Tatev

This weekend I went on an exercusion into the mountains with a large group of Birth Right participants. The drive was almost six hours. The majority of it was spent winding up a mountain road. When we left Yerevan it was a nice spring day, but by the time we stopped to enjoy a picnic while admiring the mountain views it was snowing. Eventually we started winding up again until we hit a wind storm so strong that it blew open the drivers door which hadn’t been completely shut.

Eventually we reached my current favorite place in Armenia, Tatev Monastery. Its ancient stone sits atop a mountain cliff and offers breathtaking views. While exploring the inside of the old church I thought of my grandmother Meme,just then a fellow volunteer offered me a candle, which I was able to light in Meme’s honor.

After leaving the monastery we wound down the other side of the mountain and almost made it to the village of Tatev, when we were told that if it rained the buses would never make it back up the road in the morning. Still we ventured on and made it to the village. In the village we were divided into groups and were sent to the homes of the villagers who had agreed to host us. Although I can barely speak a word of Armenia and the other two girls I was with were both nearly fluent, the elderly man we stayed with seemed to love us all equally. He expressed to us his joy that even though all our families had to leave Armenia that we still found a way to return, and then he said we were all his granddaughters.

Then… he brought out the homemade vodka. He insisted that we all have a toast. However, the vodka was so strong I knew I could never swallow it, so I grabbed my bottled water, which may have broken his heart a little. Then the villagers organized a party for us where they brought out countless bottles of the same vodka. After all the toasts, where I pretended to drink so as to not be rude, the Armenian dancing began.  It felt a bit like a scene from my Big Fat Greek Wedding.

The next morning our “grandfather” was up early trying his hardest to prepare a meal for us. Then he brought out the vodka again and when we all refused he found a male volunteer that was staying with his friend and they sat him down and convinced him to drink. After that we hiked down and then with a great deal of effort back up some of the mountain, but we did find time to stop and do a little yoga at the remains of an old nunnery that was tucked into the mountain.

The Church at Tatev Monastery

Tatev Monastery

The First Toast of the Evening