AYF Interns Set Off on Their Journey - By Garine Palandjian

An Incredible Experience in Armenia - By Shogher Baronian

Breaking Down Barriers, Connecting with the Homeland: Reflections from the AYF Internship in Armenia - By Jocelyn Bissonnette

By Garine Palandjian

Every year a group of young, talented individuals journey to their homeland to learn more about their culture, history, and identity. They have longed to make this trip to Armenia their entire lives and, this year, five individuals will fulfill this dream.
These youths looked toward the AYF Eastern Region Summer Internship program to provide them the opportunity to volunteer in their homeland at a place of their interest, as well as travel throughout the country—including a special, prolonged trip to Artsakh. This program is truly one of a kind and has been sending Armenian-American youth to Armenia for over 16 years now.
Members of this summer’s internship class have come from across the nation. From Los Angeles to Rhode Island, the group is truly diverse, yet united with one mission: fulfill the responsibility of every diasporan to return to their homeland—Armenia.
This summer’s interns will be volunteering in various places including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nork Marash Medical Center, Counterpart Armenia, and many others. For some, this will be their first trip to the homeland while others have visited before. They see the trip as an opportunity to learn more about themselves and give back to Armenia.
Shogher Baronian, one of this year’s interns, explains, “This summer I would like to go for the AYF Internship...My previous visits to Armenia consisted of performing, camping, and family vacations, but this time I would like to work and give something back.”
For others, like Simon Sarkisian, the internship will provide them with their first experience in Armenia. “Being part of the AYF Internship in Armenia will help me reach my dream of helping others and hopefully one day helping my fellow Armenians,” says Sarkisian. Fellow 2008 intern, Jocelyn Bissonnette, agrees and adds that, “After deciding to visit Armenia, the AYF internship was a natural choice. Both the mission and strength of the program contributed to my decision.”
In addition to volunteering during the day, the interns have a busy schedule planned ahead. “They will be meeting some of the highly respected individuals in Armenia,” says Garine Palandjian, the Coordinator for this summer’s program. “No other program grants these once-in-a-life-time opportunities to meet such people.” Palandjian has been working on the program for over three months, contacting local officials, organizing the interns and planning outings. For the next eight weeks, she hopes to help the interns learn as much as possible about Armenia.
We will be updating you on the progress of the AYF interns as the program proceeds throughout the next two months. We will keep you posted on their experiences and share their observations as they set off on their journey of a lifetime.

Back to Top

By Shoger Baronian

Although I had been to Armenia several times before I knew that this time would be very different. I was about to spend the next seven weeks working away from my family and friends, and living with people whom I had never met before. This was the thought that went through my head about six weeks ago as I arrived at the Zvartnots airport. Those six weeks flew by and, now, it is hard to believe that we have less than a week and a half left in Armenia.
Throughout the AYF internship program my fellow interns and I have always had things to do and places to see—there was never a dull moment. Every day from 9:00am to 1:00pm I went to work at Byblos Bank and, from 2:00pm to 5:00pm, would work with the Square One marketing department. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings we would attend Armenian class at the Birthright Armenia office, in order to improve our knowledge of eastern Armenian, and on Wednesdays we would attend lectures and forums about the current issues that Armenia is facing.
During our free time, we had the opportunity to explore Yerevan, go out to cafes and restaurants and get to know young Armenians from other internship programs such as Birthright Armenia. As for the weekends, they would be reserved for special excursions to places like Lake Sevan, Datev monastery, Artsakh, Noravank, Sartarabad, and so on.
It is easy to get overwhelmed with everything that has gone on and everything you are trying to accomplish but, in the end, it is all worth it. This has been an incredible experience, I have learned a lot, and made some very good friends.

 
Back to Top

By Jocelyn Bissonnette

I knew before stepping foot in Armenia that these eight weeks would provide me with a life-changing experience. I knew that working and living in a foreign country with very little language background would be a challenge. However, I made a promise with myself to rediscover the homeland that my great-grandparents fled almost a century ago; to bring a little piece of Armenia back to my family in the United States. Most of all I felt compelled to reawaken and empower the Armenian connection within my soul that has been dormant for so long.
In short, these past two weeks have been incredible. Splitting my time between the International Center for Human Development and Zatik Orphanage has afforded me a selected but unique perspective in a short time. Although the opportunities available through these two internship placements have been challenging they have also been rewarding. The decision to spend an extended period of time in Armenia was easy to make as it was important for me to see the country in its true reality and not simply through the glossy façade of a hotel window.
This past weekend the AYF had the opportunity to travel to Karabagh. The excursion was extremely emotional as we had the opportunity to live with host families in the war-torn village of Shushi just north of Stepanakert. The four days consisted of hiking through the mountains witnessing the most beautiful churches and landscapes and visiting a school where we assisted the students in creating an appreciation banner for local soldiers. Our last night in Shushi there was a community Havak with singing, dancing and inspirational toasts that brought tears to the eyes of many.
The most poignant moment of the weekend was the time spent with our host mother. She recounted her family’s tumultuous history, traveling to support her husband’s military career, surviving the war, death and destruction, family division, financial struggles, broken aspirations and hopes for the future. The language barrier prevented me from understanding each word she was saying, but through her eyes and facial expressions I could feel the deep pain she was expressing. The connection between the five of us in the room was powerful; more powerful than any number of words, translations or languages could express.
It is a shame that more attention is not given to the people of Karabagh. They are a tremendous people, our people, with much to offer. It is difficult, even now after having had time for introspection, to describe how at home and comfortable it felt to be in a place so seemingly foreign. Never would I have given up this opportunity to travel to Karabagh and I am sure my travels will bring me back in the future.

Armenia is everything I had hoped it would be, many things that I did not expect, and so much more. Although the language barrier is challenging, other preconceived barriers have been shattered by compassion and purpose. I look forward to the remaining weeks here in Armenia and the stories and experiences that I will be able to share with those back home. My plan is to become more involved in the Armenian community back in Rhode Island and hope this relationship will evolve so that I can be a beacon of inspiration and Armenian spirit just as those who I have met here have already been to me. In terms of where my connection with Armenia is headed in the future, the “journey of self discovery” has just begun. Armenia’s ability to stand strong in the face of adversity never ceases to amaze me.

Back to Top