It's been two years
since that spring day , which willy-nilly has become the reason of the great
change of my life. One day in the spring , but not in the days when the sun's
burning rays of the soul , on the contrary gloomy spring day was at school we
were all counting the hours to go home as soon as possible and drink a cup of
hot tea to warm ourselves, when the classroom door suddenly opened and a friend
of mine came with a paper in her hand. He came up to me and handed the paper saying:
“This is a summer school questionnaire. Complete it!”
After she left, I put the paper in my bag and
till reaching home forgot about it, because the cold froze my brain. Getting
enough warmth at home I opened my bag, took the paper and began to explore:
GLOW, “illuminate, bright, hmmm”; I thought, then I put the paper aside and
began to do my homework. A few days later I noticed the paper in the room. The
deadline was near/close, I did not know what to do, I thought to throw the
paper in the garbage, as I did not have enough confidence and did not trust
myself. But in the evening, when the sun came down, I decided to try. My hands
were shaking, the pen was slipping from the fingers. While I was filling in the
form I thought: This is all in vain, I will not pass the competition, because
the others are much better than me”
Two months later I got a call from Stepanavan
Youth Center, for a moment my ears left me, all I saw was in black/ everything
in my sight was in black, I could not feel anything, because I was told that I
was chosen as the participant of GLOW Summer School.
A sunny summer day I left home, I walked to
the car for leaving for Stapanavan. I was silent all the way, because my
thoughts were already in Stepanavan. Getting out of the car my heart started to
beat fast, I was excited and anxious.
But approaching the counselors and junior
counselors my heart got rest/calm, I started to breathe as usual. Everyone was smiling
and I found the camp in perfect harmony.
I was escorted to my room, where I met my
roommate, who has become my best friend. In the beginning I was afraid even to
talk, but already in the same evening we became sisters.
Definitely GLOW is an endless store/world of new
knowledge, everyone learns here, but we learn from real experience, not just
from books, we learn from people who have a history and who are more than ready
to share it. And all these people introduced me with my nowadays best friend
and mentor/adviser who I had never met before. Her name is Anush Petrosyan.
Now she also has her own history, which is
very interesting, as it says how fast only a week-long period in GLOW project she
has been totally transformed. It's unbelievable how people can just become so
mature, self-confident and get courage in a week. She says that she can no
longer believe that it was her filling in the application with the shaking
hand. She just cannot believe it was the same Anush or me.
GLOW made me to recognize not only the world
that surrounds me, but also taught me to know myself, my own world. I realized
that it was the time to get out of the cage, where I imprisoned myself in the
chains.
GLOW has showed me the doors, which had many
roads and whispered in my ears: “It is your choice, you are the responsible for
the chosen direction”. It seems a huge wall
was broken in front of me, because my eyes started to see all the possibilities
that life had given me.
It was the time to leave Stepanavan, everyone
was crying, we 're all sad to farewell our new full of love family. But the
time has come that we all have returned to our communities and extended/spreaded
the knowledge which had gained during unforgettable days of GLOW summer school.
I was leaving, but I was leaving with a goal to return a year later.
And a year later I returned as a junior
counselor with readiness to share my experience and spread knowledge.
This time I came back to tell my story for a
new portion of inspiration.
Telling about my experience of being a junior counselor
during GLOW I was chosen in the FLEX (FLEX-Future Leaders Exchange) program, and
got the opportunity to live and study in the USA.
This was a milestone for me that have been
realized after GLOW.
This time I put all my efforts to help and
support all the participants, became a reality only after : once that is
accomplished in this camp to for all of the participants, as for me inspiration
is a prerequisite of miracles to come true.
GLOW- girls lead our country, GLOW- girls
lighting up our country.
Today, when I look back to find a fearful and
shy Anush, she smiles and says: “I am proud of you”
Anush Petrosyan
Dilijan , Tavush Marz
GLOW 2012 aramayin participating school
GLOW 2013 summer school junior counselor
