Stories of Armenian repatriates

[Federate]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

Some Armenians who left for Russia in the 90s are returning.
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[Federate]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

Syrian-Armenian family that moved to Artsakh (Kovsakan, liberated territories)

[Federate]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

Haig Boyadjian: “I’m no naïve diaspora Armenian; I’m just crazy about the country”

Marine Madatyan

15:34, January 29, 2013
Haig Boyadjian left Los Angeles and moved to Armenia one and a half years ago. The young man says he has no regrets.

“I just love it when I’m walking in the streets and I turn around after hearing someone call out the name Haig. They weren’t calling me but that doesn’t matter. It’s my land and people. I feel at home. We were born in another country but were always guests. I love being here, whatever happens, because it’s mine,” says Haig, who left his parents and brother behind in Los Angeles.

Haig said that when he announced his intentions of moving to Armenia, everyone back home thought he was nuts.

“My friends from Armenia told me that I’d get eaten alive in Armenia. Others told me Armenia was one big village with no progress. They were amazed, as if I was moving to the deep jungles of Africa.”

Finding work in Armenia isn’t tough if you look hard and are educated

When Haig first arrived he lived at a friend’s house and started an aggressive search for work. Three weeks later he got a job as a marketing manager at a Yerevan restaurant chain.

Nine months later, Haig left that job and found work at the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), also as a marketing manager. I could have done marketing back home. The objective of my being here was to work and make a difference. I’m glad that I have reached my dream.

Haig has a college degree in marketing and international relations from Los Angeles. At the COAF he’s busy establishing connections between diaspora Armenian investors and local businesspeople. When his friends ask him the same tiring question, “Why did you leave the U.S. and come to this forsaken country”, Haig points to his job and says, “This is why”.

Haig says this question both perplexes him and saddens him.

“I can’t blame people who want to emigrate from Armenia. The conditions here, sadly, are pretty tough. But it’s hard for me to understand why people are so amazed as to why a young person like myself with an education has come to the homeland to make a contribution,: Haig says, adding that he’s not a naive diaspora Armenian and knows about the bribery and deceit in Armenia. He says these problems are normal for all socially depressed countries.

It’s tough making friends with local Armenians

Haig says that when it comes to forming social relations, the situation is complex and time consuming.

“I don’t know if people are embarrassed or maybe it’s the Russian or Soviet influence at play. But once that wall crumbles, Armenians are an accessible people.”

Haig says he observes that Soviet influence when it comes to forming social relations because he’s come from the outside and never experienced it.

“When you ask someone how they are, they answer voch inch (nothing). It’s terrible. You’re either good or bad. What does voch inch actually mean? When you answer voch inch, it means you are neither bad nor good. In other words, you yourself don’t know what you are. Some people have told me that during the Soviet era people would respond by saying voch inch because if they said ‘I am well’ it would raise eyebrows; i.e. but why are you so well (Haig laughs – MM).”

We aren’t born just to get married

I ask Haig how old he is. He answered but said that he doesn’t like it when people ask his age.

“I always conceal my age because I come across as strange here. That’s to say I’m still unmarried at my age.”

Haig’s work takes him to various parts of Armenia. He says that in some villages kids are married off at the age of sixteen.

“I amazed when the parents of a boy say they will marry him off. That young boy knows nothing of the world. He doesn’t have an education or a job. And now he is forming a family. We weren’t born just to get married,” Haig argues.


Hayk and his brother in Armenia
He’s seen that establishing a family is the main objective of young Armenians pressured by relatives. It’s different in America, Haig notes. He likes the new young generation of Armenia because their mindset is quite different. “I’d really like to see how they turn out in ten or so years,” he says.

Recently, through the COAF, Haig took some Armenian kids to New York. He saw they were happy but didn’t know how to express themselves.

“They wouldn’t smile and they couldn’t react. It’s because they raise kids in Armenia to think it’s a shame, don’t show this, and do that, don’t talk, sit there. It’s not right. Kids are growing up with crooked necks. That’s not how we were raised in America. Sure we were taught respect and to act correctly, but we were free. There’s a lot of pressure here and it starts at an early age,” says Haig.

He sees the same inhibitions in adults as well. They measure their every step thinking what will the neighbors say, the in-laws, and the co-workers. “They are spending their entire lives according to the expectations of others and at their behest. Sure there should be a moral compass but people should do as they please.”

P.S. – Haig also finds the time to market Armenia via his Facebook page. He says that that when he travels to this or that district of Armenia the first thing he does is to take pictures. He then downloads the photos so that Armenians overseas will want to visit Armenia. Haig has been to almost all the regions of Armenia. Last month, he brought his mother and brother to Armenia for the first time. Haig is now waiting for his friends.

http://hetq.am/eng/news/22780/haig-boyadjian-%E2%80%9Ci%E2%80%99m-no-na%C3%AFve-diaspora-armenian;-i%E2%80%99m-just-crazy-about-the-country%E2%80%9D.html

[Mher]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates


Felix Gharibian

From Tehran, Iran | Moved in 2011

Well most of Armenians think that I am Indian but the fact is that I am a pure Armenian. I was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to Pune, India at the age of 17 for my higher education.

Honestly it was not easy to take my decision into action. My family and I knew that moving to India at that age was going to be a big challenge and adventure in my life but now I really don’t regret that decision as the things I learned and experienced there, were nothing like any experience I’d have in any other country. Though initially it was very hard for me to settle in, gradually I found myself and chose to be surrounded by great people, worked hard and I successfully managed to pursue my both Bachelors’s and Master’s degrees to high grades in English in 6 years. I am really thankful and grateful to my parents who trusted and supported me on my decision.

As soon as I moved to Armenia I found a job at American University for Humanities in Armenia as The Head of International Relations and Foreign Affairs. I was a recent graduate therefore I took care of student affairs too, as I was familiar with the issues the students generally come across. Then I participated in X factor in Armenia after which I decided to move forward in singing field and share my thoughts and feeling with my people.

Anywhere I go I socialize with the local people as much as I can from which I learn a lot, I come to know what they go though, what their issues are, likes, dislikes and I find it really helpful to the whole process of Integration.

Being an Armenian it really feels different to born in an Islamic country, as you keep on preserving and defending your national identity and religion because of which I think we, the Armenian Diaspora of Islamic countries, may and naturally should be more concerned about our nation and motherland.

I remember before I moved to India my family and I used to visit Armenia every summer. It was like ‘wow we are going to our motherland.’ I really love my nation and being an Armenian. During the six years of my life in India I always wished to meet Armenians in my city to help and guide them, give them all my experiences and everything that I had (the things that I needed the most but never had after moving to India) but that never happened and I never met Armenian students until I came to Armenia and worked at University. It may sound funny, but 2 years ago when I moved to Armenia one of the most joyful things to me was just to see a lot of Armenians and hear them talking in Armenian. I know it may be something very ordinary for the rest of the people but not for me, when I heard them talking I was smiling and telling myself “I am not alone any more”.

There may be minor things in our environment which may disturb us to live in peace… like absence of safety, pure drinking water, clean air and environment but it’s not like that in Armenia. It feels great to see the other side of the city through clean air! All these blessings have been mesmerizing me since I’ve moved here and I think all Armenians should appreciate it. This doesn’t happen and exist in every country.

I have observed that most of Armenians here keep on complaining. I know, financially it’s not easy here, not even for me but Armenia has improved a lot since the last time I visited 8 years ago. During my life in India I used to see slums and real poor people who might have a glass of milk, potato and an onion in a day but they were happy. We all know Armenia must have improved and developed more and more, but maybe not as much as it could have. Let’s work together and try in to better Armenia in any way we can instead of complaining.

Let me give my opinion on whether Armenians should come and stay in Armenia. If the water is cold in our swimming pool naturally it will not be pleasant to swim in as it would feel cold and unpleasant but the more people swim the warmer the water will become and gradually it will be pleasant to swim in it for all of us. It is not easy but not impossible either. That’s why I am here now, though while swimming I feel cold but I am working hard to make the water warmer.

My message to my people is: We are simply born, we will simply die, let’s live simply. Let’s put a stop to the ‘I don’t care, why should I care?’ attitude and stop looking for a better life in other countries, instead let’s build fortune, happiness and beauty in our motherland.

http://repatarmenia.org/eng/felix-gharibian/

[Federate]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

Not your average "repatriate" Aronian's Filipino-Australian girlfriend has moved to Armenia and has written an article about it.
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Armenianization. Let The Process Begin

Armenian News-NEWS.am launches a new project –Arianne & Armenia. The chess player of Philippine descent is known to Armenians as the girlfriend of Armenian Grandmaster, Olympic and World champion Levon Aronian. But few people know that she now lives and works in Armenia and can even be more frequently seen in Yerevan streets than her celebrity boyfriend. Every Friday Arianne will share her impressions of Armenia and tell about the difficulties and charm of living and working in our country as a foreigner in love with Armenia.
Arianne Caoili’s short bio:
Of Filipino and Dutch descent, Arianne is an Australian economist, Olympic chess player, entrepreneur and jazz enthusiast. As a management consultant she works in both private and public sectors, with professional and academic interests in the crossroads of business and public policy. Born in Manila, Philippines, Arianne has travelled the globe extensively and lived in Germany, France, Australia, the US and the Philippines for family, work, study or chess. Topics she enjoys are Russian foreign policy, competition policy, behavioural economics and political philosophy. In her free time, Arianne enjoys ballroom dancing, martial arts, cooking, and wine.
Armenianization. Let the process begin
“You’re what?” – exclaimed my mother in disbelief, as I very casually informed her during a recent telephone call that I will be spending this and next year in Armenia to work and live, and that I have postponed the arduous academic journey which should be starting this Octoberat Oxford. My decision was met with similar scepticism (and at times, sheer repulsion) by friends and colleagues, who can’t understand why I would leave Australia – the world’s happiest country (according to the latest OECD Better Life Index) and ranked 2nd byThe Economist for The Best Place to Be Born in 2013. Although these indicators can’t be taken too seriously, they do have a point that seems to resonate with foreigners and Armenians alike.
Levon’s family are also trying to understand whether I have gone mad, and my work colleague here in Yerevan thinks I may very well be immortalized in the annals of history as the first person ever to choose working in Yerevan over studying at Oxford University, and Armenia over Australia. Several of Levon’s friends have unashamedly made bets on how long I will last. I for one cannot lend myself to this shallow consensus.
Martin Luther King once said, that “if a man has not found something he will die for, he is not fit to live”. There is a unique pulse to be detected in Armenia: and it’s a very strong one. It is a passion for a higher cause, a bigger purpose that infiltrates society from the very top to the very bottom. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I certainly want to catch whatever it is Armenians have. When in Yerevan I feel that people hold a hope for something that Armenia could be; it is this hope that gives their living a sense of purpose.
I recently saw Djivan Gasparyan live in concert, and it is hard for me to recall anything that powerful (although, being present at the raising of the Armenian flag in Istanbul at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Chess Olympics where the Armenian team reigned victorious was quite extraordinary, and I am tempted to say, would reduce most Armenians to tears). One only needs to hear a few notes from a duduk to feel a tremendous sense of mandate to bring into fruition the hope stamped on the heart of most Armenians.
Living in a city like Yerevan that is constantly alive is exhilarating, especially at night. But it’s not only for the parties or the usual ‘city-living’ attractions, where one works to the end of themselves to enjoy but a few sprinklings of enjoyment, usually crammed into a single Saturday and accompanied by over-priced xxxxtails, artificial conversations and a hovering cloud of stress (Sydney and New York do that very well). Nor is it for the relaxed, beach lifestyle common to Queensland, where I spent some of my childhood years. Queensland boasts lazy days of sunshine and sea, with tanned, tattoo-clad beach bodies parading around, smiling a tad too much because life is so great. No, people in Armenia have a certain element of rage pulsating through them – hoping for the future and driven by its past. It is energetic and motivating, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
To my conscious knowledge, my very first encounter with anything Armenian was way back in 2000 – when I was grass-hopper height and representing the Philippines for the first board and playing against Armenia’s Lilit Mkrtchyan in the Chess Olympics in Turkey. The game ended in a draw: not so bad for the pint-sized ankle-biter that I was, but probably not the most desired result for the great and powerful Armenian chess team! And of course, I encountered Armenia academically (with immense pleasure) in the works of historians such as Ronald GrigorSuny, David Marshall Lang and George Bournoutian.
I first visited Yerevan in the spring of 2007, when Levon won his match against Vladimir Kramnik at the Opera House. Above all, I remember the toasts: passionate, lengthy toasts that ranged from the simplest of well-wishes to friends and parents, to rejoicing in the future of Armenia itself. My early Armenian toasting experiences have made all non-Armenian celebrations after them seem lacking for spirit and charm.
First impressions of Armenia conjure up images of a dismembered human body. Its very heart is dispersed around the globe – pumping blood (and money) into the homeland with terrific force, and Yerevan is its brain – steering the country economically and politically. Armenia’s veins have been spawned by its great artistic and intellectual giants, carrying its historical narratives, which are the beautiful and tragic instruments used to transmit the essence of its energy and hope. But Armenia’s soul – that can be found around the country side, in long forgotten villages well outside of Yerevan, in the cuisine and nature of regions too often ignored by tourists.
My first experience of Armenia’s country side was travelling in a broken down 1981 Volga, with a hint of Khachaturian’s glorious Masquerade Waltz wafting through the air, interrupted by sporadic jolts as my driver friend stopped to avoid groups of slothful cows becoming the village’s next feast.
I have been in and out of the country for 7 years: celebrating the Armenian National Chess Team’s multiple gold medals, writing a thesis on post-Soviet Armenia’s economic relationship with Russia, and eating my fair share of khorovatz and rak (undoubtedly several kilos worth!). I’ve even gone a little deeper: I took taekwondo lessons at some gym in Charbakh with a class of Armenian teenagers, drank tan withhovivs in remote villages, and heard enough rabiz classics to finish the lyrics of most songs after a few notes. In a recent wedding, a close friend of Levon’s asked, “how can she not be Armenian when she can dance to rabiz like that?”
However, to live and work in Armenia will be a completely different story. It is not the same as travelling from Glendale, Paris or Sydney for the summer – I also have to last the winter! The truth is: I am absolutely terrified, having read the horror stories of the crisis years in the early 1990s, and harbouring a justifiable dose of fear generated from a body acclimatized to the scorching heat of the Pacific.
The process of my Armenianization has begun. Although I’ve travelled to over 60 countries and lived in a variety of places,I have never felt more at home than when in Yerevan. As a management consultant, I can’t think of a more interesting place to design, develop and implement smart public policy, and learn the nitty-gritty of development from a truly regional perspective – and one that is as peculiar as it is stimulating due to Armenia’s unique geographical and political limitations.
Armenia offers infinitely fascinating lessons on history, culture, family, and most of all, the urgency and importance of hope –a sentiment I credit with elevating my heart ratelike a daily dose of inspiration. As for the much-touted impending doom and gloom of the winter months, hopefully the Armenian people and their passion will keep me warm enough (and the heating will work).
Arianne Caoili

http://repatarmenia.org/eng/armenianization-let-the-process-begin/#.UnBV3vltjHZ

[TomServo]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

That's interesting. I thought Aronian was based in Germany despite representing Armenia.

[Mher]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

Here are some of the best repat stories from Repat Armenia over the past few months
Read the full articles, they're worth it
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Felix Gharibian
Tehran, Iran
2011

"Let me give my opinion on whether Armenians should come and stay in Armenia. If the water is cold in our swimming pool naturally it will not be pleasant to swim in as it would feel cold and unpleasant but the more people swim the warmer the water will become and gradually it will be pleasant to swim in it for all of us. It is not easy but not impossible either. That’s why I am here now, though while swimming I feel cold but I am working hard to make the water warmer.

My message to my people is: We are simply born, we will simply die, let’s live simply. Let’s put a stop to the ‘I don’t care, why should I care?’ attitude and stop looking for a better life in other countries, instead let’s build fortune, happiness and beauty in our motherland."

http://repatarmenia.org/eng/felix-gharibian/#.UpGhx-

[Mher]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

Larisa Ryan
Moscow, Russia
2013

"I don’t view repatriation as a sacrifice. My return to Armenia was an opportunity for me to pursue my dreams in the country I’ve always loved. I am lucky to be home."

http://repatarmenia.org/eng/larisa-ryan/

[Mher]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

Ari Hajian
Buenos Aires, Argentina
2010

"Armenia’s younger, knowledgeable generation gives me hope that in the future we will be able to improve the nation"

http://repatarmenia.org/eng/ari-hadjian/#.UpGjoOJZJqR

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For more stories

http://repatarmenia.org/eng/category/cat-1/

[Mher]

Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates

Hovnanian Foundation to fully fund Birthright Armenia

Published: Saturday December 28, 2013

Founder Edele Hovnanian catching up with volunteers and alums in the Yerevan headquarters of Birthright Armenia.

Yerevan - Transitions come and transitions go. And then some transitions are large enough to change the entire playing field. It is the latter for Birthright Armenia. Since sponsoring its very first volunteer group to Armenia in 2004, the organization's active alumni base is up to 800+, representing 32 different countries, and its donor base hit 1,500. Birthright's founder, Edele Hovnanian, who has covered about 50% of the organization's annual operating budget since its inception, explains something big is in store for the organization.

"As we are closely approaching our 10th anniversary, I could think of nothing more fitting or meaningful than announcing to the Birthright Armenia team that I had secured a commitment from our family foundation to cover 100% of the annual operating costs of this program come January 1, 2014, and moving forward," she shared.

Birthright Armenia has been actively fundraising support from the general public for the last eight years. The organization's forward-thinking vision and mission attracted the attention and support of thousands of people on multiple continents who understood the post-independence reality on the ground in Armenia and the importance of youth engagement. "We cannot express our thanks enough to our team of supporters who advocated for our work and contributed generously of their time and financial resources to help make Birthright Armenia the success it is. We've enjoyed a multi-generational level of involvement, and without all of our supporters, there really would have been no Birthright Armenia," explains Linda Yepoyan, executive director in the U.S. "The Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Family Foundation has supported us since day one, and we graciously welcome this generous commitment of support they have made to us going forward, which will now enable us to focus our resources on marketing and growing our program as well as a meaningful activities in support of our alumni".

One of the challenges Hovnanian has put before the Birthright Armenia team, now that there is no need for active fundraising, is to focus on recruitment without sacrificing quality for quantity. "At community events, I regularly get approached by people who want to talk about Birthright's success, or by an alum who has done Birthright, and they want to share with me stories about the impact it had on their lives. Inevitably, every conversation ends with ‘we need thousands of youth to experience the Homeland annually, not just hundreds, so the ripple effect of our impact is that much greater'. And I believe we can grow this program by making it a household name, a rite of passage that all of our youth should pass through at one point in their young adult lives," she adds.

"I gave the staff a specific goal of doubling the number of participants in 2014, our 10th anniversary year, and then tripling our numbers by the end of 2015, without compromising the high-quality program for which the Birthright Armenia program is widely known. And I know they can achieve these goals," she says confidently.

Although any amount contributed to Birthright Armenia is still fully tax deductible, the organization sent out letters to its entire donor base stating that they'd like to see whatever was traditionally donated to it go instead to another Armenian charity in need. Yet another change to the traditional playing field!

Birthright Armenia offers a full service volunteer program to young diasporan adults 20-32 years old from all over the globe, who are interested in volunteering their services in Armenia. In addition to a rewarding job placement in the sector of their choice, for the length of their stay volunteers are provided with intensive language training, weekly excursions, educational forums on current event topics, and can opt for homestay living accommodations.

In exchange for their service, participants with a stay of over 14 weeks of service successfully completed receive 100% of their roundtrip airfare back in the form of a travel fellowship. Similarly, those who complete at least nine weeks up to 14 weeks of service receive a 50% of their roundtrip airfare travel fellowship. The organization offers a variety of post program benefits to its alumni including professional networking, Next-Step grants, quarterly newsletters and most recently a Pathway to Armenia program for alums interested in finding employment in Armenia after their volunteer service is completed.

http://www.reporter.am/index.cfm?objectid=D7FBF6B8-6FFD-11E3-BEB600155D008B1E