Getting ready to leave
Hello to all 2008 CYMA Participants and Parents,
It’s very hard to believe that there is only 1 more week until the your life changing journey will be a reality…
Let’s make sure you are ready to get ready and then of course… ready to leave your families and friends behind and make the most of your Spiritual Pilgrimage to Hayastan. For those of you that missed the final orientation, I have tried to call as many of you as I could. If I didn’t get a chance to call you and you didn’t make it to the orientation, don’t worry, this blog has a lot that we talked about.
Pre-Armenia
Airport
July 1st we are to meet at the LAX Tom Bradley gate at 12pm sharp. Look out for Sarah, Mkrtich, and of course Der Vartan! CYMA ALWAYS travels as a family, so don’t be a minute late. (It’s Los Angeles, there will be traffic)
Tickets
We have your tickets on hand and will deliver them to you at check-in.
Packing
You have one carry on and two bags to be checked-in. Check here for the dimensions and weight. Check with BA’s website for all the latest and update to date info on packing. London Heathrow is VERY STRICT about baggage. If you don’t have the right size and weight, they will enforce their rules at your behest.
http://www.britishairways.com
http://www.britishairways.com
Cheats for packing:
Bring older cloths to wear while you are there and then leave them in Hayastan at an orphanage. Also, bring pens, pencils, coloured paper, notebooks, writing paper, markers, crayons, coloured pencils etc from Target, Wall mart etc. We will drop these items off at the diocese of Yerevan and it will make a HUGE impression for our group. This is a HUGE donation that goes a lot further than $20 you will spend!
For those of you worried about not blowing up your electronics, you want to buy something like this.
We really don’t recommend you bring a laptop. Just a camera with plenty of memory. They have hair dryers in the hotel. Cell phones: with those of you with AT&T or T-Mobile, you can get your phones to work if they are unlocked and you buy a SIM card. AT&T might get service, but its expensive… just send texts. For phone calls to your parents, we recommend you go to the post office and make a call from their.
Money / Cash / Dram / Darts
Remember to call your ATM banks and let them know you will be traveling out of the US. There are ATMs across the city now that will accept your card. The most popular question is how much money to bring. Most people spend way more than they thought they would on food, gifts, etc so be prepared to spend any where between $500-$1500.
On all of your day trips, one meal is covered (which is almost every day). Remember, “suh Hayastanuh”, these meals are HUGE and they are meant to be your breakfast, lunch and dinner. However…restaurants, coffee shops, and cafes are the Armenian way of life. Don’t be surprised if you are at any one of those three any time you have free and are always snacking, nibbling, munching, sipping etc. The food is AMAZING and you will never forget each bite you take. Also, you will be so excited to bring gifts back to your family so have extra case for paintings, tavloo boards, etc.
Today’s exchange rate is at 304 dram for every 1 dollar. Last year it was at 350 to 1. I would expect it to drop below 300 while you are in Hayastan.
Hotels:
We will be staying at the nicest business hotels in Hayastan. It is located right off Hanrapetutuyn Hadabarak. Vartkes Barsam, a member of Western Diocese donated this hotel to the American University of Armenia and the CYMA-WD group has access to it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Last year they modernized this hotel, so this year we took advantage… all CYMA members will be in one centralized location. This is great for your safety, organization and of course comfort. This hotel is VERY nice and you live like Kings and Queens. Maybe too nice indeed.
Check out the list of things that it offers:
- Contemporary colorful and warm design
- Modern bathroom amenities
- Individually controlled central heating and air conditioning (crank that air conditioning all night)
- TV-standard and satellite network (more than twenty channels, that’s 20 more than you will need)
- High Speed Internet Access (free of charge from the lobby workstation and at a flat fee from the guest room)
- Three phones with voicemail and wake-up call capability
- Easy to set alarm clock radio
- Work desk and chair
- Full-size refrigerator
- Microwave
- Kitchen utensils
- Electronic smoke detectors
- Hand held shower
- Hairdryer
- Magnifying mirror
Behaviour
Remember, you signed your CYMA application and it was very clear what expectations we have for your behaviour. Just to be clear, issues will be dealt with very quickly. All trips are mandatory unless you are in the hospital (you won’t be), and when you are in Armenia, you represent your family, your Western Diocese, your CYMA group and of course, the WHOLE diaspora. You will be treated like an adult, so you are expected to act like one.
That’s all for this blog covering items Pre-Armenia. For those of you that attended the orientation you know the rest of the items that will be covered in this set of upcoming emails. For those that didn’t, you will have to wait for tomorrow’s blog… Look out for a blog that talks about items for the CYMA group Post-Armenia and of course while we are in Armenia.