Testimonial by Jeffrey Haines

ASPIRANTUM was a great opportunity to study Persian across a range of levels: as a literary language, in its street form, and as the product of millennia of Iranian culture.

Classes were conducted in Persian about 80% of the time and involved reading and analyzing both ancient and modern literature, learning to express opinions about cultural and political issues, understanding contemporary political commentary, and breaking down grammar and etymology. By the end, while I still have a long way to go, I was able to speak more confidently and felt that I had a much better grasp of Persian as a whole.

The course is held in Yerevan, a lively and culturally rich city with a lot to offer - the museums, restaurants, and cafes were all amazing, and the city itself is a pleasure to live in and walk around. 

In addition, short weekend trips organized by ASPIRANTUM open up much of the rest of Armenia and allowed us to explore churches, monasteries, castles, and villages in our spare time.

Finally, because the program is so close to Iran, it was easy to find Persian speakers to practice with.

In short, ASPIRANTUM was a fantastic experience, both because its approach to language learning covered so many angles and because Armenia creates opportunities that are impossible to find elsewhere.

Highly recommend.