Testimonial by Eric Vartany

Choosing to take the ASPIRANTUM Armenian language course was one of the best decisions that I have made. I am a 15-year-old high school student and I have been interested in learning more about the Armenian language and culture for the past few years. At home, I grew up speaking a mix of Armenian and English, but I never felt fully comfortable speaking Armenian because I never had a formal education in Armenian. I knew the Armenian alphabet coming into the course, but I needed to improve my reading and writing abilities so I could read and write better.

I was able to learn so much thanks to my wonderful teacher Lilit Khlopuzyan. Ms. Khlopuzyan was a perfect Armenian teacher because her teaching method is both informative and casual. Contrary to other language teachers, Ms. Khlopuzyan believes that learning a language is more about understanding patterns in the language rather than purely memorizing the information. This helped me grasp the language better because it explained the language in a more logical way, which in turn made it easier to speak fluently since I did’t need to purely memorize the language. And more importantly, in addition to being a great teacher, Ms. Khlopuzyan became a great friend. It was also greatly beneficial that the classroom environment was casual because I felt much more open to speak and practice the language orally, which was one of my main struggles coming into the program.

In addition to being a wonderful language program, ASPIRANTUM taught me greatly about Armenian culture. During our weekend trips to Armenian historical sites and walking through the city with Ms. Khlopuzyan, I learned so much more than just Armenian language. The weekend trips, in addition to strengthening my knowledge of Armenian history, allowed me to spend time with the scholars in the other language classes and by the end of the trip we became one big ASPIRANTUM family. Though it might at first seem pointless, by walking through Yerevan with Ms. Khlopuzyan I was able to see Yerevan through the eyes of a local, while still practicing speaking Armenian and listening to how the locals spoke. In doing so, I learned new vocabulary that I would never have see on a vocabulary list, and I practiced speaking in a comfortable environment which made speaking Armenian easier.

Lastly I would like to thank the wonderful director of ASPIRANTUM, Khachik Gevorgyan, who organized the program perfectly. Between the weekend trips to “danciful” dinners I learned so much more about Armenian culture than I would have ever learned back in Los Angeles. Mr. Gevorgyan was always open to questions, and his frequent emails and informative website helped me find my way in Yerevan as if I was a local.

Though my ASPIRANTUM program was just three weeks, everything that I learned will stay with me for the rest of my life.