From a young age, I have heard people praise the AYF Internship in Armenia and the lasting impact it leaves on alumni of the program. With college coming to a close and adult life right around the corner, I knew the upcoming summer would be my only chance to participate in the nine-week immersive program. From the day I started my application to the day I left for Yerevan, I felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension — excited for the journey ahead yet nervous about the unknowns.
My parents have told me stories about my first trip to Armenia almost two decades ago. They say I ran to them with joy when I heard people speaking Armenian at the gate during our layover. So, when I sat down at my gate at Charles De Gaulle this summer and heard a young family speaking Armenian, reality started to set in and the excitement grew. That little moment was the beginning of a much larger discovery I would make as the summer went on.
Being in Armenia for the first time in six years, and for the first time without family, was an eye-opening experience. Everything felt different yet familiar. It was hard to adjust to the fact that I would be spending two months there, since I didn’t know what to expect. However, as the other interns started to arrive, I realized that I wouldn’t be embarking on this endeavor alone.
After seven late-night pickups from Zvartnots, the house was finally full! Being one of the largest groups of interns in the program’s 32-year history made for a vibrant, and sometimes chaotic, house. I don’t think any of us imagined that one day we would share a handful of bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms with 17 other Armenians, but that is one of the wonders of the AYF Internship. You meet new friends, grow closer with old friends, and learn how to live in a shared space. The interns can attest that some of our best memories from the summer were made at home.
Initially, I wanted to write this article to highlight a moving interaction I had with a local Armenian family during our three-day trip to Dilijan and Ijevan. We arrived at the hotel after a long day of touring to find a family celebrating their four-year-old son’s birthday. Without hesitation, the father invited us to join the festivities, and before we knew it, all of us were singing and dancing with this family we had just met.
Everything felt slow motion that night, like I was experiencing it from a third-person perspective. The smile on the father’s face, the glee in the grandmother’s eyes and the son’s joyous dance were overwhelming. This interaction was fate’s way of demonstrating to our group the beautiful spirit of the Armenian people. As the celebration ended and people headed back to their rooms, I stayed to thank the family and express how special a night it was.
There’s a reason I said this article was initially about highlighting my interaction with this family. Every time I sat down to write, I would get stuck. I went through several drafts of the story, yet none evoked the raw emotions shared in that conversation. They were so proud of us for coming back to our homeland as diasporan Armenians, for being invested in maintaining our culture and grateful that we celebrated this occasion with them. I told them how grateful we were to be accepted and treated with compassion, and how lucky we were to have crossed paths. These sentiments were exchanged throughout the conversation, and it would be impossible to recount everything that was said accurately. I do remember how the conversation ended, however, with the father proclaiming that we had developed a lifelong friendship that I could always rely on when in Armenia.
This was a pivotal moment that transformed my perspective on being Armenian. I recognized how fortunate we are as diasporans to be so closely connected to our culture. This feeling grew as the summer went on. There were several other moments that moved me in a profound way and led me to self-reflect, most notably during my time as a Camp Javakhk counselor in Darakyugh.
I felt moved to write this reflection knowing that I could have missed out on these memories. With each conversation and encounter, I realized how fortunate I was to have attended St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School and to have spoken Armenian at home. I recognize that access to Armenian schools can vary based on location, community size and resources. Rather than serve as a roadblock, this should motivate community leaders to invest more resources into creating opportunities for Armenian youth to engage with their heritage by learning their language. In other words, we should all strive to strengthen the keystone of Armenian culture: our language.
One such opportunity to strengthen this keystone is the AYF Internship. Living in Armenia for two months and immersing yourself in the daily life of the people will allow you to pick up the language by necessity. By the end of the summer, most interns are on track to reach conversational proficiency with continued practice at home. It is an extraordinary opportunity to communicate with fellow Armenians around the world in our native tongue.
Alumni testimonials, including my story, could never capture the true essence of the AYF Internship in Armenia. Instead, I urge everyone to apply to this incredible program and experience it for themselves. Our schedules can be busy, and these are some of our most formative years, but don’t let this get in the way of such a unique opportunity. The homeland needs us, and nothing should get in the way of fulfilling that need.
Many of the experiences I had and lessons I learned this summer wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t have the honor of directing this year’s program alongside two dedicated ungerouhis with a similar appreciation for the AYF and its values. A big shoutout to Areni Artinian and Niree Kaprielian for being fantastic directors and for being part of an unforgettable summer.
Emin Abrahamian
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What beautiful dresses and costumes!
BIG plaid vest guy let’s go
It is true that when you join the AYF, you not only join young people your age, but their parents and you stay friends forever. It is a wonderful and strong base to have as you start your adulthood. God Bless all the AYFers, Past, Present, and many Futures.