I’m at rock the bells right now and it’s such an interesting group of people that are here. People from every possible background, different cultures, totally inconsistent socioeconomic backgrounds. There is really mo consistency in anything here, and it’s wonderful. It seems like the Internet age has further helped to blur the gaps. Though that is only speculation to how such a diverse group can converge, I feel that people’s appreciation of types of music is greatly due to the ease of access of so many different varieties of music. Furthermore, the creativity of artists has been fueled by the same access to multiple varieties of music. The music here also follows this eclectic convergence. A mix of hip-hop, rock, old school, electro, indie, baile funke, etc all combined to create amazing music. This helps me look forward to the future.

A forward thinking intern from the program I was working with in New York compiled this representative set of quotes that the interns dropped while in NYC. Many are hilarious for the memories they provoke, and most are simply funny for how off the wall they are.

“Shitt!!!We lost Frenchie!” -Adriana on the Toys R Us Ferris Wheel

“They’re having hot dogs for us…they’re not even kosher. They’re probably made of bull’s testicles” -Andrea

“I feel so bad…I bit him” -Andrea

“It either means ‘chicken’ or ‘fuck you’” -Andrea

“Run bitch, run!” -crazy lady in subway

“I love sleep…and my nails…I don’t know why I just said that. Why did I say that?” -Fred from France

“Algeria and Sweden probably hate me” -Ana

“We need to talk to Ana-we need to get her a bottle of soap” (in reference to Andrea discovering that putting soap in her eyes wakes her up)

“You guys…we just spent $48 dollars on guacamole.” -our table at Dos Caminos

“I have a theory… #1.) Women who don’t eat chocolate can’t/don’t have kids. #2.) Girls who don’t wear pointy shoes are nicer than those who do” -Fred from France

“I’m going to puke she’s so funny” – Lara about Andrea

“I want to have a guy with white boxers wearing cowboy boots on a chain so I can walk him and be like ‘Bitch. Obey your Master.’” -Andrea

“Please God. Bring me a beer. Please God. Please please please” -Sarkis

“Arka…do you want to sit?”

“….wait….are you going to pay?”

Ken…..as a raptor
as a baby
as Peter Griffin
as Sarkis (Hello, my name is Sarkis..I am from France…I play the guitar)

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.”

“Excuse me sirrrr” -Adriana/ Ana
“…crazy face”
“Fix your life.”

Arpine: You’re a loser
Sarkis: No. I’m Iliozer.

Alex walks into the common room at 2:45am on a Tuesday : “um….do you guys work?”

Vanik : J’ai dit que tu ris tout le temps
Me : (translating) He said that I laugh all of the time.
Arka: um…..I know.

“I don’t mean to be direct…but I hate you” -Sarkis to Lauren

“You knocked over someone’s pillow you a-hole” -Adriana to Alexis as we waited in the courtyard before boarding the bus

“Look at my bloody shirt!” -Rimma

Carolyn calls Vanik’s room in the hotel
“Hello?”
“Hi Vanik!”
“Hello. Your call may be recorded for quality purposes”

“Please don’t tell me that’s the line for the metro” -Carolyn

“What’s wading?” -Arka

RB: “She’s my sister in law. She cooks for our children. She cleans….she’s like family.”

RB: Okay…1, 2,3. (counting for a picture that she wasn’t taking)

RB: Okay, now all the pretty girls clean up the dishes.

RB: “Think about looking at each other with different eyes.”

RB: “This is the first time that I have used Styrofoam in 32 years…age before beauty”

“Good night” -Sarkis

“Hi, my name is Andrea…(pause….wait for it)..Aghlaghanian” (on the bus ride home)

“Andrea Aghlagagagaggagagaga….” -Ken

“I love Jesus!” -Vanik when the First Missionary Baptist Church Bus showed up

Ani: How long will the lectures be?
Aline: The lectures will be about an hour to an hour and a half
Sarkis: For Digin Balian or everyone else?

“Putain de merde ! Qu’est-ce qu’elle est bonne. ..Je vie dans un chateau de merde” -Ken

“I play guitar and I sing my song in the Suuunnshine!” -Sarkis and Ken

“You can order Sarkis” – Ken while pointing to ‘french fruit tart’ on the menu

“Let me put it this way-every time Andrea begins to speak I brace myself” -Ana

“Why is it that every time we’re eating we talk about the next time we’re going to eat!” -Salpy

“At my wedding she [Andrea] is going to be like ‘Can I cut the cake?’…Instead of me and my husband throwing cake at each other, it’s going to be Andrea.” -Ciara

“…guys thighs are scandalous” -Salpy

“Okay. Now it’s time for the girls to show us something we don’t see in every day life” -Vanik

“If I had pom pons right now I’d be a cheerleader” -Alex

(Salpy and I set up the empty water bottles as bowling ball pins)
WHAM! (Sarkis comes out of nowhere, bashes them all over with his toy guitar)
“Good night!”

“Can we do nothing special so that I can go change my batteries?” -Vanik

“I’d pick nice restaurants too if I picked the most expensive restaurants in the phonebook”

“Vanik- how long have you been going out with your girlfriend?”
“Nine months”
“Do you have a baby?” -Sarkis

(someone is clapping their hands in the other room)
“Arie?” -Sarkis

Yesterday we were at the New York Armenian Home – a seniors home for Armenians. It was filled with elder Armenians with anywhere from 80 to 101 years of life. Some needed the 24-hour care as they were physically or neurologically sick. Others were healthy but had no family to take care of them, a family that still provided love, however were not able to provide a great deal of time for their parents or grandparents, or those that voluntarily decided that this would be the last home they would live in.

It wasn’t sad, rather it was realistic. This is what happens to some when they grow old. I found it especially interesting that a majority of these seniors had much less energy. But the question is, are they so inert because they are here, or were they this way before they came here?

My grandfather was driving till the year he died, this year actually. He had incredible energy, even after struggling numerous times with cancer and living alone for 7 years after his wife’s passing.

Then there is my mother who is the most energetic of all the people I have ever met. She is constantly going, always working for philanthropic causes, making sure her 2 sons are happy and in the right direction, and making sure her husband is happy.

I am currently working with these interns who are just a few years behind my age and my stage in life. The effort is to give these interns both perspective and experience in a world away from the books and the protection of the classroom. Along with their experience, being in an authority position above them also gives me a great deal of perspective about where I am, and where I am going.

Coming full circle, the experience yesterday showed each of us a possible future. And the possible being tangible can greatly help you understand how to make decisions for your future. It’s like how architects use models to see their buildings in three dimensions before they actually build them. We must do our best to understand what is possible to make the right decisions on how to be happiest throughout our lives.

New York, New York.

For 24 years, my environment has mainly been Denver, Colorado. It’s a place that I’ve always loved, and a place that I have learned to appreciate with each new place I visit. But something else I have learned to appreciate is the freedom that I am allowed in my life right now. No spouse, girlfriend, or children, and IT consulting work that allows me to live a virtual life. This is coupled with a passion and desire for travel and new experiences.

The cliché is to live without regrets, and with a certain amount of foresight (and the push of a close friend), I recognized the importance of my current position in life and the opportunities it allows me to capitalize on now, but will be much harder to capitalize on later.

All that said, about 1 ½ months ago, while speaking to a friend about an event that my brother and I would be attending in New York, she told me about a position available as the Activities Coordinator for a summer internship program sponsored by a large organization called Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). The job calls for someone who can act as a resource, guidance counselor, mentor, and peer to these college Juniors and Seniors. After a few discussions and an interview with the internship program staff, they offered me the position and I accepted.

The reasons I accepted are free housing in East Village in Manhattan for the 9 week duration of the program, being engulfed in Armenian culture, meeting many new people, and opportunities for many new experiences. On top of all of that, I will have time each day to continue supporting and performing work for my current clients. It doesn’t get to be much better of a fit…

My major effort in life is to experience all that I can in order to understand what it is I like, and what will ultimately make me happy. As the first step to finding a solution is understanding the problem, the biggest step to happiness is understanding what makes you happy.

I’m buying a one way ticket because I don’t know what my time in New York will be like. But I’m pretty damn confident that I will love it. If you’ll be visiting, drop me a line.