“I was raised around Armenian people, around my parents and friends. The first time I visited Yerevan in 2011 with my parents. I really liked it here so I found out about Birthright Armenia, and in the past couple of years I’ve been coming here not to be a tourist, but to participate as a part of Armenia. I’ve been working in Gyumri for about two months, teaching English and hand crafting. I quickly realized that I could live here. During that time, I met some Armenians who also came to their fatherland from various countries, and from them, found out all the necessary information about living here."

“I feel a lot better living here. The life I live here turns out to be more interesting compared with the life in Los Angeles. The community here is a lot more connected. You can’t find the same connection in Glendale, as they have a different mentality. In Armenia, it feels different; it feels like we’re all working toward the same goal to prosper in this country and in our personal lives”.

“I always knew I wanted to live here. But the living conditions did not allow me make that decision; first it was college, then it was my job. Besides, I’d never seen Armenians who lived in America coming back to their fatherland. But when I came to work here for two months, I met all the people who left the United States (and other countries) and came here, and they were actually living normal lives. I then realized it was possible for me, too”.

“My parents still have the opinion that my life in Los Angeles would be more successful than it will be in Armenia. However, I don’t think that way at all. Maybe I can be a lot more successful in America financially, but Armenia gives me so much more than America could ever do. The friendship and warm reception that I have is nothing close to what I had in Los Angeles. The interaction with people here is more active. People in Los Angeles go to college, go to work, come home, and do it all over again. They don’t have time to spend with family and friends. It is different here; you go out every day. In that sense, Yerevan is more alive”.

“If I feel that I am not comfortable here or if I can be more successful somewhere else, I’ll leave. I didn’t come here because I’m Armenian, I came here to enrich myself mentally and spiritually, and I think that Armenia is a very good place to find yourself. Now I have a better understanding of what I want and the path that I’m going to take. I know that I’m going to be connected to Armenia for the rest of my life.

I’m willing to contribute to my country, and I think that the biggest contribution to Armenia is bringing something new; it can be knowledge, business, new opinions, or even new ideas. The contribution from me would probably be towards the support of art. I studied Political science, economics and philosophy, yet, I believe that I can make a bigger impact and contribution through arts. The best way to do that is through festivals”.