • Summer 2019
    • Summer 2018
    • Summer 2017
    • Summer 2016
    • SUMMER 2015
    • Summer 2014
    • Summer 2013
    • Summer 2011
  • Projects
    • Henry Keledjian Service Program
    • Project Hope (Artsakh)
    • English Tutoring Program
    • Virtual Learning Resources
    • Holiday Backpacks for Artsakh
    • Jrashen Kindergarten
    • School Renovations
    • Tsaghkaber Kindergarten
    • UCLA Toy Drive
    • Heaters & Stoves
    • Computer Classes
    • Sturdy Shoes
    • Winter Coats
  • SCHOLARSHIPS
    • 2022-2023 Scholars
    • 2021-2022 Scholars
    • 2020-2021 Scholars
    • 2019-2020 Scholars
    • 2018-2019 Scholars
    • 2017-2018 Scholars
    • 2016-2017 Scholars
  • News & Blog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us