The Foreign Service Journal, April 2011

has probably not even heard of Arme- nia, and knows little if anything about Turkey’s massacre of its Armenian population back in 1915. I went on to explain that the United States is com- prised of many ethnic groups who ex- perienced genocides (I specifically mentioned African-Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Rwandans, Bosnians and Sudanese), so the collective pop- ulation may not know as much about Armenia’s experience. The class was appalled when I told them that my 6-year-old son had to be at school by 8 a.m. This was much too early, in their opinion, to wake up (Ar- menians start school late by U.S. stan- dards, generally about 9:30 a.m.). They also felt that I was a mean mother to make him go to bed at 7:30 p.m., because Armenians also go to bed very late compared to Americans. The students thought that children should not have to go bed until about 10 p.m. When I told my class that each pre- senter had to wear a suit as part of a presentation assignment, at first they had no idea what I was talking about. I then explained that a suit was a matching jacket, slacks, tie, etc. One student replied, “Oh, you mean a cos- tume.” I said no, believing that he meant Halloween-type clothing. We went back and forth for a few minutes until another student explained that in Russian, a suit, as defined in the U.S., is called a “costume.” They all laughed when I explained what the termmeant in America. One day, as a female student and I were walking from campus, two men passed us. They not only gaped at me, as was customary, but one whipped out his phone and took a picture. Though she did not know them, my student scolded them in Armenian for being rude, then apologized to me for their behavior. I assured her that no apology was necessary, but I was touched by her concern for my poten- tial discomfort. You Really, Really Like Us! Armenians frequently asked me if I wanted to live in their country per- manently. They clearly wanted me to like their culture and to tell other for- eigners positive things about the country. But because Armenians are very family-oriented they always un- derstood when I responded that, be- cause my family lives in the United States, that was where I wanted to be, as well. In that spirit, I can honestly report that I had an amazing adventure in Yerevan. I would gladly visit the coun- try again and would be happy to teach another course at AUA. Despite being treated as a negar/ alleged former supermodel/circus freak, teaching and studying in the country increased my appreciation for the Fulbright program and the edu- cational and cultural opportunities that it provides. It is truly an excellent way for nations to learn about one an- other. Countries may differ in various respects, but, even so, human beings, irrespective of nationality, are quite similar. Not only do I encourage my aca- demic colleagues to apply to be Ful- bright grantees, but I urge them to seek placement in countries that lie far outside their previous cultural knowl- edge and comfort zones, like Armenia. The value of the knowledge gained and the relationships formed is truly immeasurable. A P R I L 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 45 A highlight of teaching the class was our varied cultural exchanges.