Crossing Borders to Armenia

Making friends at the border

April 27th, 2025... Crossing the border to Armenia was an interesting and fun experience! There are actually 2 crossings. When we left Georgia, we had to get out of our vehicle and walk through passport control. Here we would meet other people doing the same, so we would play with them. That seemed reasonable, right? As we waited for our driver, we would hang outside and chat with folks. See photo above. Then we would get in the vehicle and drive to the 2nd crossing to enter Armenia. Here we had to get all of our luggage and again walk through passport control. Then, since we had luggage, we had to go through customs. Along the way we continued to play, chat and laugh with other folks in the same shoes. Not clown shoes, but the same situation. You know what I mean, right. The passport control folks seemed to enjoy our antics as well. I met a nice family in line who went to Georgia to have their daughter baptized. They were on their way back home to Armenia. That seemed like a lot to go through in my opinion, but the young lady who was baptized seemed really happy. The whole experience took us about an hour, and I must say, it was one of the most fun hours of the trip. 

After getting through the border, we drove to our hotel in the Caucus mountains. We spent one night in this beautiful setting. We had a little time to go for a nice walk by the river and then dinner at the hotel. I went to bed a little early, per usual and prepared for the next day.

A view of the Caucus mountains from my morning walk.

April 28th, 2025...  In the morning, I had a little time to go for a walk through a local park and up a side road into the mountains. I was treated to some fun bird watching on this road. I felt rested and at peace. I was ready for the next few days of adventure. After breakfast we visited an ancient monastery in the mountains. Our trips aren't all about clowning. We try to learn some of the local history, and monasteries are part of that history. We visited Makaravank. It was built between 1000 and 1300 A.D. We were given a short tour and talk by the local monk. We walked around the grounds for a little while and then headed back to the hotel for lunch.

Maria, Luydka and Anya listen to the monk give us info about the monastery

After lunch we went to a clinic for kids with special needs. As usual, we had an active audience and laughed and played for about an hour or so. Parents and kids alike really enjoy our visits. Even some of the local kids interacted with us as we were leaving and boarding our bus. We drove a short distance into the mountains to clown with some more kids in a different local clinic. I am always impressed with the clinics in other countries. They do so much with so little from what I can tell.  Their places are typically well managed and kept clean, at least from what I can see. With every visit I typically have one kiddo or one interaction that stands out above all. At the second clinic there was a young boy, about age 10, who was nonverbal and clearly on the spectrum. Watching him watch the clowns was fascinating for me. He seemed to evaluate the whole experience for a few minutes and then joined in with the play activity while smiling this really sweet smile. It is kids like him that I feel can get left out or overlooked in some settings, but clearly not in our setting. I love that about our visits and any clown visit I have ever done.

Fun activities outside during our first visit.

Look at that smile! He is so smart and knows how to play! 💙

After our second visit of the day, we drove 2 hours to Yerevan. But first, we stopped at a local lake resort area. We spent an hour or so here exploring the beauty of the mountains and lake in this area. It was a nice interlude between our visits and our arrival to Yerevan. In Yerevan we had dinner and got settled into our hotel. We stayed in Ibis Hotel in downtown, and it was a really nice experience. More on that later. 

View of the lake on our drive to Yerevan

April 29th, 2025... Our bus left the hotel at 1030am. That gave me a few hours in the morning to walk around the city, which I always enjoy. Being new to the city, I only explored a short distance from the hotel. That was enough to get a feel for the area though. Just around the corner from the hotel was a nice walking area with no traffic. This stretched for 6 or 7 blocks, and I ended up at a small city pond with a fun statue by it. I made it back to the hotel to have some breakfast and get ready for our day.

Quaint little park in the downtown area. This statue just made me giggle every time I saw it. :0)

Our first stop of the day would be at a center for children with special needs. They had a nice outdoor area, playground, and sidewalk to play on. The weather was beautiful, so we played with the kids and their parents outside. I always prefer outdoor play whenever possible, and luckily it was possible most places on this trip. 

Outdoor activities at the Children's Center

After the Children's Center we had lunch and then headed over to a Hematology Center for children and young adults with cancer. This was an indoor visit, and you would think it would be a little lower key, but no! We roamed the hallways and split up into rooms to play and sing and whatever else the children wanted to do, within reason of course. Pluk put on a magic show in the hallway with the help of a fun 12-year-old. Other clowns played with balloons, bubbles, ukuleles and whatever. I played in a few rooms and then found myself in a small side area next to the stairwell. There were 2 other clowns and 3 kids here. I pulled out my bouncy juggling balls and when I dropped one, a young girl about the age of 4 lit up and ran to grab it. She was pretty stoic and quiet up to this point, so her reaction to a bouncy ball surprised me a little. Anyway, we played throw and catch, and throw and drop, and throw and chase with each other and the other clowns for a little while. She was attached to an IV drip, but she was so careful about not getting the tubing pulled on or tripped over. I was extremely impressed with her attention to it, while she was still able to laugh and be lively and playful. She was my standout "artist" for this visit. 

We gather outside the Hematology Center before our visit.

Don't let the contraptions fool you, she was so interactive and playful! 💛

After the hematology center, we headed for dinner at Karas and then back to the hotel. The next day we would be going to a school for children with special needs and a refugee center. 

April 30th, 2025... The Metsamore School was fascinating to me. When we arrived, a lot of the kids were outside in a large fenced in area with bleachers, soccer goals, and paved area to play on. I thought this was a school for kids with special needs specifically, but it turns out it was an integration school where all kinds of children attend for an education. It was fun to watch all the different levels of ability interact and mingle together. Just as it should be everywhere in my humble opinion. Metsamore has a great model for education and I would love to see more schools do this. I played soccer with a few of the kids for a little while and then meandered around the area to interact with others. Puppets, bubbles, balls, and music filled the air. I am sure I detected a bit of laughter as well :0). It was another incredible visit where I feel I gained as much, or more, than I gave. I think the other clowns would agree with me. 

A group does a conga line while others continue to play. I am on the soccer field playing between photo-ops.

We ate lunch at Karas in the city. They always put out a nice spread and they welcomed the clowns with open arms, hearts and stomachs. The food was always delicious. With our stomachs full and energy recharged, we headed to a refugee center next. Believe it or not, I had never been to a refugee center, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I had some preconceived notions in my head of course, and some of those turned out to be accurate while others turned out to be way off. The center was small. It seemed to be in an alleyway behind some businesses off a busy street. The "houses" that people lived in were miniscule with patched together roofs. However, the people were lovely. The kids were lively, playful and energetic! This really didn't surprise me. Before we played, we were given a short briefing on the center by the director. She told us why the refugee center exists, what they provide, etc. She told us not to expect the adults to interact or play with us and please don't take offense to it. They just don't understand that clowns are for adults and not just kids. This is how she explained it. Well, it didn't take long for a few of the adults to laugh and join in on the fun. Not all of them did, but a few. And the ones who didn't join in, still smiled and gave us nods as their children were given some much-needed play and respite from their daily lives. They seemed to have the very minimal of basic needs, yet they seemed appreciative to have it. They look for work every day so they can provide for themselves, but work is sparce in the area... especially for people who are displaced by war. Even with the info we were given, I don't exactly understand the war situation and such. Basically, there is a small area of Armenia called Azerbaijan that is at war with the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh (You can google them to learn more). 120,000 people have had to flee their homes at a moment's notice, and with no belongings, just to survive. They head to the main city Yerevan to try and make a life with nothing. It is truly incredible. It is even more incredible that they can smile at all, and their children laugh and play like any other children I have ever met! I know I will complain about my life and situation in the future as I am human after all. However, at this moment I will do my very best to limit that. I truly have nothing to complain about, especially after seeing in person how some people live. Not only that but live this way due to no fault of their own. They do it just to survive, literally! This place really moved me overall. 2 kids and 1 adult moved me beyond others though. The adult was a middle-aged woman who decided to get us all in a circle holding hands. She then proceeded to have us walk in a circle as she sang a tune that I presume was Armenian and special to her. She smiled and laughed the whole time, and then she broke away to go do some chores I supposed. I tried to give her a nose as a thank you, but she waved it away and continued to giggle as the rest of us played.

I didn't get her name, but she is wearing the dark blue dress.

The first child was a boy of about age 3 or 4. He was so lively and energetic. His smile and laughter lit up the whole alleyway. His hair was spectacular! Seriously, spectacular! When he would bounce around chasing bubbles or whatever, his hair would bounce around everywhere. He showed me you can definitely laugh loud, play hard, and smile brightly in the worst of adversities! I will try to keep those lessons close to my heart as I live on.

Look at the face. Full of wonder and fun!

And that hair! 

The 2nd young boy was about 7. He wasn't overly smiley or exuberant, but very interactive and fun. He instantly picked a nose from my pocket and put it on. He ran around the alleyway playing with whomever would play. At one point he walked up to me and said, "I am a Kid Clown". My heart be stilled at those words! My response was "Yes you are!". I tried to put as much enthusiasm behind it as I could. I envision him going around to all the people who lived there trying to make them smile and laugh, even long after we were gone. I sure hope that is the case, and I sure hope he lifts the spirits of the folks there who need it most. Just like he lifted my spirit in showing me what a true clown is! 

Such a sweet Kid Clown he is! (Not sure why I look the way I do? Ha!)

Learning to juggle from Daniel

May 1st, 2025... This morning, I walked up all 520 steps to get a great view of the city. Yes, I counted them all. I had two stray dogs join me for the trek. I felt bad I didn't have any food to give them after our journey together. They didn't seem to mind a whole lot as one of them laid next to me to rest. I sat and enjoyed the view of the city, with Mt. Ararat visible in the background. It was a peaceful way to start the day, and I thoroughly enjoyed moments like this. I almost enjoyed them as much as the clowning visits... almost.

A view of Yerevan from the top of the steps. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Ararat to the center right of the photo.

My faithful companion on my trek up the steps. He motivated me more than he knows!

Today we went to a big orphanage for people with disabilities. Kids and young adults lived there. I didn't take any photos here for some reason. We gathered in a large room and played with all the usual props, ukuleles, etc. It was a lively group for sure. The place seemed well run overall but definitely understaffed. You wouldn't know that to watch the staff, however. They showed great care to the people in their care. They had a nice outdoor area where a few people meandered, but mostly it was indoor activities for us. One young teenager about the age of 16 struck a chord with me. He was nonverbal and probably on the spectrum. As I watched him interact with others, I noticed he was very gentle, sweet and smart! He joined in activities after watching for a minute or two to make sure he understood them, I guess. He appeared to blend in and go unnoticed for the most part, but I noticed him. As we were leaving and he walked away with a group of his friends, he turned towards our group and blew us a kiss. My heart melted on the spot. 

Amina, who is Armenian, joined us for the trip to the orphanage. She is a friend of a friend in the USA. This is her first time clowning. She did great!

After clowning around with kids and young adults, the mood changed as we visited the genocide memorial of Armenia. I knew nothing of the genocide before I decided to travel here. I still don't know much, but what I do know is it is an awful moment in history for Armenia. The basics are... 1.5 million Armenians were murdered by the Young Turks of The Ottoman Empire during World War 1. There is a big history lesson to be learned here, but I am not the one to teach you. All I know is the Armenian people have suffered a great deal, and the visit to the memorial would not be a clowning or happy event. We walked around the grounds, paid homage to the dead at the eternal flame, and cried for the atrocities they endured. As we left, we took a collective deep breath and journeyed on with our clowning. 

An eternal flame burns in the middle of the memorial to remind people of the genocide.

We headed back to the center of Yerevan where we had some free time. Free time meant that we walked through the local markets clowning and interacting with whomever wanted to play. It was such a contrast from the memorial visit, but such is life. Right? We moved on and kept trying to spread the love and laughter. We went to an indoor market first. The people here loved us! There was a lot of laughing and smiling happening here. I personally was given 2 cups of wine, fresh fruit to eat, and a cucumber as gifts. The poorest of the poor are always so giving to the clowns. That is my experience anyway. From there we walked through the outdoor market where Daniel and Stepan played an accordion that one of the locals had out. We enjoyed the fresh air and a few antics with the stray dogs. Comic relief does help. I have learned that firsthand by doing it and receiving it. 

Pinion leads a dog to water. Peter pushes the button on the fountain so the dog can get a drink. Sweet and Funny!

A local indoor market. If you look closely, you can see the clowns to the left. Maybe a joker to the right? 

We had a free evening after this. People ventured off on their own or in small groups. I joined my friend Justin, from Russia, and a couple of others for dinner. Justin was in Georgia with us for two days and then went back to Russia for work. Then he surprised us by returning to Armenia for the last couple of days. What a treat that was. As he put it, he had CWB. Clown Withdrawal Blues. We cured him in no time. The 4 of us had a nice quiet dinner together as we caught up more and enjoyed some delicious food. Tomorrow will be our last day together as a group. Time to get some rest! When I got back to my hotel room, there was a sweet surprise from the hotel staff. They really went above and beyond at Ibis to make our group of clowns feel at home. Every room had a nice note left for us on our last night of sleep. They also made Clown Apples to go along with the notes. I was touched!

A Clown Apple made by the hotel staff.

This was the note in my room. It seemed appropriate for sure.

May 2nd, 2025... This was our last day in Armenia. We took a 2-hour bus trip out of the city to a small mountain town called Gyumri. I must say, refugee center to the side, this might have been my favorite visit. It definitely seemed like a great way to end our trip. In the morning, we visited the Gyumri Special Needs Center. This is a day care center for children and young adults with special needs. This place was immaculate and well run. The children and staff all seemed truly happy to be here. And not just because there were clowns. It is a nonprofit organization. It does some really interesting stuff. First, the day care center will hire some of the single moms to work there. This way, they can earn a little money while their child is at daycare. They also offer free therapies like Speech, Occupational, Physical and more. If that is not enough, it also runs a bakery in town that helps fund the place. Some of the young adults who come to the daycare work at the bakery as well. It sure seemed like a great model for caring for people. And the pastries were delicious! We played and laughed with the children and staff for a couple of hours. Then they fed us lunch. The kids helped set up the tables and seemed happy to do it. We sat separately from the kids, which at first seemed wrong. But then one of the staff members explained that some of the children have problems on focusing and on being able to feed themselves, even when clowns aren't in the room. So, they separated us for the kids' sake. This made a lot of sense and just cemented my impression of the center. They are looking after the best interest of the children no matter the circumstance. Not even a bunch of fun clowns will change that. :0)

Babooska Nina plays along with a friend.

Colorful window art that brightens up the place more.

After lunch we headed to the downtown area to visit the bakery. We were treated to a pastry and coffee. Both of which were delicious! We had a little time here before our next clowning gig, so I walked around the area a bit. I came upon a couple of families enjoying a picnic on a side street near a church. Naturally I played with the children as the mothers smiled and encouraged it. They thanked me and offered me money. I politely refused and went along my way. Our visits are for the locals as much as for the people we intend to see. That will never change. 

Delicious pastries and fudge made in house at the bakery. It was more delicious than this picture can even show! 😊

After a coffee and pastry, we ventured over to our last clown visit of the trip. We went to the Gyumri Older Folks Home. Whew, I thought this is going to be a nice wind down to the day and trip. Boy was I ever wrong about that! This might have been the most energetic group of all. After a slow start, the seniors there started to get up and dance with the clowns. Music played in the back, balloons and bubbles filled the air, and these folks danced like I had never seen for over an hour straight. One lady seemed to be the star of show. She didn't get up to dance, but she danced in her chair and put on a nose complete with a large smile. She had a booming laugh that made everyone around her feel great. 

She is the one with the blue silk in front of her face. She is a natural clown for sure.

One young gentleman stood out to me here. His name was Seregei. He has Cerebral Palsy. He sat in a chair with a big smile on his face as everyone danced. I went up to "dance" with him while he sat in his chair. Little did I know that he would grab my hand and lift himself up so he could dance on his feet! And man could he dance! We danced for about 5 minutes before he looked tired, so I helped him back to his chair and I moseyed through the crowd. A few minutes later I was back in front of him with a couple of nice-looking clowns. I knew he wanted to dance with them, so I helped him to his feet and gave his hands to Marina and Kate. Kate is a professional dance instructor and knew what to do for sure. She and Seregei danced together for a few minutes until Seregei was dripping with sweat! With a language barrier and not knowing all of his limitations we felt it was best to have him sit back down for a bit to rest. He happily sat down and "danced" some more with me while he sat. His smile never dimmed and neither did mine. I love how someone like Seregei will pick up on cues and take things into his own hands to get what he wants or needs. I would not have gotten him to stand up and dance on my own. He had to pull himself up, which he did, and I just acted as a "channel" of sorts for him to educate us. I certainly considered this an educational piece for myself, and hopefully Kate and others! Thanks for being my teacher Seregei! I truly appreciated it, probably more than he will ever know.

Look at that smile as he dances with Kate and Marina! 

After this visit I was thoroughly and entirely exhausted! We drove back to the hotel for our final dinner together. After dinner we would gather in a small circle to share our feelings and what we got from the trip. It is always interesting to hear what others have picked up on, learned, and/or enjoyed from the whole excursion. One of the things I received from the trip was Hope! With the group of people I spent 12 days with, and the groups of people we interacted with, I am truly hopeful for the future. I believe we are in one of the worst moments in time of history for humanity. But these people I have met and now know personally have a lot of love to share and give. We all just need to get out there and spread it! Are you with us??

         Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!