s-1
| Its been two years and it is noticeable how our childrens inner-world, their mentality has changed. |
s-2
| Before, if asked to draw something, they would draw blood, rockets, bullets, fire and tanks. |
s-3
| Now they draw butterflies, spring, a metro etc. |
s-4
| Their inner world has changed. |
s-5
| Sosy and Hratch are happy with their decision to move to Armenia from Aleppo, Syria two years ago, mainly for the sake of their children, aged seven and nine. |
s-6
| Despite being of Armenian origin, the decision to move and integrating into their new lives is not always easy. |
s-7
| We miss our Armenian community in Syria they say. |
s-8
| There are differences in the Armenian we are used to speaking in Syria, and the Armenian spoken here. |
s-9
| Russian words are used regularly in conversation, particularly when it comes to technical terms says Hratch who works as turner and recently set up his own business. |
s-10
| Starting a business from scratch is hard work and requires a lot of patience. |
s-11
| I have even set up a Facebook page (Tokar Hratch Dabbaghian) in order to showcase my work and get new clients. |
s-12
| I have always wanted to come to Armenia to study, and now I have a year left to complete my masters degree in linguistics. |
s-13
| I had to get used to the differences in the language, and even had to change advisors at the university due to the communication barrier. |
s-14
| I am used to it now says Sosy. |
s-15
| She misses working in Armenia, but is focusing on her studies for now, which helps to take her mind off the difficulties they face. |
s-16
| Despite the challenges, they are happy to have escaped the conflict in Syria, even though they miss it. |
s-17
| It has been hard for the children too. |
s-18
| They were teased at school because of the language differences. |
s-19
| But now they have slowly gotten used to the language and have made friends at school. |
s-20
| The difference in them is noticeable. |
s-21
| We knew that if we left Syria, we would go to Armenia. |
s-22
| We want our children to grow up in an Armenian community. |
s-23
| If only we were not faced with financial worries and difficulties in finding employment, Armenia would be a heavenly place they say. |