Testimonial by Sophia Sheera

Upon arrival at Aspirantum, I was taken aback by the passion and warmth of our teachers. Both Vardan and Ani are inspirational in their love of the Persian language and their devotion to sharing their knowledge with the next generation of Persian students. Vardan and Ani sustained my love for Persian through the summer school, even though there wasn’t a class that quite matched my level of ability.

Aspirantum offered trips most weekends to important Armenian heritage sites around the country. Either Vardan, Ani, or Khachik himself always attended, and each was able to relate important historical and cultural context as we visited each site. An abundance of lunch was always included, as well as a top-quality coach service, so we were completely at ease. I appreciated this, as on top of Persian language school, I wouldn’t have had the energy to organize such trips alone, what with the language barrier! 

I have left Aspirantum with a lot of love for those who ran the program, and I’m excited that whilst exploring the Persian language and culture, I’ve also discovered the rich heritage of Armenia. The only improvement that would have significantly bettered my experience would be the further sub-division of language classes so that it is ensured that everyone in one class is of the same level. I think it’s very important that Aspirantum caters properly to the academic background of each student, which should entail providing classes at the right level. With this improvement in the works, I would definitely recommend Aspirantum to future students.