THE SHOES OF THE GIRL FROM ARTSAKH AND THE WAR IN SYRIA
Thursday, 30 August 2012 10:34
Recently the youth of Artsakh is more and more actively discussing
issues of helping the Armenians from Syria. In this connection
different people make concrete proposals in Facebook webpages.
Moreover, these proposals can be found in the media as well.
In his letter Patara village inhabitant Stepan Grigoryan, Askeran
region, on behalf of his fellow-villagers expresses willingness
of receiving Armenians from Syria and hopes that this will set the
beginning of a new big action. The young man is ready to provide his
second house in the village free for living. At least five families
in Patara are ready to do the same, he notes.
People are also trying to find their acquaintances from Syria. One
of such attempts is described by journalist from Artsakh Lousine
Mousayelyan in her Facebook page. Here is her story: “Today is a
memorable day for me, I can hardly restrain my emotions, she writes
and continues, it was two years the war had been over, I was 10 or
11 years old. During those years there was no electricity in our
houses, but at the square there were some lanterns lighting and as
our house was near the square we went to play there together with
several children from our yard.
One day when playing we saw a group of tourists pass along the square
and a girl from this group came up to me and asked the way to the
theatre. I explained to her and the girl asked me to accompany her to
the place if it was not too far away. It was not far from our place
and I agreed to accompany her. She was from the Armenian Diaspora. We
walked to the theatre, on the way she asked me different questions
such as what my name was, whether I had sisters and brothers, what my
parents were, where we lived, what I dreamed of and so on. I told her
everything and saw her get excited at my story. Later when we reached
the square and I had to bid farewell to her she gave me five thousand
drams and said, “I am leaving tomorrow and I will not manage to buy a
gift for you, take this money, please, and buy a present for yourself
in my name.”
However I refused to take the money nothing came of it. I remember to
say, “What will I answer my mother if she asks where I took the money
from?” She said to tell my mother that Arpi Sanosyan from Syria gave
it to me. I thanked her much, said good-bye and went home.
The next day together with my mother we went to the market /then
there hardly were any shops in the town/ and bought a pair of shoes
for me, black round-toed shoes. In those days all my classmates wore
patent-leather low-heeled shoes and they wondered where I found those
old-fashioned shoes from.
I always remembered the story of Arpi Sanosyan.
When the Internet first appeared in Karabakh and when I realized the
essence and use of it the first thing I did was to search the name
of Arpi Sanosyan first in Yandex, then in Rambler, in Yahoo, Google,
Skype and finally in Facebook pages. I could not find her anyway.
I was eager to find her and say that I remembered her.
Recently since the war broke out in Syria the thought of finding
Arpi Sanosyan has haunted me. I began to write to all the people in
Facebook whose second name was Sanosyan and eventually after all my
efforts I managed to find a phone number.
After 37 attempts to call the number I heard an answer.
– Hello.
– Hello, Arpi, is it you?
– Yes, who is it?
– I am calling from Karabakh, probably you will not remember me,
but if you have some time I will try to remind you.
– Is your name Lousine?
– Yes, it is.
– How are you, my dear, what about your mother and sisters? Probably
you have grown older, I remember you, of course, and I cannot believe
that you also remembered and found me. How could you find my phone
number?
I could hardly answer her, I only thanked her and asked what I could
do for her.”
http://karabakh-open.info/en/societyen/1433-en350