Impressions: AYF Summer Internship in Armenia

By Narine Esmaeili

The first time I visited Armenia, I wanted to sightsee and enjoy a vacation away from school with my graduating class.

This summer, I decided to have a different experience in Armenia. By signing up for the AYF Internship Program, I have been able to work and live in Armenia just like any other Yerevantsi. My internship at Yerkir Media—the ARF’s international news broadcast station—has opened me up to what Armenia has to offer in regards to educational purposes. My job includes translating breaking news and sending them to CNN, Horizon, and other media outlets, and following one of the head staffers to conferences and meetings for stories reported on the afternoon news.

At first, coming to work was nerve-wracking because I was unsure how I was going to help the professional interpreters and broadcasters. In a sense, I was intimidated by Yerkir Media’s professionalism because I thought there was no way I would be able to contribute to the already fully staffed international news station. However, on my second day of work, international relations expert Gerard Chailiand held a discussion, and staff from Yerkir Media were invited to watch and participate. The discussion might have been an everyday thing for the reporters at Yerkir, but it was very eye-opening for me. I had never had an opportunity to participate in a conference involving Armenian politics from the perspective of the people living in Armenia. Right after the discussion, I had the opportunity to do a voiceover on a clip that would eventually be sent to Horizon, for my entire world to see.

I come to work anxious to find out what the agenda has in store because a different task is required every day. One day I might be compiling clips of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in Armenia, and the next day I might be sending correspondence to MSNBC. Even though I love the work experience I am gaining for my future career, my favorite part about working at Yerkir is the people. By the end of my first day, not only did I know everyone’s name but I was also offered everything from a guide to help me get me back home, to ice cream to fight off the scorching Yerevan heat. They joke around and call me their “spiurkahay unger” (diasporan friend), but the people have a sense of friendship that I am used to in my own Armenian community at home. The days are passing by fast at Yerkir, but I am enjoying myself in Armenia as a working member of the society.

The difference between my first visit and this summer is that this time around, I don’t feel like a tourist… I feel like I’m home.

The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) is an international youth organization that works year-round to guide the social, political, cultural, and moral development of young Armenians. The AYF Eastern Region operates an internship program that places ambitious youth in offices in Yerevan in order to experience our homeland and contribute to its development. The AYF Western Region operates the Youth Corps program, which runs a day camp for underprivileged children in Gyumri during the summer.

For more information, visit www.AYF.org or www.AYFwest.org.

Narine Esmaeili is from Glendale, Calif.