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A FASCINATING JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY: CLIMBING MOUNT ARARAT
http://asbarez.com/114397/a-fascinating-journey-of-self-discovery-climbing-mount-ararat/
Friday, September 27th, 2013
The group of climbers with Mt. Ararat in the background
BY ANNETTE MOSKOFIAN
Ararat is the place named in the Book of Genesis where Noah's Ark
came to rest after the great flood (Genesis 8:4). Many explorers
for centuries came in search of the Ark, and I came in search
of rediscovering the realization of my dreams, my ideals and my
principles. It was a pilgrimage made to the most prominent symbol of
a nation held in captivity. Ararat is synonymous with the Armenian
national identity, and although it is under Turkish occupation and
a region inhabited mainly by Kurds its symbolism for Armenians,
standing 5137 meters high, is of utmost importance.
Our small group of four started this unbelievable journey on a hot
day in July from Kars, to the ancient ruins of Ani to Ararat, Van and
finally to Moush. Incidentally, my grandmother was a survivor of the
Genocide whose whole family of 100 were all massacred in Moush. I was
brought up with harrowing stories about her journey of survival and
about my courageous grandfather who was a Fedayi (freedom fighter) and
how never to trust the Turks or the Bolesheviks or any foreign power
for that matter. The ideals of "Free, Independent and United Armenia"
were the basis of my national education from childhood. Majority
of Armenians from the Diaspora are survivors or are grandchildren or
great-grandchildren of genocide survivors. We have all heard first-hand
about what happened to our families, but witnessing the devastation
in person is quite moving. I truly understood in this journey what
annihilation of a race means as the Turks systematically killed more
than 1.5 million Armenians and the subsequent Turkish rulers wiped
out any trace of a race, destroying historical churches, monuments,
towns and villages; my heritage, the land of my ancestors wiped out.
At the second camp: we proudly displayed the Armenian flag and,
for the first time ever, the ARF flag
Yet here was our group, used to the comfort of their homes in search
of their history and with a quest to conquer this harsh terrain. We
had a Hungarian friend also in our group who came to understand that
our taken path was nothing to do with a physical challenge. What
we learned on our ascent was indescribable; the mountain tested our
physical and mental strength, our character, dedication and conviction
to climb even higher. It was a journey full of contradictory feelings;
funny, sometimes hilarious, sad, painful, peaceful, exhausting, an
awe inspiring experience, each of us with our strengths and weaknesses
complementing the group's collective efforts.
I began the journey at a stage in my life when I had started to
question my political convictions, the direction we were heading and
wondering where we had gone wrong, in search of answers and hoping that
the answer laid in the journey of this glorious mountain. I undertook
this challenge in the memory of my grandmother and grandfather who
were never able to return and be buried in their homeland. I found out
that our demands were just and took an oath to redirect my life. It
was a tough, rocky journey full of hardship; and so is the journey
ahead of us for the realization of our dreams and reaching the summit.
http://asbarez.com/114397/a-fascinating-journey-of-self-discovery-climbing-mount-ararat/
Friday, September 27th, 2013
The group of climbers with Mt. Ararat in the background
BY ANNETTE MOSKOFIAN
Ararat is the place named in the Book of Genesis where Noah's Ark
came to rest after the great flood (Genesis 8:4). Many explorers
for centuries came in search of the Ark, and I came in search
of rediscovering the realization of my dreams, my ideals and my
principles. It was a pilgrimage made to the most prominent symbol of
a nation held in captivity. Ararat is synonymous with the Armenian
national identity, and although it is under Turkish occupation and
a region inhabited mainly by Kurds its symbolism for Armenians,
standing 5137 meters high, is of utmost importance.
Our small group of four started this unbelievable journey on a hot
day in July from Kars, to the ancient ruins of Ani to Ararat, Van and
finally to Moush. Incidentally, my grandmother was a survivor of the
Genocide whose whole family of 100 were all massacred in Moush. I was
brought up with harrowing stories about her journey of survival and
about my courageous grandfather who was a Fedayi (freedom fighter) and
how never to trust the Turks or the Bolesheviks or any foreign power
for that matter. The ideals of "Free, Independent and United Armenia"
were the basis of my national education from childhood. Majority
of Armenians from the Diaspora are survivors or are grandchildren or
great-grandchildren of genocide survivors. We have all heard first-hand
about what happened to our families, but witnessing the devastation
in person is quite moving. I truly understood in this journey what
annihilation of a race means as the Turks systematically killed more
than 1.5 million Armenians and the subsequent Turkish rulers wiped
out any trace of a race, destroying historical churches, monuments,
towns and villages; my heritage, the land of my ancestors wiped out.
At the second camp: we proudly displayed the Armenian flag and,
for the first time ever, the ARF flag
Yet here was our group, used to the comfort of their homes in search
of their history and with a quest to conquer this harsh terrain. We
had a Hungarian friend also in our group who came to understand that
our taken path was nothing to do with a physical challenge. What
we learned on our ascent was indescribable; the mountain tested our
physical and mental strength, our character, dedication and conviction
to climb even higher. It was a journey full of contradictory feelings;
funny, sometimes hilarious, sad, painful, peaceful, exhausting, an
awe inspiring experience, each of us with our strengths and weaknesses
complementing the group's collective efforts.
I began the journey at a stage in my life when I had started to
question my political convictions, the direction we were heading and
wondering where we had gone wrong, in search of answers and hoping that
the answer laid in the journey of this glorious mountain. I undertook
this challenge in the memory of my grandmother and grandfather who
were never able to return and be buried in their homeland. I found out
that our demands were just and took an oath to redirect my life. It
was a tough, rocky journey full of hardship; and so is the journey
ahead of us for the realization of our dreams and reaching the summit.