At home: From New York to Armenia

As we waited for the plane to take off, I turned to my mom and said something to her in Armenian. I then realized that it was no longer our secret language because almost everyone on that flight could understand us. I heard little children talking to their relatives in Armenian, and it brought me a sense of joy. I smiled with excitement, anxious to take off. As the plane descended over Yerevan, the memories all rushed back to me. Even though this was not my first visit to Armenia, the thrill of returning never faded.

When I stepped foot into Zvarnots International Airport and read all the signs in Armenian, I finally felt like I belonged—as if I were home. We got our suitcases and ran into many people we knew—they were all going to the Pan-Armenian Homenetmen games. We collected our suitcases and went to find our taxi. 

On our way to the hotel, I looked out the window, reminiscing about the last time I was home. The next day, I was still very jet-lagged from the eight-hour time difference. My family and I took a trip—a two-hour drive from Yerevan to Mount Aragats. We did not end up hiking the mountain, but we stopped for lunch and ate khash—it was very cold since we were up in the mountains. On the way down, we ran into a herd of about 60 sheep. 

The last time I went to Armenia, I had done all the sightseeing, so this time, we really just visited Etchmiadzin, Yerablur Military Pantheon and the Matenadaran museum. Seeing all the flags waving in the wind at Yerablur sent a chill down my spine. Looking around at all the young soldiers whose lives were cut too short really upset me—life could be so cruel. 

Etchmiadzin has been newly renovated. It is very beautiful while still retaining accents from its original state. At the Matenadaran, we saw old Bibles, encyclopedias, paintings and books. I got to view how Armenians learned many centuries ago and see all the notes they wrote by hand. We also watched a few of the Homenetmen games over the two weeks, cheering on family and friends as they competed for first place in soccer, basketball and volleyball. 

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Armenia truly is a beautiful place, with its mountainous regions, powerful language and very hospitable people. Although I physically returned home to New York, a small piece of me stayed in the motherland. I will forever cherish the endless memories, laughter and wonderful food. I am so glad I get to call Armenia my forever second home.