Christian here. I know you have all been anxiously awaiting my next blog post for the past two years after I traveled to Lebanon in 2016 for missions work.
And now, after much hard work (and about an hour of typing) I bring you our new blog, this time so cleverly titled 'Men On A Mission' (see what I did there?). You see this time, it's not just me traveling alone across the world for missions. No, this time I've somehow managed to convince three other strapping young lads to join me on my misadventures and hijinks in Armenia. I guess my powers of persuasion haven't waned yet. George Doctorian, Patrick Hovsepian, and my brother Nicholas Manoukian will be my constant companions and sources of support on this trip, a shoulder to cry on when things get rough and friends to laugh with when times are happy (or when I just don't understand our Armenian taxi driver).
We left LAX as a group on Tuesday (July 31) afternoon around 4 p.m., flying Aeroflot to Moscow. I can now officially confirm Aeroflot is the worst ever airline around; cramped living conditions on our twelve hour flight, sub-par in-flight meals, REALLY sub-par and malfunctioning in-flight entertainment, and flight attendants who refuse to smile no matter how funny you think you are. I warn you, don't fly Aeroflot if not absolutely necessary. Luckily, George and Patrick brought sour gummy worms along for the trip, which cures all ailments and sicknesses and certainly made the flight experience more bearable. I found out Liam Neeson is still an absolute boss when he's thrown into crappy situations (go watch 'The Commuter' if you have not yet), and we all experimented with every possible upright sleeping position in our seats, with no success whatsoever.
We landed in Moscow at 2 p.m. the next day (August 1), and let me say, I have no clue how an airport that size accommodated so many of the fans of the World Cup just last month. The airport is very long and narrow, not a comfortable walking experience for just our group of four on a normal Wednesday, let alone when thousands of fans are arriving for World Cup games. I don't know how they did it, but credit goes to them because it appears they pulled it off fantastically.
I will never forget the smell of Moscow bathrooms, and wasn't surprised one bit when I stepped inside one and realized the smell hadn't changed; a stench of stale urine and cigarette smoke, topped off by no functioning A/C in the restroom. You'd do well to bring a gas mask along with you for vitality's sake.
After about an hour's layover, we boarded our final flight to Yerevan, knowing our long journey was nearly up. It was comforting yet unsettling to see so many Armenians in the same place on the plane, hearing your mother language being spoken like it's no big deal is always a special feeling. The perpetually 'screaming-bloody-murder' Armenian babies magically appeared like a trial from God during the last hour of our flight to test our patience, but praise the Lord, we prevailed and no babies on that plane were hurt in the writing of this blog post.
We arrived in Armenia as the sun was setting over the capital city, and the view as you're landing still does not disappoint. Mount Ararat, it's snow-capped peak glinting in the distance, is a constant reminder of our rich heritage and beautiful culture, as well as an awesome statement of our Creator's power and might. The rich green of the surrounding countryside, dotted by houses here and there, reminds one of Armenia's status in the world as a developing nation, still working on dragging itself out of the third world and into first or second-world living conditions for its residents. More on that later.
When we arrived, we had a long delay in getting our luggage, which caused a brief fright, before we realized that George had come prepared with six pairs of underwear and four shirts already packed into his carry-on bag and that we would not have to worry about lost supplies with him in our midst. We had a very friendly driver sent by the Armenian Missionary Association of America pick us up at the arrivals area, and drove us the 25 or so minutes to the AMAA headquarters at the 18 Marshal Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan.
It is such an amazing feeling to travel back to Armenia and see everything written out in a language you can read and are familiar with, to see people who's features and characteristics remind you of people who may be close friends or family members back home, and so on. We realized that when we arrived at the headquarters around 9:30 p.m., we were absolutely starving (and eager to put the experience of Aeroflot food behind us), so we decided to head out for a late dinner on the town. We are so lucky that our residence is literally five minute's walk from the city center and all the main shopping and dining, and we will definitely be taking advantage of that proximity over the next few days.
One awesome thing about Armenia that you may not be able to appreciate unless you've been to Armenia before or lived in a culture where isolation isn't the norm like it is in the U.S., is that even during the very late night, there are thousands of people milling about, walking around, sitting at roadside cafes talking and laughing, face to face, without the distraction (dare I say, scourge) of cell phones bombarding them with pointless notifications, and just enjoying one another's presence wholeheartedly. It is an intoxicating feeling, and one that quickly infected us with the same joy for life as those around us. For Patrick and George, it took a while for the shock of how lively and vibrant Yerevan is at night to set in, especially because this is their first time in the country and I think they didn't know exactly what to expect of the country as a whole. I have been pleasantly surprised both times here, and it seems like since Nikol Pashinyan became prime minister of Armenia, there has been a new surge of optimism and joy in this country and in a part of the world where optimism is traditionally in short supply. It is something we could literally feel, tangibly, as we were walking the streets at almost midnight with people all over the place still laughing, hugging, kissing, and talking. How beautiful it is to see a changing Armenia.
After much excited discussion at the variety of restaurants available to us, we eventually settled for a Lebanese cafe tucked away down a cozy side street near the Cascade Complex (because how can you possibly go wrong some good old-fashioned Lebanese food), and WOW, it did not disappoint. Tabbouleh, fattoush, mutabal, sarma, soujoukh pizza, and a chicken shawarma sandwich, all for a measly $24 USD. It is still unbelievable how cheap food is here. We were floored when we got the bill. The same meal at a restaurant in Glendale would've cost us at least double the price. I could get used to this, Armenia.
Now it is 4 a.m. here and I am typing this because my sleep schedule is non-existent as of yet, so as I adjust, hopefully the timing of these blog posts will be slightly more forgiving on my beauty sleep. In the meantime, we are so happy to have landed safely in Armenia, and cannot wait to see how the Lord will use each on of us individually as the trip gets underway. Speak with you again soon!
Love,
Christian
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