HY RU EN
Asset 3

Loading

End of content No more pages to load

Your search did not match any articles

Inga Martinyan

Expectations Unfulfilled? Diaspora Couple Find Armenia a “Tough Go”

“What’s the sense of a Diaspora Ministry if it doesn’t help?”

Mark, an Armenian from France, and Nadezhda, an Armenian living in Dagestan, found true love through an internet chat site. Their love eventually brought the two to Armenia.

After corresponding from afar, Mark and Nadezhda decided to meet in Armenia. Nadezhda had never been to Armenia and longed to visit. As a child in Dagestan, she was lulled to sleep hearing Armenian songs. In France, Mark loved to eat dolma and proudly said he was Armenian. Mark Avakian and Nadezhda Isakhanyan met up in Armenia in 2008. They spent the next month touring the country and visited Artsakh. The two got engaged, married and relocated to Armenia. They planned to make Armenia their future home. Their parents weren’t too pleased with the young couple’s decision.

“Hardships make you stronger”

“We came to Armenia based on our desires for the future. There’s a whole other culture here. People interact here socially and really live life. You hear Armenian spoken everywhere. In France, people have turned into work machines. Here, one really has to struggle day in and day out. There are difficulties and disappointments, but you grow stronger as a result. You become your own person. In France, people have lost their souls. Your kids won’t grow up as Armenians in France or other countries, no matter what you do,” Mark says. Mark’s parents hail from Van and made their way to France after the Genocide. Nadezhda, on her father’s side, traces her roots to the village of Tegh, near Goris. Her mother’s family comes from Stepanakert. Mark is an accountant and marketing specialist by profession. He worked for the Paris branch of the All Armenia Fund. Nadezhda taught English in Dagestan and has a few students here in Armenia. Their first year in Armenia proved to be the hardest.

“We expected a warmer welcome”

“We were like two crazy people walking the streets of Yerevan who had left it all behind and came here,” recounts Nadezhda. Mark thought that he would help Armenia by the move. He also expected that the locals would be happy and proud to see a couple of diaspora repatriates, The couple expected a much warmer reception than they got. “We haven’t received any assistance from the government these past two years,” says Nadezhda.

.Diaspora Ministry has little to offer other than slogans

“Yeah, there’s the Diaspora Ministry. It’s a huge place with many offices. I counted at least 17 with 5 staffers in each. But they do nothing. I’ve gone there several times but never received any help. Why did they create the ministry if it doesn’t assist diaspora Armenians?” Mark asks. They’ve contacted the ministry on several issues – employment, finding a place to live, registering their marriage and getting Armenian lessons. The ministry never offered any assistance or direction. The ministry explained that their programs are designed for the diaspora and not Armenia. Nadezhda says that the Diaspora Ministry told them that “We aren’t an employment agency.” I responded by saying, “Fine, if that’s the case why do go around the world telling Armenians to ‘come home’ and that you will help.” “Diaspora Minister Hranoush Hakobyan promotes the ‘Come Home’ program when she visits various Armenian communities overseas. She says the ministry will help those who go. We sort of believed her. We heard her say “come home’ so many times, that we came. But afterwards…nothing.” The couple still faces many difficulties in Armenia but have no desire to leave.

“If only we could find some work”

First of all, they have no jobs in their respective professions. Mark and Nadezhda have gotten by working as a bartender and waitress. The couple says they are ready to continue working such jobs if necessary. “We expected local Armenians to welcome us with open arms, with bread and salt. We thought we would take Armenia by storm. It didn’t work out that way,” says Nadezhda. They say that if they found suitable work, they’d be able to stay and raise a family in Armenia.

“We are just as vulnerable as locals”

“There are no jobs in Armenia and the wages are so low you’d have to work several places just to get by,” Mark says. God knows the two have tried to find work. They’ve posted job notices and have visited a bunch of schools for a teaching spot for Nadezhda. She’s convinced you either have to bribe someone to get work or have an influential friend. “People naturally assume we are used to creature comforts and that we don’t want to work. That’s completely wrong. You feel personally affronted when you see all the injustice here, in your Armenia. Overseas, you don’t care as much. It’s not your country,” Nadezhda says. She also doesn’t like the fact that people gossip so much in Armenia; that they want to know everything about your personal life. The couple recognizes that there are many other unemployed people in Armenia besides them.

“Here, a diaspora Armenian is just as vulnerable as a local. There are the very rich and very poor in Armenia. Armenia is for the tourists who have lots of money to spend. They can visit and see all the sights. All the while, local Armenians go hungry,” Nadezhda says. She says she feels more at home in Karabakh and that people there are more down to earth. She compares this to the situation in Yerevan where people are ready to sell their souls for money.

“All of Yerevan is in the hands of a few individuals. They get rich and look down at the average people in the street with derision. These fat-cats have forgotten their religion and inherited values. Their entire raison d’être now revolves around money,” Nadezhda says. Life in Armenia has made Mark and Nadezhda more shrewd and self-confident. “In Armenia, you really have to project yourself. Here, we are no good to anyone,” says Nadezhda.

Write a comment

If you found a typo you can notify us by selecting the text area and pressing CTRL+Enter