Little Armenian Adventure

When my friend asked me whether I wanted to go on a youth exchange in Armenia titled The Mountain Challenge, I said yes without really knowing what to expect. I had no plans for the summer, and since I am always ready for an adventure, I figured I had nothing to lose. Little did I know how much I had to gain: this project was certainly one of the most incredible experiences of my life. After a two-day journey from Brno, my home city, to Yerevan, passing through Istanbul and Tbilisi, I quickly fell asleep in my comfortable, air-conditioned hostel room, exhausted but excited for the coming adventure. For the next ten days, I, along with 30 other youths from Czech Republic, Italy, Armenia, Georgia and Norway, embarked on a journey of learning and fun in the theme of healthy living and sustainable lifestyle. We prepared YouTube videos, songs and skits, played games, listened to presentations and attended workshops to learn about how we can lead healthy and sustainable lives. We also exchanged cultural knowledge and shared our experiences from our home countries. Throughout all this, we were getting to know the lovely city of Yerevan: although local temperatures rarely fell below 30 degrees, the city was vibrant day and night, and the locals were wonderfully friendly. As an example, one instance of the generosity and friendliness of Armenians occurred when we were filming a video about sustainable life. My group wanted to film in a garden to highlight the sustainability of growing your own food, and therefore we rang the doorbell of the first house with a big garden that we ran across. As few people in Yerevan, particularly the older generations, spoke English, we were unsurprised when the older gentlemen who came to the gate could not speak with us. Fortunately, one of our group members was Armenian and was able to explain our intentions- once he understood, the man immediately invited us to his garden, where his wife greeted us with smiles and kisses, although she could not have known why there suddenly were seven foreign people in her yard. She insisted that we join her at her table, and had two plates of home-grown peaches brought out for us (which we appreciated given the tropical temperatures). We were able to record what we needed for our video, and we spent fifteen minutes in the presence of what turned out to be a very famous Armenian radio host and her husband. Another of the many highlights of this project was the excursion onto a local mountain (the actual mountain challenge). Some of us had been hiking since childhood, but for others, me included, this was our first real hiking experience. As such, everybody struggled differently, but the lack of a path, the presence of branches and thorns that tore at our lower legs, the intense sun, and the insufficiency of water for some ensured that everybody had their own personal difficulties to overcome. However, team spirit was high, and together, all of us conquered the mountain challenge and had a great time throughout! I could write for hours about my experiences, but in the interest of time, I shall sum up the project by saying that I can't remember the last time I had such laughter-filled, exciting and adventurous ten days filled with wonderful activities and the most brilliant people! A big thank you to all the people and organisations, particularly Change it!, for this wonderful opportunity!

Viktorie Reichova