One of the greatest lessons of being here is how little is required to attain happiness. Of course, you could just as easily phrase that as how much nothingness we have in more developed parts of the world. I am a bit sad to see the commercial world exploding into Yerevan. There is so much
here. Armenia is full of drama and color.

I loved hiking down the Azat river valley and seeing thousands of perfectly cut hexagonal prisons jutting down upon us from the cliffs above, like a huge fish's jaw. There were girls standing by the river under some fruit trees who eyed us curiously, and an older man in a straw hat, sprawled
out on the bank, lounging, completely at peace. I took his picture and waved, and he waved back.

Later I remembered the echo of the tiny river crashing through the assive
gorge as we stood in a circle in a cave at Geghardt, singing Armenian hymns. I mostly followed along since I didn't know the songs, but it was
very easy to catch on, and I could feel my nose resonate from the ibrations
of the chamber. Lav e.

Nishan Bingham (USA),
LCO volunteer and BR/DH participant