Hayern Aysor continues to get acquainted with the participants of the third stage of the 2015 “Ari Tun” Program of the RA Ministry of Diaspora for Diaspora Armenian youth’s homeland recognition. This time my interlocutor is Moscow-Armenian Kristine Gishyan. She is participating in the program for the first time and is quite excited about it. “I couldn’t imagine that everything could have been this wonderful. The people are warm and friendly. The “Ari Tun” Program helps establish contacts between youth with different values and cultures. We visit many interesting places together and have a great time.”

This time Kristine is in Armenia with her brother and parents. She couldn’t speak Armenian fluently, but told me about herself, talked about her interests and preferences, her ideas of the Homeland and her real feelings in Armenian. “I was born in Moscow, even though my parents were born in the city of Noyemberyan of Armenia’s Tavush Province. They had told me a lot about Armenia and had shown me pictures. I’m very happy that I had the opportunity to see my country myself. I actually have totally different feelings. I’m in the 10^th grade. I graduated from a music school. I play the piano and the guitar.”

Hayern Aysor: Kristine, the “Ari Tun” Program includes Armenian language courses. How well did you manage to learn Armenian?

Kristine Gishyan: I’ve been speaking Armenian since the day I was born. Whether I speak good or bad, that’s a different story. I learned the letters a couple of years ago, but I still can’t speak fluently. I can only write my name and last name in Armenian. The Armenian language courses helped me recall what I had forgotten and gain more knowledge. It turns out I still have a lot to learn about Armenia and the Armenians. Each day is a day to gain more knowledge and share more impressions. It’s wonderful that the Ministry of Diaspora organizes the “Ari Tun” Program.

Hayern Aysor: I see the Forget-me-not, the symbol of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide on your shirts. What events did the Armenian community of Moscow organize? Did you participate in all the events?

K. G.: The Armenian community of Moscow is one of the well-organized communities of the Armenian Diaspora. On April 24, the community organized various kinds of events. On that day, I attended the local Armenian church to participate in the Holy Mass commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide, after which the members of the community and I moved towards the Turkish Embassy with signs and calls. The youth were very motivated. Together we are a driving force.

Hayern Aysor: Kristine, the four-day camping event will be kicking off in Tsaghkadzor. What are your expectations?

K. G.: We’re all waiting impatiently for that day. True, there were a lot of events and visits this week. We visited almost all the museums, galleries and historical and cultural sites in Armenia, as well as a military unit. Staying with the host families was very helpful and interesting because we were able to enjoy the warmth of an Armenian family and become familiar with the national traditions. However, I think the camping event will be much more interesting. After all, we’ll all be living together and we’ll have the opportunity to get to know each other better.

Emma Vardanyan

4^th year student of the YSU Faculty of Journalism