Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Barlow Der Mugrdechian
Advisor
The Armenia Summer Study Program 2005 brought together nine students and their professor for a three-week journey to Armenia. Students gained three units credit as part of the class, which ran June 20-July 9. After a quick two-day visit to London, the excited group arrived in Yerevan on June 23, beginning what was to be an unforgettable experience for all.
Headquarters for the group was the Yerevan State University Guest House located in the center of Yerevan, just steps from the Matenadaran. And university life was to be a major part of the visit, as students met with their counterparts from Yerevan State University on many occasions, forming lasting friendships.
A typical day included an outing to one of the many historical sites in the country, such as Garni-Geghart, Haghbat, Sanahin, Khor Virap, Etchmiadzin, Ambert, etc. These visits included class sessions where the historical background of the monuments were discussed. Other days included visits to local museums such as the National Gallery of Art, the Sardarabad Ethnographic Museum, the Armenian Genocide Museum, and others.
The days flew by with language classes, special seminars by YSU faculty in the area ofbusiness and economics, and a visit with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, His Excellency Vartan Oskanian.
A special visit to Holy Etchmiadzin and a visit with His Holiness Karekin II in the Veharan (Patriarchal residence) were the highlight of the trip. Below, some of the student participants share their thoughts on the Armenian Summer Study Program 2005.
BARSEG ABANYAN
It’s always great to take a trip out of town, especially in the summer when the temperature is always above 100F in Fresno. As soon as I heard about the Armenian Studies Program trip to Armenia I jumped on board. I needed to visit Armenia to get a deeper sense of the country and see my family members once again.
I was in Armenia in the summer of 2001, before I started attending Fresno State and I yearned for another opportunity to return. This time I choose to travel on the ASP study trip because of Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, who organized the trip and is a person who knows a great deal about the politics, social structure, and great sights in Armenia. The meetings prior to the trip reinforced this fact as we were given an itinerary of the places we would visit and the interesting individuals we would meet.
For me, every successive visit to Armenia has strengthened my ties and made me think of ways in which I can assist the people. It’s as though every visit gives you a more detailed perspective of what you can do to help out. I plan on distributing medication and providing health improvement information for remote villages of Armenia as soon as I am finished with school. The interactions we had with the students of Yerevan, students visiting from Los Angeles, professors, and other officials were amazing.
The greatest memory I have from the trip has to be the day we met with the Director of the Genocide Memorial, Dr. Lavrenti Barseghian, then proceeded to a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vartan Oskanian, and later took a small drive to Etchmiadzin where we had fruits and coffee with the Catholicos of all Armenians, his holiness Karekin II. The fact that our group of students went out every night to explore the city of Yerevan was another awesome part of the trip.
The most important thing I learned from the trip is that we tend to forget how fun traveling abroad can be as we are being consumed by our day to day activities. Sometime we just have to stop what we are doing for a brief period to take a break and enjoy wonderful experiences in traveling abroad.
CARINA KARAKASHIAN
In the past four years I have heard nothing but how much Armenia has improved. My previous visit to Armenia was in 2001 as a pilgrim with the Armenian Church Youth Organization of the Western Diocese in commemoration for the 1700th Anniversary of Armenia’s conversion to Christianity.
I chose to go to Armenia with the program because for the past four years my knowledge and interest in Armenia has changed and evolved due to the courses I have taken. The Armenian Studies program taught me more than I ever knew existed about Armenia’s history and I wanted to visit all the churches, villages, and monuments that I learned so much about first hand with the program. By understanding the church floor plans, knowing when the churches were built, and truly understanding the Armenian National Style of architecture I was able to understand the history of where I was.
Participating in this program gave me some of the best memories I ever experienced in Armenia including meetings with the Foreign Minister, directors of several museums, and most importantly a very memorable meeting with his Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians. Opportunities like these are very rare and I am thankful to have received them with this program. Though these memories will last a life time, the most important thing that I received from this trip was the experience of visiting Armenia with the eight other amazing participants who helped me form a stronger tie with the nation I am proud to call my motherland.
SEBOUH KRIOGHLIAN
When I heard about the opportunity to study abroad in Armenia through the Armenian Studies Program, I was very excited to go. The fact that it was a study abroad course with a knowledgeable professor guiding us throughout the trip, made the trip even more appealing.
Some of my best memories from the trip included the trips to Geghart and Haghartzin, which are my favorite churches located in Armenia. The scenery on the way to each of these churches, especially Haghartzin are simply amazing. I also enjoyed the time we spent in Yerevan at night, which seems to have become much more beautiful since my last visit. Celebrating Vartavar in Etchmiadzin as well as in the city was also a memory that seems to stand out, but the whole trip in general was memorable. From waking up in the University guest house and waiting for everyone to gather for our next trip, to the bus rides, to the different sights we would go to see, and finally the nights we would spend in the city afterwards.
It was also a great experience living with people I did not know very well for 3 weeks in a city over ten thousand miles away from home. While we quickly got to know each other with all of the good times we spent together, we also made strong bonds with Armenia, whether through the local people we got to know or through the many sites we saw and learned about. In the end, I believe we all left Armenia with stronger ties to our culture and homeland then we had when we had just arrived in Armenia.
MITCHELL PETERS
I have lived in Fresno, Calif., all my life. I am a Fresno State graduate and a third generation Armenian-American. I have an amazing family and group of friends who have shaped my perception of what it means to be an Armenian. In my 24 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to do my fair share of traveling throughout various parts of the world. This was my first visit to Armenia.
In the weeks leading up to my trip, I had several conversations with people who had visited Armenia before. One of those individuals was my 88-year-old Uncle Pete (Peters), whose last visit to the country was more than 30 years ago. To my surprise, he remembered the experience as if it were yesterday. Listening to him reminisce was both entertaining and educational.
Within his stories, he touched upon how it came to be that my great-grandfather first arrived in America. The story was sad, yet inspiring. It made me appreciate the fact that I had this excellent opportunity to visit the land of my ancestors.
Upon my return, I sat down again with Uncle Pete and told him about my trip. Halfway through our conversation, I mentioned that traveling through the country reminded me so much of being back home in the Central Valley. His response: “Well, Mitchell, why do you think the Armenian immigrants chose Fresno to settle in?” After a moments thought, it made sense because the landscapes are so similar and conducive to farming.
Armenia’s summer heat gave me the feeling of being home on my family’s vineyard. The elderly women sitting on Yerevan’s street corners selling sunflower seeds brought back vague memories of my great-grandmother before she passed. The enormous meals we ate on a daily basis reminded me of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, when both sides of my family come together for celebration. The scent from the countless churches we visited reminded me of Sunday services at Fowler’s St. Gregory.
During our bus rides and brief visits to the countryside villages, I would look at the Armenian people and try to imagine myself trading places with them. I asked myself: What would it be like if my ancestors never immigrated to America? What kind of life would I be living in Armenia? Who would I be? The thought didn’t frighten me at all.
Though many of the people live in poverty, their lives seem to be filled with happiness. The children play with smiles on their faces and the adults stand with a sense of pride. Life is simple and the countrymen are strong. Observing them affirmed in my mind that Armenians are, in fact, survivors.
Within the first two days of our three-week trip, I felt at home. It was an overwhelming feeling to turn in any given direction and see nothing but beautiful Armenian faces. I cannot put it into words. Although I am assimilated to the American way of living, I’ve always felt a sense of pride in being Armenian. I wasn’t sure where that feeling came from until I saw the country and its people with my own eyes.
MATTHEW ZAKARIAN
As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to travel. I remember being a kid in Office Depot and coming across a talking globe. I immediately began searching for Armenia and was thrilled when I actually found it. I told my mom I wanted to go there someday, but now that I think of it, I wasn’t sure if my dream would become a reality. Since I began Fresno State, I have taken classes in the Armenian Studies department and have been encouraged to continue my studies. When the trip to Armenia became available, I jumped at the opportunity. I knew that if I didn’t take advantage of traveling to Armenia with my knowledgeable professor as a guide, I most likely never would see the things that I should see. I was able to take the time off from my summer job, and my parents really wanted me to go, so all factors seemed to be in my favor.
The trip to Armenia was an amazing, unique experience, which will always serve as a milestone in my life. I had taken family trips and school trips, but I had never gone to a foreign country with vague acquaintances. However, that was also the draw for me-that I would be going with other Fresno State students. Most people travel with family or friends, so this was part of the adventure for me. It was my first trip abroad and in the company of mostly strangers. However, these strangers, in the true Armenian tradition, welcomed me as a fellow countryman and we quickly became friends. There were some students who had been to Armenia before, so they helped me out with the language and customs. I now feel a special bond with these fellow travelers, both as fellow students and Armenians.
When we first arrived in Armenia, I didn’t know what to expect, but it was similar to what I had concluded from my classes and stories of my paternal grandfather. It opened my eyes to how large the world is by seeing the day-to-day work of the people there. The one thing I enjoyed the most in Armenia, but had to get used to, was the delicious food they serve there. There weren’t any fast food restaurants, but the variety of meats, vegetables, and drinks were so much tastier and healthier than anything fast-food can offer.
People talk a lot about getting in touch with their roots, but that cliché really holds meaning for me now and I attribute it to my trip to Armenia. In fact, my experience had an influence on my family as well. My mother now eats plain yogurt, which she used to eat as a child, but had replaced with fruit-flavored yogurt in recent years. It may seem insignificant, but eating food, “breaking bread,” is a very personal experience and those small details served to enrich my experience.
We were very fortunate to meet distinguished people in Armenia, such as the Foreign Minister, the Directors of the many museums in Armenia, and the head of the Armenian Church, the Catholicos. We saw all the different parts of Armenia. All the Armenian studies classes that I had taken came to life because it’s one thing to see a picture and another to be in the picture. I would definitely like to visit Armenia again sometime and contribute to the growth of the country.