– How many years have you been together?
– 62. Well, imagine living with someone for 62 years, – says Grandma Vardi with a smile, glancing at Grandpa Karapet sitting beside her.

That is how our conversation began with, in their welcoming home in the village of Tretuk, Gegharkunik region.

The Gharibyans are originally from Shamkir, Azerbaijan. In 1988, they moved with their family to Armenia and settled in Tretuk.

As for how they first met, Grandma Vardi recalls:
– Well, my dear, this man had just come back from the army, and I was a 15-year-old girl. They (parents) told me I had to get married, so I did. At 16, I had my first child.
– But did you know each other?
– Of course. We were from the same village.
– Was Grandma beautiful…?
– Of course she was. She still is, – Grandpa Karapet adds with a smile.

Life was never easy, Vardi says:
– I worked so hard my hands grew crooked. That’s how it was back then – one day hardship, another day hunger, another day cold. But we never despaired.
– She was even a deputy in the Supreme Soviet, – Karapet interrupts. – We built a house there, with a barn and everything we needed. I lived in the house I built only for ten years. Then we left it all behind and moved to Armenia.

The Gharibyans had eight children – four sons and four daughters. Two have since passed away.
Karapet: – Only my youngest son lives with us now. The rest are far away. But the important thing is they are all doing well. I’m grateful. I have 18 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. I count myself fortunate.
Vardi: – Here you have to raise livestock and work the land. When the fighting started in 2022, we left everything behind – it was too dangerous. But we came back again. Just a month ago, my son brought some heifers for us to raise. Good or bad, this is our home. We are comfortable here.

Vardi feels sad that nowadays divorces are common and people marry late:
– Back then, at 32, I was expecting my eighth child. I was embarrassed to be having a baby at that age – it wasn’t common then. People had children young. I would advise young people to marry earlier, not to wait until the age of 40. Life passes quickly, and you need time to raise your children and see them settled.

Grandpa Karapet is 86 years old. When we asked Grandma Vardi about her age, she replied:
– I’m at a good age – 77.
– No, you’re 17, – her husband says with a grin.
– I wish I were…

The doors of the Gharibyan home are always wide open to guests. Visitors are welcomed into the garden, offered fruit to taste. And when you turn your head, you suddenly notice Vardi quickly picking ripe, fragrant apples and plums, tucking them into a bag with the words: “Here, take these for the road.”

We met Karapet and Vardi Gharibyan during a media tour in Gegharkunik, organised by the UNFPA.