Is it safe to travel to Turkey, primarily Istanbul, as an Armenian American with a very recognizably Armenian surname? My sibling is really keen on going with some friends of theirs, but I'm concerned for their safety. While I would one day like to visit what remains of the town in Western Armenia where our family is from, I have no desire to do the kind of touristy visit my sibling is planning on. Appreciate any insight anyone has to share (& any words of caution I can pass along to my sibling), thanks!

Next Spring, Classical Armenian will be taught at University of Georgia (US) by Jared Klein.

I really want enough students to sign up for the course to not be canceled since I highkey came to UGA in order to take this course.

If anyone here happens to be a UGA student (grad or undergrad):

1. You do not have to take this for a grade, you just have to sign up to officially audit (3 credit hours).

2. You should have some basic knowledge of linguistics (or philology, or Grabar) in order to do well. Klein is an Indo-Europeanist and will be focusing on the development of Armenian from PIE in the context of the rest of the IE languages, as well as the grammar of the oldest recorded stage of the language. But OTOH, you can audit it and it doesn't really matter how well you do in that case.

3. You will have a slight leg up if you can read and write Armenian. Learning the alphabet is part of the course, however.

Course Number:

LING 4904 (Undergrad)

LING 6904 (Grad)

If you know someone at UGA who would be interested, please let them know this course is being offered in the spring semester! Thanks, everyone! Description of the course will be posted in the comments. Any questions, leave a comment or DM me!

Can anyone share their family stories of settling in Southern California in the early 20th century? I'm referring specifically to the Armenians who came before and shortly after the Armenian genocide who started waste management companies and card houses in East LA.

I was born in the US, but my heart has always yearned for the homeland. My parents and grandparents always spoke of home, and fiercely protected the culture despite our life in the diaspora. Maybe they pushed too hard, but they raised a true hayrenaser.

I attended Armenian school, learned the language, and even volunteered to teach at my local school. I also founded an Armenian organization in college, became quite involved politically, and tried my best to stay involved. I had all Armenian friends, listened to Armenian music constantly, etc.

But all of this came to halt when I finally came out as gay. Now whether you accept me or not, I am Armenian and I am queer. And though I don’t need to prove myself worthy, I have done so time and time again. More than most. More than those afforded complete acceptance and love.

So how do I stay connected when my own people reject me? How do I find connection beyond the shared trauma-bonds of my fellow queer Armo friends?

I have been at a loss, and have maintained my distance as a result. But now I am truly experiencing an identity crisis. I miss my roots, but it hurts too much. I have managed to become the epitome of the diaspora cliche - too white for the Armos and too Armo for the whites.

Hate will be blocked. Don’t even bother, you can never hurt me more than my family’s rejection already did.

Help! Baked kibbeh chewy?

Hello, I am 3 generation Armenian and have attempted to make the is for the first time using a cookbook my family loved. I wanted to see if anyone could help me troubleshoot what I may have done wrong. (It’s in the oven right now). So the bulgur wheat is a bit chewy. It’s been in the oven at 400f for 50+ minutes now because I want it more crispy. Is there anything I should be doing to get it crispy without overcooking? It has a layer of butter on it. Maybe I didn’t put enough water? According to my recipe, I was supposed to sprinkle 1/3 cup water on top of tray, but I made it in two trays so I wasn’t sure how much water to do

Both me and my fiancée are planning to use the tourism visa to enter the Armenia.

I was just been told the marriage registration is not in the church but is registered by a state agency. And it may not be possible by Armenian law for a couple complete foreigners. While I google a while bits, someone claims it can be done.

Please help me on that.

P.S. I am trying to find a church for the wedding ceremony, I have tried to contact the Diocese of Araratian, Mother see, Armenian Catholic and some Armenian church oversea. But most of them didn't reply. If you know some priest or board of the church, please offer their information.

Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone!

I am Armenian and currently live in Moscow. Here we have many dance ensembles where anyone can learn to dance ethnic dances. We organize large dance workshops and perform at the days of national cultures at our universities. Here, for example, is a recent performance by my ensemble.

Also, we organize poetry and literature evenings, celebrate national holidays with young people from the community. Are there such ensembles in America, Canada, France and other countries where there is a large Armenian diaspora? What other events do you organize? I would like to learn more about the life of Armenian youth in other countries. (Դուք կարող եք գրել հայերեն, այդ թվում ՝ արևմտահայերեն: Ես կկարողանամ ամեն ինչ կարդալ և հասկանալ:)

I wanted to ask if anyone has read this book. It's an autobiogry of a fictional character, a war veteran/painter who is Armenian-American. I just finished it, thought it really well done. It's a credit to Kurt Vonnegut that he tells this story of Armenians so well. What I liked most about this book about the Armenian experience in a foreign country after their escape from the genocide is that it isn't two dimensional. There is that layer to the story being told, but it is just one layer that acts as the substrate to the others. Was not a difficult read, has a sense of humor common with Vonnegut's texts.

According to Freud, mourning is usually associated with the loss of an object, while melancholy is when the object still exists and is within reach but you lose the desire for it.

I can speak about mourning the loss of Western Armenia and even Artsakh and Nakhichevan. But with Armenia, alive and well, it's melancholy: as I continue to live in the US, I notice how I am slowly losing the desire for returning altogether and it's the same for my older family members. I know a degree of assimilation is necessary and good for US life, but Armenian-American diasporic experience is sustained with reference to an exilic condition premised on an eventual return to the homeland.

I used to have nightmares of being stuck in traffic during the taxi ride to LAX bound for Armenia, but this is occurring less often. Why am I losing the desire for return? How can I resuscitate it?

Hello 👋🏻 I’m 32f Is there anything to do in Houston that involves Armenians? Preferably not the church.

Also, I literally moved 3 weeks ago and am always at work. Social life consists of work, mom, and sister. Pahlease help Merci

We received a phone call from the principal of the school that there was a break in at the school, and to keep students home until further notice.

The police radios from the area say the call was for harassment. Is this a redo of five years ago when the school was broken into and vandalized with Turkish flags? Does anyone else have more information on this or are we stuck waiting?

Hi everyone, my boyfriend is from Armenia and I am from US. We are both Hayastanci. I love to call him nice names, like aspets, simpos, kyanqs, sers, yev ayln. Could you please give me some other nice nicknames that you think he would appreciate being called?

Thanks so much

Hi everyone! I'm one quarter Armenian, my great grandfather and great grandmother fled the country during the genocide and settled in Moscow. My grandfather was born there, married a non-Armenian woman and the culture kind of has been lost after that. I want to reconnect with it, but I'm not sure it would even be appropriate? What are some important things one should know of learning the basics of the culture if it is?

Simply put, I'm a rare Pokemon. I am half Armenian, half Japanese! My Armenian father moved to Japan where he met my mother. I have never met anyone who could immediately guess where I'm from, I've been told I look Brazilian, Portuguese, Indian, Latina... you name it. I guess I'm just searching for people with a similar background to mine, or at least Armenian mixed who could relate to my experience? It's such a shame because I grew up in Japan and never connected well with Armenian culture. Please feel free to share your thoughts or things that I should know! ❤️🇦🇲 Much love

Kind of niche, but to the Persian-Armenian diaspora community, does anyone remember The Goorgen Show and what network it was on? Or even similar shows? I'm trying to find footage of full episodes online or sources to lead me to some information for an archival-memory based paper I'm writing around the Persian-Armenian / Armenian diaspora community. I can't find anything other than Goorgen's YouTube/Instagram page and his music videos. I'm mainly interested in the segments he would have where it would just be footage he would take driving around Iranian streets. My grandparent's would reminisce a lot when watching that specific segment and the streets they'd walk on when they resided in the Armenian communities there versus how it looks now.

I am also looking for a friend who is around my age and doesn't have kids. All my friends have kids🥲 no time for me.

I’m an introverted person who loves dogs🐶. I value loyalty and am dedicated to those I care about.I'm not really into parties, but I'm a trustworthy friend who will keep all your secrets safe.♏

Hey guys, I realize this is a bit of a sensitive subject so I just ask if we can give an honest answer to the question leaving the matter of merit aside for a moment.

Among specifically Armenian women in the diaspora, is there pressure to date/marry exclusively an Armenian man? I’ve seen some women talk about feeling this, but I dont know if it’s something women specifically face as opposed to men. So to the guys, same question, do you feel pressure to date/marry only Armenian women?

I realize it depends in large part on your family but speaking generally I wonder if specific Armenian sub-groups face this pressure more. For example, whether the second-gen Western Armenians feel this pressure less than the first gen Iranian Armenians.

I’m going to an Armenian event and I wanted to bring some Armenian candy to hand out, any good recommendations? I’m not Armenian but I want to make a nice gesture. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: I’m in America

They both seem to translate to "only, just"

I’m craving armenian food and I’m studying in germany currently, any armenian place would work, would gladly support them when I can (not a rich student, lol, so I have to budget)

I came across this documentary on PBS here in Los Angeles. The story tracks this one lady’s journey mostly. Karoun has an Armenian father and a Filipino mother, was born and raised in Syria, and came to the US to get treatment for a cancer on her hand. Father Armenag, Armenian Catholic priest here in Los Angeles, helped her get care. The story is quite touching and shares the Syrian-Armenian narrative in the Armenian immigrant culture in Los Angeles.

Not sure if anyone is aware of this guy Farya Faraji

While the music is a bit off when it comes to traditional styles of Armenian/Greek music and bit more powerful. Holy shit did it blow me away how well he sings in Armenian and just the renditions.

Was wondering if anyone had more information on this guy, his work and if there are others like him who do Armenian music

Examples below

https://youtu.be/dm83gABHAM0?si=4ADMPnK9U4kzO7oO

https://youtu.be/2XLVTvlUKp4?si=o2YwR1xuIShr1yGs

https://youtu.be/GNnFnPWzXAk?si=CORBiJXjjdaGYHOX

Out of the 5 or 6 songs in Armenian i found of his Habrban and Nerses are my favorite