Spirituality

To be honest, this trip has left me torn inside. Although I bleed the blood of an Armenian, I was born and raised as an American. Throughout my life, it has been difficult for me  to find a balance between the two. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one of my kind, and that God has blessed with a special gift, but cannot seem to find someone to give it to.

We have been in Hayastan for over a week and all i can say is i can't believe how fast time is flying by. With only a little over a week to go, we still have so much to see and do and it is so exciting! There are two things that have really opened my eyes while on this pilgrimage. One of them is the gratitude i have towards my parents for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip. Walking down the streets of Yerevan and seeing homeless people beg for money or food, or simply asking if we can buy pumpkin seeds to support them is very overwhelming.

hey everyone in the world wide web thats readin this blog, i would just like to say that i am quickly falling in love with my motherland Armenia. Today was definitely a day to remember. We took a 3 hour bus ride to vanadzor and saw the most beautiful churches ever! Its absolutely amazing to think that our Christian religion can be dated back to sooo long ago. Standing in those churches today made me soo proud to be an Armenian, after all we have been through we still have all the strength in the world, as a people, to keep going.

After almost over five full weeks since the start of CYMA 2007, the CYMA pilgrims have returned from their spiritual journey with a fresh and new perspective. Their pictures and blogs show the abundance of their journey and highlight all of the amazing heartfelt experiences they have been witness too.

We have 22 days left in Armenia and I still cannot believe that I am here. Waking up in the morning, looking out of my bedroom window, I am still amazed that I am in my motherland. I feel so honored and blessed to even have the opportunity to be on this trip. Last night I ran into two of my friends who came to Armenia with the Eastern Diocese and apparently there are 5 more of my friends in the same group. This summer has been the summer of coming to Armenia among my friends. A piece of home is with me now. If they're not someone I've met before, they have some connection to my friends.