National, International, Armenia, and Community News and Opinion

12 The Armenian Reporter | December 13, 2008CommunityTime traveler of a different sortArmen Aroyan’scustom tours toWestern Armeniahelp bring the pastaliveby Alexandra BezdikianOAKLAND, Calif. – In a timewhen historic Armenia has all butvanished into the distant landscapeof a modern world, Armenians livingin the diaspora are left to puttogether the pieces of a fragmentedpast. Armen Aroyan is one of thoserare historians who not only studiesbut shares his education byleading tours to historic Armenia.Aroyan is a time traveler who deconstructsthe fine strands of ourscarred history to weave new memoriesfor new generations. Sittingat the loom, he helps to rekindlethose memories of “back home”that most of today’s young Armenianshave come to know and understandthrough the eyes of theirgrandparents and the distortion ofmodernity.The tour leader, organizer, educator,and scholar of history is theone following the shadowy fragmentsof our past, taking thosewho seek him out on a journey ofhealing and discovery to the placeswe all once called home. He is thememory maker taking vague imagesof a once-beautiful place passeddown almost by birthright andmaking them part of this enigmatictapestry we all struggle to unravelas Armenians.The first sojournArmen Aroyan first began givingtours into the lands of historicalArmenia in the early 1990s, afterhaving completed in the 1980s abusiness trip-turned-pilgrimagethat uncovered his own roots.“My grandmother always talkedabout what it was like living inAintab,” he shared fondly. “Shewould say that life was so goodover there and she would say how[Aintab] had the best fruits andfood, and was so beautiful. So thisplace was inbred in me and I alwayshad a curiosity to see it, a kind ofdraw to Aintab. And so, when I hadthe chance when I got older, I wentto visit it.”After fulfilling what can be describedas an emotional expeditionto the villages of his own past, Aroyandedicated the next decade anda half to taking willing participantson similar journeys of their own.With first-class treatment servedwith a side of exciting and uniqueexperiences, Aroyan soon hadpeople seeking him out with vigor.After his first official trip as a tourguide, back in October 1991, 20people were waiting and ready togo on his return trip. Since then hehas organized some 60 trips.At the monastery of Abrank near Erznga (Erzincan) June 2007“There was no problem findingpeople [who wished to] go,” Aroyanexplained. “They were very happyto go. They had the desire and it becamea fulfillment of a dream theydidn’t think was possible. It was apassing of heritage between grandparentsto their grandchildren.”Because Aroyan caters each tripto the specific wishes of those whoaccompany him, participants ofhis Armenian Heritage Tours walkaway feeling a sense of exclusivityand personal attention that is virtuallyunmatched by any other tourof its kind.“It’s all custom-planned,” Aroyansaid. “You tell me where yourgrandmother is from and I’ll incorporateall these villages on topof the major attractions like Aniand Lake Van and Mount Ararat.So every trip has been different. Itcompletely depends on the participants.”Tour takers can attest to his fiercecommitment to providing a meaningfulexperience for all, as well asto the dedication Aroyan possessesto helping preserve an importantlegacy for the future.“He is driven by a mission,” saidPerouz Seferian of Ontario, Canada,one of Aroyan’s most recenttour participants. “I think Armenwould try to move Mount Ararat ifthat was the only way he could getyou to your village. I have for manyyears had a profound need to seeKalan, the village where my fatherand grandfather were born. It’s noton the map, but Armen somehowtook me there.”“Armen is a laid-back individualand has to balance the desires andwishes of different people withdifferent expectations,” addedDon Barsumian of Los Angeles. “Ithought he did an excellent jobkeeping most everybody happy.All the accommodations were firstclassand enjoyable.”Having amassed an extensive collectionof archival material, such asphotos and videotapes, as well asfriends over the years, Aroyan hascreated a network of Armeniansfrom all over the world, who cometogether to enjoy some of the mostbeautiful and historic Armeniansites.EpiphaniesFrom Adana, Aghtamar, andAintab to Marash, Talas, and Zeytun,Armenians are able to unveilthese places of the past withoutfear or hesitation. For many, thesetrips are vehicles of catharsis, waysfor many to reconcile events of thepast with a hopeful future.For Seferian, her experience wassimply life-changing. “I stood inthe village my father and grandfatherhad yearned for all their exiledlives,” she said of her trip this pastSeptember. “And wished so muchthat they could have been therewith me. As a child, I would hearthem weep in the night for lostfamily members and for the simplefamiliar comforts of home in theirvillage.”Aroyan led Seferian along thecaravan route that her family hadtaken, along the road where, asher father had written, he saw hisgrandmother murdered.“In Oghnout, where the caravanhad stopped for four days, I meta man whose great grandfatherhad been left behind as a child,in hopes that he would somehowsurvive,” Seferian said. “I wasflooded with emotion as I realizedthat his ancestors and mine hadshared a common terror at thevery place we were both standing.I cast flower seeds in all these places,and around the cathedral atAni, in memory of all the 1.5 millionwho [have no graves bearingtheir names]. I cast root-vegetableseeds, in acknowledgment of theirterrible hunger, and I scattered fiberflax seeds, which linen is spunfrom, remembering that most ofthe victims first had their clothingremoved.”Seferian says she is going backnext spring.“I want to see if the pink and goldflowers of memory have grown, ifroot vegetables have taken hold,and if the fiber flax seed hassprouted,” she said. “I left candlesburning at Ani. I don’t want anyoneto think that we have forgotten1915.”Aroyan has impacted andchanged many lives for the better.Without his service and dedicationto the cause of giving his fellow Armeniansthe missing pieces to theirown family puzzles, many wouldcontinue to live lives without peaceor closure.That is Armen Aroyan’s legacy. Hecontinues to give a sense of peaceto those who embrace it.“It is extremely gratifying to seepeople happy,” Aroyan said. “I geta lot of satisfaction from that. Itgives them a lot of closure and athird dimension. Now they areable to see their village and couldpicture the images of the past thatwas passed down to them throughparents and grandparents.”