Family leaves former Soviet republic behind

Family leaves former Soviet republic behind
By Alice Mannette/staff

Staunton News Leader, VA
April 21 2005

Day after day, for the past six years, Victor and Anna Makaryan
would hold their breath, pray and then peer into their mailbox,
only to be greeted by disappointment and frustration. Then, it came:
their passport to freedom. Their visa to live in the United States.

“It wasn’t that we had to leave,” said Victor. “It was that we
wanted to.”

Along with their 20-year-old daughter Anna, the family moved to
Staunton on July 4, leaving their 22-year-old daughter Liana behind.

Life in Armenia was tough. The couple had lived under communist rule
in the Soviet Union, liberation and then war with Azerbaijan.

“The Soviet Union was a big country,” Victor explained. “Many things
good. Many things bad.”

Once the iron curtain came down, heat, water and jobs were in short
supply. The terror of war was devastating. As their stomachs grumbled
while tucked under countless quilts, the Makaryans dreamt of a better
life in the United States.

“My sister and brother-in-law had moved to Staunton. They told us
how wonderful it was here,” Victor said. “We wanted to come.”

On the job Victor has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He
has more than 25 years experience and is considered an expert on
metallurgy, with a vast array of published articles.

Anna, his wife of more than 25 years, also is a mechanical engineer,
though she became a computer programmer after the fall of the Soviet
Union.

Because they could not speak English when they first arrived in
Staunton, finding a job ~W any job ~W was difficult.

“When we applied for one job, we had someone say that they had someone
from Kazakhstan (a former Soviet Republic), he was not a good worker,”
Anna said. “So we didn’t get the job. People judge all your nation
by you.”

But through the help of their church family, Staunton Grace Covenant
Church, the Makaryans found work. Victor installs and repairs
fireplaces for Fireplaces & Things and Anna washes dishes at Baldwin
Park. Their daughter Anna, who holds bachelor’s degrees in French
and international trade, works at Kroger. All three are thankful for
their work.

“The first days of work, I didn’t understand English. I thought they
would fire me,” Victor said.

But his boss, David Gilbert, appreciates Victor’s skills.

“He’s very diligent, very humble and he does a super job,” Gilbert
said. “He’s a brilliant man.”

Although Victor works a blue-collar job, he continues his scientific
work. Just a few months ago, a paper he wrote in Staunton was presented
at an international scientific conference. He had written the paper
in Armenian, sent it to a translator in Boston, then entered it
in English.

“I wanted to write in Armenian; I always wrote in Russian. I am in
America now,” he said. Victor hopes to write his papers in English
someday. But he is working on another paper in Russian. “It’s easier.
I can type it on the computer and not translate it.”

Victor also hopes to work one day as an engineer or scientist.

“I must learn the language first and then apply for a job in my field,”
he said.

Gilbert said he is honored to have Victor as an employee.

“At one point he and his family (in Armenia), had no running water,
no heat ~W they were trying everything to stay warm,” he said.

Choosing a home Life was difficult when Armenia declared independence,
Anna said.

“Food was very expensive. Electricity was out. No job. Many Armenian
people had to go because it was difficult. We had to put a wood stove
in the middle of our living room. It was not pretty,” she said.

Although things are changing, challenges remain. Islamic-dominated
Azerbaijan, on the east, presents a constant threat of war.

“If an Armenian goes there he will be shot,” Victor said.

To the nation’s west is Turkey, whose people killed hundreds of
thousands of Armenians from 1914 to 1918.

“Most Armenians lost relatives during the genocide,” Anna said. Once
a year the Armenian government has a day of remembrance.

To the south is Iran, where relations are civil, said the Makaryans.
Georgia, their friendliest neighbor, lies across mountains to the
north. Because of the terrain, only one train can reach Georgia and
ultimately Russia, their source for food and goods.

“When the weather is bad, we don’t get products,” Anna said.

The economic atmosphere also is bleak. The Makaryans had good jobs
but the wages were low, Victor said. “We make so much more here.”

Yearnings “I miss my sister and brother, but most of all I miss my
daughter,” Anna said.

Liana, at 22, is too old to come to the U.S. on her family’s visa.
Anna said her daughter also prefers to stay in Armenia, working at
a French university.

“I cry sometimes,” Anna said, as tears welled up in her deep brown
eyes. “It’s difficult for mothers, and fathers too. I want to see
her and know how she is every day. What is she eating? What is she
drinking? I want to know when she is getting cold. This is the hardest
part about leaving.”

The younger Anna also misses her sister, aunts, uncles and
grandparents. She longs for apricots and Armenian cheese, which has
a feta-like texture. But she said living in Staunton is a wonderful
opportunity.

“I am learning English,” said the younger Anna. “I thought I knew
English before. But now I see how much I do not know.”

Finding their way Because their daughter is able to translate, the
Makaryans have been able handle many things without outside help. But
they shop without her so they are not completely dependent.

Banks, credit and insurance are new concepts to the Makaryans. But
after their years in Armenia, they find life in America easy.

“Mother’s uncle was sent to Siberia. No reason.” Victor said.
“Someone can say something about you and you go. My parents were
always afraid. But this did not happen in our time. After Stalin’s
time there was not as much danger. It’s a tricky thing. There, Russia
had a lot of good points. Medicine, education is free. Government
controlled prices for bread. On the other hand, we were not allowed
outside the USSR. They decided the books we read, the movies we saw.
But now it is getting better.”

“It was helpful. They taught us how to drive,” Anna said. In Armenia,
families are close. Many generations often live under one roof.

“I am thrilled and very thankful to have them here,” said Mirzoyan.
“We just prayed that God would open the door and he did. I am just
so thankful.”

“The church has helped us with furniture and finding an apartment,”
said Anna. “They welcomed us very heartily.”

Keeping the faith “We studied in school that there was no God. God
was a legend. That is what the Soviet Union said,” Anna said. “But
my grandparents taught us the old religion. They were brought up in
the Armenian church.” The Armenian Orthodox Church is similar to the
Eastern Orthodox churches.

“You could not have a job if you were going to church,” added Victor,
whose parents were atheist. “Now it has changed. Now they have to
learn the church history in schools.”

Because of Anna’s grandparents and their unbending belief in God,
Anna’s faith has not wavered. “Armenia was first to be a Christian
country,” Anna said proudly.

Staunton Grace Covenant Church had sponsored the Mirzoyans, who were
refugees in Serbo-Croatia in 1998. When they arrived, the church
rallied around them. Now they are doing the same for their kin.

“These are tremendous people,” said the Rev. Steven Paulus. “They
are more of a blessing to us then we are to them. Their attitude and
perspective is uplifting. It is definitely a two-way street.”

Settled in Staunton The family worries about their native land,
their daughter, siblings and parents. But deep in their heart they
feel that Russia will always help Armenia.

“In their heart every Armenian believes Mount Ararat is theirs,
even though it is in Turkey now. You can see it from every window,”
Anna said. “During the USSR, the Turkish government protested because
Armenians used the symbol of Mount Ararat. They said, you don’t have
the right to use it. The Russian people answered, ‘You have the moon
on your flag, is it your moon?'”

Now Armenia is good, Victor said. “But maybe tomorrow it changes.”

The family is happy to be in Staunton. They say it is beautiful and
green here, while Armenia is full of stones.

“I know this is the right decision,” Victor said.

“We will never forget,” said Anna. “We will always remember Armenia
and keep it in our heart.”

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