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ARMENIAN STUDENT CREATES LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES
BYU Newsnet, UT
Aug 3, 2006
By Elizabeth Watts - 3 Aug 2006
Vahe Babayan loves gettin into his work. In his second semester in
the BYU Bookstore framing department he mostly enjoys working with
the customers and his fun boss.Hearing students grumble about the
walk to campus from home or distant parking lots is not uncommon, but
Vahe Babayan was grateful to be able to walk from University Avenue
to Utah Valley State College without fear of being arrested.
"For three days I walked to UVSC, where I was going to school at that
time, and then I would walk home after class," said Babayan, an
Armenian BYU student who spent years in Russia. "All I knew was that
I lived by the mountains, so I walked toward them to find the house I
was staying at until I got used to the area."
After growing up in a country where he was not always free to go
where he wanted to go; this long walk was refreshing to
Babayanbecause it meant he had more freedom.
Over the past 25 years of his life, times have not always been easy,
but Babayan learned from his experiences and is grateful for what he
has been given. His gratitude toward the U.S. continues to grow from
experiences and the life perspective he has developed from them.
"Life is a beautiful thing. You don't have to be beautiful to live
life," Babayan said, "What eyes you see life with depends on you."
After receiving his I-20 visa to allow him to attend school in the
U.S., Babayan moved here on Jan. 3, 2004 - a date he will always
remember because it was a major day in his life when many
opportunities were opened to him.
He said the U.S is a great country and he would like to work with the
government after finishing school in order to allow others to have
the freedoms he has experienced. He is very passionate about the U.S.
and the freedoms he has been given while being here.
"Great people came to the U.S. and created what it is now," Babayan
said. "I am appreciative that people like me can come here to create
my own life and I will do what ever I can to defend it.
Babayan is originally from Yerevan, Armenia. However, at age 15 he
moved to Moscow to attend school and play soccer.
Moscow gave Babayan a greater opportunity to gain an education and
provided better living standards, but it also had its difficulties.
In Moscow there is a lot of prejudice resulting from conflicts
between Russia and other countries. Babayan said the police in Moscow
would think he was a terrorist because of his darker skin. The legal
system has some corruption there and he was arrested at least twice a
week for suspicions the police had.
"To avoid being arrested, I would try to be home before dark and knew
the areas the police would always be at," Babayan said.
Babayan was first introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints after his father met missionaries for the church on
the street in Moscow and invited them to his house. Babayan was
baptized into the church along with his mother and brother when he
was 17.
Babayan later served in the Romania Moldova Mission for the church.
While he was on his mission, he formed relationships with many of his
close friends now at BYU who influenced him to come to the U.S.
BYU student Ryan Divine met Babayan in Moldova where they served
together. Divine said Babayan did not speak English and had just
started serving his mission, so he did not speak Romanian well
either. They did not have a common language to speak to each other,
but they bonded from the start.
In order to communicate they would use hand gestures and show each
other pictures of what they were talking about.
An experience Divine remembers from the mission was on a preparation
day during lunch when they were playing soccer. Divine watched as
Babayan walked away from the soccer game to talk with two young boys
and give them the three oranges they had for their lunch.
Babayan said when he saw the boys he remembered being young and not
having much. He felt that he could relate with the boys.
Finding oranges in Moldova was hard and they were expensive. He knew
the boys had not had an orange before, so he wanted them to be able
to have the oranges.
Divine said he was able to learn from Babayan's actions and told
other missionaries playing soccer with him, "We will learn more from
him than we will ever be able to teach him."
Coming from a different culture helps Babayan to stick out in Provo.
Everyone around where he lives knows him. Divine said the reason for
his popularity is that Babayan is a fun person to be with, but he is
also refreshing to be around, since he has a different view point of
the world.
A friend and past roommate of Babayan has known him for two years,
and said he feels it a pleasure to know him.
"He leaves an impression and is infectious," said BYU student Shane
Mount. "Vahe would do anything for someone who needs help, but will
not ask anything of you."
When moving into the apartment, there were not enough beds for
everyone. Babayan put his bed in Mount's room before he moved in and
made himself a bed on the floor that he slept on for the rest of the
year. Mount said Babayan refused to take the bed back.
"Vahe has such a good example of integrity and everyone should get to
know him, everyone," Mount said. "He is that good of a guy."
http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/60568
From: Baghdasarian
BYU Newsnet, UT
Aug 3, 2006
By Elizabeth Watts - 3 Aug 2006
Vahe Babayan loves gettin into his work. In his second semester in
the BYU Bookstore framing department he mostly enjoys working with
the customers and his fun boss.Hearing students grumble about the
walk to campus from home or distant parking lots is not uncommon, but
Vahe Babayan was grateful to be able to walk from University Avenue
to Utah Valley State College without fear of being arrested.
"For three days I walked to UVSC, where I was going to school at that
time, and then I would walk home after class," said Babayan, an
Armenian BYU student who spent years in Russia. "All I knew was that
I lived by the mountains, so I walked toward them to find the house I
was staying at until I got used to the area."
After growing up in a country where he was not always free to go
where he wanted to go; this long walk was refreshing to
Babayanbecause it meant he had more freedom.
Over the past 25 years of his life, times have not always been easy,
but Babayan learned from his experiences and is grateful for what he
has been given. His gratitude toward the U.S. continues to grow from
experiences and the life perspective he has developed from them.
"Life is a beautiful thing. You don't have to be beautiful to live
life," Babayan said, "What eyes you see life with depends on you."
After receiving his I-20 visa to allow him to attend school in the
U.S., Babayan moved here on Jan. 3, 2004 - a date he will always
remember because it was a major day in his life when many
opportunities were opened to him.
He said the U.S is a great country and he would like to work with the
government after finishing school in order to allow others to have
the freedoms he has experienced. He is very passionate about the U.S.
and the freedoms he has been given while being here.
"Great people came to the U.S. and created what it is now," Babayan
said. "I am appreciative that people like me can come here to create
my own life and I will do what ever I can to defend it.
Babayan is originally from Yerevan, Armenia. However, at age 15 he
moved to Moscow to attend school and play soccer.
Moscow gave Babayan a greater opportunity to gain an education and
provided better living standards, but it also had its difficulties.
In Moscow there is a lot of prejudice resulting from conflicts
between Russia and other countries. Babayan said the police in Moscow
would think he was a terrorist because of his darker skin. The legal
system has some corruption there and he was arrested at least twice a
week for suspicions the police had.
"To avoid being arrested, I would try to be home before dark and knew
the areas the police would always be at," Babayan said.
Babayan was first introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints after his father met missionaries for the church on
the street in Moscow and invited them to his house. Babayan was
baptized into the church along with his mother and brother when he
was 17.
Babayan later served in the Romania Moldova Mission for the church.
While he was on his mission, he formed relationships with many of his
close friends now at BYU who influenced him to come to the U.S.
BYU student Ryan Divine met Babayan in Moldova where they served
together. Divine said Babayan did not speak English and had just
started serving his mission, so he did not speak Romanian well
either. They did not have a common language to speak to each other,
but they bonded from the start.
In order to communicate they would use hand gestures and show each
other pictures of what they were talking about.
An experience Divine remembers from the mission was on a preparation
day during lunch when they were playing soccer. Divine watched as
Babayan walked away from the soccer game to talk with two young boys
and give them the three oranges they had for their lunch.
Babayan said when he saw the boys he remembered being young and not
having much. He felt that he could relate with the boys.
Finding oranges in Moldova was hard and they were expensive. He knew
the boys had not had an orange before, so he wanted them to be able
to have the oranges.
Divine said he was able to learn from Babayan's actions and told
other missionaries playing soccer with him, "We will learn more from
him than we will ever be able to teach him."
Coming from a different culture helps Babayan to stick out in Provo.
Everyone around where he lives knows him. Divine said the reason for
his popularity is that Babayan is a fun person to be with, but he is
also refreshing to be around, since he has a different view point of
the world.
A friend and past roommate of Babayan has known him for two years,
and said he feels it a pleasure to know him.
"He leaves an impression and is infectious," said BYU student Shane
Mount. "Vahe would do anything for someone who needs help, but will
not ask anything of you."
When moving into the apartment, there were not enough beds for
everyone. Babayan put his bed in Mount's room before he moved in and
made himself a bed on the floor that he slept on for the rest of the
year. Mount said Babayan refused to take the bed back.
"Vahe has such a good example of integrity and everyone should get to
know him, everyone," Mount said. "He is that good of a guy."
http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/60568
From: Baghdasarian