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Shamiram Barooshian

Shamiram Barooshian

Shami lives and works in Boston as an Editor for Original 9 Media.

15 Comments

  1. The rock that Ara the beautiful was laid on is in the village Ara Lezk. Lezk means to lick. It is near Van in Turkey. It is also the village that two of my grandparents came from and was known for its fair Armenians. Both my grandparents had blue eyes, and so do I. I also had sandy blond hair when I was younger, now it gets help from Clairol. I am 100% Armenian and I look northern European. Maybe this is what the ancient Urartu’s looked like? If you would like, I can send you a photograph of the Ara Lezk rock.

  2. Jump in, Shamiram!

    The Armenian waters are a fine temperature for all those like you who feel the need to swim in them, but are skittish.

    The more people who share your dilemma jump in, the better off we all are, stronger in numbers, talent, and insights.

  3. My Grandmother’s name is Shamiram, During the Massacres, when she was in Armenia, She was sent to school out of town, from her family and sisters. All of her family and sisters were Massacred, She was the only survivor, because whe was in a different city. When I asked her about it when I was a boy, she told me the story and could not stop crying. I love you Mez Mareeg Shamiram – Sha Sha Ma Ma. She would always say that when you get older you will remember me. I will never forget. God Bless you. That is a terrific name

  4. Shamiram, a beautiful name. Everyone of my generation schooled in Armenian schools know the story of the Assyrian queen Shamiram and Ara, the handsomest Armenian king. The martyred poet Rouen Sevag who was a medical doctor by profession and wrote prose as well, was married to a German. They had named their daughter Shamiram who passed away recently at the age of 102,

  5. Thank you for the story Shami! Unlike Shamiram of the Assyrians, Ara’s traces still remain in the mountain. So does our country. We just need to hold on to what we have today and not end up like the Assyrians. 25% Armenian yet in Armenia and writing about her experiences is a story of survival. Maybe one day you can lead us to reclaim our historic lands.

  6. Shamiram Jan
    Thank you for a very touching article.
    To me, you are full Armenian and I am proud to count you among us.
    Have you heard of Birthrightarmenia.org ? Try them, they will take you no question about this. It is your birthright.
    And, when you come to Armenia, make sure to visit us on the top of our mountain in Yeghegnadzor. We would be happy to receive you YRH :-)

  7. Shamiran, I enjoyed reading your perspective.
    It’s time for you, Shamiram, to invade and conquer your own country and identity.

    I’m substantially older than you, more than 60 years old, and a proud second generation American. I’m also 100% Armenian and look every single percent of it. I don’t speak Armenian because that was the educational trend during the early 1960s in public schools. We all had to stop speaking our ancestors’ language until we mastered English. I do understand, yet my understanding of verb conjugation is terrible!

    My children do not speak Armenian and wish they could. They’d taken classes throughout their childhood and adulthood. They read and write very well, but don’t really understand what it is that they’re reading. Like you, their names are not Anglo, theirs are Armenian, and they insist that people say them properly.

    If people can manage to pronounce names like Eun-Hee, Ahmed, Moisha, and Gianna, why not our names? They can! They’re just lazy. And if they don’t take the time to get it right, in my opinion, they’re just not deserving of having our ancestors’ names on their tongues. Make them say your name, keep our ancestors alive.

    I’m sad that you felt like an outsider at Camp, or anywhere else for that matter. My children felt very much like insiders at Camp, and still do. It feels like home to them. Their best memories and friends are from Camp and the AYF, and mine are my AYF friends. For us, those bonds will never be broken.

    Shamiram, we, humans, all feel like odars somewhere.
    It’s time for you, Shamiram, to invade and conquer your ancestral country and identity.

  8. Queen Shamiram ( Takouhi ) you must be proud of your name, my cousin’s son Vramshabouh ( Takavor )
    His blue eyes and fair skin with stunning blond curly golden hair, standing almost 6.3. He is proud of his one in a million name. No this is not a matchmaking agency lol.
    If they care about the person they must learn your name .

  9. Dear Shamiram, thank you for sharing! Do not worry about looking “Armenian” or “being” Armenian. The diaspora is obsessed with identity. Even if you would be half Armenian, or fully Armenian, there will be those that will treat you different because of trivial things(not speaking Armenian well, unusual surname, appearance).

    The age and setting does not matter, can be kids or people in their 50’s or older, a youth camp or Birthright. That’s just the way it is.

    Just be proud of yourself and keep improving your Armenian language if you wish, and in due time you will speak much more Armenian than many who are “Armenian-looking”.

  10. Hi Shamiram, I enjoyed this so much! There is a lot I could say, but I’ll be brief. My parents were genocide survivors and I grew up as the only Armenian in my town. Everyone thought I was strange. I’ve always used my American middle name, Doris. I was too self-conscious about my first name, Dickranouhi. I went to Hayastan Camp. They had family cabins. This was before they build the AYF camp. Other than Church, I’ve always been in an American community and don’t look Armenian either (my Father was a redhead with freckles), but I like to make a point of saying I’m Armenian when possible. You’re lucky you’re in this generation that is more worldly. Shamiram is a lovely name, and being light skinned is what I’m told we originally were.

  11. I often ask myself why I consider myself an Armenian? I was born and raised in diaspora. I speak the language and can read and even write but still I mix tones of English words. I have never lived or worked in Armenia so what is so special about being an Armenian that I want to preserve and even pass it to my children. I think being Armenian has nothing to do with how you look or what is your name. In Armenia itself, you can find a small number of expatriates who are mostly married to Armenians and consider themselves Armenians and citizens of Armenia. These people don’t have our eyes or noses, yet they are Armenians, and I think they are even more Armenian than us who live in diaspora.
    We live in a very complex world where identity is only about feelings. Listen to your inner voice and follow it. A trip to Armenia helps but only if you can immerse in the local culture and lifestyle. You will find people who don’t have many of the things we have in US yet they have things that we can only dream about them in our materialistic developed societies.

  12. I can’t tell you how much I relate to this article so much in common starting from the name!!

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