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FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.farusa.org
August 25, 2006
_______________________
Armenia, Alive
By Lori Yeghiayan
Before I visited this past June, Armenia seemed almost like a mythological
place to me: A place of the past with a glorious and tragic history, but one
that was now sadly, turned to dust. What an incredible experience it was to
visit there myself with the 10th annual Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) Young
Professionals Trip to Armenia and Karabagh to discover that it is real, not
just a memory, a lost land to mourn, but a living, breathing thing - a
beautiful land with, not only a rich history, but also a vibrant present and
a hopeful future. Visiting Armenia, I got the chance to feel the pulse of
the country that my grandparents and my ancestors called home, and it is a
pulse, I realized, that beats in all of us - Armenians and diasporan
Armenians alike.
Seventeen of us embarked on the journey that was, for most of us, our first
to trip to the homeland. The past and future collided early on during our
visit to Dzedzernagabert, the Armenian Genocide Memorial. The moment we
arrived on the grounds, the bus-ride merriment ended. We each took time to
take it in: the stark beauty of the two structures, the eternal flame at the
center of one. We laid down white carnations in memory of those that were
slaughtered - some of whom were our relatives. Standing in solemn
contemplation we fell silent, feeling it was the only way to honor the souls
of the dead that seemed to still be with us, perhaps even in the black birds
that circled overhead. The mournful Armenia, after all, is the Armenia we
have all grown up knowing.
But just at the right moment, our tour guide, Arto Vorperian, FAR Project
Director and sage, reminded us that while the Memorial was built to honor
the dead, it was also built in the spirit of hope. Two triangular peaks
reach high up into the sky - a symbol of Mt. Ararat and a tribute to what
was lost - but, also a hopeful, aspirational look toward Armenia's future.
The FAR YP itinerary included many of the most significant historical and
cultural sites in the country: the pagan temple of Garni, the 13th century
monastery of Geghard, Matenadaran, the Holy City of Etchmiadizin, Khor Virap
and many others. But, what made the trip so unique and rewarding was the
opportunity to visit some of the humanitarian relief projects that FAR
operates. While the group greatly enjoyed the Yerevan nightlife, relished
the chance to swim in Lake Sevan and eagerly soaked up the beauty of the
countryside, it was the glimpses of the challenges the country faces that
moved us most.
We visited the FAR Children's Center in Yerevan, which provides a temporary
home for children and teenagers who, for one reason or another, have ended
up living on the streets. I was particularly impressed with the facility's
staff and the compassionate philosophy that motivates them to provide a
nurturing environment for young people whose parents are no longer around or
are unable to care for them. It was just one of the ways we got to see, up
close, the real consequences of a new nation struggling to transition from
the Soviet system to a market economy, without losing its humanity.
The group was humbled during our trip to Gyumri, Armenia's 2nd largest city
and one that in many ways is still reeling from the 1988 earthquake that
killed 25,000 of its citizens and damaged so much of the city's
infrastructure. With a high unemployment rate and a struggling economy, it
felt truly like a city where, to quote FAR Press Secretary Levon Lachikyan
who grew up there and served as our Gyumri tour guide, "the people are not
living, just existing." We visited a soup kitchen for the elderly operated
by FAR just as lunch was beginning. It was difficult meeting the men and
women who had gathered there for a meal - most likely their only one of the
day. It was heart-breaking for me to meet a woman who was the same age as
my grandmother, eighty-six, but living in the harsh circumstances of Gyumri.
Yet, the spirit of the people remains intact. The FAR YP group toured the
new FAR IT Center in Gyumri. The IT Center is a place where promising
students from Gyumri can receive specialized training in all aspects of
Information Technology. The school is an innovative project, designed to
help create a skilled workforce with the hopes of attracting the high-tech
industry to the region. It was particularly inspiring to meet the students
at the Center, who seemed to appreciate the opportunity to study a subject
for which they are passionate, while creating a better life for themselves
and there families. It was also clear that the students were grateful to be
a part of efforts to improve life in Gyumri, especially since it may mean
not having to leave their beloved hometown to find employment.
One of the most meaningful parts of the trip for me was our two-day stay in
Karabagh. It was eye-opening to not only see the toll that the war with the
Azeris has taken on the region, but also the resilience and pride of the
people who have lived through a war for their independence. There is a
palpable feeling in Karabagh that every man, woman and child is a soldier,
ready to defend their land and their hard-won freedom.
The visit to Karabagh hit me on a gut-level and I understood something, not
just about being Armenian, but about being human. I discovered the deep
human desire to feel connected to place, to land and I learned that land is
almost like an extension of one's own flesh. It is that personal. I also
understood that having our own land, as Armenians, our own country, is about
more than power and ownership. It is about the longing for home, for
freedom and the chance to choose our own destiny. And I can hardly think of
a more basic human desire than that. That is what it felt like to be in
Karabagh at this moment in history, in a place still defending its right to
exist-an independent republic, still fighting to remain free. How human.
How Armenian.
This one story brought it home for me: On our final day in Karabagh we
visited the historical city of Shushi, a key territory in the war with the
Azeris because of its strategic hill-top location. In fact, the capture of
Shushi by the Armenians was a turning point in the war. We visited a church
there where we met a young man preparing to be deaconized the following day.
The young man told the group the story of how, when he was a little boy, he
and his family hid in a closet to escape discovery and sure-death at the
hands of Azeri soldiers. They waited, trembling, knives in hand, ready to
kill or be killed until the soldiers left and the threat of slaughter left
with them. The family survived the ordeal and eventually left Shushi, but
remained in Karabagh. And, though there were many opportunities for the
family to re-locate to Europe or America, his grandfather was never swayed,
insisting that he was born in Karabagh and planned to be buried there. And
then one day his grandfather did pass away. He was out, tending the yard,
and they found him, still clutching fistfuls of soil in his hands.
Finally, I must tell you about one of the greatest unexpected joys of the
trip: What a feeling it was to dance Armenian dances in Armenia! The group
of us - all Armenian-Americans - had grown up dancing the shoorch bar at
camp, at weddings, at every Armenian banquet we'd ever been to since
childhood, but what a new meaning it took on to dance those dances in
Armenia. In fact, the live music we were treated to throughout the trip
reminded me how much music is a part of the culture's landscape, an
inextricable part of the Armenian soul.
The trip left me feeling utterly full - full of admiration for Armenia's
natural beauty and rich history, full of wonder at how the Armenians have
endured and persevered against the worst of odds and full of an appreciation
for the amazing moment in which we find ourselves: with a young, independent
country of our own. It is a country not only worth fighting for and
defending, but worth investing in to ensure it continues to live and thrive.
The FAR YP trip gave me more than a tour of Armenia. It brought the country
to life for me. I no longer view the land of my ancestors as a myth or a
memory. Instead, I feel that I have discovered my own Armenian heartbeat
and the handfuls of Armenian soil that I keep within me - that all Armenians
do, no matter what nation we call home.
ABOUT FAR
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
millions of people through more than 220 relief and development programs in
Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $265 million in
humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including
emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic
development.
FAR, one of the preeminent relief and development organization operating
there, is dedicated to realizing the dream of a free, democratic,
prosperous, and culturally rich Armenia. It works towards a brighter future
by partnering with donors to make life a little better for our people. By
offering hope and more promising prospects in Armenia, Karabagh, and
Javakhk, FAR binds the Diaspora and the Armenian family together around the
globe.
For more information about FAR, its next Young Professionals Trip in June
2007, or to send donations, contact the Fund for Armenian Relief at 630
Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212)
889-4849; web www.farusa.org; e-mail [email protected].
-- 8/25/06
E-mail photos available upon request.
PHOTO CAPTION1: Lori Yeghiayan, who traveled to Armenia for the first time
on FAR's Young Professionals Trip in June 2006, stopped to mark the occasion
when she entered the Lori Province.
PHOTO CAPTION2: The 2006 FAR Young Professionals Trip participants posed in
front of Mt. Ararat during their visit to Khor Virap.
PHOTO CAPTION3: Some of the 2006 FAR Young Professionals exchanged their
impressions of the Garni Temple as they admired the beautiful Armenian
landscape.
# # #
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.farusa.org
August 25, 2006
_______________________
Armenia, Alive
By Lori Yeghiayan
Before I visited this past June, Armenia seemed almost like a mythological
place to me: A place of the past with a glorious and tragic history, but one
that was now sadly, turned to dust. What an incredible experience it was to
visit there myself with the 10th annual Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) Young
Professionals Trip to Armenia and Karabagh to discover that it is real, not
just a memory, a lost land to mourn, but a living, breathing thing - a
beautiful land with, not only a rich history, but also a vibrant present and
a hopeful future. Visiting Armenia, I got the chance to feel the pulse of
the country that my grandparents and my ancestors called home, and it is a
pulse, I realized, that beats in all of us - Armenians and diasporan
Armenians alike.
Seventeen of us embarked on the journey that was, for most of us, our first
to trip to the homeland. The past and future collided early on during our
visit to Dzedzernagabert, the Armenian Genocide Memorial. The moment we
arrived on the grounds, the bus-ride merriment ended. We each took time to
take it in: the stark beauty of the two structures, the eternal flame at the
center of one. We laid down white carnations in memory of those that were
slaughtered - some of whom were our relatives. Standing in solemn
contemplation we fell silent, feeling it was the only way to honor the souls
of the dead that seemed to still be with us, perhaps even in the black birds
that circled overhead. The mournful Armenia, after all, is the Armenia we
have all grown up knowing.
But just at the right moment, our tour guide, Arto Vorperian, FAR Project
Director and sage, reminded us that while the Memorial was built to honor
the dead, it was also built in the spirit of hope. Two triangular peaks
reach high up into the sky - a symbol of Mt. Ararat and a tribute to what
was lost - but, also a hopeful, aspirational look toward Armenia's future.
The FAR YP itinerary included many of the most significant historical and
cultural sites in the country: the pagan temple of Garni, the 13th century
monastery of Geghard, Matenadaran, the Holy City of Etchmiadizin, Khor Virap
and many others. But, what made the trip so unique and rewarding was the
opportunity to visit some of the humanitarian relief projects that FAR
operates. While the group greatly enjoyed the Yerevan nightlife, relished
the chance to swim in Lake Sevan and eagerly soaked up the beauty of the
countryside, it was the glimpses of the challenges the country faces that
moved us most.
We visited the FAR Children's Center in Yerevan, which provides a temporary
home for children and teenagers who, for one reason or another, have ended
up living on the streets. I was particularly impressed with the facility's
staff and the compassionate philosophy that motivates them to provide a
nurturing environment for young people whose parents are no longer around or
are unable to care for them. It was just one of the ways we got to see, up
close, the real consequences of a new nation struggling to transition from
the Soviet system to a market economy, without losing its humanity.
The group was humbled during our trip to Gyumri, Armenia's 2nd largest city
and one that in many ways is still reeling from the 1988 earthquake that
killed 25,000 of its citizens and damaged so much of the city's
infrastructure. With a high unemployment rate and a struggling economy, it
felt truly like a city where, to quote FAR Press Secretary Levon Lachikyan
who grew up there and served as our Gyumri tour guide, "the people are not
living, just existing." We visited a soup kitchen for the elderly operated
by FAR just as lunch was beginning. It was difficult meeting the men and
women who had gathered there for a meal - most likely their only one of the
day. It was heart-breaking for me to meet a woman who was the same age as
my grandmother, eighty-six, but living in the harsh circumstances of Gyumri.
Yet, the spirit of the people remains intact. The FAR YP group toured the
new FAR IT Center in Gyumri. The IT Center is a place where promising
students from Gyumri can receive specialized training in all aspects of
Information Technology. The school is an innovative project, designed to
help create a skilled workforce with the hopes of attracting the high-tech
industry to the region. It was particularly inspiring to meet the students
at the Center, who seemed to appreciate the opportunity to study a subject
for which they are passionate, while creating a better life for themselves
and there families. It was also clear that the students were grateful to be
a part of efforts to improve life in Gyumri, especially since it may mean
not having to leave their beloved hometown to find employment.
One of the most meaningful parts of the trip for me was our two-day stay in
Karabagh. It was eye-opening to not only see the toll that the war with the
Azeris has taken on the region, but also the resilience and pride of the
people who have lived through a war for their independence. There is a
palpable feeling in Karabagh that every man, woman and child is a soldier,
ready to defend their land and their hard-won freedom.
The visit to Karabagh hit me on a gut-level and I understood something, not
just about being Armenian, but about being human. I discovered the deep
human desire to feel connected to place, to land and I learned that land is
almost like an extension of one's own flesh. It is that personal. I also
understood that having our own land, as Armenians, our own country, is about
more than power and ownership. It is about the longing for home, for
freedom and the chance to choose our own destiny. And I can hardly think of
a more basic human desire than that. That is what it felt like to be in
Karabagh at this moment in history, in a place still defending its right to
exist-an independent republic, still fighting to remain free. How human.
How Armenian.
This one story brought it home for me: On our final day in Karabagh we
visited the historical city of Shushi, a key territory in the war with the
Azeris because of its strategic hill-top location. In fact, the capture of
Shushi by the Armenians was a turning point in the war. We visited a church
there where we met a young man preparing to be deaconized the following day.
The young man told the group the story of how, when he was a little boy, he
and his family hid in a closet to escape discovery and sure-death at the
hands of Azeri soldiers. They waited, trembling, knives in hand, ready to
kill or be killed until the soldiers left and the threat of slaughter left
with them. The family survived the ordeal and eventually left Shushi, but
remained in Karabagh. And, though there were many opportunities for the
family to re-locate to Europe or America, his grandfather was never swayed,
insisting that he was born in Karabagh and planned to be buried there. And
then one day his grandfather did pass away. He was out, tending the yard,
and they found him, still clutching fistfuls of soil in his hands.
Finally, I must tell you about one of the greatest unexpected joys of the
trip: What a feeling it was to dance Armenian dances in Armenia! The group
of us - all Armenian-Americans - had grown up dancing the shoorch bar at
camp, at weddings, at every Armenian banquet we'd ever been to since
childhood, but what a new meaning it took on to dance those dances in
Armenia. In fact, the live music we were treated to throughout the trip
reminded me how much music is a part of the culture's landscape, an
inextricable part of the Armenian soul.
The trip left me feeling utterly full - full of admiration for Armenia's
natural beauty and rich history, full of wonder at how the Armenians have
endured and persevered against the worst of odds and full of an appreciation
for the amazing moment in which we find ourselves: with a young, independent
country of our own. It is a country not only worth fighting for and
defending, but worth investing in to ensure it continues to live and thrive.
The FAR YP trip gave me more than a tour of Armenia. It brought the country
to life for me. I no longer view the land of my ancestors as a myth or a
memory. Instead, I feel that I have discovered my own Armenian heartbeat
and the handfuls of Armenian soil that I keep within me - that all Armenians
do, no matter what nation we call home.
ABOUT FAR
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
millions of people through more than 220 relief and development programs in
Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $265 million in
humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including
emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic
development.
FAR, one of the preeminent relief and development organization operating
there, is dedicated to realizing the dream of a free, democratic,
prosperous, and culturally rich Armenia. It works towards a brighter future
by partnering with donors to make life a little better for our people. By
offering hope and more promising prospects in Armenia, Karabagh, and
Javakhk, FAR binds the Diaspora and the Armenian family together around the
globe.
For more information about FAR, its next Young Professionals Trip in June
2007, or to send donations, contact the Fund for Armenian Relief at 630
Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212)
889-4849; web www.farusa.org; e-mail [email protected].
-- 8/25/06
E-mail photos available upon request.
PHOTO CAPTION1: Lori Yeghiayan, who traveled to Armenia for the first time
on FAR's Young Professionals Trip in June 2006, stopped to mark the occasion
when she entered the Lori Province.
PHOTO CAPTION2: The 2006 FAR Young Professionals Trip participants posed in
front of Mt. Ararat during their visit to Khor Virap.
PHOTO CAPTION3: Some of the 2006 FAR Young Professionals exchanged their
impressions of the Garni Temple as they admired the beautiful Armenian
landscape.
# # #