Greetings from Yerevan!

Hello all!  This is the inaugural post of my latest adventure!  I decided it wasn’t worth starting a new blog because the theme still seems fitting.  If you’re new to reading about Little Hamlin’s adventures you can check out my first ever post for some Hamlin blogging history.  I can’t promise that I’ll write regularly, but I’ll do my best.  Now let’s talk about Armenia!  I’ll be here in Yerevan (the capital city) until May.  I’m traveling with an organization called Birthright Armenia which works to bring Armenians living in the diaspora back to the homeland.  I found out about this program last May when I reconnected with an old friend from Shore who was planning to participate (thank you Facebook).  When I found out that someone would give me money to send me to the other side of the world because I have a few Armenian genes, I said sign me up!  The extent of my “Armenian-ness” thus far starts and ends in the kitchen (my mom and I make some mean paklava), but I’ve always been curious about my Armenian heritage.  I think this is mainly because I’ve grown up inspecting the detailed family tree of my dad’s side that lives on the wall at our family cottage in Maine.  I can look at my own name on the very bottom and trace all the way up to Elder William Brewster who came to America on the Mayflower in 1620.  But when I look at my mom’s Armenian roots, they seem to end at her grandmother, and we don’t know much about those who came before her.  I can’t say my goal in coming to Armenia is to find out, but I’m looking to connect with the local culture, and who knows, maybe I’ll meet a long lost relative!  Right now I’m significantly jet lagged from my journey so I’ll plan to tell you all about what my next four months should look like in a later installment.  As for now, I’m settling into life with my homestay family and catching up on much needed rest!