From One to Six to One

A year of traveling alone around the world with MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) has shaped my travel identity. I have gotten used to my own company. I now consider myself a solo traveler. However, I knew that MISTI-Armenia would bring a different experience. For the first time in a while, my MISTI experience will align with the MIT academic calendar, and I will encounter other MIT students.

The Cascade Complex was chosen as the location of the first MISTI-Yerevan meetup. The first thing that surprised me was my encounter with Fiona, who I learned was also of East-Asian descent. During my solo travels, it is a rarity for me to see East Asian faces. I hadn’t checked Fiona’s last name which might have prepared me for the shock. Already, I met a kindred spirit in a foreign land.

The Cascade Complex is an amazing art piece with cool exhibits of artistic and historical significance embedded on each level. The crew and I roamed up and down its many stairs and got our first taste of Armenia’s magical splendor.

Following the chill afternoon outing in Yerevan, we ventured with a bigger group further south to the Khor Virap, Noravank, and Tatev Monasteries. I’m used to sitting by myself in a big tour shuttle whenever I am on my solo trips, but suddenly, everyone in the van is an acquaintance with a connection to MIT.

But surely, this is just a coincidence. It’s difficult to have everyone’s interests align. I will have to start exploring alone again, I thought to myself as we hiked our way up Mt. Dimats. Although I didn’t believe the description at first, the hike did end up being 13 hours including transit time, which was my first ever full-day hike.

However, the grueling, feet-breaking hike hadn’t crushed our group into pieces. We continued to stick together like glue and became more malleable. We also manage to accomplish complex travel maneuvers by my definition. We stayed in Dilijan for an extra day after hiking Mt Dimats. We also stopped by Lake Sven for a quick sunset visit before getting back to Yerevan. We even crossed country borders the following weekend to visit Georgia. Six people. Traveling to a new country without any major issues. Each with our own interests and preferences.

While not everyone participated in every activity in Georgia, everyone enjoyed their time exploring this new country. I watched some Georgian theater, soaked in Georgian baths, and tasted some vegan Georgian cuisine. I was only ever truly alone on the last day of the trip when I went sightseeing at the top of the Tbilisi funicular. The experience was not lonelier than usual, but it was not a much-needed time alone. As I watched over the vast expanse of Tbilisi, I was reminded of my usual state of life for the past year. I knew that I was going to return to solo traveling very soon. However, my time in Armenia (and a bit of Georgia) reminded me that traveling with others can be more pleasant than I expected.