My Experience
16.04.2016
Volunteering
The Experience of Lifetime
I was born in Beirut, Lebanon and reside in Montreal, Canada. My roots are from Western Armenia, from the region of Ourfa. There has not been one moment in my life that I have not felt my Armenian roots, from the moment I was born till present day. Surrounded by my family and community, being Armenian is a way of life.
After a few trips to Armenia, I noticed the tremendous fast pace change that was occurring and I could not keep myself out of it. I needed to chip in, to give back and share my knowledge and expertise with the country and its people in any way I could.
I already knew somewhat of what to expect since this was my 4th visit to Armenia. I wanted to learn something new, experience how a landlocked country is thriving and is working to make itself better every day. I wanted to expand my network, meet new people try a new cuisines, and see a different landscape…
I decided to go out of my comfort zone and do something completely different from what I’m used to. Green Lane is the NGO I worked for; we grew organic crops. There is an educational center for sustainable agriculture for those who want to learn how to grow their crops chemical free and be able to sustain themselves.
I was actually impressed how understanding and patient my colleagues and co-workers were. I was pleasantly surprised by how simple communication was; the way they transmitted the information to me was very easy to understand.
My experience here in Armenia was one that I will cherish forever. I met so many wonderful and interesting people from all around Armenia and the diaspora. It was a great learning experience. I have now added to my portfolio a new skill which is organic agriculture — never in a million years would I have thought of doing something in this line of work! The culture and life here was very easy for me to adapt to; I enjoyed it all so much so that it came naturally.
It’s the experience of lifetime! You should not doubt it for ONE second. This is the place to be, to grow, to learn, to explore and to enrich yourself with history, landscapes, music, arts and culture.… You will not be disappointed for one moment!
Harout Ourichian,
Canada, 2015
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