I had had an experience of a language tutor before but I had not worked with small children before my arrival to Armenia so this experience was new and quite challenging for me. Here I worked with three groups of children of various ages, so it was quite a good opportunity to see and feel the difference of teaching approaches suitable for different groups, from pre-school children, who require to be entertained and that is the way they get the knowledge, to teenagers, whose interest can be attracted by discussions on the topics which are important for them. So this work always required special preparation for every single lesson. But here I discovered that work with children is always emotionally rewarding, so you always get more in return than you contribute no matter how hard you try to make the difference.
My life there was far from limited to my volunteer experience. It was also full of communications with co-volunteers, locals, and my University friends in Armenia.
We visited some places of interest (Sanahin, Haghpat and Geghard monasteries, Garni temple), took part in supporting Armenian National football team in its match against Portugal, enjoyed great performance of Tigran Hamasayn in Zvartnots…
So many truly unforgettable moments in just three weeks. And I can’t help thinking how much more great experience I would have gained if I could have managed to stay for just a little longer. But still. J
