From Arizona to Yerevan

Gabrielle Kaprielian
Arizona, United States

As an American trying to start a career in international relations, I had been attempting for some time to live and work abroad in a developing country. After a few other options fell through I finally found Armenian Volunteer Corps. What could be better than to get great work and life experience and to do in a place that I have a connection to? I was looking for something more long-term and AVC gave me the opportunity to stay for an entire year.

I was placed with an organization called Counterpart International, which works towards developing Armenia’s civil society and improving democratic governance through grants and other support for local Armenian non-profits. I feel so lucky to have been given a volunteer position at Counterpart. I have wonderful co-workers, have learned so much about working in development, and feel that I have made a real contribution. While there remains much work to be done here, I am proud to work for an organization that is making a difference.

Living in Armenia offers great opportunities for learning and personal development. You just have to look for them and take full advantage of what is here. I have been able to meet incredible people and take part in very interesting events that I would never have the chance to do in the US. I feel that I learn something new and important every day I spend here. Perceptions that I arrived with have been changed, and this knowledge will help me in my future career and in life. It’s one thing to read about how a society works, and a completely different thing to come and actually experience it. And I know that there remains much more for me to experience while I’m here. For that I couldn’t imagine leaving any sooner.

While there is much to be pessimistic about in Armenia, there is also a lot of room for optimism. Each time I have a negative experience on a bus or read a depressing story on human rights, it always gets counterbalanced with something that gives me hope for our future. Sometimes it comes in the form of a project that my organization funded that helped get a law passed to protect the rights of mental health patients. Other times it’s meeting local people who are working hard to ensure a better future for Armenia. I’ve met amazing young people here who have the same desires for a better Armenia that I do.

When people back home ask me what it is that I love about living here, it’s hard for me to come up with a simple list of what keeps me here. Living in Armenia is difficult to describe, but amazing to do. I have recently been given the opportunity to stay on for an extra five months, working with Counterpart, and I’m very excited for all that I will discover in my next chapter here in Armenia.