Day 9: We Bid a Fond Farewell to Armenia

On our final day in Armenia, the schedule was full and hearts were as well. We visited the beautiful Geghard Monastery, Garni Temple and Manuscripts Museum. Our day concluded at the Heifer Armenia office with a lunch with staff, celebration of our time together and bidding a fond farewell. It was not an easy farewell, either. We all came to Armenia knowing just a little about one another – strangers from all across the United States with one simple common denominator: Heifer International. We leave as a family on two continents with a common passion for helping others.

You can view pictures from our day here.

A reflection from Peg Carver of Seattle:

Being outside the U.S. always makes you feel the world is smaller than you thought before – you see familiar restaurants or food brands in the grocery store. But being outside the U.S. in areas covered by the cloak of poverty, – and meeting the people who live, love and raise families there – makes our own global connections very personal. We all have a personal responsibility to help each other, whether they are next door or halfway around the world. Heifer makes that happen.

We saw the change Heifer can make in individual lives. But much more, we saw the change Heifer can make in a community. Systematic change – that's the objective. And Heifer is the vehicle.

Tonight half of our group went to a concert, and the other half (me included) went out for a low key night of incredible Armenian pizza and ice cream and then rest and packing. It has been an incredible journey. We all leave Armenia with our hearts bigger, minds wider and commitment stronger.

Now we get to come home to you! The next you hear of our Armenian Journey, it'll be from one of our group once we've arrived back on American soil. Wish us the safest of travels, and we'll be home soon.

As I type this, I've noticed a red light coming through my window, which faces toward the city and Mount Ararat. I went to the window and took this picture of a beautiful sunset. It's the first I've seen in Armenia. I hope it's not the last.

Day 8: Vayots Dzor Region

On our final day of project visits, we ventured high up into the mountains near the border with Turkey and Azerbaijan (and only about 20 miles from Iran) to an area called the Vayots Dzor Region. From what I understand (and by Day 8, my mind is quite full!), the community of Dzor was relocated by the Armenian government for safety reasons because of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. The community fell too close to the area now owned by Azerbaijan. The people are very proud of their Armenian lineage and heritage, especially the children.

To get to the Dzor Region, we had to venture through some amazing landscapes, so you'll see in my pictures that there are a lot of photographs of the landscape changes. Since we came so close to Turkey, you'll see many pictures of Mount Ararat. We then turned and climbed high into the mountains, through snow and very cold weather, to emerge in a nice, blue-skied Dzor Region.

In Dzor, we visited projects that had just received their heifer within the month. We also visited one Golden Talent award winner, and a wonderful youth club that sang to us and celebrated Heifer's role in their lives.

We also visited an incredible monastery, Noravank Monastery, which was built on the side of a mountain high above the gorge below. As we drove to this monastery, we were on a road that traveled almost through the mountains.

It was an emotional and very special day for our participants. I would like to share Sue Moon's reflections:

As I sit here tonight, journaling, reflecting on my day, I realize our project visits are over. We have one more day in this incredible place. I feel very sad to leave; we will probably never see these wonderful people again. I don't even know the names of most of the people and families, but they are now part of my heart and I'd like to believe we are part of theirs, too.

We have all felt some kind of special connection to Armenia, whether in the people, the landscape, the culture or something else. We have broken bread with dozens of new friends in Armenia... bread that our efforts to raise awareness for hunger and Heifer's work in the U.S. made possible. We have shared smiles and embraces, moments of joy and celebration, and we have even shared sadness over this country's difficult past. A part of us has become Armenian in the week and a half we've been here. A part of us will always remain here, in the hearts and minds of those we've met. A part of them will also live on within us as we journey back to our homes and our every day lives.

I'm reminded of a quote that I cannot remember the origin of that goes something like this: "A part of you has grown in me, and so you see, it's you and me forever and never apart. Maybe in distance, but never in heart."

I hope to write one more blog entry tomorrow, but if the time slips away and packing becomes too challenging (too many gifts for those back home!), know that I am forever grateful to all of you who have followed this Armenian Journey over the last week and a half. To watch the "viewed" number rise daily has been an encouragement and daily joy. I hope you've enjoyed hearing a small summary of what your friends, colleagues and loved ones have been up to. I know I have enjoyed sharing that information with you. Sharing with you has been my moment of reflection each day.

If you missed the link previously, here are today's pictures.

Good night.

Day 7: Spitak

On our next to the last day of project visits, we ventured to Spitak, center of the 1988 earthquake that killed 25,000 people. Here, on a very brisk day, we visited a half dozen Project Partners and their sheep and pig projects. As always, we were treated to treats of bread, wine, cheese and vegetables. Today we were also given the special treat of raw honey!

One Project Partner baked round loaves of bread for us and wrote on each loaf a cornerstone. It made us feel so special that they celebrated our visit with this thoughtful gift, and also reaffirmed the importance of the 12 Cornerstones in the lives of all of those who Heifer touches.

I've uploaded many pictures of our day on Picasa. As you've probably noticed, I like to take landscape photos every bit as much as other photos. Part of this is my love for the natural beauty of things, but it is also a way of capturing what surrounds the places where we work. A few years ago, Beatrice Biira said about Uganda that just because she came from a poor place didn't mean it wasn't beautiful. I hope you will see this echoed in my photographs of the Armenian landscape. The people we work with are rich in so many ways, and this is one way I've chosen to capture. Enjoy.

Here are some reflections by Tom and Barbara Lyon, participants and Area Volunteer Coordinators from Long Island.

From Tom:

One clearly upsetting topic for Anahit, Heifer's amazing Country Director, was concerning male "flight" from the countryside. So many have left to find work in the city and outside of the country, leaving their families behind.

Heifer's work is key here. We transform residences into income producing businesses. We provide opportunities for families to work together in creating financial and spiritual support, and by doing so strengthen the entire community.

My favorite quote from Anahit so far on this trip was: "I do not intend to be just a cow distributor. I am a human development officer." - Right on!

And a beautiful poem from Barbara:

Armenia is

A Nation
A Region
A People

A Heritage
A Tragedy
A Warning

A Dream
A Challenge
An Opportunity

A Promise, unfulfilled, of Peace and Dignity for All.