A Window into Armenia

You wake up in the morning. Outside the window – the sun is shining and birds are singing their favourite songs. You wash up and get dressed. In the kitchen – your host mom has been cooking tasty food from early morning. You sit down and partake of that delicious dish. Life feels perfect.

Then you step out of your apartment to vanish into the calm and warm atmosphere of Yerevan streets. No one bothers you. Ararat greets you from far away. Just yourself and your Homeland.

Finally, you reach your job site, where everyone is happy to welcome you and comfort you whenever it’s needed. Life feels perfect.

The working day is over, now you can go to the Birthright Armenia office to take part in the most involving and inspiring forums and, of course, talk to fellows from different parts of the world.

Now, the end of the week comes. You visit the churches, the mountains, the caves, all the richness of Armenia. Exhausted, but happy, you are back home and ready to start the week all over again.

Sounds perfect, huh? But… There are always ‘buts’.

How to make this ‘perfect life’ come true? Who stands behind it all? How to make all the volunteers feel that ‘perfect’ way and enjoy their stay in Armenia?

I’ve asked all these questions of our dearest staff members and am excited to share them with you!

So, imagine – once upon a time you wake up in, let’s say, Moscow, Paris, Los Angeles or wherever, and feel that something is wrong. You crave a change and experience your best life in your Homeland. Then – whoosh! – and you run into an Instagram post with happy smiling people and a description:

‘We are waiting for you!’

‘We are working from a marketing perspective to target all countries where Armenian diasporas are located,’ shares Meri, the Digital Marketing Specialist. Meri mentions that Birthright Armenia is active on several social channels, including Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Telegram. They share all types of media – videos, graphic posts, pictures with volunteers and their experiences – so that the one dreaming of an exciting experience in Armenia can learn about the program and absorb the volunteering atmosphere while lying in bed in Moscow.

Now, the job is half-done – congratulations! You get out of bed, do your morning routine and live your common life, but… some voice whispers in your ear, ‘Remember the post? Go for it!’

You’re swallowed up by doubts and fears, your resistance is strong… But heart wants what it wants – and now, sitting on a comfortable chair at your cozy home, you’re filling out an application. Just wait a little, Dayana, the Volunteer Coordinator, will get in touch with you very soon!

‘I try to do everything so that volunteers feel they can ask me any question they have,’ shares Dayana. ‘As far as we are all of the same age range, we become very good friends with many volunteers – and the most important thing is that we bridge the gap between Armenia and the Diaspora by keeping in touch and telling our fellows about Armenia,’ she adds.

As in any job, there are some challenges for the staff here. People come from various countries with their cultural codes. Moreover, not all the volunteers have Armenian heritage. Besides, people come here at a point where they want to find their place in life, so the work is highly human-centric. All this might seem challenging, but Dayana believes that, if you coordinate it all the right way, it isn’t difficult at all.

So, my dear friend, if you are seeking adventures – don’t be afraid, everything is done for you to feel comfortable.

It’s time for packing. Don’t forget the most necessary things – enthusiasm, determination, dedication, and devotion.

You enter the airplane heading toward Yerevan. Through the window – the famous top view of Mount Ararat. You go through the terminal building and see the warm words ‘Բարի գալուստ տուն’ /Bari galust tun/ (‘Welcome home’).

These three words are captured by your eyes and taken into the depth of your soul, and they make you the happiest person in the world. You go down the stairs, but still your eyes catch the side of those most willing words and your heart beats strongly. The dream has become reality.

New country – new acquaintances. First, you have an orientation meeting where you get to know the whole staff. The first person you see is Sevan, the Birthright Armenia Director. Sevan comes from the US, where he spent many years of his life. And now, he has been living in Armenia for 20 years!

‘Birthright Armenia is a great opportunity for young people,’ he says. It’s a unique opportunity to experience and understand Armenia deeper, not just as a tourist. 21-32 year-old young people come here, the whole life is ahead of them – and they want to spend it in Armenia.

Birthright Armenia wants to show real Armenia – with its difficulties and advantages. ‘That is our value,’ states Sevan. It is also an opportunity for individual growth: to go out of one’s comfort zone, grow as a person, get more independent, become more confident.

If it’s your first time in Armenia and you know no one – that’s okay, because Birthright Armenia is also a support mechanism – here you meet the staff members and other volunteers – and you are able to discover Armenia in a relaxed atmosphere. The organization has solved the problem of accommodation and other domestic problems so that you can fully enjoy Armenia.

As a Director, Sevan wants to be an example for the team members with his work, share his approaches concerning various problems, discuss with every member their own features and growth opportunities. He believes in the team, not in 12 individuals.

Sevan also affirms that volunteers are wonderful people, that everyone who comes here is among the selected people, who’ve decided to come to Armenia and stay here for 4, 6, 8 or more months.

‘I always appreciate values,’ he admits, ‘I always want to work with these people who’ve made such a decision – to come to Armenia – and to open doors to Armenia for them.’

He believes that everyone has their own path. There are many young people who grow here – and they say it themselves. That it is the most pleasant thing in this work.

And, finally, if these young people don’t come to Armenia with such a program and don’t see Armenia as a place to grow further on, they will stay outside and develop other countries. But these young people who’ve made a decision to come to Armenia – they are the exceptional examples of people who want to put their efforts and skills back into their Homeland.

‘There’s nothing ideal,’ Sevan says, ‘and there’s nothing ideal in our work.’

But this is not the goal. The goal is to lightly open a window into Armenia, so that people will be brave enough to make decisions about their lives. Birthright Armenia wants to show them opportunities which they wouldn’t notice staying in other countries.

The first day lasts leisurely and passes in an instant at the same time. Now, it’s high time to go to work!

The most common job sites, as Narine, the Jobsite Placement Manager, mentions, are marketing, SMM and everything connected with Social Media. There’ve been also unusual professions volunteers wanted to practice – like a sailor! Some wanted to join church work.

It might be difficult to find an IT, Project Manager or Finance/Accounting position if a person comes to stay for a short time, but, ‘We never say “impossible”, we do everything to make it possible,’ shares Narine.

The work day is over, now you come to the forum and hang out with new friends. Dayana explains that forums cover historical, cultural, IT, business, and social topics important for understanding modern Armenia. Alumni also return to share their repatriation journeys and experiences of building a life in Armenia.

During forums you always get inspired by speakers and always think of your own path. Maybe one day you’ll be standing there and share your experience with new volunteers…

Here comes Saturday – the most favourite day of volunteers! Guess what? We are leaving for an excursion!

‘Excursions are different every week, because we try to do everything so that the volunteers can explore the country from different angles,’ says Mariam, the Excursion Coordinator. Armenia’s mountains, churches, villages, songs, dances, and family traditions become unforgettable parts of the journey.

Throughout the years, Birthright Armenia has established partnerships with many people who share the same values and who are happy to host the staff and the volunteers.

Volunteers are encouraged to see Armenia not as tourists — but as hosts returning home.

Finally, you’ve finished your Birthright Armenia program and now you are an alumnus. According to Kristina, the Next Step Team Coordinator, hundreds of alumni have decided to continue their life in Armenia after completing the program.

Many return because they want to reconnect with their roots, speak their own language, live inside their culture, and contribute to their Homeland.

So, that is the story of your Birthright Armenia path and how it all is organized. The staff members are doing their best to make volunteers feel comfortable and to help them whenever it’s necessary. There are certain difficulties in the whole process, but the game is worth the candle.

Birthright Armenia members are waiting for you!