The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan pledged to intensify their efforts to agree on the basic principles of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after fresh talks hosted by their Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Monday.

An overjoyed and eager community awaits with great anticipation the arrival, to the Western United States, of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia and spiritual leader of Armenian Diaspora communities in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

For someone who loves to yell and give punishments to misbehaving kids, I needed to be very gentle and calm while dealing with the Orange group in Shushi who is made up of the most quiet and well-behaved young kids. Having a discussion with them about how Artsakh War affected them and their families was kind of a difficult topic.

Being 22 years old, most people are shocked to hear that I have never been baptized. The usual gasps followed by “Really?…Why?” Unfortunately, due to some unpredictable circumstances my parents were never able to baptize me. Once my ticket to Armenia was booked and my plans with Youth Corps finalized, my mom brought up the idea of me getting baptized in Armenia.

A fifteen hour car ride is not something to look forward to, especially when you’re in a van that hardly works and is filled to a point where people are laying on the floor. Gyumri to Shushi means driving from one end of Armenia to the other. With a few scenic stops on the way the trip was expected to take at least 12 hours.

Our groups’ time in Gyumri is quickly coming to an end, and before we make our way to Shushi I want to reflect on the city of Gyumri and its current condition. Gyumri is Armenia’s second largest city and in a lot of ways it’s a microcosm of Armenia.

For the past three years every time I heard the song Yelek Hayer I would remember Patil Aslanian as my counselor at AYF Camp Big Pines going crazy, yelling and screaming for the blue color to remember the words to this simple song. From today on, the most striking memory of Yelek Hayer will forever remain from July 18, the seventh day of Jambar in Gyumri.

Sevana suggested we ask the students what they would change and what they would keep the same if they were president of Armenia.

People say you should never judge a person until you walk a mile in his shoe, or in my case, her heels. Life deals us circumstances of which we can’t help because we are born into them, but we can always change the outcome of any situation we find ourselves in.

On July 11, we made our way down a nameless street in the rain, kind of nervous that the rain might discourage kids from coming to the first day of our camp. But no, we were welcomed by more than 200 kids who wanted to be part of the first session of 2011 AYF Camp Gyumri.

Moscow airport. Waiting to board the plane to Armenia. As I look around I think about how context around us affects us on the most cellular level. How the scale of buildings, the materials that are around us, people’s faces, colors, temperature etc, have an immediate effects on our mental and physical selves.

Working as a counselor at this camp is perhaps the most exhausting thing I have done in my life. These kids are extremely energetic. Sitting still is not something they do often, and it really takes a lot to keep up with them. However, quieting them down has become the least of worries.

One week down, three more to go! Where has the time gone? I have to say I have never been so exhausted in my life! These kids are definitely a handful—but are the funniest bunch I have ever met. Each of them is more vibrant than the other.

After a near two hour ride from Yerevan, we finally arrived to our destination; Gyumri. This would be our home away from home for the next four weeks. As the van neared the house, we saw Digin Lilig, our host mother, waiting impatiently for us. She was standing by the door with arms wide open, ready to give each one of us a big hug and kiss. Her warm and welcoming nature, along with her excitement put us at ease right away.