“My name is Ruben. I’m from Spain, and even though it sounds like an Armenian name, I’m not [Armenian].” This is how Ruben Fernandez, a 35-year-old AGBU AVC e-learner, introduces himself before sharing his story of discovering Armenian culture and learning the Armenian language.
Enthusiasm for art and love of travel brought Ruben to Armenia for the first time in 2021 as a participant of a three-stage art program by Erasmus+. The second part of the program was held in Armenia, a country that, at the time, Ruben only recognized as the homeland of the world-renowned Armenian rock band System of a Down.
Little did Ruben know that this fun opportunity would turn out to be so much more…
“When I visited the country, I fell in love, not only with the place and the people, but also with my girlfriend Noemi. She is Armenian, and even though we speak in English, she is the reason I’m learning the Armenian language – to be able to connect more with her family and roots.”
Since then, Ruben has visited the country three times and wishes to return to continue exploring. During his visits, he always tried to read every street sign and every ingredient list on food packages. One day, he discovered the AGBU AVC online courses.
“I had a look on the website and instantly wanted to take them all. Currently, I’ve taken the first two levels of Eastern Armenian course and the highest level of Chess course. At some point, I will probably take the Armenian History course as well.”
Although Ruben is still at the beginning of his learning journey with AGBU AVC, he can already read in Armenian and communicate in short sentences. “I had no expectations at all regarding the courses but they really surprised me. First, because I can even take them in Spanish, my teacher Gohar is great and she speaks perfect Spanish,” he says.
AGBU AVC Online Instructor Gohar Gevorgyan, in turn, describes Ruben as a well-disciplined, hardworking student with a pleasant personality. “From the first day, he impressed me with his ability to work hard, with his perseverance in all his undertakings. It has been a great pleasure to teach and guide him. Looking forward to the continued success!” she says.
Learning a new language also comes with its challenges. Ruben’s funniest memory is trying to learn to say “the children are playing in the playground” in Armenian (Երեխաները խաղում են խաղահրապարակում։). “It is a real tongue twister,” he fondly recalls.
Despite the difficulties, Ruben is determined to continue his studies, “I will definitely continue, first the language and then the history and culture courses. I learned a lot about pawn endings in the chess course - very important to study endings in chess, but also being able to understand the grammar of the language, how it is constructed, how it works… It’s very very interesting.”
“These courses are really helping me to feel more connected to Armenia and the Armenians. Being able to understand my girlfriend’s friends and family is something very important to me,” mentions Ruben.
“I do recommend the AGBU AVC courses. Actually, I did already. One Argentinian friend, Laura, has Armenian roots and we always talk about the country. She studied in an Armenian school but she has forgotten everything. She wants to reconnect with the country and her roots and I recommended her to start with the courses. I think she just started the first level of Western Armenian.”
