BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA MARRIAGES AND ENGAGEMENTS
Armenian Weekly
January 20, 2010
An empire’s worst fear is to fall. An ethnicity’s worst fear is
to vanish. In modern times, the snowball of disappearance picks
up speed in any diaspora each time someone from that small tribe
finds his or her companion outside of it, or is disconnected with
their roots. The Armenian Diaspora is no different. Among the older
generations especially, Armenians are afraid of assimilation-and not
just cultural assimilation, but genetic assimilation as well. However,
reigns must be flexible and icicles easily break.
Engaged Birthright Armenia alums Haig Seferian and Stephanie Johnson,
who met during their 2006 volunteer service in Armenia.
Since 2004, Birthright Armenia has sponsored over 425 volunteers to
live and work in Armenia and to foster a connection to the homeland.
For many volunteers, and especially for those who are not of 100
percent Armenian descent, the experience has been a strong influence in
the way youth view their "Armenianness" and their role in the country’s
future. "Here I have learned so much about my homeland and as such
reconnected with myself in a way that I never thought I would," says
Anouch Adjemian, who is half-Armenian, half-Vietnamese, from Belgium.
To hold fast to the reigns of globalization and keep oneself seated
comfortably in one’s own identity outside of the ethnic homeland is a
demanding challenge. Birthright Armenia has in many ways filled this
opportunity-vacuum for many young Armenians through life exposure.
And, as perhaps a quite natural result of participating in this
inclusive sponsorship program, people meet people. In its first
five years of existence, 12 volunteers have found their spouses
while participating in Birthright Armenia, and 2 more are currently
engaged to fellow volunteers. Of the remaining engaged alumni, about
three-quarters are engaged to Armenians. "My fiance is Armenian, and
we actually met while doing Birthright Armenia during the summer of
2006," says Stephanie Johnson of Boston, Mass.
"Cultural preservation" through the experience of Birthright Armenia
has expressed itself in two key ways: either by volunteers renewing
their sense of identity with a connection and commitment to modern-day
Armenia, or by reaffirming their desire to find an Armenian life
partner. One alumnus who is currently engaged says, "Absolutely it
was important to me that I marry an Armenian to share that significant
part of my life with another Armenian and…pass down our culture to
another generation. Birthright Armenia reinforced these views."
Birthright Armenia is an un-exclusive cultural exposure to one’s
roots. Everyone with at least some Armenian heritage is welcome,
which brings the notion of "Armenian" for some out of the confines
of antiquated definitions of one or both parents being 100 percent
Armenian.
Chelsea Bissel from Washington is a recent alumnus who spent
the past seven months in Shushi and Yerevan with Birthright
Armenia. Chelsea, who is a quarter Armenian, shared a thoughtful
reflection on Armenianness in her own life, especially after her
volunteer experience. Asked whether it was important for her to marry
an Armenian, Chelsea said, "I don’t want this culture to slip away,
to somehow fall through the cracks of the more immediate and tangible
things in life… If I marry someone more Armenian than me who was
raised with a more present Armenian culture, that potential slippage
would no longer be as much of a threat… I recently argued with
someone with no Armenian descent about this. He claimed that it was
stupid and shortsighted and backwards for blood to be a criterion for
marriage. I see his point and it’s a good one, but logic has really
nothing to do with this decision; it’s sentimental and based on me
clinging desperately to something that is apparently more important
to me than some romantic no tions about marriage."
Most Birthright Armenia alums have commented that their bonds with
Armenia, regardless of their partner’s ethnicity, is and will be a
factor in the lives of their children, and their relationship with
their life partner. "Through Birthright Armenia I saw and fell in
love with Armenia, which added an element to what I wanted in a
partner. It had to be someone who enjoyed being there and accepted
a similar feeling of obligation about staying involved with Armenia
for a lifetime," said one alumnus.
However, Birthright Armenia is a forum in which a connection to one’s
heritage expresses itself in different ways. Christina Achkarian,
a 2007 volunteer, shared, "I always thought I would marry an
Armenian…but now things are a bit different… For the first time,
when I was doing the program I really felt Armenian… Seeing some of
the people doing BR that summer-one girl was even a quarter Armenian,
but she still came to learn about her heritage-I don’t think it’s
necessary to have 100 percent Armenian blood running through your
veins, so long as you pass on the culture."
Nyree Abrahamian, a volunteer who met her spouse during their
Birthright experiences and married in Armenia (where they have been
living for the past two years), says that her husband’s being Armenian
was not necessarily a requirement for her future children to speak
and be immersed in Armenian culture. "What is important is…not for
my husband to be Armenian, but for him to be genuinely interested
in my Armenianness-not only as my heritage, but as an important and
active component of my life. Birthright Armenia did influence my
perception of Armenianness, my outlook on Armenia’s future, and my
place in it…and [there is] great value in finding someone who is
as passionate about building Armenia’s future as I am."
Is there some hopeful news in the growing trend of Armenians losing
their cultural base? There may be. With programs that encourage
positive experiences with modern Armenian life like Birthright Armenia,
volunteers have certainly gained a unique and unbreakable bond with
their roots.
For more information on Birthright Armenia, visit