By Hagop Vartivarian
Two months ago, I received a warm and touching invitation, by phone, to join a pilgrimage. Suffice it to say that I was in a dream world until my departure for Historical Armenia. Each day of that entire two-month period, I was overcome with emotions and inner, spiritual happiness. A dream was to turn into reality. The realization of a dream nurtured over many long years was imminent, and I would soon be setting foot on our historical lands. I probably had had that same feeling prior to visiting Soviet Armenia for the first time 40 years ago.
Now I would be visiting the other Armenia, which had been a living dream, one that made our daily life complete, as far as my generation was concerned, at least. Thus, it was that happiness that I experienced for 60 days, sometimes unable to hold back my emotions, sometimes with tears in my eyes, with memories from the past and my recent life, but always with the feelings of a plaintiff whose just demands remain unsatisfied.