Participants of the “Ari Tun” Program of the RA Ministry of Diaspora for Diaspora Armenian youth’s homeland recognition continue to complete the questionnaires prepared by the staff at Hayern Aysor electronic newspaper.

Reading the sincere answers of the Diaspora Armenian boys and girls, one can definitely say that even though they live in different parts of the world, they love Armenia and are always aware of their Armenian identity.

Marat Gasparyan (Odessa, Ukraine)

I wanted to feel the power of the homeland

My community through my eyes

-We have a great community. We try to do everything we can to speak Armenian so that we don’t become detached from our national roots.

What were your thoughts on Armenia before your visit?

-I wanted to become familiar with the people to understand what kind of people they are and how they would treat me.

All my expectations were met…

How did you feel after seeing Armenia?

-I understood that I have a land of my own. Our ancestors have maintained that land for centuries and have transmitted it to us. We have to do everything we can to maintain those lands and regain what was lost.

What made you decide to participate in the “Ari Tun” Program?

-I wanted to feel the power of the homeland.

What did you get out of the “Ari Tun” Program?

-I learned about the history of Armenia.

Which is the most impressive place that you visited during the program?

-I’m most impressed with the visit to the Sardarapat Memorial.

A memorable event that happened during the “Ari Tun” Program

-I must say that many events have taken place during the “Ari Tun” Program, and I can’t set aside any one of them.

Ashkhen Kakosyan (Ninotsminda village, Georgia)

True, I am a citizen of Georgia, but I only feel Armenian

My community through my eyes

-There are many Armenians in my community. The Armenian community of Ninotsminda is an active and organized community. To put it shortly, Javakhk is my second Homeland.

What were your thoughts on Armenia before your visit?

-All this time, I only pictured Armenia through books. I have always read those books so that I gain more knowledge about my country. Now that I’m in Armenia, I became convinced that Armenia is a museum under an open sky.

How did you feel after seeing Armenia?

-I was especially impressed with the beauty of my Homeland. I only have a good opinion of Armenia. I thank the RA Ministry of Diaspora for providing me the opportunity to spend a wonderful time.

What made you decide to participate in the “Ari Tun” Program?

-I decided to participate because I wanted to be in Armenia. I want to learn a lot about Armenia because my goal is to continue my studies here. True, I’m a citizen of Georgia, but I only feel Armenian, and that’s how it will always be.

-Ի՞նչ տվեց քեզ «Արի տուն» ծրագրին մասնակցելը

What did you get out of the “Ari Tun” Program?

-In this short period, I managed to fully discover Armenia, go sightseeing and learn about the history of the Armenian people. I’m very thankful for the “Ari Tun” Program because I had the chance to participate in the Armenian language course. I would especially like to express my gratitude to the Armenian language teachers, who did everything they could to see us return to our countries of residence with knowledge of the language.

This beautiful program provided the young Diaspora Armenians with the great opportunity to feel the power of the homeland.

Which is the most impressive place that you visited during the program?

-I managed to visit many beautiful historical and cultural sites. However, the most impressive was the visit to Khor Virap Monastery due to its history.

A memorable event that happened during the “Ari Tun” Program

-The most memorable event that happened during the “Ari Tun” Program was when I saw Mount Ararat up close. I felt like it was in my lap. I immediately remembered the following lines from Yeghishe Charents’s poem “Yes Im Anoush Haiastani” (My Sweet Armenia:

Travel the world, you won’t find a white peaked mountain like Ararat,

Like the path to glory that you can’t reach,

I love my Mount Masis…

Armine Paloyan (Satkha village, Georgia)

A great love for Armenia awakened in my soul

My community through my eyes

-There are many Armenians in our community. They gather and organize discussions, and I try to follow the events.

What were your thoughts on Armenia before your visit?

-Before the visit, I would only learn about Armenia through the Internet. However, that wasn’t enough for me. So, I decided to come and learn about the history of Armenia.

How did you feel after seeing Armenia?

-I had always dreamed of being in Armenia and becoming familiar with our national values. It seems as though I feel at ease now. A great love for Armenia awakened in my soul.

What made you decide to participate in the “Ari Tun” Program?

-Living in Georgia, I didn’t know a lot about Armenia. We don’t learn about Armenian history in school. That’s why I decided to participate in the “Ari Tun” Program.

What did you get out of the “Ari Tun” Program?

-Participating in the “Ari Tun” Program helped me meet youth from different parts of the world and become more familiar with Armenia.

Which is the most impressive place that you visited during the program?

-The most impressive visit was the visit to Khor Virap.

A memorable event that happened during the “Ari Tun” Program

-What was memorable was when I was afraid to enter the dungeon of the Khor Virap.

By Gevorg Chichyan