My two best friends came to visit me this weekend. Neither of them had met our little Hagopig before, so it was a joy to introduce them.
One of my friends brought a gift for Hagop – this plaque with his initials, and the Armenian flag! Love it and had to share.
Updates on a few projects we’re working on:
Here are my top tips for learning the Western Armenian alphabet.
When you learn a new letter, making associations between the new shape and something you already know will help you learn faster. Here are some things to think about:
What does the letter look like?
How does the letter sound?
Look at (or create your own) Armenian calligraphy, like trchnakir – Armenian letters in stylized bird shapes.
Then you’re remembering how the bird was shaped, where it’s legs were, how it was holding a fish in its mouth (or not). Instead of just abstract shapes. This is how I finally learned “Ֆֆ/Ff.”
This BEARD alphabet is one of my favorites.
Transliteration is the process of transferring a word from the alphabet of one language to another.
Practice the by writing English words with letters in the Western Armenian alphabet. When you’re bored in class. Or if you want to write private notes to yourself during a meeting, but there’s someone sitting right next to you. (Clearly, I still do this.)
Try reading this:
(Sometimes I cheat and have to use English letters because there are some sounds that just don’t work/you have to get really creative. Or if you’re going to do it correctly, check out the Armenian – English side of a dictionary. They spell out how the words sound in Armenian.)
When we first started learning, we put post-it notes ALL over our house. Start with transliteration – ie. English words with Armenian letters, so the post-it you put on your bed is “պէտ”. Don’t get ahead of yourself, or it won’t stick! Just keep the language around you, and force yourself to practice reading. You can move up to using the actual Armenian word for “bed” after you learn the alphabet.
This is the only time I’ll recommend it, but sometimes you just have to memorize stuff.
Making your own flashcards can help get the muscle memory going – some people remember things better when they write them down. You can also put your own mnemonics and memory tricks of to the cards.
Or, use an online flashcard service like Anki – which uses neuroscience to quiz you at different intervals and help you learn faster. There are several “learn the alphabet” courses in Memrise as well.
Welcome to Watertown, everyone!
We’re hosting the 117th Diocesan Assembly this week, so priests and delegates from all across the Eastern USA are visiting. I stumbled into this evening service, on my way home from work, on my way to pick up Hagopig from daycare. Usually the church doors are closed if I get there after 5:15ish, but when they’re not or if I get there in time, I like to go in to light a candle. And today the doors were open, even though I was way late, and… this is why! Haven’t seen so many priests together in my life.
Prayers for a productive week…!
My father-in-law Jirair took dictation from his mother, Maryam Ayvazian Babikyan, when she was telling the story of her family’s experiences during the Armenian Genocide. Jirair made hundreds of photocopies of his family’s story, and would hand them out to people, along with the book he had published about the Armash Theological Seminary and his grandfather Hagopos Ayvazian.
As Jirair battled Alzheimer’s disease in his last years, we heard this story over and over, with more details and information that he knew but which were not transcribed. I’m continuing to speak with other relatives and will eventually compile everything I know into another story. But for now, here’s Maryam’s story, translated into English.
A translation:
Here is the story of how my grandfather Hagopos Ayvazian’s life ended.
My mother told me to write this story as she dictated to me in her own words, phrases and even style. (Jirair Hagop Babikyan writes).
One night they knocked at the door. Your grandmother got up and opened the door. Two policemen said, «The police station wants you». Your grandfather got dressed up and left with them. He did not come home that night. Days and days passed; he never came back. One day they told us we had to leave Armash and get out. Some Turks came from neighboring villages to buy our belongings. One of them took your grandfather’s violin and left 40 «paras» and left without taking the bow of the violin. Haji mama angrily broke the bow on her knee and said, Let the dogs take this».
We were deported. We walked and walked; thousands of us with two gendermes on their horses on both sides. At night we stopped, sat on the ground and fell asleep. The next morning we got up and continued walking. Some of the elders could not walk any more. We walked for days like that. We ran out of food and water. Some of the older ones told us to continue walking as they could not. Others could not speak as they were dead.
One day when we were walking your uncle yelled from behind « What are you doing Keghanoush?» Bargeshd had fallen down on the ground from Keghanoush’s hands, she did not know. Nartouhi and I did not see her fall as we were so tired. Your uncle took Bargeshd, picked her up from the ground, and carried her. Another young girl was carrying a baby who was crying as she was thirsty. There was no water to drink. Another woman asked the genderme for water. He gave the woman some water as he was carrying some water on his horse in a container. The Turks respected us in that village that was rather religious.
Then we entered Konya. They were yelling «Here come the Armashtzis». As the train stopped, they came inside the train and asked about the family of Hagopos Ayvazian. We said, «We are his family». They took us to a house where your grandfather was. The «Chetegi’s» had kidnapped and taken him there. He lived under another name. He was mixing bone extracts, clay and other things to make soap and sell it. An Armenian guy taught him that.
One day, three students from Armash came to see your grandfather from Bolis. Your grandfather was very upset as it was difficult for them to get out without being recognised. Lots of detectives around. He dressed them in Turkish girl clothing, covered up the body and faces, and took them to the train station. He told me, «Mariam, go over that high wall and watch them until they enter the train and let me know if they safely entered the train». I did watch them and came home happily yelling that they entered the train safely. Grandpa was very pleased. Every night we had company, as lots of Armenians came to talk to your grandfather.
One day the police came and took your grandfather away. He did not come home for days. Then they told Haji mama that your husband is very sick, come and get him. We brought him home. He was laying on his back without being able to move. His belly was all swollen, unable to speak. He lived for two more days and died. He uttered two words before he died: «I did not give out any names».
Then I went to work for the Protestants, we all sewed and sang. My mother looked at me with tears in her eyes, singing these words:
Love the Armenian
Even if he is homeless or poor ,
With old garments , begging from door to door .
He is Armenian after all ,
It is your responsibility to love him like an Armenian, love him like an Armenian.
Jirair Hagop Babikyan
Genealogy jackpots continue. We just found a VHS tape that 3rd cousins recorded about their family and lives in Armenia in 2001, for our family. A relative apparently brought the video with him when he came to visit the Babikyan family (us) in the USA in 2001/2002.
The video includes introductions to a whole bunch of different people, 6 kids who we didn’t know about who would be about my age and we might be able to connect with. It’s all in Eastern Armenian, but we’re understanding well enough! This is so exciting.
I am so glad that we checked our old VHS tapes for family videos and didn’t just toss them.
Hello all,
I haven’t been posting as much as I originally intended to, because things have been stressful at work, and my time is pulled in several different directions. I’m also struggling with insecurity about this blog… who am I to be writing about any of this? I’m Armenian “by choice” and by marriage, but certainly no expert or authority. Feeling some tension, that my time is better spent actually learning Armenian and church history, rather than writing about it.
But anyway, here are some of the things that have been happening, and we’re working on:
That’s all I have the brain space for now. Hope to be writing more frequently, as things calm down a little bit at work.
-Kalyn
Hye Home 