Every Sunday, Gohar Martirosyan travels from her apartment to her daughter’s to pick up her grandson and take him to an Armenian Sunday school - Giteliq. It’s a journey of around 1.5 hours, but Gohar doesn’t mind. “They call me Grandma Gohar of Berlin. My mission is to keep my grandchildren connected to their Armenian roots,” she proudly declares. Gohar moved to Germany to support her daughters, who were studying there. Later, she realized that she had another mission. “I was talking to my grandchildren, and they couldn’t understand me. It was heartbreaking not to be able to communicate with them. Can you imagine that?” Gohar reflects.

The language barrier and communication gap triggered Gohar to find an institution where her grandchildren could learn the Armenian language and culture. This coincided with the opening of an Armenian school in Berlin, which sounded like a solution to her situation. And now Gohar claims proudly, “I have six grandchildren born in Germany. Five of them are fluent in Armenian, and the sixth one is only three but already attends the Armenian school.” 

Gohar felt lucky to find out that she could bring her youngest grandchild here as early as the age of 2.5. She believes starting early makes it easier to immerse children in Armenian culture. “Armenian schools keep our culture alive for Armenian children abroad,” Gohar emphasizes. With her youngest grandson, who is half-German and half-Armenian, both parents prioritize the education of the Armenian language. Gohar’s face lights up as she shares, “After only six months, my grandson speaks Armenian. It is so sweet. Sometimes it’s a challenge to get him to school. But the progress is obvious.” 

The Largest Armenian School in Berlin 

“Giteliq” (means “knowledge” in Armenian), founded in 2018, is the largest Armenian school in Berlin. Lilit Hakobyan is not only the founder of the school but also a teacher of the Armenian language and dances. Beyond that, she is an IT specialist and a mother of three. Raising children in Germany inspired her to think big. “I realized that there was no such school in Berlin that I envisioned for my children,” Lilit says, noting that her academic role inspired her to embark on a new venture - an Armenian school. Lilit managed to find teachers who shared her vision, and by joining their forces, they established an Armenian school that would be exciting for young Armenians.  The school enjoyed such success that it expanded to different branches across Germany. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, like many other success stories before 2020, forced their closure. Only the Charlottenburg brunch in Berlin survived. “That succeeded due to the parents, who agreed to the remote classes, even though they are not as effective as in-person ones,” Lilit recalls. 

Here, children learn the Armenian language, songs, dances, chess, and arts. Adults also have the opportunity to learn Armenian. At the moment, the school has 40 students and six groups, which, according to Lilit, is just a small part of the Armenian children living in the Berlin area. “There should be around 700 Armenian students in Berlin, but we have only 40. That’s not even 10 percent. Of course, there are other Armenian schools in Berlin. Even if we include the students from all other schools, it barely reaches 10 percent. It is a troubling indicator,” Lilit explains, underscoring the challenges of motivating students with Armenian backgrounds to attend Armenian schools in Germany. “The quality of life is good in Germany; everyone is busy, and the weather is not the best. But anyway, we have parents invested in their children learning Armenian. I firmly believe that our efforts should also motivate them to attend Armenian schools; our outcomes should bring them to us.” 

The school not only promotes Armenian culture but has also helped Lilit understand herself better. “The Armenian school revealed my deep connection to my country. I didn’t realize that when I was in Armenia; it was only upon leaving the country that I realized how strongly I’m connected to my country and culture,” Lilit shares, explaining that unlike IT, where she deals with machines, she works with people and assists them in reconnecting with their roots. “I believe my deeds are good;  I teach my culture and language. My children also study here. The Armenian schools seem to be the perfect haven where I’ve found my calling.” 

She thinks that Armenian is seldom a necessity in the children’s daily lives; they can lead their lives without attending an Armenian school. Lilit emphasizes the importance of teachers fostering an emotional connection between the language and students so that they feel connected to the culture while being raised abroad. “Currently, we don’t live in Armenia, which means we have double duty. We have to act here in the diaspora. And imagine what happens if we lose this generation; to me, that’s another form of genocide.” 

Armenian Through Music

Narine Davtyan may be the first teacher for some children. She teaches Armenian through music and songs to the junior students of the school. Giteliq is not Narine’s first venture into teaching Armenian to diaspora children abroad. Before relocating to Germany, she taught at the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy in Kolkata, India. 

Narine, a professional musician and conductor, settled in Germany in 2022 and started working at a German music school almost immediately as a music teacher. “Wherever I visit, I want to meet the Armenian community and learn about their activities. This is how I met Lilit. She told me they had a vacancy for a music teacher, and I joined the team,” Narine recalls. According to her, Armenian schools abroad require more dedication and passion for the language and culture. “The difficulty of learning Armenian abroad is the sole fact that the children attend school only on Sundays. This is not a regular school.”

She aims to not only help children understand Armenian but also to use Armenian in their everyday lives. “Based on our experience, some children already start speaking Armenian after our music classes. They use the words they’ve picked up here. Some children don’t even know Armenian when they come here. We sing together; I repeat the words showing their meaning, for instance, the sun, the moon, etc., and I mimic the emotions. I also use a lot of movement, as, I believe, it helps the kids remember the new words.”

Narine understands that Armenian schools can sometimes overwhelm children, especially alongside their German kindergartens and schools. As a result, she infuses the classes with enthusiasm in order to render them enjoyable.  “I organize games or interactive classes, so they love Armenian, feel connected to the language, and are not burdened with classes.” 

While Narine tries to follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Armenia for Sunday schools abroad, she often adds her own touch to address cultural differences and children’s needs. 

Learning Armenian Is Fun

This is how two young Armenian girls,Ani, 8, and Arev, 9, living in different parts of the German capital of Berlin, met. The searches for an Armenian school brought both of them to this school. “I’m the only Armenian in my German school. It was nice that I came here, I met a lot of Armenian children. The first day that I came here, the group was dancing. I liked it immediately, and that’s when I met Arev, and we became best friends,” Ani recalls. 

Both of them speak fluent Armenian, sometimes adding German words like “ach so,” meaning “oh, right,” and “Spaß,” meaning “fun.” They frequently used the latter when discussing their classes at the Sunday school. “I had been to other Armenian schools; I didn’t enjoy them much. And when I stepped into this one, I thought, this is my school. It’s fun here - the other schools felt cold and unwelcoming to me.”

Arev adds that, although her parents taught her Armenian, she struggled with reading and sought help to improve her reading skills. “Now, I’m not as fluent as I want to be, but I have made progress. Here I have also learned numerous Armenian songs and dances,” Arev explains, highlighting that the only homework they receive at the Armenian school is learning the song lyrics and dance moves. “That is fun - I don’t feel burdened with extra homework. I’m looking forward to Sundays coming here, as we have fun here.”  

Contributed by Ami Chichakyan, Germany.