Johann from Germany shares his impressions about his first visit to Armenia in the scope of the German-Armenian Youth Exchange project

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Johann from Germany shares his impressions about his first visit to Armenia in the scope of the German-Armenian Youth Exchange project

“Due to the German-Armenian Youth Exchange project I was introduced to a historic country and warm-hearted people and this means the world to me.”

Johann, one of the participants of the German-Armenian Youth Exchange project from Leipzig, Germany, shares his impressions of Armenia and his experience as a project participant. “I have been really into the history and development of Post-Soviet countries so knowing that I was going to visit Armenia was very exciting for me. Right from the beginning, I wanted to get to know the people of Armenia and explore the beautiful country as much as I could. Once I got to Armenia, I realized that it is much more special than I thought. Even though it’s a smaller country, its history, and rich culture are extremely impressive.”

“The focus of the project was on cultural remembrance, so I wanted to learn more about the Armenian Genocide and the way the Armenian society deals with it today. This is why the most memorable day for me was the day when we visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. Visiting the Genocide Museum gave me a very exciting view of Armenian history during its darkest years. The impressions still remain in my mind deeply. I also enjoyed the time we spent in Gyumri and was incredibly touched by the beautiful landscape. All the way down from Yerevan to Gyumri I was wondering how lovely Armenia is.”

“Beside all the cruelty of history (and even nowadays), my group members from Armenia presented their country in the best way possible. Everything was well organized and I really enjoyed the way our warm-hearted Armenian hosts treated us. I felt that everyone really values the national identity, traditions and the successes of their ancestors. I have been introduced to a warm-hearted culture and that’s the main success for me in this project.”

From September 11 to September 17, Armenian Progressive Youth hosted the second phase of the German-Armenian Youth Exchange project in Armenia. The first phase of the project took place in Dresden, Germany from June 4-10 where 9 Armenian participants alongside participants from Germany uncovered the Unseeable and Unsayable histories of the two countries.

The project is organized by Armenian Progressive Youth NGO, Haytun – Armenischer Kulturverein Dresden e.V. – Armenischer Kulturverein Dresden e.V. and Politischer Jugendring Dresden e.V. and funded by the EVZ Foundation (Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft).