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New Perspectives on the Internship – U. Dalita Getzoyan

As I begin this journey, my first time in Haiastan, I cannot help but take in all of the new perspectives I have been exposed to. I have learned about appreciating what I have and embracing my culture. I have learned about how far this country truly has come since its independence in 1991, and yet how much work still needs to be done. With new perspectives and more information comes many unanswered questions, including figuring out what my role will be here throughout the rest of my life. While my future blog posts will probably tackle these points, I would like to take some time in this post to share one of my first meaningful experiences.

On June 25, I attended a concert at the Aram Khachaturyan Philharmonic Concert Hall (A.K.A. “The Opera”). Before I even arrived in Armenia, I wanted to attend a performance here. As a musician, I felt one of the ultimate experiences for me in Armenia would be to connect with one of the most famous locations in the country through my appreciation for the performing arts. The concert was by the famous jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan, along with two other pianists Armen Babaghanyan and Vahagn Hayrapetyan. The tickets were 10,000 dram, which equates to about $25 in the United States- a fairly cheap price for a professional concert. However, as I stood outside waiting for the doors to open, I ran into a few of the students I work with at my internship placement, Sistema Armenia. As classical music students, they were very excited to see the performance. However, there was one problem: they did not have tickets. In Armenia, the price for these tickets is considered very expensive. When I asked what they were going to do, they simply answered that they would sneak into the concert! I was shocked when I heard this answer, and yet they told me they do it all the time. As I watched them sneak past the doors without a ticket and sit down, three girls on two seats, I was shocked at how natural this seemed for them. Prior to the beginning of the concert, I was happy to see the entire hall filled with people. It was so beautiful on the inside, as I imagined it would be from the outside.

During the concert, I was incredibly moved by the performance. Some people may have considered it “too dramatic” as the musicians put everything they had into their playing, and some of those people even left halfway through. This angered me as they took for granted their ability to attend this experience right in front of these young girls sitting near them who had to sneak in to the concert in order to hear it. I reflected on the fact that I was just so happy to be embracing my culture and the passion that Armenian musicians have for their artistic form. I was living a dream, a connection that I had wanted to achieve during my time in Armenia. I felt so grateful to be having this experience. I was proud to have a glimpse into the Armenian music community, and I look forward to attending more performances while I am here.

I continue to appreciate what I have and embrace my culture. Every new experience, every new perspective I am exposed to connects me more to Armenia as a real place, and less like a fictional location that has only existed in my imagination until now. As I connect more to the physical Armenia, I connect more to myself and the definition of my identity as an Armenian.