Friday and Saturday, May 22 and 23, 2009
After much anticipation the departure day was here at last. We said goodbye to our families and friends and got on the bus heading to Logan airport for ARMENIA.
Finally we landed at Paris airport around 6 o’clock in the morning (Paris time).
We had to wait almost 8 hours there to take the next flight to Armenia. After a long wait we boarded the plane. We all were so excited and also very tired. We fell asleep on the plane for a long time.
As soon as we entered Armenia’s airspace we saw Mount Ararat and Mount Arakadz. The plane landed in Yerevan at 9:03 pm. We all cheered and clapped at that moment. We finally had arrived to our destination- our homeland.
It was a long journey but also filled with much fun and excitement.
Lori Sahakian
Day 3
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Today our first full day of being in Armenia. After sleeping a very short time, we woke up and started our day.
After breakfast, we got on the road to Echmiadzin. On our way, we saw the cemetery of Artsakh soldiers, Mount Ararat, the church of Sourp Heripsime, and Gomidas Vartabed statue.
When we got to Echmiadzin, built in 303 A.D, we lit candles for all those who requested candle lighting in memory of their loved ones, also for all of our families. Echmiadzin was filled with vartabeds, surpazans and the monastery students. Before the Badarak, as a surprise Karakin Vehapar came in. Karakin blessed all of our St. Stephens students by putting his hands of our heads.
After that, we learned a lot about Echmiadzin. In Echmiadzin, there was a picture of Shah Apps engraved on Echmiadzin. On the way to Dzizernagapert, the Yrapeloor and Mount Arartat again.
Continuing our day, we arrived at Dzizernagapert. We prayed and put flowers for the martyrs of the genocide. We learned about the planed stages of the genocide.
On our way back to the hotel, we saw Aram Khathadourian’s monument, the presidential residence, the parliament building also numerous embassies.
We visited Vernisage market where everyone shopped for handmade souvenirs for their loved ones.
After a short break, we had dinner at dinner at a great restaurant “Mer Kyoughu” where we ate various foods including Ishkhanatzoug. Our parents sang and danced with the performers.
During the walk back we sang and happily arrived safely to our hotel……
It was an awesome day…..
Tina Barsoumian
Monday, May 25, 2009
Today May 25, 2009, I up very healthy and happy. We had breakfast and then we went to see the Alexander Tamanyan statue. He was an architect who drew the outline of Yerevan and the Cascade. It was decorated with flowers.
After that, we went to the school Anania Shirakatsy. We studied science, technology and we played basketball with them. They know the languages Russian, Armenian and English. We had lunch with the students.
We went to the Armenia Tree Project and planted trees. It’s nice to see Armenia green and clean.
By:Ani Vehapetian
Day 5
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Today we went to Gumri. On the road we saw many new homes, and a very large home owned by a person named Sergei. We learned that Armenian is one of the oldest languages, and that the scientific name for apricots is named after the Armenians.
We also went to the church where Mesrob Mashdots supposedly lies. The crypt is located down some stairs under the altar in a very small room. When we were there, we sang one of the songs that Digin Lilly taught us about Mesrob Mashdots. We also recited a poem, called Khoseh Hayeren written by Jacques Hagopian.
We went outside and Digin Ardemis got us permission to stand outside by the stones that were sculpted in all the letters of the Armenian Alphabet. Every stone that was carved had some significance with the Armenians and the Culture.
We also learned that he also founded the alphabet used by Georgians. The theory is that no one really knows where he is actually buried. After that we went back on the road to Gumri. We saw lots of cows and a few shepherds along the way. We stopped once to take pictures of one shepherd, his cows and the beautiful countryside all around us.
Then we got back on the bus to Gyumri and went to the Gyumri Museum. We learned that the city was first called Gyumri, then was changed to Alexandrapol, then to Leninagan, and then back to Gyumri. We also learned that the people of Alexandrapol were very talented and worked with silver, copper and gold. We learned that many writers were also from Gyumri. On the road we went to Jajur and went to the art musam of Minas Avetissyan. The paintings were wonderful. Afterwards we went back on the road to the hotel.
The bus driver took a different route on the way home and we saw the Turkish/Armenian border. We saw many farms along the way with many cows. We then drove by the nuclear plant in Armenia.
We arrived at the restaurant for dinner and then walked back to the hotel, which is how we end our evening.
By Melanie Aftandilian
Day 6
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
On our way to Lake Sevan; we saw the statues of Hayk Nahabed and Dork Ankegh. We went to the Temple of Garni, also known as the Pagan Temple. It was small but nice, the steps up to the Temple were big, and because of that whenever you went up a step you bowed. The view was amazing; there are rivers and many mountains. We saw a house in the middle of the mountains. We were so close to the mountains we could see the top of the mountains and the clouds around us. We saw an old time roman bath house which belonged to King Drtad.
Then we went to the Monastery of Geghard. This was a church made out of rock. There were many churches in the Monastery. There was a huge waterfall and there were trees with ropes tied on it that people made a wish on. There were so many bees that there was a bee cage. Then we learned that they sacrificed animals into the waterfall.
When we got to Lake Sevan we went to lunch first. There was an arcade room there, it was fun. Then we went to the two churches on top of a hill Astvatsatsin and Arakelots, which we had to climb many stairs in the hail. We were soaked when we got there. It used to be on an island when the water level was higher.
Then the hail stopped, we went to the lake and most of us put our feet in Lake Sevan. It was very cold, but we had a lot of fun.
We then went to the English Learning Center. There we met so many students. Most of them were older than us. We played games with them, and learned a lot about each other. We became pen pals; they were so nice and smart. We played a game like charades, a game with wrapping people with paper and musical chairs. We had a lot of fun.
We finally came home and had dinner. What an exciting day we had!
Ani Hackett
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Hi guys! It’s David. Today was May 28, 2009. We had so much fun today! We sang, danced, recited poetry, and “keffed” on the bus. Today was so exciting!
First, we went to Sardarabad where we celebrated May 28 (Armenia’s independence day). So many people were there, that you’d think everyone in Armenia had come. There we sang some more, took too many pictures (like always), and enjoyed some people’s entertainment.
Then we went to the Armenian Cultural Museum. There, we looked at old Armenian cultural artifacts, all of the Armenian superstitious items, and different clothing. What interested me the most in that museum was how the word “carpet” is originally an Armenian word “gaberd”. The museum was very interesting and entertaining.
After that, we had some free time. At 7:00, we regrouped for dinner then went to Hakhdanagi Aykee. . That’s where you can see Mair Hayastan, and her sword facing Turkey. On our bus ride there, we saw our first really beautiful view of Ararat.
In front of Mair Hayastan, there is a carnival. We went there for an hour and fifteen minutes. We rode in Ferris wheels, drove bumper cars, and went in gocarts. At the end, we saw fireworks which were amazing.p5270039
It was so much fun, but we still miss seeing your happy faces to light up our hearts every morning. We miss you, think of you constantly, and hope you guys are happy. We’ll see you soon. Bye!
By David Babikian
Day 8
Friday, May 29, 2009
We all woke up happily (and a little early) from partying last night at the May 28 celebration. Now, our class is heading to Artsakh. We are going to stay there for a few days. We have several stopping point on our way to Artsakh, including Khor Virab, Noravank, and Karahunge.
On our way to Khor Virab we saw the Gomidas Pantheon, where many important Armenians are buried (for example: Gomidas, William Saroyan, and Aram Khachatourian among others). One interesting place we passed by was the rubber factory. It was where people make rubber. Then, we entered Ararat Valley where it is the center of Armania’s agricultural prodcution. But, the most beautiful place we saw was Mt. Ararat. It was the clearest view of the mountain I had ever seen! The class and the parents took many pictures in front of Mt. Ararat, in Khor Virab. We also learned that the mountain range is called Armenian Dance (Haygagan Shourchbar), because it looks like Mt. Ararat is dancing.
Finally, we arrived at Khor Virab, where we passed by Kevork Chavoosh’s statue (an Armenian Hero). Khor Virab means deep dungeon and it was where Krikor Loosavorich (the Illuminator) was thrown into by King Drtat because he converted into Christianity. Krikor lived in the dungeon for 13 years, but he survived because Khosrovitookht (King Drtat’s sister) fed Krikor everyday because, she was secretly conveterd into Christianity as well. The dungeon was dark and a deep (6 meters) and narrow (4 meters). I imagine that Krikor spent a difficult and sad time there. In the year 301, King Drtad became very sick. Khosrovitookht had an illusion that Krikor could help cure King Drtad. Krikor succeeded in curing him. In the same year, King Drtad released Krikor and got baptized and accepted Christianity. Armenia was the first country in the world to become Christian.
After we left Khor Virab, we headed towards Noravank, a 13th century monastery. On our way there, we saw a very interesting street. It was where a lot of storks lived and built nests on top of electrical poles. We saw the street that Barouyr Sevag had his accident and later passed by his home village. Barouyr Sevag was a famous Armenian poem, who wrote about the Genocide and how the Turks killed and deported the Armenians. Lastly, the scenery (on our way to Noravank) was awesome! We passed by a lot of lush green and grassy mountains. It looked like the grass was a long green rug.
Finally we arrived at Noravank! There are 3 churches in Noravank; Boortel Ishkhan church, St. Garabed church and St. Krikor Madoor (chapel). Boortel Ishkhan was founded in the 13th century by Momig, the architect. Momig built this church because he fell in love with Boortel’s daughter, a princess. In order to have the permission to marry the princess, Momig had to build a very nice temple in three years time, without anyone’s help. This order was given by, the princess’s father, Boortel Ishkhan (who this church is named after). So, Momig started working right away, years passed… It was finally time to put the last brick down. But, Boortel Ishkhan had already ordered one of his servants to kill Momig, because he did not want Momig, a peasant, to marry his daughter. So, as the legend goes, Momig did not get to put the last brick on the temple, but the stone was used as his tomb stone. Boortel Ishkhan temple represents earth, life and heaven.
St. Garabed was built in the 13th century (started in 1216 and completed in 1226). This church was made by Sinan. In this church you have permission to step on other people’s gravestones, because, everyone is equal when they are up in heaven and that the servants still survive. St. Krikor Madoor was built in 1273 and finished in 1275.This church was also made by Seran. There is a secret in this church. Sinan made the window opening such that every year from August 6-13, the sun falls into the church in the sign of the cross on Krikor’s gravestone. St. Krikor Madoor is an example of brotherhood. An important difference of the church complex is that it does not have any bell tower.
When we arrived at Karahunge, a stonehenge that dates back to 5000 B.C., we saw some of the rocks that were designed and built in the early Bronze Age. The rocks had many interesting features on them and were used as some sort of observatory. There were holes on the stones to locate the stars and galaxies at that time. There was also a round temple in the center of the field, dedicated to the God of Sun, Arin.
On our way, we passed by many villages and towns, the larger ones being Goris and Sisian. The scenery was unforgettable.
Finally we arrived at Artsakh! The view at Artsakh was great. It was different than the view in Yerevan because, it has very green and beautiful mountains. We passed by many mountain passes and had to drive through fog in the last stretch. We saw many rivers and gorges and caves. We passed the city of Shushi and saw the capital city of Stepanakert in the valley. After arriving there, we all had dinner and went to bed with wonderful memories.
Soleen Ghahraman
Day 9
Saturday, May 30, 2009
This was our first morning we woke up in Karabakh our liberated homeland. Our first stop was at Gandzasar monastry where St. Honhaness Mgrdich’s head resides under the altar. It was called Gandzasar because the mountain was rich with silver and gold.
Gandzasar was built in 1216-1246 by prince Hasen Jalal. During the Karabakh war, it survived the Azeri’s bombing.
On the way back, we past from the village vank where we saw the where the population protested against the Azeri government and remove their car plates and put it on the walls.
Next we went to Nigol Touman’s home museum, where we saw his personal belongings. We saw the pictures and the maps of his struggle against the Turkish ottoman empire.
Next we took pictures in front of the mameeg and babeeg statue, “ menk yenk mer sarerere”, then we visited the rug factory.
Our last visit was with the Armenian forces and hero’s of Karabakh, we saw thier weapons and took pictures with them, they assured us that our homeland is safe and only needs the unity and the support of the Armenian nation.
Varak Mouradian
Day 10
Sunday May 31, 2009
Today is the second day we woke up in Karabagh. After breakfast we headed toward Amaras. On the road we saw the Shushi Jail up on a mountain overlooking the valleys of Karabagh. We also saw piglets, goats, cows and snakes. The mountains of Karabagh are rocky, high, big, beautiful and mysterious.
After approximately an hour drive from Stepanagert, we arrived to Amaras. Amaras is the name of a river. It is one of the first schools of Armenia. It was also a church. This monastery was founded by Krikor Lousavoritch and finished by his grandson Grigoris. Grigoris was later buried there after he was killed at the age of 16. He was killed because he was spreading the Christian Religion. His gravesite is under the Khoran which is the oldest part of the church. His gravesite has a secret passage that goes to a river gorge.
Amaras was destroyed by Mongols and others who wanted to stop the spread of Christianity. It was last rebuilt in the 17th Century.
After Amaras, we had lunch at Nver Restaurant in Stepanagert. There was a river next to the restaurant. We went down to the river and threw rocks. We also met other local kids.
Then we went to the Fallen Hero’s Museum. There were 3350 pictures of men and women in the Karapagh war. The guide’s son died in the war. She thanked us for visiting and honoring the soldiers.
Then we visited the tank that first entered Shushi during the war. We took pictures and then drove to the Shushi Museum.
The Shushi Museum taught us how the people who liberated Shushi strategically planned the takeover from the Azeri’s. There were four attacks that were planned to take place simultaneously on May 8-9. They climbed the mountains on foot and unexpectedly attacked the Azeri’s. We won the war and the Azeri’s fled.
After the museum we went to Khazanchezots Church that was a basilical church which means it had three different naves and did not have crosses. The Alter and the windows were built with with Russian and Orthodox influence. There are windows in the back of the Alter. This is the only church we visited that had pews. There is a Confession chamber under the Alter. It is built so that when you stand in the center of the chamber and confess, the echo bounces right back to you and only you. Every time someone said Der Voghomia and the sound bounced back, their faces were in shock. In the chamber if you whispered something into the wall and someone is listening on the exact other side you could hear the whisper.
Then we went to the Shushi Hotel for dinner. We played soccer and whiffle ball with the local kids. It was really fun.
This was a great day. My favorite part of the day was the Khazanchezots Church.
Your reporter for the day,
Kevork Hamparian
Monday, June 1, 2009
Today we came back to Yerevan from Karabagh. On the way back, we stopped in Berdzor, along the Lachin Corridor in Artsakh, to plant trees. It was messy but it felt good. I felt like I was helping Armenia. There was a plaque dedicated to St. Stephen’s.
We then entered Armenia. Our first stop was Jermuk, where we went to the factory and looked at how Jermuk was bottled. It is amazing it takes so many machines to make one bottle. The container starts out as one tiny bottle and it becomeshuge. The factory is very noisy and full of rhythm of machines. After that we went to the waterfall where it comes. Near it were carvings of Armenian freedom fighters.
As we were coming back to Yerevan, we saw rivers, canyons, trees, hills, mountains, grass, bushes and rocks. Everything was full of nature.At the end of the day we went to dinner to Jazzve and finally came to the hotel. It was a wonderful day.
By Tenny Gregorian
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Today we went to the metro Station which was really fast. Next we went to Madenataran and we saw the statue of Mesrob Mashdoz. Next in the museum we saw one of the worlds smallest books. It was called a “Tzoog”. It had 103 pages and it is used in church for prayers. We also saw “Hsga” one of the largest books in the world with 604 pages.
After that we saw bibles that were translated from Greek to Armenian. Next we saw Vortan Garmir which makes the color red. Then we saw the book that the president pledges on. That book is the oldest one that was made in the 7th century.
We went to Grand Candy where there was a lot of candy but most of it was chocolate. Digin Ademis got plenty of candy for everyone at the school.
Next we went to the opera house where we saw a bale about ancient times where kings would kidnap and imprison inanest people ,but at the the end one of the prisoners get killed which was very sad.
Today was one of the most funniest days because of all the cool places we visited.
By: Koko Boyajian
Day 13
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
This morning I woke up and said to myself, “Oh no! It’s the last full day in Armenia!” Then I thought about it a little and said “It’s o.k. – I’m going to see my friends and family in America.” Now I am going to tell you what I saw and learned today.
This morning we first drove by the Krikor Lousavorich church, which was built in 2001, celebrating 1700 years of Armenians adopting Christianity. It’s the biggest cathedral in Armenia.
We next went to the Sasountsi David statue. There is a secret that says the horse’s tail in the statue is two legs resembling the trousers the Turks used to wear. There is a train station building behind the statue which has an emblem at the top that contains Mt. Ararat, wheat, and the Soviet Armenian Coat of Arms.
Our next stop was at the Erepouni Fortress which had a great view of Mt. Ararat. In 782 BC, Arkishti the 1st founded this fortress. Erepouni means “victory” because there was a victory against the tribes of Van and Biayna. There is a legend that says when Noah came out of his ark from Armenia, he saw all of the land which was Yerevadz (which means “appeared”). There are Kinepour descriptions (carved letters) on the temples of fire. The region is in Nairi which means country of rivers.
Next we went to the Erepouni Museum. The museum was built in 1968 to celebrate the 1750th anniversary of Yerevan. Here we saw one of the most important artifacts of Yerevan: the birth certificate of Yerevan carved in stone. After a large period of time, Erepouni became Yerevan. Douf stone was used for making pipes and bowls. The number of dots on the jars of liquid represented how much liquid was in a jar. The main three colors used in clothing were red, blue, and the color of apricot: the colors of the Armenian flag. The dead remains of important men were placed in an urn. Warriors put bells on their chariots to represent help from the gods. During this period (3,000 years ago), the value of money depended upon the size of the coin, and how much silver or gold there was in the coin. This year is the 2791st anniversary of Yerevan.
We also saw Vartan Mamigonian’s statue among many others, such as Yegishe Charens, Michael Nalbandian, and Hovaness Ayvazian. We also passed by Yerevan’s main university and Mardiros Sarian’s (famous painter) house museum.
Finally we went to Hovaness Toumanian’s house museum. Toumanian had 10 kids (4 boys, 6 girls). At his dinner table, he had a special chair. He bought nearly 10,000 books: 2,000 of those books were borrowed by others and were never returned. On the door in his study, his sign says “Please do not smoke and do not ask books.” His heart was buried in a chapel in his hometown of Lori. Since he died when he was 54, his mansion has 54 steps.
We had dinner at the Kilikia Restaurant. It was so much fun. The food was great and we all danced together.
This truthfully was the best field trip I ever had and probably will ever have. We are all looking forward to being back at school to see everyone on Friday!
By Jonathan Orchanian