Once they are in Bucharest for certain periods of time, the expats discover another kind of city as they see “live” the realities in the Capital of Romania. There are plenty of cases in which the foreigners come fearfully in our country, thinking they will not be able to adjust, and will encounter difficulties in conducting their activities. An expat Professor is even more fearful, as he / she needs to gain the attention of the students. He / she addresses himself / herself to a generation in formation, and communication can undergo certain difficulties because of language barriers.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aida Markosian is one of the expat Professors who taught for a number of years at The Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Bucharest University. Moreover, she is the author of the Armenian Language Textbook, which the students of this educational establishment study. Furthermore, she is a foreign member of The Department of Russian and Slavic Philology within that educational establishment in Romania.
She ended up in our country because of a program agreed between the governments of Romania and Armenia that targeted a professors’ exchange. She came to Bucharest in order to teach the Armenian language to the students. And the period spent in the Capital of Romania allowed her to discover the beauty of this city. Every time she comes back, she does it with equal pleasure, always enjoying the treasures of nowadays Bucharest.
During her activity within the University of Bucharest, she sustained Russian language classes for the graduate students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, but, as we mentioned, she also taught the Armenian language, which is an optional course within the Bachelor studies.
“Bucharest Is a Warm City”
The reputed teacher accepted to share with the readers of “Ordinea Zilei” several impressions about the period spent in Bucharest, but also about the way she feels the city now, as she came back to the Capital of Romania.
“I adjusted very quickly to life in Bucharest. As soon as I got in Romania, I realized that I love the city. Actually, I like your country. Bucharest is a very warm place, and reminded me of my fatherland, Armenia,” testified to us Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aida Markosian.
It must be mentioned that Aida Markosian is not a Romanian speaking person, but this was no impediment to her during the period she lived in our country. Bucharest is a city perfectly suited to the international realities, and it is not difficult to the foreigners to integrate, even though there are certain language barriers that could pose problems to them. The opening of the Bucharestians towards those come from overseas is great, and the expats say that such a behavior allows them to integrate very easily in the society.
An Outdoor Museum
To the Armenian Professor, Bucharest has been a real outdoor Museum in which she had the possibility to satisfy her desire of exploration.
When she was not among the students, she was very happy to stroll through the Old Center, through the “old city”, as she likes to call it, and discover the architectural jewels here. From time to time she would stop to “catch her breath” in a coffee-shop or in a restaurant in the area. She has never felt a foreigner; on the contrary, all the time she was under the impression that she was “home,” Bucharest having the gift to quench her yearning for Erevan, her home town.
Another place she fell in love with was “Parcul Regele Mihai I” / King Michael I Park, that she knew as Herăstrău Park. She loves this area of Bucharest in which nature is so much present.
When she desired a moment of respite, she would head to this Park and get lost in its immensity. Even now she has in mind the perfume of the blossoming trees during the spring, and the sea of colors delighting her eyes at every step of the way.
Even today, as she recalls the moments lived in Romania, it’s as if she feels the taste of poppy seed, sesame or garlic pretzels that she used to eat during the morning time on her way to the Faculty. “Even though I have places that I love, I can say with all my strength that I, for one, like everything in Bucharest. I like the taste of the poppy seed, sesame and garlic pretzels. The city is perfect the way it is, and the only change I would do is the one related to cleanliness. I wish the city would be cleaner,” also told us Aida Markosian.
Piaţa Universităţii / The University Square is another favorite place in Bucharest, as is all the region around the “Unirea” area. Since every day she would get to The University Square as she had classes with the students, she would go to the “Unirea” area in the moments in which she received visits from friends in Armenia and would take them to see the immensity of the Palace of the Parliament. Moreover, she would get here when she had to do certain purchases. However, to her, Piaţa Unirii / The Union Square remains an important tourist attraction in Bucharest, and she believes that the foreigners getting to us should not miss it. The Palace of the Parliament is a symbol of Bucharest, and the grandeur of this construction fascinates any tourist.
But, as Aida Markosian is born in Armenia, in Erevan, it’s only natural that when she gets into a city with so many ties with her people, she would seek to also discover those places that bear the mark of the Armenian community. And during the period in which she lived in our country, she would very frequently stroll through the Armenian Neighborhood. Thus, she had the chance to see “live” the story of the community she represents. “I visited very often the Armenian Church. I used to spend part of my leisure time here,” mentioned the University Professor.
The Armenian Language is Being Taught According to a Textbook Produced by Aida Markosian
Aida Markosian got to love Bucharest also because of the people she got in contact with. She is grateful to the ones at the Bucharest University who allowed her to implement an ambitious plan of hers, namely to publish in Romanian a textbook for teaching the Armenian language.
“After I have graduated from the high school and faculty in Erevan, I moved to Moscow, where I teach within a number of Universities. When I received the invitation to come to Romania, I immediately said yes. I had already authored a textbook for teaching the Armenian language to the Russians, and it was important to me to come to Bucharest and teach my language to the students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures. In your country I was afforded the opportunity to translate this textbook into the Romanian language as well. My work has been published by The Publishing House of The Bucharest University. I hope that my work contributed as well to the friendship of our peoples, and to the fact that Romania now has “The Day of the Armenian Language, Alphabet and Culture.” Another reason for which I decided to activate in Bucharest was, of course, the presence of the Armenian Diaspora in Romania,” maintains Aida Markosian.
The first part of the Armenian Language Textbook was published in 2013, the other two volumes appearing in subsequent years.
The Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aida Markosian began to teach Armenian at the University of Bucharest in the year 2011, and over a number of years she got actively involved in the educational system in our country. She is involved even now, appearing, as we have mentioned before, as a foreign member of the Department of Russian and Slavic Philology within the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
During the discussion that we had together, I asked Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aida Markosian to speak to us a little about the impression that the higher education in our country left on her.
Having in view that she teaches in a number of Universities in Moscow, the Professor knows very well the Russian educational system too. When she came to Bucharest, she had the opportunity to discover a certain resemblance between the two countries. “The education in Romania is resembling the one in Russia. My opinion is that it needs to be modernized in order to respond best to the changes in our times,” points out the Professor.
Aida Markosian is one the of many expats who had the chance to live in Bucharest and to discover by the accumulated experiences a diverse city, in which the foreigners are accepted with no reservations. To the University Professor it was easy to integrate also because of the fairly strong Armenian community in Romania. In our country live approximately 5000 Armenians who form a very involved segment in the society.
This year, on October 12th, for the first time was celebrated “The Day of the Armenian Language, Alphabet and Culture.” Actually, at this time, in the entire world, the first creators of Armenian culture are celebrated. We’re talking about those who, 1500 years ago, have utilized for the first time the Armenian alphabet.
