#BRAVOONTHEROAD: Youth Exchange in Yerevan, Armenia
„It was just like a dream. A dream that went by really fast. It’s like it never even happened but then you take a look and realize that you made memories and gained one valuable lifetime experience with people that became your family. The project “Culture and Rhythms” is the reason why I fell in love with these Erasmus+ projects all over again. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to take part in this project and meet these beautiful people. Excuse me, those people aren’t just some people, they are family. Huge applause to the organizators, Tigi and Irina, who have put so much effort in this project in order to create one safe space for us. I said it already and I will say it one more time-best organizators! This project learned me a lot of things but the most important one is that this project showed me that language isn’t a barrier and that you can connect with people without even saying a word.“
„Being part of the BRAVO family on the Culture and Rhythms project in Armenia was a great happiness and satisfaction for me. From the very beginning, until the end of the project, BRAVO director, and then more experienced participants were there for everything he needed. When it comes to the project, the project allowed me to meet cultures that were foreign to me until then, or about which I did not know enough. Thanks to the project, I met different people, cultures, dances, legends, beliefs, and my favorite - food. I invite everyone to leave their comfort zone and push themselves into a world made up of diverse and colorful people, and projects like this are a great opportunity for that.“
„I had a great opportunity to be part of a project and youth exchange “Culture and Rhythms” in Armenia. I never had the opportunity to experience so much beauty of meeting different cultures and socializing together in such a unique way. It is amazing how similar we all are regardless of the language we grew up with and the customs we are used to. Every day, with the help of wonderful organizers, we exchanged dances and many traditional things, and in this way we enjoyed, learned and created our memories together. For a relatively short period of stay in one place, the time spent there is used to the maximum in the best possible way. I hope to have a chance to have a similar experience again soon with the help of the “Bravo” organization and their great and hardworking team. Youth exchange is the best opportunity for every young person and their personal development. From the beginning to the end of this project absolutely everyone up to one member has changed. Many barriers and prejudices that we were not even aware were part of us have become a part of the past forever. We met, exchanged experiences, helped each other and laughed. We couldn't help but become friends and significant to each other as people who had become very important in one short, yet remarkable life experience. Travel, education and all in all experience. We really should never stop with experiences, because there are so many boundaries that we need to move and expand our world, it would be a shame to never do that. I will end with one great quote: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." ~ Saint Augustine. „
„We spent 10 days in Armenia, where we learnt a lot about cultures and different backgrounds. The experience was really meaningful, but mainly because we met some awesome people. We danced, learned traditional dances, played many games and spent activites in the city, and made some nice friendships. As we learnt those dances, at the end, we mixed them into one dance which we presented in Yerevan, and that was really cool and kind of new experience for me. I enjoyed the time we spent there, and I really liked the people as much as the city. The food was also great(I need to mention it), and we tried the best food ever at out intercultural night. I would just like to say that I’m grateful for opportunities like this, and anyone reading this can have the same one, just follow BRAVO and make sure to help change this world into a better place.“
„I had an opportunity to be a part of a youth exchange "Culture and Rhythms" in Abovyan, Armenia. It was the first youth exchange I participated in. At first I did not know what to expect from activities and people there because I had no insight in Armenia and it's culture. The moment we arrived at the airport in Yerevan, we were greeted by our hoasts and they tried to feel us welcome and comfortable. The time we spent in Abovyan and Yerevan was most magical thing I experienced in my life. Our organizators, Irina and Tiggy were making our time there even better. Also the people from other countries who participated in this project are kind of people you stay friends with for the rest of your life. As a traditional dancer I was fascinated to get to know other dances and music, food and lifestyles. As in the matter of food and accomodation, everything was great and we also had an opportunity to to try their traditional dishes and to hear the stories behind those dishes. Things I would like to mention, that were the best moments for me there, are making the dance for the flash mob, intercultural night, city game and the farewell. At the intercultural night, I was fascinated by the food and drinks they presented to us and tried to bring a part of their cuture and country there to us. At the city game I realized how people are hospitable, helpful and outgoing. I was scared that we wouldn't be able to finish all our tasks because the tasks required communication with people and majority of them don't speak English. Luckly, we had some help from out Armenian friends, who helped us communicate with people and make it easier for us to find locations we had to find. If you ask me, I feel like I have escaped from this world and spent 10 days in some other universe. The departure day was like an emotional rolercoaster for me, it was so hard to say goodbye to people because we created some kind of bond between us. I would go back and spend some more time with same people again because this was unforgetable experience and I hope to see those people again at some point. At the end I would like to thank organisators for making this youth exchange possible. „
„ As a participant in the „Culture and Rhythms” project, I can confirm that my experience was satisfactory. My sending organization made sure everything ended properly, as did the organization that welcomed me. When we talk about project activities, this project has just made sure that we learn each other's cultures, through music, dance, information about countries, stereotypes. Most of all I liked the top 10 activities, where I had an opportunity to learn a lot useful information. If I had the opportunity to repeat and improve the activities of the project, it would be more educational sessions. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Irina and the other members of the organization for being there for all our needs and the information we needed. I liked the activities in Yerevan the most, festivals, sightseeing, because we showed the result of our work there. Finally, I would like to once again express my gratitude to my sending organization for taking care of the whole organization of the project, the trip, the problems (as I am one of the participants who had many travel problems, and they were there at any time of day or night to give me all the necessary instructions).“