As a nurse, I have experienced a lot of great things that have had a profound affect on my life. Working with people who rely on you to take care of them is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. It had been even more rewarding working and learning in Armenia because I finally feel as though I am giving back to my country and my people.

Being aware of the financial situation in Armenia, I was not expecting a work milieu comparable to that which I work in at home, but I've come to realize that the financial situation does not dictate the dedication that these people have to their jobs and their patients.

One of the most amazing experiences was the first day I spent in the Labor and Delivery department at the Margaryan Hospital. Just watching a baby being born and realizing that the Armenians are procreating and bringing children into this world that are going to be the new generation to bring change to this country brought tears to my eyes. You're always taught to hold back emotions because it is not professional, but how could I not feel anything when this miracle was occurring before my eyes. To this day, I have seen at least 20 births, and it is just as amazing as the first one I saw that day.

My experiences at Margaryan were amazing and priceless, but I was also given the opportunity to work at the Armenian-American Wellness Center (AAWC). At the Wellness Center, Armenian women are given the opportunity to take care of themselves through the services offered by the clinic such as mammography for the prevention of cancer and Pap smears. Each day is a great day at AAWC because the way that the doctors and nurses work makes me so proud to work there with them. They are so courteous and caring, and each of them are amazing individuals that I will miss so much when I go back home. They immediately accepted me into their family and treated me as one of their own.

My first day on the job, I went with a small team to Gavar, a village near Sevan Lake where the AAWC had a satellite clinic. The people of the surrounding villages were aware that there was an American doctor and nurse coming so they all decided to come in that day for a check up. We saw each patient one by one, and I was allowed to speak to the patients and write up their files as well as give them medical advice as a nurse. I felt so good about myself because here I was, just a child compared to the people I was working with, and they trusted me and had enough faith in what I was doing to allow me to work with their patients. It did not matter that I was a diasporan or that I was younger, to them my passion and concern was enough merit. I will not forget the faces of the villagers who sat there in that little examination room and told me how difficult their lives were and how it was adversely affecting their health. Their faces were like the faces of my mother, father, grandfather and grandmother. I couldn't tell them apart, because at the moment, each person was just as important to take care of as a family member. That is what the nurses and doctors here taught me. In the end, I became a student and they became my teachers, and I have learned some of the most valuable life lessons in Armenia.

Ani Sinanyan (USA),
AAA volunteer and BR/DH participant