Karine Armen

Book stores that carry Inner Heaven

2011-04-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ketab Books
1419 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-477-7477
www.ketab.coom

Abril Books
415 E Broadway # 102
Glendale, CA 91205-1029
(818) 243-4112
www.abrilbooks.com

Berj Bookstore
422 South Central Ave
Glendale, CA 91204
818-244-3830
www.berjbooks.coom

Sardarabad Bookstore
1111 S. Glendale Avenue
Glendale, CA 91205
818-500-0790
www.sardarabad.com

Levantine Cultural Center
5998 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035-2657
310.657.5511
310.657.5522 FAX
www.levantinecenter.org

Old Town Gift Co.
2754 Calhoun Street
Old Sand Diego, CA 92110
619-296-1059
619-795-7664 FAX
www.oldtowngiftco.com
www.fiestadereyes.com

Ark Family Center
135 S. Jackson Street, Suite 102
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 662-7045 Extension 2
www.arkfamilycenter.org

My Grandmother, Victoria, a Genocide Survivor

2011-04-06T23:44:00.000-07:00

all the texts at this blog are copyrighted.
You may use it for educational purposes only.

Victoria

Victoria, a young beautiful Armenian woman, woke up screaming and crying. Her nightmares were not surprising to her husband and five kids. They lived in a modest home in Tehran.
Victoria and Alex got married very young. They were both survivors of a vicious genocide. Their marriage was for survival purposes. She was only 14 when she got married.
The young couple were from an Armenian town in Turkey called Garin. In the spring of 1915 the Turkish soldiers started calling the Armenian men to join the army during the First World War. The Armenian men were leaving their homes believing they were going to serve in the Turkish army. Little did they know that was their march to be massacred.
My grandmother, Victoria, was only 7 years old. She was home playing with her fabric doll that her mother had made. Her 6 month old sister, Berjik, was quietly sleeping in the bedroom. Her 12 year old brother, Hambo, was playing with some pebbles.
A sudden silence fell over Garin. It seemed that the birds had stopped singing. For a few minutes there was no wind, no air, and no sounds. Then, a loud knock on the door shook the world. Hambo opened the door and two Turkish soldiers entered screaming, “Ermeni, yavour” dirty Armenian.
Victoria’s mother rushed to the door and saw the soldiers with their daggers on Hambo’s throat. She screamed and begged the men to leave the house. But the Turkish men started laughing and yelling, “You want to save your son? You have to dance for us.” Victoria was hiding under the bed. She was shaking. She was very young but wise enough to control herself not to make noise. Listening to her mother’s and brother’s cries her heart was pounding fast. Hambo got very angry seeing how these men were insulting his mother. He tried to protect her and pushed the men away, running towards his mother. The soldier got angry and slashed cut Hambo’s throat. “Oh, no, God, please save my son.” “Your son?” yelled the other soldier “I’ll give you another son.” He pushed the woman on the ground and raped her. She was devastated and shaking. Before she could realize what was happening to her, the other soldier raped her too. But that was not enough. They did not want to listen to her crying and killed her. The men, exhausted and satisfied, left the house without entering the bedroom.
Victoria came out of the bedroom and saw her loved ones’ bodies soaked in blood. She wanted to scream but she could not. Perhaps she was afraid the soldiers might return.
She grabbed her baby sister and left the house. There was commotion all over the town. Women and children were running, screaming and crying. She walked and walked and got very tired, hungry and thirsty. She could not continue carrying the baby who was also hungry. Victoria left the baby under a tree. She put some rocks around her to protect her from animals and went to look for food. After a few more hours of wandering and walking, she fell asleep out of exhaustion. The next day she could not find her way back to her baby sister. Where was she, under which tree, in which direction?
Victoria met some other women and started walking with them. They went through the deserts of Iraq. After weeks of walking they arrived to Iran.
She connected with other genocide survivors from her town. That’s where she got married at a young age. Her first son was named Hambo and her daughter was named Berjik to honor her lost sister. Berjik was my mother. My grandmother had her own family but she could not stop thinking about her baby sister. She always wondered what happened to her. Did someone rescue her? Was she eaten by animals or killed? The guilt and nightmares continued to the next generation. Her mental and emotional condition affected her kids and grandchildren.

Karine Armen
June 13, 2009

Inner Heaven

2011-04-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

No. 6 Worry

If we cannot our control our worrisome thoughts they can destroy our inner peace. Worry can change to anxiety and become self-destructive.
We have two kinds of worries. The thoughts that come from Positive Channels are there to prevent problems. The worrying thoughts that come from our Negative Channel can be problematic.
We get energy from food and our thoughts. Half of the energy is physical, and the other half is mental and spiritual. If we let the Negative Channel control us, we lose our spiritual energy and feel tired and drained.
Many people eat healthy food and take their vitamins and minerals, and still feel drained. There can be a false sense of tiredness due to unnecessary worrying emotional and mental activity. Being aware of the negative can help to protect worrying.
Some scientists claim life events and problems are contributing factors. We are in control of 60% of our life events, 30% of our lives are affected by others, and 10% by nature. If we believe this then we can begin to feel a sense of control.
We can accept the disasters caused by nature, know that we did not cause them, and be at peace with that. Then we can focus on the 60% of the events that we can control. We havethe ability to be grateful for blessings. We are able to learn and strengthen this sense of gratitude. We can minimize our worries and maximize the positive thoughts.
By using these strategies we will be able to deal with the 30% of social and family pressures. Using positive thinking techniques will give us an inner peace and sense of happiness.

August 8, 1987

No. 14 Gratitude

Having a sense of gratitude and appreciation of our blessings is one of our healthy feelings.
Despite having health, beauty and good families, many of us feel dissatisfied with our lives. We think that our friends or neighbors have happier lives. We are not able to appreciate all the blessings we already have. It is a habit to not feel satisfied. It’s a learned behavior that can be changed. Our emotions are connected to each other like a chain.
Here is a technique (suggestion) to use for feeling thankful for our blessings. As soon as you sense dissatisfaction or frustration, jot down the positive factors of your life in a journal or on paper. Write down both good and bad parts and compare them.
This way you will see all the amazing good things in your life that you might have been taking for granted or had forgotten. This exercise will bring them to your attention.
You will then be energized and can handle difficulties with a sense of control and enthusiasm.
You might say, “Who has time for all these activities?”, but remember by spending a few minutes to bring the positive up you can save lots of time that was wasted on negative thoughts and feelings of being drained.

October 10, 1987

Fast for Darfur

2011-04-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

Father Vazken Movsesian of St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale had organized an picnic in Griffith Park on Sunday, March 6, 2011. It was to stop genocide in the world. It was called Stop Genocide, Fast for Darfur.
I participated and Father Vazken invited me to the stage to present my book, Inner Heaven. I mentioned that I am a genocide survivor. I talked about my grandmother, Victoria, who suffered from depression and post traumatic syndrome because of the Armenian Genocide.
That day Dr. Dekmejian of USC invited me to be a guest speaker at his political science class.

Karine at USC

2011-04-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

I was invited as a guest speaker to Dr. Dekmejian's class at USC on Monday, April 4, 2011. I read my grandmother's story of surviving the Armenian Genocide. This article is in the book, Inner Heaven. Later I presented the book and how I published it.
We should not have genocide in 21st century. We can stop genocide by non-violence and being active in grassroots organizations.
I met young PhD student, Marat Oganyesyan who is from Ukraine and lives in Berlin. Also, I met psychologist, Dr. Viviane Seyranian.
I am thankful to Dr. Dekmejian and Father Vazken Movsesian for giving me the opportunities to introduce my book and read my grandmother's story.

Inner Heaven Celebrations

2011-04-06T22:55:00.000-07:00

The blessing of my mother's self-help book Inner Heaven.
The first event was on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at Pasadena Public Library.
I am grateful to Don Fisher-Campbell for organizing the event.

The second event was at Ark Family Center in Glendale on Saturday, March 26 which was also my mother's birthday.
I am thankful to Dr. Khudaverdian and Melina Sardar and the volunteers of the Ark Family Center.

My friends took me to breakfast to celebrate the publication of my book.

INNER HEAVEN Self-help book

2011-01-24T22:55:00.000-08:00

The articles in this book(blog) can be copied for educational purposes only. For any other purpose, the written permission of the publisher must be obtained.
Copyright by Karine Armen

I want to celebrate my mother’s legacy. I want to keep her memories alive and to spread her words. She loved helping people, especially children, women and elderly.

My mother died from cancer in her spinal cord on August 19, 1990 at the age of 56.
She lived in Iran but had been in the Los Angeles area for a year and a half. While in the United States, she wrote self-help articles in Farsi which were published in a weekly newspaper, Fogholadeh. Her pen name was Hasmik in honor of her sister who died at the age of 36.

I have been thinking about publishing my mother’s articles for a few years. It was an emotionally difficult task. Every time I tried to read them I started crying. So I put that project behind me.

Finally, two years ago, I copied the articles and had them typeset. That was a big step for me. Later I decided to translate the articles into English to be able to share them with a wider audience. In this book you can read 37 of her articles. I have put them in chronological order.

As I mature I realize her influence on me with my decisions. I chose Social Work as my major in college. Later I became a teacher, in an ongoing effort to help others. One day she told me, “You don’t need to worry about being a mother. You are an active woman and can help and influence several children.” At that time I was in my twenties and was surprised with her ideas. I admire her even more when I think about her.

I love you mom. Thank you for teaching me these important life lessons.

Karine Armen

About The Author

Berjik Kurkjian-Giragossian (1933-90) has written several self-help articles in Farsi. Her work was published in a Los Angeles magazine called Fogholadeh in 1987-88.
Berjik was born in Iran in an Armenian family. Both her parents were survivors of the Armenian genocide. The genocide had its effects on Berjik’s family. She was the second child among the five children. She was the oldest sister and grew up taking care of her younger siblings.

She learned to take care of everybody’s needs putting aside her own needs and wants. She was not able to complete her education yet she loved to read. She had a passion for helping people.

Hagop Kurkjian married Berjik in 1953. Hagop was one of the founding members of the Ararat Armenian Sport Club in Tehran which was established in 1944. They had four children, Varand, Karine, Vahic, and Vazrik.

Both Berjik and Hagop had passion for life which was transferred to their oldest son, Varand, who is a famous Armenian poet.

Berjik’s writing is simple and touches the readers’ souls. She gives suggestions how to live one’s life by using positive words, positive thoughts. She was well aware how negative thoughts can drain one’s energy. She had a hard life and never gave up hope to persevere and continued to inspire others. She was a great role model.

11. Communication

Human beings have the privilege of talking and expressing their thoughts and emotions. Animals do not have this gift. They have feelings yet they can not talk. The ability to talk and listen is a great blessing that many people take for granted.
We are born with many talents that stay untapped and not stimulated. Kids listen for a while before they can speak. They use the vocabulary that they hear at home and in their environment. Therefore, we need be good role models and use positive thinking. How we talk will be transferred to our kids and the next generation. We need to learn how to be good listeners, to be patient and speak in a timely manner.
We need to let the kids talk and express their thoughts. In many cultures people don’t allow children to express their opinions about different issues. “You are still too young to talk.” they are told when they ask questions out of curiosity. Kids get confused about when and how to ask questions. They learn to suppress their curiosity and not talk at all. Later, as adults, they feel anxious about speaking in public and expressing their opinions.
For our inner peace it is essential to learn to talk positively and be a good listener.

September 19, 1987

12. Choice of Words

The choice of words and use of vocabulary in our daily limes can affect poor mental health.
Certain words can change us from feeling happy to a sad state of mind. Negative sentences and negative words can create negative thoughts, and, in turn, sad emotions.
One of the mood destroying words is “difficult.” We say, “My job is difficult” or, “life is so difficult.” We use these words not with awareness but out of habit. Knowing how the choice of words can affect us can help us be in control and change our attitude towards work and life.
Children learn negative attitudes and repeat our sentences as well as the manner in which we talk. They grow up with pessimism and avoiding difficulty.
We look at daily chores differently and enjoy the benefits of living in a clean home with clean clothes. Instead of nagging about problems of parenthood, we can enjoy our kids and their childhood. When we change our attitude towards life’s difficulties and problems we can be good role models for kids. They will grow up with optimism.

September 26, 1987

13. “I don’t feel like it”

“I don’t feel like it,” is a typical expression used in our lives. Sometimes we give negative energy to people we deal with by saying, “Oh you have energy for that,” or, “I don’t have energy for that kind of stuff.” We kill their excitement and enthusiasm.
Using these kinds of expressions is habitual and many of us are not aware of its effect on our mental and physical well being. Suddenly we realize we have less energy.
We need enthusiasm for our daily tasks and chores to continue life happily.
Let’s look at the reason we use these negative expressions. In the past people were very superstitious and believed in bad eye karma. If they were always successful others would find bad karma. Many of us are still victims of these superstitions and always look sad and angry.
Somebody has to change this. We need to be positive role models by sharing our happy moments and accomplishments. If we all focus on sharing our happiness we will have a better and healthier society.
By freeing ourselves from superstition and negativity we will get more energy. Remember, we cannot buy energy, we need to create it.
Instead of saying, “I don’t feel like it,” we can say, “I am not ready now,” or, “I don’t have time now.” Then we can plan our times and be more organized instead of relying on our mood to finish projects and work.
Let’s be aware of our choice of words. Let’s create a positive language for us and future generations.

October 3, 1987

14. Gratitude

Having a sense of gratitude and appreciation of our blessings is one of our healthy feelings.
Despite having health, beauty and good families, many of us feel dissatisfied with our lives. We think that our friends or neighbors have happier lives. We are not able to appreciate all the blessings we already have. It is a habit to not feel satisfied. It’s a learned behavior that can be changed. Our emotions are connected to each other like a chain.
Here is a technique (suggestion) to use for feeling thankful for our blessings. As soon as you sense dissatisfaction or frustration, jot down the positive factors of your life in a journal or on paper. Write down both good and bad parts and compare them.
This way you will see all the amazing good things in your life that you might have been taking for granted or had forgotten. This exercise will bring them to your attention.
You will then be energized and can handle difficulties with a sense of control and enthusiasm.
You might say, “Who has time for all these activities?”, but remember by spending a few minutes to bring the positive up you can save lots of time that was wasted on negative thoughts and feelings of being drained.

October 10, 1987

15. Hope, the Inner Light

Hope is also known as inner light. Hope’s source is our inner Positive and Negative Channels.
The two Positive and Negative Channels always function, and are directly related to our thoughts. Knowing this we can improve our positive thinking process, and feel happy and energized.
Let’s see how we can improve our positive and be hopeful.
We lose hope every time we are faced with little disappointments and let downs. First of all, we need to distinguish between reality and an ideal. We have to be realistic and set realistic goals. When our expectations are not realistic we get angry and start blaming bad luck, or fall into negative, hopeless thoughts.
We need to stop and say, “It was meant to be. There must be a reason for this.” There is a success in each defeat. We may not see it at that moment, but later we realize the reason our wish did not come true.
We can practice this thought process daily to fuel our hopes, and not get disappointed over unimportant stuff.

October 24, 1987

16. Guilt

Guilt and regret are related. Negative thinking is due to lack of self-awareness. We need to recognize the roots of feeling guilty.
Many of our negative thoughts are the same put downs that we heard in our childhood. If parents’ negativity compared us to our siblings or other kids we felt powerless to become as good as others. This leads to fear of failure. We don’t want to do anything because we are not “as good as” others. Fear of failure changes to a feeling of incompetence, and in return, guilt.
Guilt makes us restless and angry. We project our negativity to our kids. We become over protective and do not allow them to experience life.
We have inherited guilt from previous generations. It is a learned behavior. We can refocus our attention by recognizing its roots.
Instead of comparing ourselves and our kids to others we can affirm them, and find the good in each person.
Criticism is the base for regret and guilt. The only remedy to be free from guilt is by self-awareness and self-help.

October 31, 1987

17. Contradiction

We grow up listening to contradictions and hypocrisy. As kids we are told to be kind and polite to people who do not practice it themselves.
Every day we see people preaching what they do not practice. This creates a moral dilemma. We know it’s better to be honest and kind, and then we see people get financially ahead by not being honest.
We want to be like the dishonest person but we are not able. We feel guilty and shameful.
These contradictions and dilemmas are exaggerated when we seal them with our cultural issues and identity. We feel neither American nor Iranian. We want to keep the old culture yet we see certain challenges. These contradictions drain our energy.
The way to deal with it is self awareness and self help. We need to recognize the positive and the negative, the function of each. We can not live only with day light. We
need night too.
It is best to live with a clear conscience and to preach to your own kids. Then they will not have to deal with hypocrisy.
We can live with the good memories of the past and an optimistic image of the future. However, we need to live in present.

November 7, 1987

18. Looking for the Faults or Goodness

Sometimes we see all the problems and shortcomings instead of the beauty. The pessimist view versus the optimistic.

We learn pessimism and blaming from childhood. As children we listen to many expressions such as, “Don’t touch it,” “Shame on you,” or, “Don’t interfere, you are too young to understand.” This negativity is given to us while we are forming our personality. We grow up with a habit of blaming everyone, especially ourselves. This creates lack of self-confidence and self-esteem.
Because this is a learned habit, it is harder to get rid of it. It makes it very difficult to see the good in things and in ourselves.
We need an inner revolution. We can improve the positive thinking and strengthen the optimism in ourselves. People need reconstruction of their inner world. Many spend more time on reconstructing their outer beauty with makeup and clothing. We need and can rebuild our emotional and spiritual well being.
We can start by counting our blessings, starting with our health: “I have legs, hands, eyes, ears,” then make note of the inner resources that we never use. Tap into all that potential by increasing our belief in ourselves.
Of course, we need to be careful not to be narcissistic while we are appreciating our inner resources and potentials to live fulfilling lives.

We need to express and talk about our inner talents and say that these are exercises to become more self-confident. In time this will become habitual, and we will see the good in everything instead of looking to blame and make excuses.
This good habit can create an inner heaven. We will transfer this to our kids who are the future adults.

November 14, 1987

19. Smile and Laughter

Laughter is a healthy activity. It is the symbol of happiness and inner peace. We all crave to have more laughter and smiling faces.
In many cultures people look at laughter differently. Some say, “I am laughing but my heart is sad,” or, “I am too distressed to laugh.”
One of the best expressions about laughter is, “Smile and the world will smile back.”
There are different kinds of laughter. Sometimes we laugh at something really funny. Other times we laugh to be polite or sarcastic.
When we laugh from the bottom of our heart we feel content. We express our happiness by laughter. However, if we are with someone who is sad, our laughter can have a bad effect.
If we are laughing and smiling because of social pressure, it is not sincere and we do not enjoy it.
Sometimes when we are hurt by someone’s actions, we show our anger with a sarcastic smile.
Another problematic laughter is when we make fun of someone.
As I have mentioned before, we have both Positive and Negative Channels. We are constantly informed by these two factors. We cannot always be happy. We need to know the elements and factors that affect our emotions.
By self-awareness we can use laughter to feel happy, and not for putting down others or sarcasm.
I am ending this article with the quotation, “If your inner and outer self is the same, you are closer to God.”
I hope we can reach that point and we see a peaceful world.

November 21, 1987

20. Having Expectation

Having expectations of others is a learned habit. In our culture, emotional dependency causes us to have expectations of each other.
I am starting this article with the quotation, “Less expectation means better life.”
Expectations between friends and family members can create a sense of responsibility which is good. However, we need to consider our time and abilities so we do not feel resentment.
We will feel resentment if we do not know the reason we do favors. As soon as you do a favor for someone, do not expect a favor back. Just think it was the right thing to do.
One destructive expectation is expecting our kids to fulfill our needs. We want them to take care of our emotional needs. We tell them that we have sacrificed our lives for them and create guilt in them.
When we do this, the value of our kindness diminishes. We become restless and sad. We grow older with resentment for spending our lives for our kids.
We need to realize that it was our choice to have kids.
We need to do our job with satisfaction and not expecting our children to fulfill our needs.

November 28, 1987

Acknowledgments

Completing and publishing this book would not have been possible without the insight and caring attitude of a number of wonderful people whom I would like to mention below. These people walked into my life at the right time. I am grateful to serendipity.

Dr. Ehsan Gharadjedaghi – Thank you for writing a wonderful and sincere foreword about my mother and her writings.

Ishkhan Jinbashian – Thanks for making the time to give me valuable feedback.

Dorothy Randall Gray – I am thankful to you for your meticulous editing and honest feedback. You were always positive and had an interesting vision of the entire book-preparation process.

Elana Golden – I am thankful to you for encouraging me to write my grandmother’s story and convey some of the chronicles of the Armenian Genocide survivors.

Dr. Edward Kudaverdian – I truly benefited from participating in the Creative Freedom and Awareness Seminar at Ark Family Center. It helped me establish concrete goals to complete this book as planned.

Melina Sardar – I will always treasure the kind comments about my mother’s articles. Also, I enjoyed your leadership and coaching skills during the Creative Freedom and Awareness Seminar at Ark Family Center.

Rafi Bagramian – Thank you for working on the typesetting and designing the pages. Rafi is aunt Hasmik’s son.

Dr. Zaven Khatchaturian – During the 25 years of our friendship you have always encouraged me to pursue my photography and writing passion. Thanks for volunteering to take my photos.

Evelyn Badihian – You have been a wonderful friend to me for the past 20 years.

Frank O’Donnell – I am grateful to you for your sincere friendship and having a memorial for my mother in 1990.

Keghanoush Bairamian – I run to you whenever I need to consult with somebody in my professional and personal life. Thanks for being available and giving valuable advice.

Sipan Ghazarian – Thanks for typing some of the English articles.

Alan Hartoonian – Thanks for translating my writings from English into Farsi.

Emma Dolkhanian – Special thanks for typing the Farsi text and being available, as I needed more text to be typed.

Don Kingfisher Campbell – Thank you for giving me wings to fly and write poetry.

Mary Torregrossa – You have inspired me to continue my writing. Thank you for your gentle and thorough critique of my poems.

Ida Williams – During my weekly Italian classes you checked to see if I have completed this book. Thanks for your caring and gentle pushes. You are more than a teacher for me. Grazie!

Patty Yoho – Thanks for being a sympathetic listener, showing interest in my family’s story and encouraging me to share my writings.

Matthew Karanian – It was very kind of you to answer all my questions regarding book publishing. Thanks for your time.

Renu Singh, her son Nullin Hasan, and Susan DePiro – I truly appreciate your time for proofreading and your friendship.

I am grateful to all my friends who gave feedback about the cover and design of the book. I am thankful to my dear brothers, Varand, Vahic, and Vazrik for their moral support.

Armenian Diaspora Symposium

2010-11-20T21:30:00.000-08:00

What a productive day! After working at my school for 2 hours I went to the International symposium about the Armenian diaspora at USC.
I met George Deukmejian.
There were many educated professors and journalists who spoke.
Mark Arax was the award-winning journalist from Fresno who talked about his experience as a journalist at L.A. Times and his views of the Armenian culture.
Garin Hovannisian was in the audience. He is Professor Richard Hovannisian's grandson, Rafi's son. Garin is very young and has already published a book called "Family of Shadows".
In 1988 Garin was participating in a demonstration at Los Angeles City College. He was probably 2 years old. I took a photo of him holding a sign "One Nation One Republic". That photo was publish in the Armenian magazine called 80s (Outsounagan). The editor and publisher was Ishkhan Jinbashian.
Last July when I was in Armenia I saw Rafi and Armineh Hovannisian, Garin's parents.
Armineh remembered that photo.
I am so proud of Hovannisian's family.

Professor Armen Marsoobian

2010-11-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Philosophy professor Marsoobian had a very interesting presentation about Merzifon and Anatolia College by using his family photographs and journals. His uncle, Aram Dildilian, was a photographer at the beginning of the 20th century. Armen Marsoobian still has some of the glass negatives. These photos have documented lives in Anatolia and they survived the Armenian Genocide.
The event was at Ararat-Eskijian Museum in Mission Hills, Los Angeles area.

Ara Oshagan's book

2010-11-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

My dear photographer friend, Ara Oshagan, has published his book that he had been working on for several years. It is called "Father Land". It includes black and white photographs of Armenia with a text by his father, Vahe Oshagan.
In conjunction with the book Ara has a photography exhibition at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Park.
Along with Ara some other artists have their work. Charlie Hachadourian is one of the participating artists. His clay sculpture are amazing and original.
Bravo to Ara. Congratulations.

Writers

2010-11-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, October 23, 2010 I attended a literature event organized by Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA).
http://www.scibabooks.org/home/
I met many famous writers who primarily write for children and young adults.
In one picture is Michael Grant.

Women Writers

2010-11-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

On Friday, October 8, 2010 I was invited to an event of women writers of Hedgebrook.
I was invited by Dorothy Randall Gray. She is the person who pushes me to do my best and write my stories. I don't know how she found my email and invited me to her writing workshops but I know she came into my life for a reason.
I attended her writing workshop in March of 2010. She graciously accepted to edit my mother's self-help book that I have translated from Farsi to English. It's in the process of getting published.
During the Hedgebrook event I met very interesting women. The way they told their stories were very unique and original.
I met Ruth Forman, Pearl Sharp, Mayda DelValle, Amalia Ortiz, Kip, and Amy Wheeler.
Thank you Dorothy.
Check this retreat for women writers.
http://www.hedgebrook.org/

Peace Tent September 2010

2010-11-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

Another year of beautiful activities for the Peace Tent by my dear friend, Marineh Khachadour. Her husband, famous artist Charlie Hachadourian, baked fresh lavash bread on the first and last days of the event.
The Peace Tent activities last for a week, September 19 - 26.
Elana Golden provided a very inspiring writing workshop.

Armenia with my friends and cousin

2010-11-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, Achik (Anna), went to Armenia from Iran to spend time with me. Of course, her sister, Armineh, and her family live in Yerevan but she planned her visit around my trip.
My lovely cousin, Mona, lives in Yerevan with her daughter and grandchild. Mona is a young and cool grandmother :)
Aida is another wonderful friend who is from Armenia. We spent fantastic time together.
We created beautiful memories.
Armen Minassian is the grandson of the legendary actor, Arman. Armen is an architect and lives in Yerevan with his family.
Also, I met many of my friends from Los Angeles area.
I rented a cute single apartment on Sayat Nova Street. My friends and I truly enjoyed the balcony :)
Another memorable moment was being present during the Apricot Armenian Film Festival. I saw Claudia Cardinale from close and said, "Che bella!" She looked at me and smiled.
Who would have thought one day I would meet Claudia in Armenia.
On July 15 I traveled to two villages and photographed the families who receive aid from an organization under the supervision of Armineh Petrossian. She is a caring person who does a great assessment of each family's needs. It was a very interesting experience. Listening to their stories was very touching.

Armenia July 2010

2010-11-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

Finally, I met with my poet brother, Varand, in Armenia. The first meeting was at Dzaghgazor during the Armenian Writers' Symposium. I took a taxi from the capital city, Yerevan, to Dzaghgazor resort. It was an hour drive. It cost me $20.
Varand was in his room resting. We had a wonderful reunion in the balcony with a beautiful view.
That afternoon Varand and few other writers visited with the president of Armenia. He was honored by President Serge Sarkissian.

Garen and Heartache

2010-05-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

Garen
by Karine Armen

Can heartache cause death? Yes, I can say yes. Here is the story of a short life because of pain and lack of life skills.

In September of 1958 a healthy boy was born in an Armenian family in Tehran. His parents were very happy and proud and named him Armen. He had big brown eyes and blond hair like golden wheat.
After two years his sister was born. Armen’s father loved to spend time with his kids. He also loved to spend time with his brother’s kids who lived in the same building as an extended family. I have so many nice memories of my uncle and my cousin, Armen.
On Fridays my uncle took us to the zoo or to the park. He took our pictures. We posed in front of the cages. I have a black and white photo sitting on a baby elephant. I still vividly remember that day. The elephant’s sharp hair was scratching my legs. I was very scared but I posed smiling. My uncle always treated us to ice cream. We loved listening to his stories. He was a good story teller. He had many tails from Ukraine and Armenia.
Armen was a bright and active child. One day when he was not feeling good his parents took him to doctor. After several tests the sky fell. Armen was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of four. Why, why an innocent child had cancer? He ate healthy food.
Everybody felt the family’s pain. The rich neighbor offered help to take Armen to Germany for treatment. My uncle and his wife felt helpless, frustrated yet hopeful. The whole family went to the airport. The international airport in Tehran was a fun place that my uncle took us to watch the take off and landing of the airplanes. I loved the pilots’ and hostess’s costumes. But this trip to the airport was not for fun. I was only 5 and to young to understand.
After the surgery in Germany they returned home. Armen died shortly after. All the kids were asking where he was. My oldest cousin who was six years old at the time said, “He is in the sky with angels.” We were looking at the clouds and searching for him. I wanted to see Armen’s dark and beautiful eyes. How disappointed I got not seeing him in the clouds.
Armen’s father’s hair turned gray within a month. He lost his belief in God. How can God be just and take away his innocent child?
After two years they had a new boy. He was born on my birthday. I was so excited to see him when they brought him home. He did not have a name yet, should they name him Armen? Perhaps they were afraid of Armen’s faith or they wanted to honor each child separately and keep Armen’s memories alive. Finally, they decided to name him Garen which matched my name (Karine/Garineh and Garen).
Garen had dark brown eyes and blond hair too. His parents adored him but Armen’s photos were everywhere. My uncle kept a small portrait of Armen in his shirts’ left pocket close to his heart.
Few years later another sister was born. There were three kids in my uncle’s family but they always remembered and talked about Armen.

In1979 Iran went through a revolution and many changes took place. I was already in the United States. I was homesick and worried about my family during the revolution. Finally, after being away for four years, I visited them in the summer of 1981. Garen was 16. He was tall and had big muscles. Both my dad and my uncle had been weight lifters when they were younger and had received gold medals. Garen also worked out under the supervision of his father.
My parents lived on the first floor and my uncle’s family lived on the third floor. We went up and down the stairs to each other’s apartments to visit, eat and play. That summer I spent time with my uncle’s family.
I returned to Washington, D.C. and continued my education. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree I left my husband and moved to Glendale. I started a new life with difficulty but I enjoyed being around my brother and other cousin’s who were already in the Los Angeles area.
I was able to return home in November of 1989 after being away from my family for a long time. How much I had missed my parents’ home. I took many pictures of the three story building where my extended family lived. Garen was more handsome and had an athletic body. He had participated in weight lifting championships. His father was very proud of him.
In 1987 Garen’s oldest sister moved to Los Angeles and in 1995 his youngest sister moved to Canada. Garen lived with his parents and worked with his dad in his tire store. He was content even though he did not socialize. His family was the core of his life.
Garen grew up in a traditional family yet he helped his mom with cooking and house chores. He always smiled and enjoyed spending time with his parents. In 1993 when I visited them again my mom had already died and my father was living with my youngest brother in the first floor apartment. My oldest brother and his family were in the second floor. My uncle, his wife and Garen were in the third floor.
Few years after that Garen’s mother went to visit a friend and had a heart attack and died. It was a sudden death at Christmas. We were all shocked.
Now Garen was left only with his father. They sold the old house and moved. Every body had to move. My dad moved in with my brother and his family. My youngest brother had moved to Los Angeles. The three story building was sold and demolished by the new buyer. He built a new apartment building.
I saw the new place being built when I visited my family in December of 2003. I surprised them with my visit. There were lots of changes. My strong athlete father was frail and living with his son. My uncle did not look as strong as before. It was December 25 and Garen’s mother’s one year death anniversary. I attended the memorial. After the church service we had lunch at my brother’s home. I took pictures of everybody. I love the documentary aspect of photography. I took a picture of Garen and his dad. That was the last time I saw them.

In May of 2009 my uncle died from complications of old age at 84. Garen was left alone. He did not know what to do with his life. He had no socializing skills. He was like a fish out of water. He got severely depressed. My brother took him to a psychiatrist. I started calling Garen more often. I gave him ideas of joining the sport club, going to the movies, and taking English classes. His voice sounded better after our long conversations.

Last summer he sounded much better. His sister from Canada had visited him and helped him to get a passport. He was optimistic about the future. I liked the tone of his voice; I could hear the energy and hope.
Then during the winter he felt depressed again. I called my brother on January 5th for the Armenian Christmas. When I found out that Garen was not there and he had stayed home all alone I got worried and upset. Garen told me that he had a cold and did not want to go out. He did not like cold weather. He was thinking of moving to Los Angeles. I encouraged him to travel and meet me in Armenia next summer. He liked the idea but wanted to know if my brother was going to travel so he could go with him. He was afraid of doing things alone.
On April 1st I called Garen to make sure he would spend the Easter with my brother and not to stay home by himself. He sounded good but he did not say he wanted to go there. He talked about the weather. He said, “It is cold again. How is the weather in Los Angeles?” That night I could not sleep. I called another cousin and encouraged her to call Garen and visit him. I said, “Kids have energy and their energy is contageous. Garen needs energy. Why don’t you take your kids there? You can call now for Easter.” She got inspired to call.
Saturday morning I called my brother for Easter and his son’s birthday. The phone rang for a long time. I got worried. They were supposed to be home enjoying the traditional Easter dinner. Finally, my sister-in-law answered the phone and said, “I cannot talk now, please call back in 10 minutes. Something bad has happened.” My heart felt to my stomach. “What do you mean? To whom?” I asked. “To Garen, please give me 10 minutes.” she replied. I hung up the phone and started praying, “Please God, let it be good.”
That was the hardest 10 minutes I have ever had. What could have happened? Finally, I called back. “Please, get to the point, how is Garen?” And I heard the worst, “Garen has died.”
Oh, my God! He had died just few hours after I had talked to him. He had a heart attack at the age of 45. The way they found his body was tragic too. My brother went to see why Garen had not gone to their home for the birthday on Friday. He heard the TV but Garen did not open the door. My brother went to the hospital where Garen had been few days before to receive IV. But he was not there. So my brother had to enter the home with a police officer.

It was Saturday, the day before Easter. I was in charge of spreading the sad news. I did not know what to do. When I called Garen’s uncle, here in Los Angeles, his body trembled. He could not believe it. Then we had to find the way to tell the sisters here and in Canada. I called the sister’s friend to see if she can help me with telling the bad news. We all went there to be with her. Garen’s sister was feeling guilty for leaving his brother alone.
Everybody was angry that Garen sacrificed his life for his parents. He did not live life fully. The only remedy I could think of was Garen was an angel. He came to serve his purpose, to fill Armen’s place. Maybe his parents had prayed for a baby boy and God answered their prayer. I think Garen had a beautiful soul going from this world fast. What if he had a stroke or cancer and needed long therapy and care. He did not want to cause problem for others.

Yes, Garen died from heartache. He did not know how to live alone. Life skills are more important than academic skills. That is my message to my students and my friends. Learn the skills to enjoy life. Live life fully!

30 hour famine

2010-04-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the people who helped me raise $245. The group raised more than $25,000.

It was a great experience. I was craving coffee but I was all right without food.

***************

I will participate in a 30 hunger event on April 24 and 25 at Glendale College.It's organized by a very progressive Armenian priest, Father Vazken Movsesian.http://www.inhisshoes.org/ Participants need to raise $150 Please consider to donate $10 in an effort to help hungry children.
Make your check payable to
St. Peter Armenian Church [30 hour Famine in the memo]
Mail it to:Karine Armen, P.O. Box 466, Glendale, CA 91209-0466
The funds will be given to World Vision, a global leader in addressing poverty.Thanks.How much do you spend when you eat outside?
Karine

Dear Famine Participant,
We’re in the final days of preparation for our Annual 30 Hour Famine. Here are some instructions for this coming Saturday.
BUT FIRST, I want to once again congratulate you! You’ve made a decision to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of others. As you know, we are holding the Famine on April 24 to coincide with the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. While many people know that 1.5 Million Armenians were slaughtered by the Turks, many people forget that millions were sent out as refugees, trying to create a life without any resources. The world looked and dismissed our parents as “Starving Armenians.”
Through the Famine, we, as children of the “Starving Armenians” are feeding the starving world. 29,000 children die of hunger and hunger related diseases every day. These are kids like our grandmothers or grandfathers – trying to make it in a world that could care less about them. Every dollar you collect goes to aid them!
Think about it… how many people have the opportunity to save a life? And you… you get to save 10’s, 100’s and maybe even a 1000 lives by participating in this year’s 30 Hour Famine. Is there any greater response to Genocide than this? To be a living testimony to the power of Love!
OK – this is what you need to do. . .
1) Collect money from your sponsors and fundraising. As you know – we’ve set $150 as a minimum, but you can do SO MUCH more. I’m please to tell you that I spoke to a gentleman in Arizona yesterday, and he’s willing to MATCH everything you collect and donate it to the children of Armenia. So don’t stop collecting!!!! BRING your collected donations to the Famine Saturday morning.

2010-03-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

photos by Karine

1987 Glendale, CA.

Self-help articles by Berjik Kurkjian. They were published in Farsi in Fogholadeh Magazine.

Translated by her daughter, Karine Armen.

March 26, 2010.

You may use the material for educational purposes only.

No. 1 Happiness and Sadness

“Happiness and kindness make people more human and sadness, and hatred burns the roots of humanity.” I heard these words on the Radio Iran on a Friday. It’s a quotation by Simin Dareshvan. These words remind me of my life; back to old days when I felt that my whole essence was filled from my head to my toe with sadness, despair, and bad luck. I had no hope to continue my life.
I asked myself, why people love sadness and pain. We are so fascinated by pain that we make a big deal out of all the small stuff. We transfer this bad habit of negativity to our innocent children and burn the roots of their existence and create a painful body and a confused and restless soul. With all the learned pain we still expect them to be successful. This despair and sadness can trap the body like a spider web and keep them from seeing the blessings that others enjoy. They become negative, and dead inside. They move and live but have no life inside. Why? People live like that because they grew up with the habit of loving pain and sadness. Fortunately with the help of God and my own efforts I got out of depression. I walked into a beautiful world of light. I have inner peace, and a clear mind. I feel fully alive. I don’t deny that sadness exists, but why get so preoccupied with negativity and despair that we can’t see any light and happiness.
Let us help each other to get rid of negativity and replace it with positive thoughts and kindness. Smiles can be the spice of life. We can see happiness in small events of our lives. We can enjoy life and being alive. Live life fully and show life to our children.
Don’t forget: “It’s not important to be alive, it’s essential to live life.”

July 4, 1987

No. 2 Happiness and Despair

“Kindness makes us more humane and hatred destroys humanity”. After reading this quotation we think about becoming kinder to feel happier.
Happiness and despair are two different emotions that exist as Positive and Negative Channels. They are like lightness and darkness. Recognizing the difference between the two emotions, how to use them and in what context will help us to deal with them appropriately.
Unfortunately, due to lack of self-awareness and wrong cultural upbringing many of us are deprived of happiness. We are used to negative thinking. With today’s knowledge we can become self-aware and distinguish between positive and negative thoughts and emotions.
Statistics show that 5% of the world population feels happy, another 5% are emotionally damaged, and 90% need self-awareness and spiritual awakening.

July 11, 1987

No. 3 Positive and Negative Words

To be healthy we need to have a peaceful soul. We can have inner peace by self-talk, by listening to our thoughts. Half of ones self is the outside appearance, a frame for the other half of our existence, our soul. When we have a physical injury it is visible and we heal it with medication and treatment. However, when we are hurt emotionally nobody can notice it except ourselves. We feel hurt by listing to hurtful thoughts.
Usually we are the creators of the negative and hurtful words. We express our pessimistic thoughts, and create an anxiety and restlessness that can cause physical illness. We communicate our pain to others without resolving anything. We just transfer negativity to the people around us. Instead by using phrases with hopeful messages we can feel loved. A sense of security is essential for healthy existence.
We have two inner, emotional channels, one positive and one negative. Sense of fear is a destructive feeling we carry from childhood.
Unaware actions of parents and adults can cause children to grow up fearful. Sense of fear is good when it is meant to prevent harm, but when it prevents healthy growth and maturity it can be paralyzing. We need to learn to tell ourselves encouraging words to be aware of our own inner voice.

July 18, 1987

No. 4 Positive and Negative Channels

As I have mentioned before we have two emotional channels, positive and negative. Our emotions are the product of our thoughts which are connected to these two channels.
We express our thoughts by language. Healthy positive and useful thoughts come from the positive channel. These hopeful thoughts create a positive environment and a healthy society. If everybody uses their positive channels we will have healthy, happy and sympathetic people.
We can use negative channels and allow unhealthy thoughts in our lives. The negative sentences can hurt us and the people around us. This leads to dysfunctional families and societies.
Negative people are victims of their own thought process. They lack self-awareness and self-control. When one finds out the root of the problem and thoughts that effect our emotions they can change them. Pride is an important feeling and helps us to stay moral and healthy. Pride and arrogance are different. Nobody likes an arrogant person. Arrogance makes us isolated and depressed. Self-awareness and recognition of our emotions can help us to be healthy and happy.

July 25, 1987

No. 5 We Create Our World

We can create a happy and fulfilling life by focusing on the positive aspects of our life.
Even though our lives might have many shortcomings, and problems we can still see a beautiful picture if we get energy from the positive channel of our thoughts. On the other hand, if we let the negative channel give us energy in fact we would feel drained and sad. Life would be unbearable.
We need to be aware of these two positive and negative channels. We can let the negative thoughts come forward. Then by awareness we can turn that switch off and turn the positive thinking switch on. This is a self-awareness and positive approach. By verbalizing our positive thoughts and happy feelings we can make others happy too. Happiness can be contagious.

August 1, 1987

No. 6 Worry

If we cannot our control our worrisome thoughts they can destroy our inner peace. Worry can change to anxiety and become self-destructive.
We have two kinds of worries. The thoughts that come from Positive Channels are there to prevent problems. The worrying thoughts that come from our Negative Channel can be problematic.
We get energy from food and our thoughts. Half of the energy is physical, and the other half is mental and spiritual. If we let the negative channel in control us, we lose our spiritual energy and feel tired and drained.
Many people eat healthy food and take their vitamins and minerals, and still feel drained. There can be a false sense of tiredness due to unnecessary worrying emotional and mental activity. Being aware of the negative can help to protect worrying.
Some scientists claim life events and problems are contributing factors. We are in control of 60% of our life events, 30% of our lives are affected by others, and 10% by nature. If we believe this then we can begin to feel a sense of control.
We can accept the disasters caused by nature, know that we did not cause them, and be at peace with that. Then we can focus on the 60% so the events that we can control. We have ability to be grateful for blessings. We are able to learn and strengthen this sense of gratitude. We can minimize our worries and maximize the positive thoughts. By using these strategies we will be able to deal with the 30% of social and family pressures. Using positive thinking techniques will give us an inner peace and sense of happiness.

August 8, 1987

No. 7 Work and Cooperation

Work, physical activity and cooperation are our healthy needs. Human beings who subscribe to this sense of helpful and teamwork have improved our civilization.
There is a saying, “Work is the bride of life and cooperation is the flower of life.” Life should have purpose to be sweet and meaningful. Work and cooperation give meaning to life.
Everybody has general talents. These talents are ready to sprout with the inner energy. If we don’t use the inner energy with work and productive activities it will change to a negative energy. That can cause inner restlessness. Also by working we can take care of our financial needs, and we will use our time productively.
There are two kinds of work physical and mental they are complementary. We use our minds and body in different jobs.
Our body and good are connected. We need to find work that is enjoyable. If we are forced to get a job that is not what we really like, but we need it for financial reasons, we can still do it with pleasure. If possible, listen to soft music during work. Remind yourself of the benefits of working and change your attitude.
Cooperation, collaboration and teamwork give us satisfaction too. We need to change our attitude and focus on the benefits of work. Then we can enjoy any task we need to complete with pleasure.

August 15, 1987

No.8 Fatigue

Feeling tired can become contagious. In many cultures people say, “Don’t work so hard, you will get tired,” or, “I am tired,” or, “don’t get too tired.” Many people use “I don’t feel like it.” All of these sentences reflect our attitude towards work, energy, and tiredness.
Not many people are aware of their patterns of when and why they feel tired. They just complain about that they are tired. The negative attitude towards work is contagious. We know that working and being active give us more energy. Our negative attitude towards work is a learned behavior.
Feeling tired can be due to lack of physical energy which can be regained by sleep and rest. Most of the time fatigue is due to our negative attitude and lack of knowledge about it. Awareness of our thoughts and attitude can help us change them and feel more energized.
The signs of emotional tiredness are restlessness, sleepless, and lack of energy (aptitude). By self-help and self-awareness we can become calmer. We need the support and understanding of our family members. Open discussions about change of attitudes can be helpful. We can accept the problems and difficulties in our lives and not be angry about them. Using the Positive Channels we can see the good in every problem.
Feeling calm and peaceful will give us energy and we will not feel tired and drained. We need to feel satisfied with our lives to survive and continue life with pleasure.

August 22. 1987

No. 9 Inner Peace

Human beings have been looking for inner peace for centuries. After invention of electric power and many electrical appliances people have more comfort but still feel an inner emptiness.
People look for inner peace and satisfaction in different places. Some go for higher education, others pursue physical beauty, or sex. Some people set high goals for their financial futures, and spend many years making money, yet they don’t feel satisfied.
Life is like a car with four wheels. We need to take care of all four wheels to function and move forward. The first wheel is the ability to love, self-love, showing love and affection to others, love of life, work, and people. The second wheel of life is ability to earn a living, knowing how to spend and save money. Earning money is a means of life not the main goal. The third wheel is treating us and others with love and respect. How one treats children is very important. Your own or other’s kids are all tomorrow’s adults. Careless treatment of children will affect our lives, their future, and our well being too, as individuals and as a society. The fourth wheel of life is work, completion of our daily tasks and chores. Feeling tired and procrastination causes distress and discontent.
Many people live with some flat tires, meaning dysfunctional and unfulfilled lives. Being aware of these four factors of life, self-awareness and self-help we can have fulfilled lives.

August 29, 1987

No.10 To Cry

Crying is natural phenomenon. From the first moment of birth babies cry.
The cause of crying can be sourced to our negative and positive channels. When we feel sad we cry and let out our pain. However we also cry out of joy and happiness. This kind of crying is our positive channel.
Unfortunately in our culture, we use negativity for manipulating or we look at it as a form of weakness. Usually we do not allow people to cry. We need to know the reason for the crying. If it has a good reason we should let the person cry and let the sad emotions out.
We need to learn not be affected by the crying of others and not to let it make us feel distressed. When we accept crying as a natural part of life, and let it take place for us and others then we can feel better. Controlling our natural feelings and not allowing our tears to come out can transform it into anxiety and depression.
Of course, unnecessary crying is due to depression and may call for professional care, but the release of emotions due to sad events or happy moments is totally acceptable.

September 5, 1987

South African photographer

2010-02-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

In this photo: Dawn Stevens, owner of Clickers and Flickers photography club; Ezra, Karine.

I met Ezra Mabengaza on Jan. 27, 2010 at Castaways during a photography event.

He is a photographer and actor. He was one of the bodyguards in the movie Invictus by Clint Eastwood. Ezra is a very warm and friendly person.

Here is part of his email to me:

What I realise is that the dream that i have of building an art academy in South Africa one day just is not gonna materialise if i dont continue to grow. Perhaps, you know what this future institution of ours in South Africa is gonna do to change the landscape of my home country. right now our ESSENCE is being threatened on so many levels, years of overcoming apartheid and then now being thrown into competing in modern day economies after years of isolation, on unfair and unjust terms. Please try to imagine the position that our next generation is in after the decay of several generations before us. There is the continued exploitation of women as well as HIV, which is also destroying us, and all that can be changed by seeing a young artist like myself, someone who shared the same experiences (except that my father was a political prisoner, this generation at least had some access to their fathers).

famous photographers

2010-02-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

I met Tim Mantoani at a Clickers and Flickers dinner event on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.

Tim takes pictures of famous photographers with photos taken by them. He uses a huge polaroid camera.

I had met Nick Ut before. Nick is famous for the photo of the Vietnamese girl running naked after a bomb blast.

Peace Tent

2009-09-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Peace Tent by Marineh Khachaturian. Sept. 13 - 20, 2009 in Pasadena, CA.

The event started with ringing of chimes and meditation. Then Charlie Hachadourian and Poorang Nori baked fresh lavash in a tonir. The participants enjoyed the lavash bread with feta cheese, fresh mint and parsely.

Later we watched a wonderful documentary about sending bicycles to Africa by Bikes Not Bombs. The movie was produced and directed by Eric Matthies and his wife Tricia Todd.

Tricia answered the audience's questions. She was very warm and friendly.

The Peace Tent activities will continue till Sunday, Sept. 20. Every evening 6 - 8 p.m.

Karine Armen will teach a Zumba class on Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Meeting Mark Arax

2008-10-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Sept. 28 I attended a beautiful program honoring Hermine Mahseredjian at Cal State, University Northridge. The guest speaker was the famous journalist from Fresno, Mark Arax. My fantastic friend and web designer was one of the organizers of the program.

My exhibitions

2008-10-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

I had a photography exhibition at Kaldi Coffee & Tea at Atwater. Also, I showed the photo of the Eifel Tower at Brand Library Art Gallery during September.

2008-08-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my birthday on Aug. 27 at Father Vazken's church on Stocker Avenue in Glendale.
First time in my life I celebrated my birthday inside a church. We had pizza and cake :)

Home is where the art is

2008-07-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

By Ann Kim

Having one’s work shown abroad is an honor few receive, but Karine Armen of Glendale will not only have her photographs exhibited in Armenia, but also hopes to promote world peace through her artwork.

Armen entered two photographs in the International Art Festival after hearing about the sponsoring organization, Lantern of East Los Angeles. The festival features works by artists from around the globe.

The chance to present photographs in her homeland of Armenia with international artists was appealing, she said. But after hearing that several organizers and participating artists came from as far as Spain, Korea, Russia and the Netherlands, Armen was thrilled to present her photos to LELA.

“I was excited to submit my work to Armenia,” Armen said. “And I was excited to be involved with an international group of artists where the president is Japanese.”

After traveling for the past several years, Armen decided to submit a photo she took in Italy and a picture of the Eiffel Tower, framed by the Wall for Peace in Paris, which was modeled after the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem, she said. advertisement “I didn’t want to send pictures of Armenia to Armenia,” Armen said. “And the peace wall totally touches my heart. [The wall] has ‘peace’ [written] in different languages and it itself is a message of peace.”

The International Art Festival does not have a theme, but the founding principles of LELA involve blending boundaries between cultures and promoting the universal language of art while promoting harmony, said Angela Barseghian, LELA organizing committee member.

“As far as LELA is concerned, we should all support any and all organizations that have such noble ideas as bringing cultures together, giving to each other and caring for each other,” Barseghian said. “It’s such a wonderful, wonderful idea to bring the world together through art, humility and beauty instead of war.”

Armen’s philosophy regarding her photography embodies the goals of LELA and the art festival, she added.

“Karine is an international artist and she really epitomizes an artist who has tremendous love for all nationalities and ethnic groups,” Barseghian said. “I see her constantly traveling and taking note with her camera of all the things she sees in the world, both good and bad and she brings that home for others to see. It’s tremendous.”

Armen documents a part of history and there is so much to be said for that, she said.
“They are participating in writing down history and actual stories of people and in that regard, I think that she’s living a beautiful life,” she said.

The photographs submitted by Armen are published in the International Arts Festival catalog, designed by Lee Jordan, LELA board member.

Armen and the numerous other international artists featured in the catalog are part of spreading the idea of art as a language and getting to know other cultures, Jordan said.

“People get to meet people in different countries as opposed to what you can read about them in the paper or see on television, all while spreading peace and doing that through art,” he said.
The artwork submitted to the festival does not have to fit a theme of peace but because LELA ties together international artists, it is already fulfilling that aspect, he said.

“We are not telling people to make new art to fit a theme but to meet new artists and foster a sense of community and build bridges across countries,” Jordan said.

“Karine’s piece is from Italy and when you look through the catalog, you will also see some things that are political but mostly it’s people’s work and what they do.”

Armen’s photographs of people from different cultural backgrounds promotes ideas of peaceful human contact, which is what the International Arts Festival is about, Barseghian said.
“Karine has been an artist for many years and she’s a professional photographer who speaks the language of human interaction, peace, art and goodwill,” she said.

Armen’s involvement with LELA grew after Barseghian led her to her initial discovery of the organization.

After getting involved, Armen has been hooked and excited about the entire process, she said.
“I got involved in committee meetings and writing press releases and LELA saw my involvement and made me a board member,” Armen said.

“Basically the whole idea is to bring world peace and come together as artists. It’s not about money or the rich getting richer or anything like that. It’s really very exciting.”