"Nobody tells you what to expect with 15-year-old boys," says Barbara Tembeckjian, humorously referring to her newly appointed rank as host mother to teenage exchange students, Emil Zalinian and David Amarian, from Armenia.
But after a short period of time in her latest role, and a few extra trips to the grocery store, Mrs. Tembeckjian, a political reporter for the New York Daily News, just might be able to combine her experience into a best-selling "how to" novel.
Despite unanswered questions about adolescent boys, Robert and Barbara Tembeckjian remain "tickled by the boy’s enthusiasm," and have enjoyed seeing life through the excited eyes of David and Emil.
"Barbara and I first met the boys in Yerevan in 1994," relates Mr. Tembeckjian. "I had received a Fulbright Grant to teach constitutional law in Armenia, and accepted a position as visiting professor at the American University of Armenia (AUA) teaching courses in public management and citizenship & public ethics. After one of my classes, two young boys approached me and asked if they could sit in on my lectures. They had been advised by their English tutor to place themselves in environments where English was regularly spoken."
Impressed by the boys' determination to learn, Mr. Tembeckjian allowed the 13-year-old David and Emil to audit his classes. "At first they just sat in the back of class and didn't say a word," he says. "But after a while they started coming to my office to have discussions. They never missed a day of class, and traveled an hour on the metro every afternoon from school to come to AUA."
During their semester in Yerevan, the Tembeckjians developed a close relationship with the boys, talking with them after hours, and even meeting their families. "David's father was an electrical engineer and used to work as a consultant," says Mr. Tembeckjian. "Now he travels to Russia for several months a year to work in a furniture store because he makes more money there. His mother is a math teacher. Emil's father is a geological engineer, and his mother is an economist.
"Both boys' parents encouraged their sons to learn English because they didn't speak it at all. In fact, before I had met Emil, his father took him to the AUA library so that he could read books to improve his English.
"Months after we moved back to New York, they contacted me and told me about their plans to apply to a U.S. exchange program which offers students living in the former Soviet Union the chance to study English in the United States for one year," says Mr. Tembeckjian.
After a battery of tests, including a written exam, an oral interview, a complete evaluation of their academic standing and health, and a review of their references, they were accepted for the fall of 1995. Out of the 1200 Armenian students ages 14 to 16 that applied for the 1995-96 academic year, only 40 were accepted, including David and Emil.
"Before the boys applied to the program," adds Mr. Tembeckjian, "I told them that if they were placed in New York, my wife and I would like to host them for the year. When they were both accepted, we ran into a small snag—our apartment in Manhattan only had room for one of the boys. So I asked my mother if she could host one of the boys for the year.
"When Bob first asked me if I wanted to be a host mother, I wasn't sure I wanted the responsibility," relates Arpine Tembeckjian, also known as "Boggie" to her grandchildren. "I was very comfortable with my daily routine. Then when I met David and Emil in Armenia this past summer, I fell in love with them, and didn't need to be coaxed."
Mr. Tembeckjian's next challenge was to find schools for the boys to attend in Manhattan. After many contacts two of New York's oldest and most prestigious private schools, Trinity and Collegiate, were so impressed by the boys' credentials and moved by their determination that they accepted David and Emil for the academic year.
Now with Emil accepted to Collegiate and David to Trinity, Mr. Tembeckjian still faced one more obstacle—two $18,000 per-year tuition bills. Fortunately, both schools provided them with full scholarships.
With all challenges behind, David and Emil finally arrived in America this August. "I couldn't believe my eyes," says Emil, referring to his first impressions of New York. "There are so many different people here. In Armenia there are poor people and rich people, but you really can't notice too much of a difference. Here you can really distinguish the poor from the rich."
"I think there is more freedom in America," notes David. "Here I can go to Barnes and Noble bookstore, sit on the floor, and read books all day long if I Tembeckjian.”Emil spends his time after school glued to the computer. David studies after soccer practice every night until midnight.
"We've noticed, in the short time the boys have been here, that they are not only speaking English more confidently, but also more idiomatically. Emil uses phrases like 'chilling-out.' And David, after he had eaten a whole bowl of ice cream, said, 'It's a hard job, but someone has got to do it!"'
For David and Emil, life at Collegiate and Trinity has provided them with more than a quality education, it has given them the chance to make friends with the sons and daughters of many of the country's most influential families.
"I will never forget the day when Emil told us that he had plans to go to the cinema with his friend Tomasso from school," describes Mr. Tembeckjian. "He urns, sporting events, and even different foods. It is wonderful to experience these new things with them, and discuss their impressions at the end of the day. Our conversations are energizing."
Mrs. Tembeckjian says, "It has been an extraordinary experience having the boys stay with us. We have really enjoyed their company and have learned that David and Emil are atypical teenage boys. They are very neat, ask to do their own laundry, and are extremely well-mannered and polite. Sometimes I expect them to snarl their noses like other boys their age, but they never do."
"One of the nicest things about the experience is having someone greet me when I come home at night," admits Boggie. "When I used to come home nobody was there to say hello. Now I come home, David opens the door, and says, 'Pari louys Boggie!'"
