AGBU Yerevan Summer Intern Program

Join the world’s best and brightest college students of Armenian descent for a summer filled with once-in-a-ifetime professional, educational, cultural and social experiences in New York City, Yerevan and Moscow.

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There is no greater feeling than knowing we, as volunteers, have such a positive impact on the lives of the children at the orphanage we have been placed in for our YSIP internship. Before the very first day of our internship, we never anticipated being in the presence of such inspirational children and fellow volunteers. The innocence and curiosity the children had in their eyes brought us to tears, knowing that we are going to be paying special care and attention to them. The funny thing is that a simple hug or smile was merely enough to give them hope. Hope for their happiness, hope for love, and hope for their future. The way their faces light up when we enter the orphanage every day shows us that we really do give them something to look forward to. Not only are they ecstatic to play and spend time with us, but they have an extreme level of motivation and eagerness to be taught the English language.

Every moment spent with the boys and girls enables them to feel the love and attention they need that is so scarce in their lives. Each and every one of the children has a story to tell. While some have parents who cannot afford to raise them, others have been left completely alone. A simple hug, or being held up in our arms automatically results in enlightened smiles that pierces our hearts. The level of appreciation they show for the both of us is above and beyond what we ever expected. After only three weeks, we have already developed a trusting relationship with the boys and girls. We are getting to know as much as we can about them, and they have been doing the same with us.

On one very special day, the Future is Yours Organization that we are interning for gave us the opportunity to take a group of children to spend the day at a park in Yerevan. These children who had suffered emotional and mental disturbances at such a young age were given a day they could never forget and a few hours to numb the pain of their past by playing on carousels and eating ice cream. Although it was difficult for some of the kids to enjoy this experience, the Future is Yours has shown us that persistence and loyalty to these children prospers over time. By pursuing projects like these, the organization is carrying out the ultimate acts of humanitarianism and helping the children grow into admirable young adults.

Through this internship, we have learned to appreciate all of life’s many gifts but more importantly, the ability to give back to others is one that should be cherished among the rest.

The moment I stepped off the plane at Zvartnots Airport I was immediately stunned, I couldn’t believe where I was. The airport had been completely rebuilt since the last time I was there just four years earlier. This marked the beginning of a list of experiences that would leave me surprised during my stay in Armenia. All the expectations that I had prior to the trip were completely incorrect.

Immediately upon beginning my internship I noticed differences with the work style in Armenia. I am interning at the Academy for Educational Development which is an organization that works with the U.S. Agency of International Development. They work to modernize Armenia by finding solutions to an array of problems dealing with health, education, politics, environment, and economics in the country.

During my first day at my internship all my co-workers were extremely welcoming.I was shocked when I was told that the company has a cook who prepares lunch everyday. During lunch I was surprised by how close my co-workers were. They seemed to know so much about each other and they genuinely cared about each other’s lives. Of the jobs I have held in the states I was never so close with any of my co-workers, but here I felt like I was part of a family not just a company.

Each day to get to work I take a taxi. After my first few taxi rides I was terrified. There are no rules here, people drive as they please and as fast as they’d like. I would be sitting in the car gripping onto the
door handle praying that I would get to work in one piece. The drivers would merely laugh when I asked where the seatbelt was. But after a week of crazy taxi rides, I am no longer gripping onto the door handle. It seems that there is a unwritten set of rules that the drivers in Armenia follow. While they may not stop at the crosswalks, they all manage to get to their destinations.

Although many people look at Armenia and all they see is an underdeveloped country, there is so much more. The people here are very positive despite the hardships they face. Their hospitality and kindness
is heartwarming. Thus far I have loved every minute that I spend in my homeland. I am extremely happy that I am participating in the YSIP program because I know that this experience will bring me closer to my roots.

Continuing our series of YSIP intern reflections on their experience in Armenia, we introduce Jeffrey Berj Aris from the United States:

As my plane was landing at Zvartnots airport, the lady to my right discussed various Armenian topics, but was especially passionate about the majestic nature of Mount Ararat, which was going to come into view shortly before our landing. As a proud Armenian American, I have embraced all the wonderful aspects of our culture. Despite my affinity for all things Armenian, I had a difficult time understanding why a mountain could mean so much to our people. As the plane got below the clouds, Mount Ararat was in full view, and I stopped talking, I stopped thinking, and I began to absorb everything before my eyes. I began to process what I saw, a massive mountain, not standing among many others, but standing proudly, on its own.

Mount Ararat is symbolic of the Armenian people, and it has been a great reminder of my experiences so far in Armenia. Living in America my entire life, the very concept of Armenia is almost magical, and I did not have any idea what to expect. The only thing I wanted to bring to Armenia was an open mind, and even though I have been here nearly two weeks, every day seems like a new gift. Yesterday my AGBU group toured Holy Etchmiadzin. As we drove to the holiest place for Armenians, we passed through many simplistic villages, and similar to Mount Ararat, seemingly out of nowhere, a beautiful area of churches appeared. This trip is about one thing, connecting with my culture in a way that I could never do in America. So far I have seen a country that is beautiful. I’ve seen people that are proud. And I have learned more about myself in twelve days than I ever thought possible.

We will begin a series of posts created by the staff and students participating in this year’s Yerevan Summer Intern Program. We hope this will give you a feel for the sights and sounds of Armenia as experienced by a college-aged diasporan Armenian.

Our first post is from YSIP 2009 Activities Coordinator Aleen Tina Tovmasian, who is an alumna of the YSIP 2008 program. She returned to Armenia this year to help the 2009 interns get the most from their summer experiences:

I could not control my excitement. Having arrived over a week and a half before the interns, all I wanted was for the program to begin. The days seemed interminable, and the final preparations seemed to multiply by the minute, but it did not matter.

Pretty soon, I would be able to introduce this country to a group of twenty-five extremely qualified students, fresh college graduates, and motivated graduate students from all over the world. Each time I took a half-awake trip to Zvartnotz airport to greet a new intern, the realization sunk deeper and deeper that the experience was underway. I heard myself repeat with eagerness, “Look to your right, tell me what you see!” I remember what sort of impression that Ararat had made on me upon my first arrival in Armenia, and was ecstatic to share that with the new group of interns.

As an intern in the pioneer year of the Yerevan Summer Intern Program, I came with lessons to share and unwavering excitement about every one of its offerings: an immediate integration into Armenian culture, an opportunity for professional development, a path to the establishment of meaningful relationships, and a road to personal growth. What each intern takes out of this program will be unique, but the opportunities are there to be seized.

Now, a week into the program, I am confident that each of the interns has decided to embrace the cultural differences and delve head first into all that Armenia has to offer. As for myself, I’m just enjoying my challenge of making the experience even a tad more special for the interns.

While this year’s crop of YSIP interns prefered to share their memories and experiences on Facebook rather than this blog we know this site is still the go-to source of information about the AGBU Yerevan Summer Intern Program. Here is the press release about this year’s success!

Also, it’s that time of year and 2009 Applications are already available and you can download one here (PDF).

Yerevan Summer Intern Program’s Second Season a Grand Success; Applications for 2009 Now Available

On Saturday, August 2, 2008, the second year of the AGBU Yerevan Summer Intern Program (YSIP) concluded when the last of 18 students returned home to their respective countries, enriched with memories and armed with new knowledge and a bond with the heritage of their motherland.

During the five-week program, the participating students, hailing from six countries (United States, Canada, Russia, Australia, Syria and Switzerland), worked as interns in some of Armenia’s premier institutions and corporations, like Converse Bank, Cafesjian Foundation, Gevorgyan Gallery, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), TUMO Design Studio, the American University of Armenia (AUA), The Future is Yours charity, the Philharmonic Orchestra, Shoghakat TV Channel and a range of leading medical institutions.

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Check here to download an application to the 2008 AGBU Yerevan Summer Intern Program.

For more information, email ysip@agbu.org or visit the YSIP blog, agbu.org/ysip.

So…the first official AGBU Yerevan Summer Intern Program (YSIP) has come to a close.

On August 5, the last of our 16 interns boarded a plane at Zvartnots, and now I am an Intern Coordinator with no interns 😦 It really is sad… I grew pretty attached, and it was difficult to say goodbye to these new friends. I think many of them felt that 5 weeks in Armenia was going to be really long, but in the end, I heard more than a few of them say that they didn’t want to leave. I have to admit, that was music to my ears.

As one of the AGBU staff members that guided them through this program and as a person who loves Armenia so dearly, it makes me happy and proud to know that many of the interns left the country with such good impressions. I know that many of them will be back, maybe even one day soon, and hopefully ALL of them will look back on this experience with fond memories. I know I will.

This is not to say that there were not ups and downs. Of course, as in any first-time program and with any sizable group, there’s going to be problems, frustrations, misunderstandings, tension, etc. But in my opinion, there were plenty more moments of happiness, positive realizations, bonding, and cultural adaptation. I truly am proud of them.

I hope they feel at home here, because Armenia is their home. When I came as in intern in 2005, my entire perspective on being Armenian changed. I saw what life was like outside the diaspora, where being Armenian for me meant church and camp and a barahantes [dinner dance] here and there. Being Armenian inside Armenia is really completely different. Here we see the current struggles of our people without any filter. Many are fighting just to get by each day, without money, without opportunity and sometimes without a lot of hope.

Of course, in every place in the world there will always be people living in difficult conditions, but I think the feeling is different here because these are OUR people and this is OUR country. We have to care about it and treat it with respect and contribute to it what we can. When I finally started to feel at home here was when I was able to see both the pain and the beauty at the same time… and realize that both are part of being Armenian.

When thinking about the big picture, all the little problems that YSIP interns encountered seem pretty manageable. Sure, there were some cases of illness like pinkeye or food poisoning… also a bug-infested stay in the beautiful forest of Dilijan… an arrival at the Matenadaran only to find that it was closed… and countless other awkward situations.

But, in the end, I think we are all better people having made it through those challenges. I learned a lot from this group of people — they are bright, talented, motivated, caring and optimistic — and I will never forget our summer 2007 stay in Yerevan. I hope that if they learned anything from me, that it was just to see Armenia for what it is… the good and the bad… and love it anyway.

So for the last time… in the words of Shushanik… yerekhek, charjvenk [children, let’s move]!

Garodov [With Affection],
Tamar

Regarding our five week stay in Armenia… where can I start? This was my third time in Armenia, I was also here last year and also in 2003. The country is getting better by the day! I can seriously SEE the differences. I can safely say, at least for me, that this year was my best year yet in Armenia, whether that be regarding work-placement, having fun, learning about the people/country, and any other aspects one can think of once in Armenia. The surreal moments were many, to say the very least, and I am really sad right now because I’m going to leave in 3 days 😦

I won’t forget ANYYYY of the experiences and friends I made here, and I only hope the relationships I made, whether that be with the interns, or the citizens here in Armenia, only grow in the near future. Our experiences were many, and there were many funny/interesting/scary/exciting/astonishing moments along the way.

But I think, what’s most important out of all that I learned was that Armenia is like any other country in the world, with its share of ups and downs, good and bad things. A lot of us in the diaspora see only the negative sides of the country, or at least focus on those (at first).

I think this internship opened a lot of people’s eyes in regards to what Armenia is right now, and what direction it is headed in in the future.

I remember once I stepped foot in Armenia’s Zvartnots Airport, I was completely amazed at the reconstruction of the Airport, and how it is the first stage (a very important stage in fact) of what is to come in Armenia in the near future 🙂

I always tell everyone this is my city (Yerevan), and that this is my country, and it’s also yours as well! Guys, this is our land, yes it can be dirty, it can be sad, it can be miserable… walking and going through the city/country, but hey… after a few weeks here, you don’t mind those things, in fact… u look for those aspects wherever you go (at least for me), so I can be re-assured I’m in Armenia 🙂

I was going to a relatives house tonight, and just seeing the streets and city at night made me miss it even more. Armenia in general, this internship in general, made me not only stronger as an Armenian, but as a person. The experiences which I gained here, whether at work or not, have become an invaluable part of who I am, and what I am a part of.

Now, I am faced with getting re-acquainted with life back home :-S (bleeeeee) loool. I am already kind of used to this lifestyle, I like it already. Many people ask me if I would stay… and I always reply why not? As long as I have a good paying job and job security, why not? I definitely plan on getting “something” here one day… meaning a piece of land, a house, something that I can always have here on this land.

I am sure that everyone has benefited from this experience, and I hope this experience will last forever in all of our lives. From the bottom of my heart, I really loved it this year, everythinggggggggggg was great! Of course there were some downs (as in ups and downs–there always are…), but I think this time I didn’t hold back in anything like I did during my previous trips here. I guess people have to come here a couple of times to get acquainted with everything.

Regarding our trips out of the city, where can I start? Each one had its own special attribute and its own style. From the windy, bumpy, and daunting roads of Karabakh to Norashen… to the damp, foggy, rainy, and scary days in Dilijan… to the “happy hours” in Parvana (twice lol), to the tooti oghi [mulberry vodka] night in Shushi…and our journey through Khor Virap, Noravank, Etchmiadzin, Zvartnots, Gyumri, and the rest…

Each place, each moment of laughter…of happiness…of excitement…of astonishment…of of of of…. I will never forget. I also wanted to thank Tamara and Shushanik…both of them deserve medals of honor for putting up with us, but I think we deserve some medals too (maybe a little smaller?) looool

I think that like the other interns mentioned, each of us had our own experience throughout Armenia’s manyy manyyyy wonders, which can not always be explained, but which can surely be experienced by anyone who comes to this little piece of land on the other side of the world (at least from our home in LA) 😉

Jerm barevnerov Hayastanic 😉

Greg Bandikian interned at the Monetary Policy department of the Central Bank of Armenia He is 21 years old and attending California State University – Northridge (CSUN), with majors in Finance, Real Estate, and a minor in Armenian Studies.

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