Hayern Aysor’s correspondent sat down for an interview with Artur Tashchyan, who has been living and working in Armenia for a year already.

Artur was 12 years old when he traveled to Russia to spend his winter vacation for ten days, but his love for the Russian language and, for some reason, his desire to change his environment kept him away from the homeland for 20 years.

“I went for only ten days, but ended up staying for exactly 20 years,” Artur said, adding that after he graduated from school, he had always felt that he would return to the homeland. That’s the reason why he started writing poems devoted to the homeland. To this day, he keeps the lines of “the longing that is gone” that he wrote when he was a child.

Later, the longing for the homeland made Artur want to start learning how to play the duduk. In Russia, he met a talented dudukist, bought a duduk and started playing. Having no musical education, Artur managed to learn and play the Armenian song “Dle Yaman” on the duduk.

Knowing English very well, he got accepted to Pyatigorsk Linguistic University, but he didn’t imagine that he would become a pedagogue and would start teaching at the University and at a school.

The year 2011 became a turning point for Artur. He had planned to visit any Arab country, but he unexpectedly decided to visit Western Armenia. “It was there where I realized that I hadn’t even dreamed of anything when my dream came true. Now, when people ask me if I want to go to Western Armenia, I tell them that it’s my dream.”

In Van, Artur decides to leave everything behind and return to Armenia. A year after his visit to Western Armenia, he visits Armenia, and the Ministry of Diaspora serves as one of the occasions.

The desire to be the first in everything provides Artur with the opportunity to participate in the courses for you Diaspora Armenian leaders, which are part of the “Diaspora” Summer School Program of the RA Ministry of Diaspora. Here he meets many young Armenians and makes new friends. In two weeks, he manages to see and learn many things. Through this program, Artur wants to return to the homeland more and more.

When asked how his parents reacted to his decision to return to Armenia, Artur says: “Although my parents were very strict when I was growing up, I have always had the opportunity to make a choice. I am grateful to my parents for that and everything else. It’s obvious that my parents had difficulty with accepting my decision to return to Armenia. For almost a year, we would constantly discuss the topic, but today, I am already in Armenia. During my years in Russia, I have taught at a school, at a university and have worked at the Armenian Cultural Center and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. However, I left my family, friends and job behind and moved to Armenia.”

Artur is trying to do something to settle in Armenia and obtain a new profession. With the advice and support of the leadership of RepatArmenia Foundation, he starts attending the free courses for qualification of tour guides hosted by founding director of Planet Travel Club Armen Yeranosyan. Another one of Artur’s dream comes true. He starts working as a tour guide. His first experience was working as a tour guide in Artsakh. “I start a new life with every tourist. I wouldn’t like to say that I work as a tour guide or teacher. That’s not a job for me, but a title.”

Today, Artur is living and working in Armenia. He is grateful to his parents for his patriotic spirit and for instilling the feeling of patriotism in him and providing him with an Armenian upbringing. “I love my job. My soul was born to be Armenian and stay Armenian. My only nourishment is the Armenian language, Armenian dance and Armenian songs.

I want my story to touch the hearts of many people and set an example for all young Armenians who are living far away from the homeland and are thinking twice about returning. Of course, they have to return!”

Tatev Davtyan

4^th year student of the Faculty of Journalism of Yerevan State University