Host family: “Our doors are always open for young Diaspora Armenians”

Lilit Arakelyan, resident of the Nor Nork Administrative District of Yerevan, has been hosting young Diaspora Armenians at her home through the “Ari Tun” Program of the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia for the past decade.

Lilit has hosted 13 Armenian boys and girls from Paris, Abkhazia, Moscow, Holland and other cities and countries, and they have been received with open arms and have felt the tenderness of a mother. This year, Lilit is hosting Ilona and Lora from Paris. She has already establish close ties with them, and they celebrated Vardavar Water Fest in a warm atmosphere at Lake Sevan.

In an interview with Hayern Aysor, Lilit Arakelyan said that all the young Armenians are very smart, energetic, well-disciplined and patriotic. She has established friendly ties with almost all of them and keeps in touch with them on the phone and the Internet to this day and remembers the days that they spent together. She especially maintains close ties with Tatevik from Holland and Sergey from Abkhazia.

Sergey, one of the participants of the program, was so inspired by the “Ari Tun” Program that he decided to move to Armenia where he studied at Yerevan State Medical University and currently works at Armenia Republican Medical Center.

“I have treated the young Armenians at my house so well that I have never felt that they are strangers. When the participants would come home after a day of sightseeing, they would relax, make tasty Armenian dishes with me and share their impressions. We would be busy on the weekends as well. In the evenings, we would go out for strolls and spend a good time together,” Lena Karapetyan said, adding that she taught the young Armenians how to make Armenian kufta.

Lilit Arakelyan assured that she will continue to open her doors for young Diaspora Armenians since this helps them get acquainted with the lifestyles and customs of Armenian families, never forget the Armenian language and become attached to their homeland.

Gevorg Chichyan

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