It feels like last week was the moment reality set in. After having had to leave northern Armenia suddenly because of the situation with COVID-19 and the realities of the new corona world, just 5 days ago I realized I had so much unfinished business in and around my adopted city of Vanadzor.
Of late, I like to blame Facebook for my melancholy. Well, not Facebook as such; instead that gosh darn “memories” function. That little tool contains a whole lot of bittersweet. Mind you, I don’t want to use my blogging to whine. My colleagues and I who left Armenia are well aware that there are persons in the world with bigger concerns and who are living in much more dire situations.
At the moment, my funk stems from having missed out on my/our (I usually speak of my time in Armenia as a joint adventure embarked upon by myself and 34 other American volunteers) first independent spring. By “independent” I mean that most of us had become adjusted to the towns and villages where we served, and we had plans for big adventures that warmer weather would allow. Mine included getting to the top of Maymekh mountain, finding that spot somewhere near Aragats where the water “flows upside down” and planning a long-anticipated visited to the “stans” with Ree jan and Natalie.
Now, it’s clear that those plans won’t soon happen, and I’ll need to make new ones. So I’ve thrown myself into a job search and doing some career analysis to see what the next chapter of my career involves. I’m not 100% sure of the answer yet, but I do know it will likely involve more adventure. My decision to travel to Armenia was one based on a need for change, a need to get away from the virtual world of marketing and communications for awhile, and a thirst for finding an experience that was genuine.
When the world re-opens and travel resumes, I encourage my readers to go enjoy, if they have the chance, a few sites I missed in Armenia and which I hope to one day see …
- Surb Sargis mountain and its odd boat (between Vardablur and Kurtan in northern Armenia’s Lorri region)
- Mount Aragats – the tallest mountain in today’s Armenia
- Parz Lake and the nearby monastery in Gosh
- Sanahin and Haghpat monasteries (UNESCO heritage sites) near Alaverdi
I realize my words today aren’t particularly inspiring or fascinating. But this is the spot in which I find myself at the moment. I’m a little bit nostalgic, a tad bitter, but a whole lot of hopeful. For as the Armenians of the diaspora know all too well, I will one day find my way back home.
Main image courtesy of http://www.itinari.com blog.
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