- Peace is when the men are back to their homes, when none of the kids cries for his/her father lose, and when we live in peace here and are sure that the borders of the country are strong and safe.
This is the formula of peace for sixteen-year-old Syune from Tegh village of Syunik region. She mentioned that she likes to get up early in the mornings:
"I wake up very early, drink tea on our balcony, and that's how my day starts.. Then I do my homework, prepare my clothes, get ready for my classes..." says Syune, who will take the exams to enter the Medical University next year; she wants to become a maxillofacial surgeon.
“I was 5 years old when my grandfather was ill and I used to tell him that I should become a doctor and treat his illness... the exams are ahead. I study chemistry and biology, I try to learn all subjects well and I think that even if I end up not needing it, my child might need it..."
Syune stands out not only for her academic performance at school but also in community life: she is a board member of the advisory body to the Municipality on women and youth issues, a volunteer of the Armenian Red Cross Society, Goris Women's Resource Center, and also cooperates with the UNHCR Armenian office.
“It has already been 9 months that I am running my own small business, preparing sweet boxes, and individualized gifts. I invested a small amount, and thanks to the training course initiated by Goris Women's Resource Center, I learned how to develop a business plan.”
However, Syune's normal life was disrupted on September 13.
"My parents were not with us, they were in Yerevan, in hospital, and only my brother and I were at home. That day I went to bed early, my brother came, woke me up, saying that drones are in the sky. I thought that he was just kidding, but he insisted saying that it was not a joke. We quickly dressed up, and without even turning on the light, went to my aunt's house hoping that it would be safe with adults...
My brother has been serving in the army for a year, and at that moment I was thinking about him, and he was probably thinking about us. There were very few students at school on the morning of October 13. The gunshot sounds were being heard. Vaghatur village, where my grandparents live, was also shelled, and we were worried about them as well. The next day I cleaned the ground floor of our house so that if there is a need, we can go there...".
Syune has many dreams or, as she would say it- many goals, but most of all she wants peace.
"... to graduate from school with good marks, get admitted to a univeristy, have my own hospital in Goris. I should do kind things for my village so that it becomes a more developed one. I love my village a lot, my friends living here... In September, I also asked to leave the village in order to be safe, but decided to stay here…everything is so lovely here, everything is so different. When I don’t see my village, even for a single day, I think something is wrong...".
The sister of two caring brothers – Syune’s dreams are interlinked with her brothers:
"My brother makes furniture, he pays for my classes, my clothes, before that the elder brother has been doing the same. Soon the younger brother will go to the army, but the elder one will be back in summer. I am looking forward to his return, he will support me until the younger brother also returns from the army... After the 44-day war, we thought there would be peace, but it didn't happen. A boy from our village died, he was serving with my brother. And it was very hard for me, as I consider all the soldiers to be my brothers. All the sisters and mothers who have soldiers will say the same...".
