Conversation with Jasmine Harutjunyan

You are a favorite among PCVs for your teaching style. But you're not a language teacher by trade.

I studied biophysics at Yerevan State University. Since 1972, I've worked at the Institute of Biochemistry in Yerevan. Currently, my husband and I are studying the neurochemical workings of the retina.

Has your work changed since Armenia achieved independence in 1991?

Before the Soviet collapse we were unable to communicate with scientists in other parts of the world. Now my husband, who heads the laboratory, can attend international conferences with foreign scientists. Much of the progress we have made, as a scientific community in Armenia, can be attributed to this change.

When did you begin moonlighting as a language teacher?

I applied for employment at Peace Corps in 1997 and began with the A5s that summer.

Do you think Peace Corps has been effective here?

Peace Corps has given us the opportunity to communicate with Americans. English is now the international language; without it, Armenia will be left behind. Volunteers are important for the regions because they spark the imaginations of the young people.

And the young people are, I suppose, the future.

Things are getting better in the present. In the past few months several factories have been reactivated. For the first time in a long time, Armenians have reason to be optimistic.

Are tensions easing with the Turks?

We are neighbors and always will be. Normal relations would be desirable for Armenia's economy, but I cannot imagine that happening. Personally, I cannot imagine having a friend from Turkey. Out of eleven people in my father's family, eight were killed in the genocide. They lived in an old Armenian city, Ezrum Vilayet, which is now within Turkey's borders.

As strongly as you feel about the genocide, are you disappointed with the United States' failure to recognize it?

Of course. I am sure that it will happen eventually, as it is historical fact. It is strange that a powerful country-such as the United States-would allow Turkey to control it. The Vatican and France have now recognized the genocide. Turkey wants into the European Union. It is only a matter of time.

I believe that the U.S. should take the lead in restoring dignity to the Armenian people.

Look at the pictures of the corpses stacked upon each other. The genocide must be recognized so that it will not be repeated. If recognized earlier, maybe Hitler would not have succeeded in conducting the Holocaust. Armenians are often asked why we dwell so much on the past. These massacres are more than a memory. They are part of our lives. My sister lives in Israel. In classrooms there, the Holocaust is spoken about every day. The Armenian genocide is no less a part of our lives.

What do you think of the U.S. presidential imbroglio?

The United States is so far advanced in its democracy that it is destroying itself. Americans want every ballot counted by hand and believe they can do so. Democracy taken to its extreme is impossible.

We're advanced, but we can't figure out how to make matsoon. How do you do it?

First warm a bucket of milk under the sun. Then add a spoonful of matsoon.

But where did Armenia get the first spoonful?

There has always been matsoon.

NOTE: For the past four summers, Jasmine has worked as an Armenian language teacher for Peace Corps.
I spoke with her recently at our In-Service Training.