“In Uruguay the youth from different Armenian organizations joined hands and started working together. During the genocide march, we would align together and march forward hand in hand.”

Panosian first visited Armenian in 2013 for the Pan Homenetmen games, and the second time was the following year. It was his second visit that urged him to make the decision of moving to his homeland. During his first visit, he was very eager to visit Artsakh, but because he was busy with the games and had to travel to Europe later, he cancelled his flight and embarked on a journey alone to Artsakh. But for him to move to the country, he needed a job.

After being rejected in the beginning, an acquaintance of him insisted on not being demotivated and that he would provide him with work upon moving to Armenia. Although jobless the first 3 months here, he did his best to learn the language and experienced a lot in Armenia as an employee. He broke the stereotype of having no job in Armenia. 

“If we look at the big picture, every country has issues. You wouldn’t know about Armenia’s problems if you live in Uruguay, it’s not the same as actually experiencing it. The country is changing, it’s moving forward. We’re building new centers, rebuilding the streets, we’re making changes. We should work on social issues as well. Salaries are low here, people barely survive on the minimum wage. Unless you fight for it, the government will never raise the minimum salary.”

“The most important thing for Armenia is the people. There are many Armenians in the world. We work elsewhere, invest our time in working abroad, do all of that while we have Armenia to develop. It takes time to make changes, it’s difficult. But the country is smart. We have scientists and engineers driving buses and taxis. Armenia is ready to receive diasporans. There is work, you just have to look for it. I currently have 2.”

“First thing you have to do when you come here is go to Ovir. Get your paperwork done as soon as possible. You will need it to start working. If you’re a part of Armenian organizations elsewhere, come to Armenia and make changes here. And most importantly, don’t be afraid of the language. If you don’t speak it, it’s alright, Armenians are nice people.”