Yelena Ghukasyan and Nagui Al-Wasfi had met during an online forum. Programmer Ghukasyan had asked a question along the lines of her profession, and Al-Wasfi had responded to it.   

“Nagui was living in Australia, I—in Armenia,” Yelena said. “After responding to my question posted on the forum, Nagui proposed to continue the contact via e-mail. (…) That’s how we began communicating.” She added that at the time, she had never thought that they would form a family.

Nagui Al-Wasfi is Coptic, he was born in Egypt, but he lives in Australia for the past 35 years.

The hobby of Nagui, who is a biochemist by profession but now a court translator due to circumstances, is painting and sculpture.

After meeting Yelena, he came to Armenia, and while living in this country for about nine months, he opened an exhibition in capital city Yerevan.

“His paintings on the topic of the 1915 genocide of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were displayed in the exhibition,” Yelena said.

The couple has been living in Australia for about 2.5 years now, and it is Yelena who preserves the traditions in this Armenian-Coptic family.

“I love Armenian cuisine,” Nagui noted. “During my months in Armenia, I managed to visit historical and cultural places, see [Mount] Ararat up close, and interact with Armenians, who are hospitable.”

Yelena, for her part, has learned to prepare Coptic food.

The couple plans to visit Armenia and open its second exhibition in Yerevan.