AYF Youth Corps 2016 participant, Nanor Gourdikian, with founders of Armenian Lighthouse Charitable Foundation
BY NANOR GOURDIKIAN
We were woken early in the morning to start our day sightseeing. We waited by the front doors of our hostel while everyone gathered around. Once the group was in its entirety, we loaded the buses and started our drive out of town toward Sardarabad. The bus ride was interesting to say the least. We blasted Armenian music and danced around. The bus driver laughed as he watched the young group of Armenian-Americans have an amazing start to their day. We pulled up to the monument and basked in the glory of all that Sardarabad was. We walked up, took pictures and enjoyed each other’s company. Next was the museum near the monument. We all walked over and were anxious to get inside. One by one we got our tickets and walked in. Everyone took the tour and enjoyed every minute of it.
We then loaded the buses and set toward Echmiadzin church. Once we pulled up, the hustle of people moving in and out was crazy. We walked toward the monumental church just to get a glimpse of the amazing sight. After an hour or two, the group decided it was time to head toward our last destination. The Armenian Lighthouse Charitable Foundation women’s shelter was just on the way home from Echmiadzin and seeing this was worth the stop. The group loaded the buses and we drove towards the shelter within 10 minutes. Once we got to the shelter, we were greeted by the President and founders. We had a tour of the shelter and had lunch in the main hall of the building.
After a few hours, we headed back into Yerevan for a little down time before our dinner. We got back to the hostels and everyone had plans of their own. The Youth Corps welcome dinner was set at 7:30 and we all planned to be ready by then. Everyone gathered in front of the hostels and was ready to roll by 7. We walked and walked and finally got to the lovely restaurant in a small alleyway in Yerevan. Here we all ate, drank and enjoyed the company of each other and of past youth corps participants.
Source: Asbarez
Link: Sightseeing in Armenia