I finally feel like I understand Armenia!

Casey Edgarian
Carlsbad, USA

I have achieved more success in the past five and a half months than I have in my entire career. This might be an audacious statement to make, but the opportunities I have received during my time in Armenia as a Birthright Armenia volunteer have surpassed any other work-related accomplishment I have had thus far. At 22 years old, I have been able to try out everything from interning for a Teach for America-type start-up, a human rights NGO, an art center, a school for gifted youth, a museum and an independent media corporation.These are experiences that few are given the chance to try during their entire life, let alone in half a year. 

All the while, I have been able to do this while living in my homeland, and bettering the knowledge of the language and the customs of my ancestors. This experience has taken me from the center of downtown Yerevan, into the forests of Tavush, through the valleys of Syunik and all the way to the mountains of Artsakh.I have been given the chance to hear first-hand the experiences of people who lived through insurmountable odds. I have chatted with eighty-year-olds and with eight-year-olds, getting a new perspective each time. After living here, I finally feel like I understand Armenia.

I strongly urge all diasporans to make the jump and try living and working in Armenia for at least a few months. It will be a change, for sure, but it will change you for the better. It will open your eyes and let you see what life is like beyond our comforts in the West. There is really no reason not to. We as diasporans often don't appreciate the fact that Armenia is so accessible for us today. When I think back to my parents' and grandparents' generation, it was nearly impossible to come here, unless you were planning to defect to the USSR. Today we have the homeland at our fingertips. So why not go? Come and try it out. Just for a bit. See what you think. See what you can offer Armenia, and see what it can offer you. Don't be put off by what you've heard. Make the leap and see for yourself what this ancient land is all about.This country will test you, but by the end of it, you'll thank yourself for choosing to stray off the beaten path.