An empire’s worst fear is to fall. An ethnicity’s worst fear is to vanish. In modern times, the snowball of disappearance picks up speed in any diaspora each time someone from that small tribe finds his or her companion outside of it, or is disconnected with their roots. The Armenian Diaspora is no different. Among the older generations especially, Armenians are afraid of assimilation—and not just cultural assimilation, but genetic assimilation as well. However, reigns must be flexible and icicles easily break.
Since 2004, Birthright Armenia has sponsored over 425 volunteers to live and work in Armenia and to foster a connection to the homeland. For many volunteers, and especially for those who are not of 100 percent Armenian descent, the experience has been a strong influence in the way youth view their “Armenianness” and their role in the country’s future. “Here I have learned so much about my homeland and as such reconnected with myself in a way that I never thought I would,” says Anouch Adjemian, who is half-Armenian, half-Vietnamese, from Belgium.
To hold fast to the reigns of globalization and keep oneself seated comfortably in one’s own identity outside of the ethnic homeland is a demanding challenge. Birthright Armenia has in many ways filled this opportunity-vacuum for many young Armenians through life exposure. And, as perhaps a quite natural result of participating in this inclusive sponsorship program, people meet people. In its first five years of existence, 12 volunteers have found their spouses while participating in Birthright Armenia, and 2 more are currently engaged to fellow volunteers. Of the remaining engaged alumni, about three-quarters are engaged to Armenians. “My fiancé is Armenian, and we actually met while doing Birthright Armenia during the summer of 2006,” says Stephanie Johnson of Boston, Mass.
“Cultural preservation” through the experience of Birthright Armenia has expressed itself in two key ways: either by volunteers renewing their sense of identity with a connection and commitment to modern-day Armenia, or by reaffirming their desire to find an Armenian life partner. One alumnus who is currently engaged says, “Absolutely it was important to me that I marry an Armenian to share that significant part of my life with another Armenian and…pass down our culture to another generation. Birthright Armenia reinforced these views.”
Birthright Armenia is an un-exclusive cultural exposure to one’s roots. Everyone with at least some Armenian heritage is welcome, which brings the notion of “Armenian” for some out of the confines of antiquated definitions of one or both parents being 100 percent Armenian.
Chelsea Bissel from Washington is a recent alumnus who spent the past seven months in Shushi and Yerevan with Birthright Armenia. Chelsea, who is a quarter Armenian, shared a thoughtful reflection on Armenianness in her own life, especially after her volunteer experience. Asked whether it was important for her to marry an Armenian, Chelsea said, “I don’t want this culture to slip away, to somehow fall through the cracks of the more immediate and tangible things in life… If I marry someone more Armenian than me who was raised with a more present Armenian culture, that potential slippage would no longer be as much of a threat… I recently argued with someone with no Armenian descent about this. He claimed that it was stupid and shortsighted and backwards for blood to be a criterion for marriage. I see his point and it’s a good one, but logic has really nothing to do with this decision; it’s sentimental and based on me clinging desperately to something that is apparently more important to me than some romantic no
tions about marriage.”
Most Birthright Armenia alums have commented that their bonds with Armenia, regardless of their partner’s ethnicity, is and will be a factor in the lives of their children, and their relationship with their life partner. “Through Birthright Armenia I saw and fell in love with Armenia, which added an element to what I wanted in a partner. It had to be someone who enjoyed being there and accepted a similar feeling of obligation about staying involved with Armenia for a lifetime,” said one alumnus.
However, Birthright Armenia is a forum in which a connection to one’s heritage expresses itself in different ways. Christina Achkarian, a 2007 volunteer, shared, “I always thought I would marry an Armenian…but now things are a bit different… For the first time, when I was doing the program I really felt Armenian… Seeing some of the people doing BR that summer—one girl was even a quarter Armenian, but she still came to learn about her heritage—I don’t think it’s necessary to have 100 percent Armenian blood running through your veins, so long as you pass on the culture.”
Nyree Abrahamian, a volunteer who met her spouse during their Birthright experiences and married in Armenia (where they have been living for the past two years), says that her husband’s being Armenian was not necessarily a requirement for her future children to speak and be immersed in Armenian culture. “What is important is…not for my husband to be Armenian, but for him to be genuinely interested in my Armenianness—not only as my heritage, but as an important and active component of my life. Birthright Armenia did influence my perception of Armenianness, my outlook on Armenia’s future, and my place in it…and [there is] great value in finding someone who is as passionate about building Armenia’s future as I am.”
Is there some hopeful news in the growing trend of Armenians losing their cultural base? There may be. With programs that encourage positive experiences with modern Armenian life like Birthright Armenia, volunteers have certainly gained a unique and unbreakable bond with their roots.
For more information on Birthright Armenia, visit www.birthrightarmenia.org.
who is making the assumption that armenians are homogeneous people, we are what america is going to become a few hundred years from now after all its citizens mix evenly, look at the blond asian in california now, wait until they marry blacks and see what the next generation is going to look like, and continue this mix for a few hundred years…if you still don’t believe me just look at the physical manifestation of each one of us, some of us look asian, some look semitic (including african), some look caucasian and some look nordic, just review our history and all the conquests of our nation, all the armies that passed through, do you not think that each left its genetic deposits???
i am of mixed blood each one of my parents looks different, my father looks like a reddish/olive skin roman, and my mother looks like a white skin polynesian, and me, well people have difficulty identifying my roots, one of my brothers is blue eyed blond (germanic blood runs in both side of my parents) and the other one with dark eyes and auburn hair… my point is that no matter what i am genetically, i am armenian, i feel armenian, and i haven’t been to what’s left of our great nation, nor do i belong to any armenian organization, i have lived in the diaspora all of my life and after almost 5 decades i can speak better armenian that any armenian who recently emigrated from armenia, even if i leave the planet and colonize mars (god willing), i am an armenian not for the love of present day armenia alone but because i love being armenian, so what is it , or who is armenian, the answer is, anyone who continues the traditions, helps and improves armenian interest, and is willing to defend it with with all they have
“i have lived in the diaspora all of my life and after almost 5 decades i can speak better armenian that any armenian who recently emigrated from armenia” a little bit of an exaggeration, no?
And I’m not sure if the article would disagree with “or who is armenian, the answer is, anyone who continues the traditions, helps and improves armenian interest, and is willing to defend it with with all they have.”
Ho !
I just was thinking that “liking vine leaves stuffed with meat” or “lehmejoun” was enough to feel Armenian…
What a mistake !
[:-))))
Armenian nation is a strong nation whith it’s faith,and that faith keeps us strong as a rock .
let us all keep it strong by speaking ,and singing Armenian ,telling the new generation about the reach Armenian history,keeping the traditions and always wishing to all oorakh yev yergar abrir im sireli hayrenagits.