Alright - the two standard log topics we like to write about:
My mood - fantastic
Weather - tolerable (defined by my ears not freezing if I don't cover them)

So yes, the dance troupe was absolutely fantastic, and the house was packed with tickets sold out days ahead of time, and everyone had a blast. You could see every pair of hands in the audience clapping to the music/dance at many points in the evening. I wish I had some pictures to share.

So I am ready to start "remond"ing a place, which requires that I pull water/sewage lines from a neighbor, and she is absolutely blockading my efforts. The head of the building management (called jhek) for the area even visited her and said there was no problem, and she still refuses. It is absolutely amazing, since it is no skin off her back. Everyone I have talked to about this thinks she just wants money, but I just think she has a few screws loose. Or maybe she both has a few screws loose AND wants money, but I tell you it just really did not come off as a money thing to me. So anyway, now I am exploring options on how to overcome this. Thank goodness for my personal assistant who can deal with these problems for me, or else maybe I wouldn't be in such great spirits. So meanwhile, I am having some bars put over windows of this first floor apartment I will move into. It has a garden, is quite central and is so close to work, that it is just going to be perfect for now. As safe as things are around here, I just can't imagine living in a big city on the first floor without bars covering the windows.

Last night was another of those Yerevan nights, where I end up at the best Western Armenian restaurant (possibly in the world?) on my own and called Alex to join me. As I'm waiting for him, Sarah (who just got back to Yerevan after 6 months in the US and who I wanted to welcome back), Matthew Karanian (of Stone Garden Productions) and Dr. Haroutune Armenian (Pres. of AUA) came in. We all joined up and had an amazing dinner of Midia, Plaki, Su Bureg, Manti, Yahlini Kufte, and a bunch of other things including this tahin, siser and fried onion thing that was just incredible. (I skipped the Manti and Kufte since I am doing my lent thing).

This weekend I am going to Jermuk, I can't wait! I just love that town. Hopefully I will be able to take a nice hot mineral bath...

PS. Having read Arsineh's mention of the Mel Gibson movie, it makes me think of the stupid things at the top of the news I check online in the USA that people really shouldn't get their pantys all up in a bunch over...

What skin off your back is it if a movie is made of Jesus' last hours?
What skin off your back is it if Janet showed her breasts AND nipples to children?
What skin off your back is it if all the gays and lesbians were married?

Don't people have lives??? Is there nothing newsworthy going on?

Yet another thank you to Mr. Kirkorian for funding the restoration of most of our entertainment venues.

When I visited Armenia 4 years ago, almost every theatre felt dead. For instance, there would be just a few dozen people in the Symphony building, and the place would be cold as hell. It would be so cold you could see your breath in the air.

These days the majority of all the concerts and plays are practically sold out. Ticket prices have also gone up, but at least the furnaces are back on.

Friday I attended the 80th Anniversary/Grand Opening of the oldest working theatre in Yerevan ... the Sundukian Theatre. Both the President and the Catholicos were there, as well as many celebrity politicians, actors and one or two mafiosos.

The next day I attended yet another concert from the #1 choir in Armenia, the Chamber Choir, and they performed Schnitke's Concerto for mixed chorus, based on Narekatsi's 1,000-year-old "Book of Mournful Songs".

The following day was my birthday, so I was taken out for dinner, followed by the "Tagharan" concert (a group of young musicians performing on old Armenian and other ethnic instruments, accompanied with singers). They performed many pieces from Komitas, both spiritual and folk.

Monday was a concert-break day, but yesterday was the sold-out State Dance Ensemble performance. (Madlene had her take, and now here are my opinions ... are you ready for this?)

The performance was good. Majority of the time I was distracted reminiscing of me dancing again. Since I was about 5 I have been dancing in the Arpi Meras Dance Ensemble of Canada. We have traveled across Canada, won numerous awards, traveled to the States, down to Peru, performed hundreds of times as the Armenian Dance Ensemble Group of Canada, and have received many more invitations from around the world. Yesterday's dances were not bad, though a couple were a little too long, and the Ara Gevorgian pieces, being played on cd, I didn't really enjoy. At one point I turned to my aunt and said "I don't like it when they play these cds, especially since the music is so synthesized". If the entire show was like that, it wouldn't bother me as much, but there were live musicians on stage, and going back and forth from live music to cd I thought was a little cheesy. As soon as I made this remark the cd screwed up and the musicians decided to continue the song live ... which to me sounded much better. Overall, I have to admit that I think I prefer the Barekamutyan dance group.

This summer these venues are going to be insane. These shows being sold out now, when it's not even tourist season, is definitely a good sign.

Anyway, after the show I went to Cafe Vienna in the Marriott Hotel, which has some really yummy desserts. This is a pic of the carrot cake I had. It was ok, but the chocolate ones are SO DAMN DELICIOUS!

what a great surprise... i get to log about the hrashk of a performance that we saw last night. although i saw most of the loggers there... i guess i beat everyone to it on the logs, what a feeling!!!

the pari pedakan ensemble (national dance ensemble) had their performance last night. it was pure magic... and i was so proud to be armenian... so proud to be present... and so proud of our culture and heritage. i remember turning to alex... and saying... all my negative thoughts of living here or being here (and there are not that many)... just flew out the window. these beautiful young adults reminded me how amazing and ancient we are... and how much of our culture is at our fingertips. lena was so moved i think i saw a tear :o)

the costumes and the young ladies were beautiful. the young men floored me with their talent, and their overall spirit. A night to remember, and a night that gave me such a rush... that i am still dancing in my head. neadless to say... my usual morning dance was full of color and spirit.

my daddy will be here in 24 hours so i am doing what any normal daughter would do. rushing to fix all the broken and out of order things in my house and life... making his favorite meal... and planning an interesting three days. i am so excited to see him... as i miss him tremendously. my parents are amazing people... and any chance to spend time with them is great.

a sure fire sign that spring is around the corner is the preparatory work that the cascade gardening staff is doing on the flowerbeds... i can't wait till the cascade is dressed in all her beautiful colors and flowers... one of the most beautiful spots in all of yerevan...

so where are the rest of the performance reviews?

I am remote rug shopping for my sister, and it is actually fun. I went all over on Sunday taking pictures of some breathtaking rugs, then emailed them to her to choose from. I must say it whet my appetite for a couple more rugs. I usually only like kilims, which conveniently enough are much cheaper, but I did like some of these rugs a lot and may help myself after she chooses :-)

The remodeling talks went well, and I think I will be very happy with these Molokans (the Russian Amish is the easiest way to describe them quickly). The father is a regular postcard with his huge white beard, piercing blue eyes and big fur hat! I think it will start this week, and I am hoping (surely naively) that this will be my most painfree "remond" yet. Whether it is painfree or not though, it is going to be an amazing loft space in the center of town. I don't think I will live there myself, but still I will enjoy the project.

So for lent I am doing the easiest thing possible, which is to just drastically cut down on meat, that is all. A lot of girls at the office (I say girls because the office is overwhelmingly female, so I don't know what the guys are doing) are keeping the old vegan lent. I think it is making a bit of a comeback here. You are also not supposed to drink alchohol or have sex, but I am not so sure they are all giving those up :-) I will try to take them some dairy free chocolate today as a treat.

Tonight is the Paribedagan Dance Ensemble. Armenian dance troupes are one of the few types of performance arts I really enjoy on occasion, so I am looking forward to this. Between work and the performance I will be checking out an apartment for a friend - so this is the week of proxy shopping I think :-)

It's snowing again and my body feels stiff yet again. Just yesterday I was so excited to see a patch of grass in the courtyard.

This week will be a busy one both at work ad lots of cultural events in the evenings, at least it'll get my mind off the weather. Have a good week.

Tomorrow is Great Barekendan, or Armenian Mardi Gras/Carnival, followed on Monday by Lent. I don't think I will keep the Armenian Church Lenten diet this year (going vegan), which is Bak in western Armenian and Bas here in Eastern Armenia. I am still considering doing Bak-light (just being a non-strict vegetarian - ie. eggs, fish and meat broth are ok), but even that seems like too much trouble :-) No really, unless you cook at home, vegetarian options are not exactly plentiful here, especially this time of year. And I usually eat out or order in since it is pretty cheap.

Today I will get some remonding quotes - wish me luck, maybe do a little gardening, have an evening with friends, and tomorrow all I have on the agenda is carpet shopping. Last night I saw "Adaptation", a Nicolas Cage flick. It was pretty cool. So that is the status of things in my world...

Yerevan is great at this time of year. There are many concerts and shows. Tonight, Lara and I went to the "dramatikayin tadron" to watch a play. It was .... eh, nice. Lara liked it but I almost fell out of my seat sound asleep. Tuesday we will go to the National Folk Dance Ensemble at the Opera. All of next week is African-American week. There are film screenings, lectures and other events. much much more...
This week one of our LCO volunteers shoed up at the office. Shant Minas is in town from LA. Last week, Marcos was here from Paris.
I like my job and can't wait for next summer's volunteers.

I am absolutely appalled and need someone's assistance in Sydney regarding this article posted in azg. This was forwarded from a friend in Yerevan and requires some answers. I am glad that Liana has gone public with her story. I am shocked that an Armenian would do such a thing to another Armenian in this day and age.http://www.azg.am/start.pl?lang=EN&num=2004021701

Food seems to be on everyone's mind these days. Actually, it's nice to see some additions to the Yerevan grub scene. One thing that bothers me, though, is the over-commercialization of the "Mer Giugh" phenomenon. Every corner of Yerevan now has the "authentic" Armenian/Caucasian Tavern, and it's becoming a bit too much. I suppose it's a syndrome of the emerging capitalist system here.

What Der Hova is referring to in his post is in fact a place owned by an Iranian man from the country's Azerbaijan province. This would be the province where the city of Tabriz is located, and where there is a large Armenian community, including the famed St. Thaddeus Monastery (Tadeyi Vank). The Iranian Azerbaijanis (speaking in a specific dialect of Turkish), although ethnically of Turkic descent--and not Caucasian Albanians, as Azerbaijan would have you believe, are proud Iranians. Of course, there is ethnic kinship and sympathies with their Azeri brethren, but in fact, they do consider themselves Iranians. So, the posters of Iran are not necessarily a cover up. It's like the Kurds in Armenia. A few days ago, there was a major demonstration at Republic Square by the Armenian Kurdish community demanding Abdulla Ocalan's freedom, but they were walking around with Armenian flags. Or like us Armenian Americans, or the Armenian Canadians. It all comes together.

Anyhow, as to the quality of food at this restaurant, Madlene and I have a few things to share, but suffice it to say that it's not the best. But if you are up for some Persian food, Raffi's Kabob (and yes the spelling is correct per the Persian pronunciation) offers better quality and more genteel surroundings. It's adjacent to Kino Nairi's Oscar Cafe.

And, I'm in total agreement with the music issue.

Azerbajani Kills Armenian at NATO Training
Source: Associated Press
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2004

BUDAPEST, Hungary - An Armenian military officer attending a NATO Partnership for Peace program was hacked to death on Thursday morning with an ax and a knife by an Azerbaijani participant, police officials said.

"We suspect Ramil S. of having committed murder with unusual cruelty," Budapest Police Maj. Valter Fulop told reporters. "We say 'unusual cruelty' because beside a number of knife wounds on his chest, the victim's head was practically severed from his body."

The Armenian Defense Ministry identified the suspect as Lt. Ramil Safarov of Azerbaijan and the victim as Lt. Gurgen Markarian of Armenia.

"We detained the suspect, who did not put up any resistance," Fulop said.

The interrogation of Safarov and witnesses - including Markarian's Hungarian roommate - was under way, said Police Maj. Jozsef Szigeti.

The officers were attending an English language course within the framework of the Partnership for Peace program, which is aimed at increasing cooperation between neutral and former Soviet bloc nations and NATO in peacekeeping and other areas.

NATO officials in Brussels said Hungarian authorities - not the alliance - were directly in charge of the language program, and refused further comment.

Police said a political motive for the murder was among the possibilities being considered and were also looking into how the suspect obtained the murder weapons.

The Armenian Defense Ministry's statement said the murder was "a result of the bellicose anti-Armenian propaganda, unleashed by the authorities of Azerbaijan lately."

The killing, at the Hungarian University of National Defense, comes a month after Azerbaijan refused to allow three Armenian officers to attend a conference held in the country's capital, Baku, under the aegis of the NATO program.

Relations between the two former Soviet Republics remain tense after Armenian-backed forces drove Azerbaijan's army out of the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s.

Despite a 1994 cease-fire ending the war that killed 30,000 people and left about 1 million homeless, no agreement has been reached on the territory's final status.

Azerbaijan's newly elected President Ilham Aliev said in January that Azerbaijan reserved the right to use "all possibilities" to solve the dispute.

Work is just insane lately. I don't really talk too much (or rather brag) about what I do, but my friends back home know quite well what my work is all about. As far as what new projects I'm working on ... I'm swamped and I feel like this solo album I've been working on for the past 3-4 years will never be completed. Time and time again I've been distracted with new projects and new episodes in my life (like buying and renovating my apartment, friends and family visiting, new production/remix jobs, etc.) Now I've been asked to do a club remix for a Warner Brothers distributed label, plus I've got a couple of other big projects in the works ... AHHHH! I'm quite excited about the album though, and my goal is to get it out by the summer.

So a while back my aunt, my friend Terence and I went to this so-called Persian restaurant on Mashtots (next to "City" ... the so-called Bulgarian restaurant that really has nothing that looks Bulgarian to me on the menu.) The place was quite dead, but the food was not bad. (Actually my homemade Basmati rice is much better.) At a different table there were a couple of men speaking a language that sounded sort of like Turkish, though my aunt (who knows Turkish) couldn't understand it. We asked our waiter if they were speaking Turkish and she insisted it was Persian. (Now, I know what Persian sounds like, and what they were speaking was definitely not Persian.)

A few months passed, and a couple of days ago my aunt and I went back there. This time there was Turkish music blasting on the speakers, with Turkish music videos being played on the TV screen. We kept our mouths shut and ordered. Soon we noticed the same odd language being spoken again in the room. Anyway, we came to the conclusion that they were speaking Azeri, and the place, is most probably, being run by Iranian-Azeris (apparently there are between 20-30 million of them in Iran). I think the Iranian posters they have up are a big cover up to avoid being threatened for being in Armenia. You know, if this was happening in Azerbaijan the Armenians would have been killed right away. Anyway, after a while the music really started annoying us and my aunt had to tell them "Do I honestly have to sit here and listen to this? Change it!" So they changed it and put on some modern Armenian crap instead. You know, whiny Turkish melodies and music (actually stollen from Arabic) with Armenian lyrics ... the garbage we call rabiz.

How do I manage to get myself in these situations. Last night on my way out of work, I bumped into the president of Armenian TV in Sydney so naturally I asked him to come and visit me at my office. And he did, this morning. So I started talking about AVC (Armenian Volunteer Corps), next thing I know he'll be returning tomorrow to interview me and air it on TV in Sydney!

Hova, this section is for you. I ate at Twinings with my work colleagues yesterday and there was a worm wiggling in my salad. My poor colleagues couldn't finish their meals, at least the waitress asked if she could bring me something else instead which I am sure I would have been charged for.

Also a friend sent me an article, an interview by Diane Sawyer on Mel Gibson's new movie which was aired on ABC news primetime. On his interview he mentions that "the turks murdered half on the Armenians in ethnic cleansing". (feb 17, 2004)

The CNN/AP article referenced by Der Hova is pasted below, and it's infuriating as ever to read blatant genocide denial throughout this article. I asked a few friends here in Armenia how they felt about this settlement, and I they thought it was an easy deal for a mult-billion dollar company that made millions on Armenian lives. It's neither dignified nor appropriate for the Armenian community to settle for this. We've been able to move this issue forward in the last 20 years more, than this case has in the last 5. Serious thought has to be given to the next cases of this sort of which one in France and one in Germany are underway.


Armenians await $20 million settlement
Tuesday, February 17, 2004 Posted: 9:49 AM EST (1449 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Martin Marootian displayed a grainy, black-and-white photograph taken in 1905 that shows 10 family members and friends.

He pointed out that eight were killed a decade later in what Armenians contend was an act of genocide by the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

Among them was his uncle, Setrak Cheytanian, and ever since then the family has been trying to collect death benefits from the uncle's policy with New York Life Insurance Co.

Their ordeal may finally be over. Last month, Marootian was among 12 plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit who reached a tentative $20 million settlement with New York Life. On Thursday, a federal judge is expected to decide whether to approve the agreement.

Marootian, 88, had hoped the agreement -- believed to be the first ever in connection with the often disputed massacre, and open to claims from survivors worldwide -- would bring more recognition to a catastrophe that hasn't been acknowledged by the United States.

"If we hadn't done this, many Armenians would have been left out in the cold," he said. "At least this way they are getting some money."

However, some Armenian-Americans believe the agreement shortchanges the entire community.
"It's a Band-Aid on a bullet wound," said Ardy Kassakhian, executive director of the western region offices of the Armenian National Committee of America. "It's a very emotional subject for many Armenians."

"For $20 million they are buying silence and goodwill," said Harut Sassounian, publisher of the California Courier, a weekly newspaper serving the estimated 100,000 Armenians in Southern California.
A full-page ad in the Courier urged readers to call for a jury trial that could lead to a larger monetary judgment.

New York Life sold about 8,000 policies in the Ottoman Empire beginning in the 1880s, with less than half of those bought by Armenians. The company stopped selling insurance in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

The company said it located about one-third of the policyholders' descendants to pay benefits. The rest of the policies languished because the remaining heirs could not be found, company vice president William Werfelman said.

"The parties are confident that this is a fair, reasonable and adequate settlement that the judge should feel comfortable approving," he said.

The settlement would set aside about $11 million to pay claims by heirs of some 2,400 policyholders. About $3 million would go to Armenian charitable organizations, with the remainder to be used for legal fees and costs.

Marootian would receive about $250,000. He was born in New York in 1915 -- the year that Armenians assert the Turkish regime began executing their ancestors for allegedly helping the invading Russian army during World War I. It is estimated that some 1.5 million Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1923.

Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States, rejects the genocide claim, insisting that Armenians were killed in civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

France and Russia are among 15 countries, along with a United Nations human rights panel, that have recognized the genocide. The United States has not made such a declaration.

Marootian's mother and oldest sister were the only two people in the family photo who survived. They left for New York a year before the killing began, and Marootian's uncle sent the policy -- insuring him for 3,000 francs -- with them.

The policy named no beneficiaries but Marootian's mother, who died in 1982, often wrote to New York Life trying to collect the benefits. Each time, a different agent promised to resolve the claim.
"They could have given her a couple of hundred dollars during the Depression and it wouldn't have come to this class-action today," Marootian said. "It was their mistake."

Armenians await $20 million settlement (on CNN.com)

And New York Life Insurance thinks about $4,500 for each policyholder is fair?

I say the hell with New York Life!

So President's Day came and went, and it was a really nice relaxing 3-day weekend. Once again though I did not get out of town - my friends seem quite worthless when it comes to that. :-p

What did I do? Well I went to Ashod and Anna's wedding, that was the main thing. Otherwise I hung out with friends, got some errands done, recovered and relaxed. I also did some planning for a trip to Western Armenia. I want to go this spring with some friends, and hopefully someone who was actually born in Cilicia, back during Ottoman times. I will reserve details until it actually happens.

Some co-workers went up to Georgia last weekend for some skiing at an Austrian-Georgian joint venture ski resort. They had a blast. A second new resort costing $80 million is being built as well. Certainly Armenia and Karabakh have plenty of mountains for this sort of thing and just need people to jump in and commit themselves to such a project.

Hmmm, what else? I can't think of much else, but things are going great and although today is cold, the rest of the week is forecast to be warmer, which has a directly corrolation with my happiness. Actually I was reading a study that people who garden are something like 5% happier than others, and I have been planting lots of seeds in my window sills, so maybe that is what has done the trick. :-)

in armenia i feel responsible for my family, friends, neighbors, associates, and the community in large. perhaps it is such a small place that i am unable to walk by a situation without leaving at the very least a smile. perhaps because everything is mine... my country... where my ancestors walked... where my language was formed, where my poets, artists, and musicans created... maybe my genetic memory does not allow me to be indifferent... but i feel an overwhelming responsibility to this land. and i am so lucky to be here... to give and receive from this land.

i am not saying that i have much to offer, but i can handle the basics. making kids laugh, helping in-crisis families, being nice to the elderly... sitting next to a lonely person on a bench, helping those who need a financial push, helping people with their resumes, providing opportunities for work, providing insight to why armenia is a great place to live... and being nice to vendors are some of my favorite things to do. i try to do more... but what i receive back is beyond compare. i am so blessed.

this is nothing new. this was my character in the united states. from a very young age i remember fighting against animal cruelty, by 15 i was volunteering at the braille institute, a center for the visually impaired... and by 16 i was in a slew of non-profit organizations that i still belong to today. i believe it is a part of me.

what is new however... is that i have never been so fulfilled... i think it is because i am here on my land... living out my dream... of giving back to this world to my people... who really do need a break.

i think it is because no matter what i give... it will never amount to the payment i receive... all the smiles... today a baby fell asleep in my lap after i had taken him to the hospital (he is not doing well). his tiny hands and milk flavored breathe was enough to keep up my smile all day. and it is only 1:00 pm... think of all the miracles i have yet to experience.

i am sorry for being sappy... but i am so blessed to be here. i am blessed to wake up and be able to say bari louys to my city. i am blessed my city understands what bari louys means.

I just read Shooshig's last log and I completely understand what she is going through. When I met her just over a month ago I could sense how much she really loved this country. Before my move here, I heard so many ignorant comments from people, and most of them made it clear to me that they could never live here. To each is own.

When Madlene mentioned (in her last log) that she feels far removed from her friends back in the States, I understood her, but yet felt as though I have that very same problem here in Armenia as well.

We all live here for different reasons. I know that my reasons make up a huge part in my life, and it's quite difficult for me to create a new social life here when I can't really relate to others and their reasons for being here. Plus I try to avoid getting close to people who seem to be here "temporarily". Some are here just because they have good paying jobs, some are here for an inexpensive education, some are here because they love their Armenian roots (yet don't want to have anything to do with locals), and some are here because they love their Armenian roots and enjoy mingling with locals.

The current expatriation/repatriation period that Armenia is going through is quite different than what happened in the 40's and 60's. Local Armenians are free to leave, and as we all know - most do with great pleasure, and now there are Diaspora Armenians living here from all over the world. The sad reality is that the majority of the Diaspora Armenians (a.k.a. expatriates) are very much separated from each other. (Mostly due to culture clashes and/or all the stereotypes we Armenians have created ... the Lebanese-Armenians are such..., the American-Armenians are so..., the Persian-Armenians are very..., and so on, and so on.)

In any case, Shoosh, hurry up and get here. I know you'll do a lot of positive things for this country. To everyone else, moving to Armenia, especially Yerevan, is not much of a big deal these days. It all depends on your outlook and expectations.

On another note, I just found out a couple of families from Toronto are moving here before the summer. There is also a retired Armenian couple that, coincidentally, will be moving into my building. Bravo again to the Torontonians!

Last night, after the concert, I had dinner at the new Italian restaurant in the Marriott called Cucina (the restaurant Raffi recently mentioned). The prices are a little higher than those of Rossini's in Yerevan Hotel, but the service, food and atmosphere were quite pleasant. Slowly, but surely, Yerevan is having some really decent restaurants.

Tonight I saw the Kurdish film Vodka Lemon which was based in Armenia. The film has been showing at a number of international film festivals since last year. Very nice movie, very real, the comedic parts were great and luckily (for Armenia's sake) the movie wasn't too political. The film is in Armenian, Kurdish, Russian and French (all mixed into this one version), but the English subtitles were completely wrong (not grammatically, but the translations). Anyway, I wish it all the success.

I can't believe how nice it is out there. But those poor fruit trees and crops, this spastic weather of one day warm, the next day freezing, is NO GOOD!

I apologize (especially to my family and friends back home) for not writing more often. And unfortunately I only wrote this log just to show everyone that I'm still alive.

Ok, I'm off to a Philharmonic Orchestra concert. I'll write more a little later.

H.

It is definitely warming up. After the snow on Wednesday, I asked locals Thursday when the cold breaks, and they said February 13. The 13th being the next day, and a much more exact answer than I expected, I thought it was a joke, but nope, that is what they say. And it is true this year. The snow pretty much completely melted away already, in sharp contrast to last Decembers snow which hung around for over a month.

On TV, Rumsfeld is saying that keeping prisoners in Guantanamo bay without trial is "a necessity, and just common sense". Funny, I thought I had common sense. It also is typical that Bush went AWOL (absense without leave) from the national guard, but then he goes and sents hundreds of American soldiers to their deaths. Over 500 so far in Iraq, plus the Americans that died in Afganistan, and then there are all of the poor Iraqis and Afgans that died. Amazing. I firmly believe that nobody should be able to send troops to any war unless their children are on the front lines. THEN we can be sure that at least they believe that the lives being lost are worth something.

Speaking of TV, they have been doing very very strange things on AATV, our cable service. Channels are coming and going, changing by the minute. You never know what to expect. What especially sucks is that MTV is gone just now, which was my staple when I am just puttering around the house not actually watching the TV. Now I have BBC on as my staple, which can be repetitive. But Mark Geragos is on there just now, so that's cool.

So, today's big new is that Ashod is getting married! Best wishes to the former logger on this page, who has been with a great girl here for years, and is tying the knot today. I know'll they grow old on the same pillow (as they say).

Well Shooshig from the Diaspora log commented on the mention of the "Armenians" on tele, well guess what? I was watching Discovery channel last night on a piece about Jerusalem and the whole discussion was "according to the Armenians" "Armenians believe that" etc etc, yep it was a good feeling, but unfortunately I only caught the end of the program.

You know Raffi N. it's not the snow that I don't like it’s the slush then the icy streets that I can't take since the ice seems to stay for weeks on end!

yesterdays weather was just plain crappy. today the sun is shining bright and the snow is straight slush. with valentines day around the corner and the sun shining brightly... one can't help but be in a good mood. i am aslo happy in general because of the work we are doing on arthur's new cd. this is really going to be an amazing cd...

it is downtime in yerevan and i get to see my friends who have repatriated. i find myself having so much more in common with them and conversations are easy and nice.

sometimes when i think about the life that most of my friends are leading back in the states... i feel far removed... and so different. our realities are so different. most of the time that is a good thing, sometimes i feel things are missing... (like bookstores, or an opportunity to go to night school and get a good masters) but... overall i think that it is great that i chose this path... i am growing and learning and experiencing beyond my imagination.

It snowed today in Yerevan. It was nice. A nice reminder of what Montreal streets are like at this time of year. Sorry Lena jan, but I do love snow!
I have been giving Armenian line dance lessons for 2 weeks now. Every Wednesday we get together at a friends house where a large empty room awaits us. I was hoping we would get more attendance, but I guess 6-7 at a time is not bad. It’s actually a good way to get away from all the work and family chores. It’s also a good form of exercise, which I lack. I MISS playing squash!
I am attaching a log that I had written upon my return from Lebanon. I was hesitant to post this, but I think I feel more comfortable sharing these thoughts now.

OLD LOG:
Back home, what a great feeling!
We just got back from Beirut yesterday. I wanted to log many times. But first I had no access from where I was living on Tabarja beach and then when I had access, the system was so slow that I couldn’t even check messages. Well, where to start. I could mention that it was 20 Celsius on New Year’s eve and I could mention that we had a killer view of the sea EVERY MORNING. But I could also say that Bourj Hamoud was so cool and so was Jbeil.
All of the above is true. I loved my Lebanon experience. I had always been surrounded by Lebanese friends who couldn’t stop gloating about their country... that actually turned me off of Lebanon and all what it had stood for. Then i met new Lebanese people who actually made me want to visit the country (namely my wife who was born and raised there). If Lebanon could produce someone like her, then it was worth a visit.
I didn’t imagine a country that just came out of a war only 10 years ago could look so modern, new and beautiful. The roads were well done (well, no urban planning but at least they weren’t full of potholes). The cafes and restaurants that were built in the old parts of town as well as those who wished to close up their balconies respected the architecture. There were no cancerous extensions on any building. Most of them were freshly painted in Yellow, Orange and Blue which gave the city a genuine Mediterranean look. The downtown area was breathtaking with the old and new mixed with a fresh style. This center includes 11 mosques and 11 churches, one of the central one being the St-Yeghia, Armenian Catholic Church. One of my favorite parts in the downtown area was the pedestrian streets and sidewalk cafes. IT was great!
Home, Armenia. First the charming Zvartnots greeting.
It was a bit drab and dull driving from the airport home. It was the first time I saw Armenia in its true grey and depressing colors. I was confused at first. I asked myself “what was I thinking moving here?” Many thoughts went through my mind and when we finally pulled up on Mashtots, I remembered why I was here. I saw the potential and made a wish. I wished that I will be one of those who will paint the walls and preserve the heritage and architecture. That I will be one of those who will speak up when there is injustice on my way to making Armenia what I want it to be. And what I want it to be is a prosperous, comfortable and safe place for me, my family and my friends. As to all those who choose to join me here in Armenia to work, live and build this country, rest assured, you have a friend who will greet you and embrace your brave move.

On my way to work this morning, I was thinking how nice it was that the ice was finally melting in my courtyard. It started snowing again didn't it? When is it going to end? It still has been a mild winter considering.

Anyway a brief log to let readers know that there is a new rent a car place called "Lemon" pronounced limon on Abovian Street. There are also 4 wheel drive rentals look under www.armeniainfo.am and click on regional trips under transportation.

Last night I went to the new Italian restaurant (Cucina) at the Marriot Armenia. Everything tasted quite good, and you could even get entrees starting from $3 (Spagetti Carbonara) to $10 or so. Der Hova will have to give us his professional opinion!

In some sad news, two Armenians died in the Moscow Metro bombing. It seems like wherever attacks are happening, Armenians are in the way. Moscow, Istanbul, Iraq.

I tried posting this as a comment to Arsineh's last log, but it was too long. So, for Francesco's (he commneted on Arsineh's log about the demonstrations held against Erdogan in DC) benefit, this item appeared on the following site: www.turkishembassy.com

I don't know about you, but this doesn't sound very conciliatory towards Armenia--unless one looks at it from the Turkish perspective!

Erdogan To Armenians: Let Us Forget About Past

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called on Armenians to give up genocide claims against Turks. He said, “We want to remove such issues as genocide from our history books,” and gave the message that the same approach was expected from Armenians.

In his New York visit, Erdogan met Turks in the Turk House. As Turks complained about the Armenian genocide claims, Erdogan said, “We do not plan to pursue a “defensive” policy, rather, we plan to pursue an “offensive” one. If you pursue a defensive policy, you will always try to respond to such claims.”

He added, “We want to remove such issues as genocide from our history books. Armenians did similar things too. We shall express ourselves. The important thing is being strong. If you are weak, they will cut many dresses for you; but if you are strong, all these claims will disappear.”

... more on the site.

The weekends are simply too short. After a grueling week at work, it was nice to see Friday roll around. And a diverse weekend it was. Friday evening the Armenia Democrats Abroad Chapter held its official presidential nomination caucus, and it was a great demonstration of democracy in action. The Caucus chose Kerry as its official nominee--not mine, though!

I met some new people, including some Peace Corps volunteers.

Saturday evening Lena and I attended the Chamber Orchestra debut at the newly remodeled Chamber House on Isahakian, and the concert was awe inspiring. As Lena said, the diversity of the audience is something to behold. The balcony was filled with young kids, no more than 14-15 in age, and they were thoroughly enjoying the experience. Maestro Gharabekian and his skilled orchestra absolutely take one on an emotional trip--amazing!

Today has been a lazy day, starting off with a breakfast with the loggers at my place, and in about an hour I'm off to see Duplex at the Kino Nairi.

Things are getting a bit better. I'll keep you abreast on how the emotional ups and downs work out in the end--if there is an end to it all!

Cheers.

Last night I went to Avet Terterian's 75th anniversary concert conducted by Aram Gharabekian at the new remonded tadron. Mr. Terterian's wife was present and she was very moved. What amazes me about these concerts, apart from the fact that the string orchestra is excellent, is the fact that all sorts of people attend from very young children to the old to students, foreigners etc. It realy is very encouraging and a lot of the consultants from my work share the same opinion.

Today was a glorious day, by far the best we have had this year. Just yesterday I was thinking why is it that Europe is having double digit temperatures and Yerevan is so bloody cold, in fact it snowed very briefly in the morning ever so lightly. But today, after a scrupmtious breakfast at Alex's, off we went to this new cafe called Arcada for coffee, then off to vernisage for a kilim at bargain price and tonight I will be watching Duplex in English.

I hadn't seen Ararat in at least six weeks, there has always been some kind of haze out there so you wouldn't even know there is a mountain out there. Now I can see how the new building in front of it is coming along, and it looks like the small peak might be totally obstructed if they don't stop right where they are.

The weekend is flying by. Friday night I actually ended up at Poplavok quite late - I probably go there twice a year max. Yesterday I did almost nothing all day. It was so fantastic. I got dressed and went out at 8pm finally. It was a really beautiful day, and I should have been outside the whole time, but I have no regrets! Today I will head out earlier for a bite, but after that I don't know where my day will go...

Folks - there is a shortage of qualified construction workers in Armenia to work on the US Embassy they are building. USAID through AED is starting a training program and has found it almost impossible to find licensed applicants to train some people here. Please pass this information along to anyone who might be interested because I know there are loads Armenians out there in these fields and this is a great way for them to have a fully paid, profitable trip to Armenia. People are needed ASAP! The construction company has imported foreign workers to do a lot of this work due to this lack of local qualified available labor. So again, please, this is a win-win program all around. Spread the word!
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The program design allows for 2-3 weeks of classroom training (three weeks for more skilled trades such as electrical, plumbing and carpentry and two weeks for trades such as drywall, tiling and painting.) Following the classroom training, successful participants continue to learn through a 2-week paid-internship program. The progress of these internships is monitored by the employers who have current job vacancies. In the highly skilled trades, experience and/or training is required for admittance to the course.

USAID/AED is looking to hire classroom instructors/on-the-job managers in the following areas:

Electrical
Plumbing/ Mechanical
Dry Wall
Tiling
Carpentry (finished and industrial)
Painting

The applicant must be fluent in both Armenian and English, must hold a current US license in the trade for which s/he is applying, and must be available to work for 6-7 consecutive weeks. Applicants with teaching/training experience are preferred. A curriculum, supplies and an equipped classroom will be provided, but instructors are expected to be able to modify the curriculum to meet their specific trade needs as well as adapt to student attainment levels. Classes will be staggered. ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING AND DRY WALL INSTRUCTORS ARE NEEDED IMMEDIATELY. The remaining trades will begin in the spring. All programs will complete by September.

Selected instructors will receive a daily rate, housing/per diem, allowance for time in country, airfare and insurance contributions.

Interested applicants should send their resume along with a letter of interest to aed@arminco.com, attn: Karen

Any questions about the program can also be sent to the aforementioned e-mail address.

My trip to Toronto was the first time I had left Armenia since my move, and the first time I had visited the place where I'm originally from in over 15 months, so naturally it was not easy at first. But these past few days have proven how much my heart is really attached to Armenia.

My childhood friend Nyree and two of her friends (non-Armenians) came to Armenia with me last week. The horrible freezing weather reached its peak in almost 15 years the same week we departed from Toronto. The plane to Frankfurt was delayed for 2 hours (while we were already aboard), the heating system wasn't working (so it was extremely cold inside), but eventually the plane took off for it's almost 8-hour flight around midnight. Luckily Nyree and her friends, who work for the airline company, upgraded our tickets to first class and I had a chance to stuff my face with really good food while seated in a large cozy seat for the first leg of the trip. After Frankfurt we head over to Vienna, followed by our third flight ... towards Yerevan.

I spent my first night back with them at a hotel, but then decided to reunite with my relatives, as well as the comfortable bed I've been sleeping on for over a year.

This will be a long log, but I'll make this story as short as possible. It's another one of my Seinfeld-like episodes in Armenia.

Someone at the hotel ordered a cab for me to get my luggage and me to my relatives place. I was told that I would have to pay 500 drams extra for taking luggage with me. I agreed to pay 1,000 drams flat to get to my relatives place. When the cab showed up I loaded the trunk with two-30kg luggage (by myself), the back seat with another 30kg luggage, as well as a couple of paintings rolled up and a bag with shoes. I noticed the driver had not closed the trunk so I forced it to close and sat in the passenger seat with a musical equipment piece I brought with me on my lap. The driver started yelling at me for forcing the trunk to close. I told him I wasn't going to leave it open, yet he insisted he was going to keep an eye on the open trunk through his rearview mirror, and if any of my luggage was to fall out he would simply stop and load the luggage back into the trunk ... AS IF!

I rolled down my window, cause the entire inside of the car was covered in cigarette smoke, and he began to yell at me once more, this time for opening the window. I told him the smoke bothered me, stuck my nose out the window, and soon we head over to my place.

Throughout the 5-minute ride he asked me question after question. It started off with "Where do you live?" I told him "Armenia", he then asked "But what's your background?" me ... "Armenian". Later, when I told him that I am originally from Canada he asked if I've ever been to America. I told him I have been there many, many times and that (naturally) I like Canada more. He continued by telling me that USA is the largest country in the world. When I told him that Russia was the largest country followed by Canada and THEN America he raised his voice and told me that I didn't know what I was talking about. This stupid conversation went on for a couple of more minutes until we got to the street I live on.

He pulled up and stopped across from the apartment, so I asked him nicely to turn the car around and park in front of the building. He refused to stop on the other side since there were some cars parked there. I asked him to understand that I had a lot of stuff to carry by myself, but yet he refused and told me that he didn't want to block traffic. (This happened late at night with not one car passing by while this conversation took place.) I kept insisting that he wouldn't be blocking traffic on a street where there hardly is any, and that it would simply take me one minute to get everything out of the car. This led to more tension when I told him that he was being inconsiderate. He somehow went into a stupid conversation about "Soviet times were so much better" (meaning nobody had to think about anyone else in those times), at which point I said, "In case you didn't know, your dreamland of America is not at all like what Soviet-Armenia was". I finally convinced him to turn the car around and park in front of the building.

The first thing he said when he opened the trunk was "Look you broke the trunk hood of my car" and I replied, "The only thing that is probably damaged is my luggage". He was amused with my comment, told me that he was just joking, and asked me for 1,200 drams. I told him the deal was for 1,000 drams, yet he demanded 1,200. I told him to call the cab company, so he did, but was proven wrong. I slammed the passenger side door and started bringing my stuff into my place.

Two hours later I was getting ready to go out to dinner with Nyree and her friends when I realized that my dress shoes were missing. Where were they??? In that damn cab! I called the cab company and they radioed the annoying cab driver and luckily found my shoes. I already needed a cab to get me to my dinner so they told me that the annoying cab driver would drop off my shoes at the office and another cab would bring them for me. It took them 45 minutes, but it arrived. I opened the door to the cab and who was the driver? The first thing I said with a super-sarcastic tone was "Oh, isn't it my most favourite cab driver in all of Yerevan". When I asked him for my shoes he said "1,500 drams". I kept calm and told him that I refused to pay him that much. Eventually he agreed to 1,200 drams including the ride down the street to the restaurant I had to go to.

So that is how my week started back in Armenia. I used the cab many more times after that incident and met some really decent drivers; I also visited a couple of historic tourist spots I've already seen many times; I also heard live traditional Armenian music and had khorovadz (bbq); I also realized how much more I prefer Armenian winter weather rather than Toronto's. It's all slowly falling back into place. If it wasn't for my great friends and relatives in Toronto, I don't think I'd miss it that much. I've probably logged about this before, but having good friends is extremely important to me. It will take some time I suppose (even after 15 months).

My mom threw me a great get-together before I left, just to see all my relatives and friends before leaving back to Armenia, sort of like a welcome party and a goodbye party, combined with a surprise early birthday party. My good friend Lisa also treated me to the Linkin Park/P.O.D. concert, which was awesome.

Now I'm back to Armenia. I'm looking forward to finishing the apartment I bought last summer, as well as another awesome summer in Armenia. Many people in Toronto asked me why I didn't visit in the summer and all I kept thinking was that there was no way I was going to miss an Armenian summer for anywhere else. Although I was a little hesitant about returning back to Armenia, I still have no regrets. I still love this place as much as I did when I moved here.

On another note, Mr. Toaster (the newest fast food restaurant in Yerevan) is pretty good. I just had a chicken sub there, which was quite decent, and spoke to the guy who prepared it (he is actually an American-Mexican). Funny thing is that he was making a lot of noise while preparing the food so as a joke I told my aunt (who was with me) that Jose was making too much noise ... not even knowing that his real name actually was Jose.

Alright, the others have kind of got me thinking of being in Armenia in general - so here are some scattered thoughts that come to mind...

In February 1996 I moved back to California from Armenia. It was my first winter in Armenia, and I could not find work, and there was no electricity, and I could not even get a visa to stay longer, and I just ended up going back with the conviction that I would save up for a few years and then return to Armenia. When I had arrived in Armenia in 1995, I had been told all kinds of horror stories in the US of what to expect, and except for the lack of electricity, none of the other negative stories were very accurate, most were outright false. So when I got back to the US in February, and signed up for internet, it came with this thing called "web space". Five whole megabytes! Well not all that many people used the web at the time, but it was still a way I could share the truth about Armenia with anyone in the world who cared, and happened to have web access. I still marvel at the miracle of the web. So this site is about 8 years old now, and I never imagined what would happen to it, or the web. Last I checked, I think this site was getting over 8,000 hits a day.

Well Armenia has changed a great deal since those times, both for the good and for the bad. In those really hard years, there were no beggars, no homeless. There were also no decent places to eat out, a lot of consumer items were impossible to find. Most of the city was pitch black at night, and entire blocks would light up and then go dark as the rationed electricity was turn on and off. With nowhere to go, people would gather at each others homes by candlelight, with cheers when electricty came on. The US Embassy was like a community center, with a very open policy. People would gather there for movies and drinks. Anyway, I didn't plan on writing about this topic, so I will end it there, but I did want to say that things have changed so much since those days.

So now I have been back in Armenia since 1999, and it is interesting how it feels to be here. Even in these past few years things have changed drastically, so a lot of the things I missed when I first moved here are no longer an issue. I have cable TV, eat whatever I like, can get whatever I need. True, prices for certain things can be higher, and selection not as wide, but it is not too bad, especially since most things are much cheaper. I would still like to see the megastores come - Home Depot, Frys, Costco, Ikea, any department store, supermarket and massive book store. It would just make shopping simpler. If anyone can open a reasonably good knockoff of Home Depot, I think they will make a fortune. There is so much construction and remodeling going on, and there is still no one stop shop.

I keep checking Yerevan weather to see when this cold snap will end, and checking La Paz weather (Baja California) to dream of where I could be. Winter is still the #1 thing I really hate here.

Der Hova, I think we're all going through this adjustment right now. The first week I was back I didn't want to be here at all in fact it was the last place I wanted to be at. The second week it was slightly better and by the third week I've already forgotten how amazing Sydney was.

Well I'm sitting at work at 7.30pm STILL, waiting for a conference call from headquarters, chewing "excite" chewing gum, not at all excited with the prospect of sitting at work, waiting, waiting.

Also as I previously logged, I have handed in a new proposal for an extension on a tourism program and again waiting for a response. By the way, check out a new tourism site www.armeniainfo.am, it's quite informative (well getting there) with nice maps etc.