Jennie Garabedian
Jennie Garabedian's mother, Dirouhi Der Torossian, and siblings were survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Similar to Sara, Jennie could not pinpoint a specific time she was first exposed to the genocide. She always knew about the genocide and it seemed to always be part of her story as well.
"I always knew the genocide stories. I always knew them because I had always heard them. I don't remember a time when I didn't know them, frankly, but I was ashamed of being a foreigner."
Jennie was very knowledgeable about the genocide but she also had heard many family stories throughout her childhood. These stories she was exposed to from a young age shaped her into the person she is today.
Jennie's mother had been in hiding for many years to survive the genocide with her two children at that time. In 1922, Jennie's mother and her older siblings were able to leave Harpoot and traveled to Aleppo, where they were placed in an Armenian Refugee Camp.
As it shows in the picture, throughout the journey of escaping the genocide many more family members joined Jennie's mother. During this time, three nephews and their families joined Jennie's mother and her two siblings.
Shortly after this picture was taken, Jennie's father was able to find her mother and siblings. Jennie learned about her mother's stories with the help of pictures like this one.
Jennie's exposure to the genocide did not simply include her mother's stories but also the stories of community members that would come together to talk about their experience.
She remembers:
"And the old ladies would get together, my mother and her friends, they never really talked to us about the genocide. It was just too painful for them. But occasionally they would talk to each other and they would talk and cry and talk and cry."
Direct teaching of the Armenian Genocide is not necessary for descendants, the pain that Jennie witnessed throughout the recalling of the stories was sufficient for her to understand the traumatic events that occurred.