armenia begins outside of yerevan | part 1 | padani

Armenia begins outside of Yerevan. Yerevan is the capital, but it's not the center of Armenian history, and culture.

For me, Armenia begins at the lachin cooridor, the only road which connects the land-locked republic of karabakh to the rest of the world. The battle to reclaim this land was fought at the expense of the blood of the youth (most of the soldiers were under 25). It was a long journey (one that was fought only 14 years ago) and one which many say was the catalyst of the deterioration of the Soviet Union.

I arrived from Armenia yesterday, and it's impossible to ignore the longing I have to return.

My thoughts are just as dis-jointed as my writing. A month is a short period of time to be gone, but the impressions which remain can't seem to leave my mind.

Here are some of the photos.

border checkpoint between armenia and karabakh //

armenian boy manning a rest stop cash register //

ambert fortress and adjacent church //

closeup of stone engravings //

truck transporting grass for herding //

life in shushi, karabagh //

vahe micayelyann church helper in gandzasar church in karabagh //

war-torn houses in shushi, karabagh //

the traditional armenian khatch-car (stone engraved cross) //

three old men in shushi, the one on the right is nick named Tigran the great, after the famous armenian king, but also because he's 97 years old //

ararat through sunflowers //

men playing cards in stepanakert, karabakh //

old man in datev village of armenia //

truck removing debris from a construction zone //

bridge built from stone in karabagh //

the pre-mass preparation room of the datev monastery //

the canyon at saghmosavan //

construction workers in stepanakert, karabakh //

church in areni //

old man in stepanakert, karabakh //

old woman during sunday mass at datev monastery //

woman and child on the way to gehart //

sunrise in the mountains by ararat //

a young herder in saghmosavan //

a girl walking near ruins in shushi, karabakh //

Padani | the youth of post-soviet armenia

Young members of the Armenian Police Department lined up during the Last Bell Celebrations in Yerevan Armenia, 2005 //

Girl dancing during the Last Bell Celebrations in Yerevan Armenia, 2005 //

In a given day the number of responsibilities we face are not quantifiable, because if you were to quantify them you imply that at some point in time there will be a conclusion. In fact, these set of circumstances create an environment which makes holding on to some deeply rooted values difficult. They force you (in some sense) to forget your origins. I'm Armenian, and for the last 5 years, I could not have cared less about that fact. I was too lost in my day to day activities to consider it something of importance. What I did not realize is that letting go of this single fact could not have harmed me more.

On July 7th, 2010 I will be leaving for Armenia. It marks the second time I've returned to Yerevan (the city of my birth) in the last 19 years. A great deal has happened since my family left Armenia during the fall of the Soviet Union. As a result we were spared many hardships. But others were not so lucky. It is their story I want to tell, and in particular the story of the youth.

What better way to tell a story, than through an internationally spoken language, music. In collaboration with the incredibly talented yet humble violinist Sergey Khachatryan, and a group of young Armenian musicians from the Komitas State Conservatory, my journey will follow them as they perform in towns across Armenia, and the live conflict zones of Nagaro-Karabakh.

Come along as I travel through some of the historical regions of Armenia, the earthquake tattered cities of Gumyri and Spitak, and through the conflict zones of Nagaro-Karabakh to tell the story of the youth.

I will be constantly updating my blog, twitter, and facebook . If you have not done so already, please add me and follow along.