So this is it. Eight weeks and now only eight hours. It would be an understatement to say that this time around, Armenia has really opened my eyes to what's happening in this country, in my own life, and how the two may someday intertwine. I'm still not yet sure I'm ready to live here, work here, or even permanently resettle here, and those lingering questions leave me struggling with my identity and what that means as an Armenian in the diaspora. A friend said it well: The decision to move to Armenia should never be a struggle. It should come as a natural step and choice.
Not that the aim of my summer here was to answer these questions, but I feel myself wondering about that every time I've wandered through Armenia. It's a question of identity and so it will persevere.
And now, as I leave Yerevan for the fourth time, I feel more secure in my purpose in visiting and the impact I may leave now and the assistance I hope to offer in the future. At first, I felt very discouraged about the state of media here. The general lack of professionalism or adequate training, coupled with the culture of corruption has really weakened press freedom here. I wondered what point there was to investing brainpower in strengthening those outlets. But in the last few weeks, I've seen that when a real effort and initiative is made by determined and capable people, it IS possible to affect change.
I only hope I can be just one of those mechanisms for change.
That's all from Moskovyan Street for now. I'll write from another capital city after I return tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment