- I moved halfway across the globe just to be with my partner.
- I didn’t speak the language or have a job lined up, and I’d never lived with a partner before.
- We struggled and fought in the beginning but overcame the obstacles and I couldn’t be happier.
I met my partner in the summer of 2020. What we both thought would be a summer fling turned into a three-year long-distance relationship.
Initially, we lived in different parts of the US. First, she moved to New York while I stayed in California. Then, I moved to New Mexico, then Virginia, before settling in Boston for a while to pursue my master’s degree at Boston College.
We welcomed the four-hour commute between Boston and New York, but then she received a Fulbright scholarship in Armenia. There are no direct flights between Armenia and Boston, and the flights can range between 10 to 15 hours costing between $800 and $1,200 round-trip.
This meant we could only afford to visit each other twice during this time period. After her scholarship was over, my partner, who is ethnically Armenian, wanted to stay, so we agreed that I would move to live with her after I graduated.
I’d lived in Armenia for a couple of months in 2023 as part of a Russian language immersion program, and couldn’t have been more excited to live there again.
I had no paying job lined up when I landed in Armenia, and neither did my partner
The plan was that she was going to volunteer with Birthright Armenia, and I would volunteer with the Armenian Volunteer Corps.
We were only paying $275 (before utilities) for a one-bedroom in Vanadzor, the third-largest city in Armenia. However, since we were both volunteering, we were not making money and, after a few months, were running low on funds from our savings.
On top of that, there were the challenges of living with a partner for the first time. While growing pains are normal, moving in together in a country where you are still learning the customs and unfamiliar with the language adds an entirely new dimension of stress.
I often felt isolated, which led to multiple disagreements over how to address the situation.
Despite these challenges, we overcame them by being proactive
At the start of 2025, we moved to Yerevan, the capital, and landed full-time jobs in our respective fields.
We are not making as much as we would back in the US, but we are spending far less.
Although the cost of living in Yerevan has risen over the years, it is still substantially low compared to Boston and New York City.
An average night out to dinner and multiple drinks costs $30 to $50. However, I can also get shawarma the size of my head for under $3.
Now, we spend our weekends exploring the country we have loved for so long. We’ve explored the “fairy tale province” of Lori and skied in Tsaghkadzor.
I also started taking private Russian lessons online (most Armenians speak Russian), and my Armenian has improved.
The kindness I have experienced from strangers in Armenia is simply unmatched
I have traveled extensively, and most of the locals are friendly in countries I have been to, but if I were to rank them by friendliness, then Armenia would be No. 1.
Last month, I accidentally took the wrong bus to work and got stranded. Conveniently, my phone stopped working, and I was visibly upset.
A group of women standing nearby asked me what was wrong. I told them (in broken Russian, no less) of my predicament. One of the women called her daughter, who spoke English.
When I told the daughter where I worked, it just so happened that her mother worked close by. They insisted on ordering me a taxi, refusing any cash offer I made as a token of thanks, and giving me chocolate as a parting gift.
Such acts of kindness are a common experience in Armenia.
We dated long-distance for 3 years, and we could not wait for the day to be together in the same place
Seeing Mount Ararat every morning never gets old, but I have longed to fall asleep and wake up next to my partner — nothing compares to that.
Throughout everything, she has made me stronger. I only hope she feels the same.
I don’t know what the future holds for the two of us, but I know we are both happy we decided to start a new chapter of our lives here.
I moved to Armenia to live with my partner, but now that we have stable jobs in a city with a low cost of living and get the chance to see the country’s breathtaking beauty almost every weekend, we don’t have a plan to leave anytime soon.
For me, it was the best decision I ever made.
