Raffi is an Armenian from Baltimore, the United States. He came to Armenia on a one year Fulbright research fellowship.

His research project is called "The role of formal volunteerism in the development of Armenia’s civil society”. Raffi says that one of the conditions of the scholarship was to come to Armenia and gain some valuable life experience as a volunteer worker.

It hasn’t been as easy road.

When I went to visit Raffi he showed me all the instruments he had brought with him from the States. When I asked him to play, he answered, “You have three choices. There’s the oud, electric guitar and flamenco guitar. I can play them all,” Raffi said. He picked up the flamenco guitar and started to play. The others came later.

The bike hanging on the wall has taken Raffi all across America. He will ride it from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea.  He told me that one day he and a bunch of friends decided to set out across the country.

He was playing the flamenco guitar with that same exuberance when one of the strings broke. “Jeez, what’s going on? It was probably an old string,” Raffi exclaimed and proceeded to play the electric guitar.

 Raffi has knocked on the doors of several companies in Armenia offering to work on a volunteer basis. “I won’t give the name of the company,” he said. “Right now I am trying to offer an English class. I already teach a class at the Tumo Center. It’s quite good. The new place hasn’t called me back. They’re neither interested or feel it’s important. Two weeks ago they told me they would call that very day. I called again. They told me to call next week. They give no reason for the delay. At least they could say they’re busy or something.”

He then grinned and said, “OK, I’ve written it down in my calendar to call them next week.”

Raffi first visited Armenia in 2007, also as a volunteer. He gave English and computer lessons in the villages of Verin Ptghni and Aramous. Then he went to Artsakh to develop hiking trails for the Janapar Project. The last month he spent in Gyumri. “There were children whose parents were quite poor. I worked in the children’s center.”

Raffi’s parents are Armenians from Lebanon. His father came to Armenia to study; first at the Gevorgyan Seminary at Etchmiadzin and later at the State Medical University. After returning to Lebanon, his father married and relocated to Baltimore. Raffi has one sister and a brother back in the States.

His scholarship runs out this summer. He says it will hurt him to leave Armenia. Now, instructors at the conservatory are teaching him to play the oud and flamenco guitar. He is also taking eastern Armenian language courses.

Raffi and his friends play rock music at some of Yerevan’s clubs. They also gave a concert for the children in the Tavoush village of Chinchin. 

The young man says the activism of young people who struggled to save Mashtots Park greatly impressed him. During his research, Raffi says he’s discovered that it is just this type of voluntarism, that can help Armenia grow a culture of civic engagement.

“They call themselves activists, but in reality they are also volunteers. They voluntarily go out and fight for their cause without remuneration. I believe this type of volunteerism is really important for Armenia. It can really help solve some of Armenia’s problems. The country has many issues. If people believe that the country belongs to them and not the oligarchs, the number of problems can drop,” says Raffi.

This year Raffi was accepted at New York’s Columbia University to pursue a Masters Degree. But he postponed his studies to come to Armenia. Now հis immediate goal is to form a serious band in Armenia.

“Tomorrow evening I want to set up a band practice. I keep calling up the guy who is supposed to show but he never answers. I talked to him last week. Now, I can’t get in touch with him. Back in the States we arrange five or six practice sessions with one email. I try not to let it get me down.”

"Raffi Joe" is written on Raffi’s first CD. Rather than use his last name, Vartanian, the musician 

prefers to use his middle name "Joe" for his musical moniker.