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26-03-2004
Dear
fellow Armenians & Melkoniantsiner across the world and specially in MEI.
On
behalf of many in Lebanon, we salute you.
I had goose bumps when I saw all those pics; the Armenian spirit and sense
of belonging never left MEI no matter the used means to break it.
Do not be afraid, for better or worse, we – Melkoniantsi stay together.
No
matter to what nationality we belong, we must not forget who we are, where
we were and where we’re headed. That’s why we’ve got schools and Institutes
like MEI, actually there’s only 1 institute like MEI and that’s the one and
only
Genatz polor ashagerdoutian that day will never be forgotten in history,
history never forgets and never forgives.
Every where hundreds are raising their questions, concerns, and doubts about
current AGBU CB’s decision.
Don’t get distracted but get focused on the big picture.
Melkonian, is not an ordinary school,
Melkonian isn’t a play ground, Melkonian isn’t whatever people claim it to
be.
Melkonian is an institute with all the
facilities given to every day and boarding student. Having a “IAN” at the
end of the name doesn’t make someone an Armenian. It takes much more than
that. I am sure you all know what it is that puts us apart from other
cultures - it’s our own history, heritage, culture and language. Just like
every other nation. We have uniqueness and that alone is handed out with
open palm in MEI through its years of experience and knowledge of the
teachers. 24/7 constant care and attention and in a country that holds its
own culture and family values on top of their priorities; it’s the least I
can say of Cyprus.
What you have and are given in MEI, you won’t find in any other school. If
you are a parent reading this, believe me, you send a child to MEI and get a
full grown matured son or daughter back. It’s because of whatever I
personally learned and lived there, I can for a fact say, if I stayed in any
one of the schools in my own country, I wouldn’t have gotten the feeling and
knowledge that I belong to a history and that I’m part of that history.
The current and all the ones who passed from MEI, are part of history, the
part that no one can let go or forget. The part that some people may get
jealous of simply because they don’t know what it is they miss so that they
would appreciate it.
The
fact that the demo was done, shows that the legacy is alive and MEI is very
much at its top shape in meeting with every single challenge of the day if
only people could see it that way...even if the challenge is coming from CB.
The Melkonian spirit is alive and kicking, don’t despair, we’re all in this
together.
There
are a lot of bumps ahead, every fall has a rise, and with every rise a
lesson is learned. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It makes you
follow through the legacy that the Melkonian brothers left, head up, with
pride you can walk down the street and say you’ve been Armenian-ized in
Melkonian.
Parents, thank you for entrusting your children in Melkonian Educational
Institute. I hope one day I’m able to do what I believe took a lot of
courage and trust in the MEI legacy, to send your children away from you. I
hope they all get their diplomas, cause for sure they deserve it - you
deserve it!
A big
Thanks to my teachers too!
Taline
Babikian
MI Lebanon
1993 graduate
Beirut Lebanon
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