"Coming back from a 4-day trip to Kharabagh really felt like coming back home, with our family waiting to greet us outside our house. That's when I realised just how attached we'd grown to the place, to our family, to the other volunteers"
Anoosh Gasparian, Azat 2009, London UK

"These people are so rich in spirit, money doesn't matter for survival. Now I understand where my parents and all our traditions have come from."
Taline Yelena Yepremian, Shoushi 2004, CA, USA

"I loved the simplicity of life in the village, the fresh homemade food is wonderful; that people are the friendliest and most hospitable... the children have the most beautiful faces..."
Sophia Balakian, Shadvan 2004, New York, USA

"...I know that when I reflect back on this experience I will feel ecstatic about the work we accomplished, the things we saw, and the bonds we forged."
Hovig Saghdejian, Ayroum 2003, California, USA

"This trip gave me a sense of identity. Before my trip, the only identity I had was that I was Armenian by name. Now I feel and understand where I've come from and what my responsibilities are."
Shirley Oghamian, Ayroum 2003, CA, USA

"LCO is an amazing concept. It introduced the deprived Diasporan to their land and their people. It is a wonderful introduction to Armenia and something every young man or woman should experience."
Madlene Minassian Ispirian, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, Yerevan, Armenia

"I formed strong bonds with my volunteers, and the difference in backgrounds was refreshing. It was interesting to hear the points of view of different Armenians from other areas of the Diaspora."
Aramazt Kalaydjian, Shoushi 2003, NY, USA

"All those places we'd been, things we'd done, the soccer match! I'm only really appreciating it to the fullest now, 10,000 miles away and a month later back here. I wish Shadvan was in my backyard, so I could step in and out of that reality as I wanted. It was just so refreshing and different. The purification process has begun."
Varant Yessayan, Shadvan 2004, Canada

"Dolma is made with mum's careful instructions, grandmothers eyes found on the faces of children, songs of Ararat are as familiar as the Khachkars dotting the landscape. If it smells like home, looks like home then it must be home."
Datevig Simonian, Shadvan 2004, California, USA

"LCO experience was a revelation for me. It gave me the opportunity to expand my horizons both personally and professionally. One of the most important experiences of my life and an important factor in determining my future goals."
Lara Aharonian, August 1999, August 2001, Montreal, Canada.

"The second I got off the plane my eyes were filled with tears; tears of happiness, of excitement and tears of joy. Everything was so beautiful, the old churches, the children and the sight of Mt. Ararat gave me the feeling of home and comfort."
Kevork Der Kevorkian, Shadvan 2004, Boston, USA

"My most memprable experience was being so warmly taken care by an old village couple, receiving gifts from them, giving them gifts and establishing bonds."
Naira Der-Kiureghian, Ayroum 2003, CA, USA

"There are experiences you shape and then there are experiences that shape you. The LCO Campaign of 2007 in the village of Azat offered me invaluable perceptions into the realities of my fellow Armenian brothers and sisters in a way only a true immersion program can. I urge everyone and anyone who might feel an inkling of belonging to this fascinating country, people, and history to sign up with the campaign immediately. I smile just thinking about what you have yet to experience."
Noushig K, Azat 2007, CA, USA

Let's just put it this way: Armenia had such an impact on me, that my whole life and the way I think about life has changed since that August.
Anna Farra, August 2001, Montreal, Canada