A Never Ending Sea of People

April 24, 2009. Yerevan. What a day to be in Armenia.

It's kind of surreal to be here on April 24th, where people actually go out to the genocide memorial-Tsitsernakabert- out of genuine emotion and respect for all of the lives that were lost. It's very different from the march in LA, where kids go out in hopes of finding their next boyfriend or girlfriend. Here in Armenia, every single person in Armenia is out that day in full force- not everyone in Yerevan, but everyone in Armenia. It's like an endless sea of people stretching out for miles all across. And there are thousands of flowers everywhere along the streets, in people's hands, all being taken up to the memorial.

We started our trek up to Tsitsernakabert along Mashtots Ave., near the brandy factory. We were able to take a few marshrutkas up to get closer to it, but there was no avoiding the endless walking. The paved path up to the memorial was so full of people that a few of us-being the geniuses that we are- decided to hike up through the woods alongside the path. Imagine grown Armenian women in heels, hiking through the rocks. We went through wet grass, rocks, trees, pipes, and everything else you can think of before we finally joined the walkway again. It was an experience I'll never forget...

(Images from top: Caught in the middle of a march, the endless sea of people, hiking through the woods, the military out  in case of damage control, the various flower sellers).