Gaya Gishyan
It`s time to say La revedere...
It is my last day here. And instead of going and having fun with my friends, my steps have come to you, my friend, my statue friend. I have missed our talks. You are the only one whom I can frankly tell everything what I really feel. Who knows maybe it is our last talk…
You know I am sad, very sad, because it seems like it was yesterday that I came here. I saw how the previous volunteers were preparing to return their countries. Some of them were sad, the others were happy. They missed their countries, home, families. But one of our volunteers’ Ola’s article impressed me the most. It was like a farewell letter. She wrote it on the train. I thought that it was just a voluntary work, you could have a very good time and just leave, but not…And that time I didn’t know that I would live much more during these 6 months than I have lived during my 23 years.
Maybe it is the first time in my life that I don’t want to return Armenia, homeland which I have always adored and still adore. Yesterday I collected all my things; everything is ready, only I am not ready. Only I can’t leave…
Sorry my statue friend, sorry that I can’t hide my tears. I am strong, you know, but there are some things in life that are beyond human forces…
But I am very happy for one thing. I am happy that I have met my friends whom I had seen in Lublin 2 years ago (Tiberius, Viviana). I am happy for getting Romanian friends (Carmen, Catalin, Iosif, …).
I want to thank all people who appeared and left traces in my life. But time is little for telling everything everyone. Probably they know it.
I will never forget the members of my small family: Italian and Sardinian friends - Davide, Simone, Marghe, Giacomo.
Simone and Davide. ..Completely crazy people… It was difficult for me to adapt to this life, volunteering life, but they have helped us a lot. They became brothers for me…
Marghe , my dear Marghe, my completely crazy, lovely Armenian and Italian soul sister (how she likes to call me and Lena). I immediately became friend with her. She is a very easy-going person.
Yes, of course, we had a lot of times that we didn’t understand each other and we had a lot of difficulties, but that made our friendship stronger…
Volunteers of Chress, I love you very much and will miss you a lot.
Dragashan mafia, volunteers who became very close to my heart during a short period of time (Dragashanii, Dragashanii).
I won’t forget my friends from on-arrival and midterm trainings.
Lena, my Lena…I am mostly sad for my Lena. It will be very difficult for me not to see you in the mornings, not to have fun, not to laught, not to quarrel with each other…I know we will meet in Armenia, but it won’t be the same.
I am surely happy for finding you, my statue friend.
But how it is said, good moments never happen twice.
So see you somewhere in the world…
It`s time to go…
I don`t want changes anymore
Our life is enormously interesting. In general, I like changes in my life: new countries, new places to live in, new friends, with whom I am able to discover new ME.
But today I am really sad. I have opened the picture`s folder of the past 4 months and got a little bit upset. My upset is so indescribable and unfamiliar with my previous feelings. While being totally Armenian and real carrier of my nations` culture I realized one enough unbelievable point to me; it seems to me I have lived here during my whole my life and my Armenian life hadn`t existed even.
I had sad days, I had a lot of funny and happy moments, I fight a lot to achieve more, I found new friends who are not only friends but the members of my Craiova`s little family. I rediscovered new me.
Even good moments have their end and never repeated twice in life.
Right at this moment I am writing these sentences and sharing my thoughts with my dark and white day’s friend Lena who is sitting next to me without any movement…We just prefer to listen to this silence which has more to say than we ourselves.
Empty Craiova!
The only think that is in my mind now is not to have changes anymore because they are too harmful to me to bear. I am not strong enough to gain and lose again…
Imagine all the people living life in piece…
John Lennon
I completely agree with John Lennon’s words with one exception. Imagination is not for me, I like reality, I do want to live in peaceful World without war, where people needn’t divide even small piece of land between them, where religious tolerance exists and to become powerful is not issue for straggles.
We have been given our live as priceless gift. Each of us possesses the right to live it in peace as we deserve it.
In my opinion, these kinds of issues have played huge role for many people to divorce, some of them lost real love, and other couldn’t find friends or keep friendship. Moreover, the aura of hostility forced some people to fight against each other, stole, lie and so on.
I was a nationalist for a long time. For me there was only my country, my people, my history, my land, but while being in other country and helping people from other countries I understood and discovered not less important things to me. However, I wonder about the above mentioned problems. It is still too laborious for me to understand the reason of wars, hostility, intolerance and not only.
Why we can`t give each other a piece of warmness and happiness...
It is so easy, it is so easy…
Human beings remain human beings in spite of their nationality or religion.
Imagine
My statue friend...
People are getting used to become to the place where they once felt themselves calm and happy. I am not an exception that’s why I am again here and want to talk to you again, express my new view. Hope, you are doing well. If you have something to say me, feel free and talk to me without any hesitation. If you are wondering how am I, I will tell you about very important phase of my Romanian life.
During this short period of time a lot changed in my life. New country, new culture, new people, new work can have huge influence on our life and feelings. Today I want to share my story with you about my stereotypes. Prior to my arrival to Romania I had very ignorant behavior towards homosexual people, could not ever have a deal with Muslims, I have never spoken with Turkish guys before (the main reason is the Armenian Genocide caused by Turkey in 1915). In my deep assurance, time is the most forceful thing in this World. My time passed as well and changed me a lot. I did decisive decision for me and have new behavior toward above mentioned people.
Romania made me to confront with many difficulties. I do have new attitude towards people who are very differ from me and whom I didn’t like before, even couldn’t ever imagine can make friends with them.
Actually, during this short period of time I do understand and except that I need to be more tolerant, friendly, mature.
To conclude my speech, I want to be sure that you listened to me even if I do not ever have any answers from you. Besides, silence is able to say more than words do.
I hope, later I will have more to share with you.
Stranger
During our childhoods, we grow up thinking that our family and friends will have the biggest influence on our lives. From an emotional support point of view, that may be the case. However, for the truly momentous moments, where your life can change direction in an instant, the difference between scaling the heights and falling into the abyss can sometimes depend on (near) total strangers.
To start with, I would like to give you my definition of a stranger. My view is that it is someone that you have not spoken to before. You may smile at them on the school run, you might exchange glances in the office or you may regularly “like” their blogs. You are aware of them, but you don’t know anything about them. That to me is still a “stranger.”
As soon as you strike up conversations (however brief), then in my view you are no longer strangers. You can’t say that you are true friends, but you have shared a part of your lives with each other. You may talk about your common love of “Game of Thrones” with the girl in the print room, you might support an online contact in their job search, you might invite the new guy for lunch to make him feel welcome.
There are opportunities to touch strangers (ever so slightly) every single minute of every single day. It is your choice whether you take those opportunities. Yes, touching someone’s life requires effort. Yes, sharing something of yourself does not always feel comfortable, but do you know what, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
The thing is; you never know who is destined to play a role in your future….
If you are a kind and open person, you will draw people into your life. If you are fair and honest, people will come to you for advice. If you have a positive and infectious attitude, you will make people feel good about themselves. I firmly believe that the more you give, the more you get….
One day you might need someone’s help. You won’t ask for it, but they will understand and they will give it freely. You may not even think that it is them who can help you, but they will do it anyway.
The online contact might refer you to the biggest client of your life. The new guy might be your future business partner. You never know.
If you make the tiny effort to turn strangers into “not strangers”, then every single one has the potential to make your life. If they stay as strangers, then they might break your life because they don’t care about it.
Open your heart to this amazing world and all the people in it.
Don’t be a stranger.
EVS makes my dream come true
I am Gayane Gishyan. I was born and live in Armenia. For the last one year I was very interested in EVS activities, moreover, I wanted to be chosen by one of your programmes. In my hometown I was engaged in volunteer works. From early young ages I liked to work as volunteer and help people. My application for becoming a member of an EVS voluntary group was based on my keen interest in voluntary activities.
Basically, due to EVS I can make my dream come true and be useful for the people here to Romania- Craiova. Actually, I need to work with children and teenagers with special need. I can`t say that it is an easy work to do, but at the same time I appreciate very much the chance that this EVS gave me to share my love, happiness, our time and unforgettable moments with these target groups.
Besides, I have never lived so far away from my country for such a long time and I was afraid that here I should meet many challenges to overcome. However, I was not right. I am very glad to live to Craiova and spend my time with such a kind people. I do believe, that EVS will help to increase my professional as well as language skills, as here we need to talk with people from other sides of the world, share experience etc.
I do hope, in the future the evaluation of our team-work would get the highest marks.
