Catching up with my blogs…

The first ten days after my return I slept a lot.
Change of seasons' weather makes me sleepy, I sleep more than ten hours a day. I've discovered that with Spring and Fall my blood pressure drops.
Getting a drop or high in blood pressure during this time, is a common chronic illness with many in Armenia.
Guess it's because Yerevan is 900 m. above sea level.

Funny, with tourists mostly the opposite is true.
My sister-in-law visited past Fall. The first two days she was hardly walking and was heavily leaning on a cane. Two days later she put her cane aside and was walking hours and hours.
Another elderly couple discovered that even after eating grapes and cake their sugar level was normal (they measured it everyday).
(Mostly, refers to getting diarrhea or constipation, the most common discomfort for tourists).
Remember that joke, a tourist visits hell in her dream and everything is swell, and then she dies and goes to hell...


We sold our apartment.
A friend told a colleague who told a friend... and she made an offer.
We have an oral agreement. I want to move before the 7th of April.
First step, a guy came from (was it?) notary and recorded the changes we've made.
He discovered that the closet, part of the balcony, we've changed into (khorovadzanotz) barbecue place, was not on our map.
When you buy an apartment, you get an ownership booklet with the map and coordinates of the apartment.
We assured him that we did not extend our balcony into somebody else's apartment.
Next step, we've got to get the apartment-does-not-have any debt statement.
I am storing books, albums, dresses, shoes and bags. The next six months I will be living in the hotel, moving from
one room to another.
I am hoping that our house, that Nigol is building in Broshian, will be ready next Fall.

Preconceptions,
we thought an expat would buy the apartment, because we've remodeled and knocked down two walls,
four doors, turned into an open concept apartment. The new owner is a hayasdantzi who has lived in US and loved it.
She thinks even the half wall we've left to conceal the washroom door is unnecessary.
The colors between diasporan Armenians and Hayasdantzi Armenians are blurring.

Talking about selling and buying, many diasporans are buying land or apartment.
Owning a piece of property in Hayrenik has caught like fire.

Property laws in Armenia
A friend's parent was in Armenia back in Fall, and he wanted to buy a piece of land in Broshian city.
Broshian is 12 Km from core, downtown Yerevan. He left and Nigol purchased it for them.
A couple of months later we met in Toronto, they wanted to buy, Nigol was ready to sell. Then they called the Armenian embassy.
Someone, (consul?) told them that as they were not Armenian citizens they could not buy/own land in Armenia.
Hello, we're not Armenian citizens and we own land in Armenia. Would our friends believe us?

Some Armenian embassies fear that a wealthy sheik might buy all lands in Armenia.
You need to have special residency status from the Republic of Armenia if you want to buy property in Armenia,
and the status is given only to Armenians. Even when your spouse is Armenian and you're not, you don't get it.
The law is applicable only to 'dnamertz hogher' which means lands you can build and reside on. Agricultural land, a totally different story.
Our friends did not buy. We returned home, the value of land in Broshian had doubled and Nigol sold it to a couple of Armenian guys from Lebanon.


Canadian embassy in Armenia - not on agenda
The Canadian consul is visiting Armenia. We got an e-mail, and yesterday a group of Canadians met him.
He was surprised by our numbers. Said he was expecting to chat with four or five people.
We were more than twenty and many were missing.
Canada does not have an embassy/ consulate neither in Armenia, nor in Caucasus. Has an honorary consul currently working from home.
The rumor is that Canada is planning to open one in Georgia. The consul has not heard of it.

And finally, the soprano singer, Isabel Bayrakdarian, who sings like an angel, will visit Armenia in April and will have
a concert with Edward Topchian.

Last night I saw the newly built bathroom walls at my "remond" (remodel). Now I can really start to picture the final space much better. It is a loft, so there is only one wall to go and the rest will just be open, with a loft above parts of it. I also discovered something which I had really been hoping for but given up on finding. When they tore up the floorboards, underneath was a mostly completed painting by the artist that used to paint there. I will definitely have it framed and hang it - that I kind of like the painting is just icing on the cake.

Things do not change; we change. -Henry D. Thoreau

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. -Nelson Mandela

Many people are talking about change these days in Armenia. The need for it, the way to change, the consequences of change. As I wrote in my last log, spring is a time of renewal and rebirth in many cultures; with this rebirth comes innocence, and I do hope that each one of us will remember that next we talk about change and the need for it.

An opposition rally turned violent this past weekend. Culprit and bystander, alike, will reap the "rewards." I hope those advocating for change and those opposing it will at once remember that change merely for the sake of change is not justified.

I forgot to mention in my last log that last night a friend and I went out to one of Yerevan's nicest cafes. We both had delicious iced coffees and herbal teas. The bill came up to ... drum-roll please ... $1.70 US!

I can't believe how packed cafes are ... in March. It's not even tourist season and they are completely busy.

The weather has been beautiful for the past week, and of course many are talking about possible seismic activity (which, if I'm not mistaken, is a myth.) There was an earthquake in Western Armenia, oops Eastern Turkey, in Erzurum 3 days ago.

I just saw "Monster" at Kino Nairi. Disturbing, but an amazing performance by Charlize Theron. Hopefully we'll get "Passion..." over here soon (with English subtitles.) Off topic ... but apparently the President of UAE has just approved it to be shown in his 'country' (the first Moslem 'country' to do so.)

Other than having lots of work to do, but instead slacking off and going out enjoying the weather, that's the latest with my life. (Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Actually, I'm too lazy to write right now.)

It is certainly quiet around here. Two loggers are on the beach in Egypt, and the others must have exploded from holding in all their thoughts from you... at least the discussions in the Diaspora log comments have been lively. I just don't know why we can't have such good discussions on the message board. Maybe I need a "topic of the week" or something.

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage came to Armenia on Friday and dropped by the embassy to talk to everyone who works in the compound for a few minutes. In the Q&A, nobody else had any questions, so I asked about the repercussions for Azerbaijan for not letting Armenians participate in the NATO excersizes held there. He was heading to Azerbaijan the next day and said it was one of the issues he was going to discuss and that it could never happen again. I did not bother ask how the Armenians lives would be protected in case they did participate however...

I spent almost 4 hours working in the garden yesterday morning and an hour today. Lots of progress, but nowhere near what I had hoped. I also realized how little physical excersize I got all winter, not counting walking. I am pooped, and I don't know how but my stomach muscles are sore. I was trimming this 40 square meter/yard patch of vine, which is hard enough as it is, but I also have to be careful not to cut the climbing roses which I want to keep. Plus I dug up the little herb garden and part of a flowerbed and planted a bunch of lilies, herbs and strawberries already. Lots of other seedlings in my window sills are waiting to be liberated as well, but I want to feel certain the good weather will last.

Today there was a trip planned for going up to Tavush, but what with the time change (it happened early Sunday morning here), plus the late opening of the car rental place, the whole thing just didn't work. I don't know when the next chance will come for that. Antovk is in town these days. He just finished a remond, and I liked his refinished plank floors. I had almost decided on a tile for sure, but this has me thinking again. Where can I find old planks? Lots of other good errands done, but I still have not bought a TV nor a fridge. All in good time.

My second column: Diaspora Institutions and Armenia

Spring has cautiously arrived in Armenia.

Today I was speaking with one of my colleagues about the new labor code being proposed in the parliament, and during our discussions, we turned our attention to the anti-discrimination clause in the labor code. The clause, modeled after that of many European countries, prohibits discrimination based on sex, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and creed. My colleagues, who are by all standards progressive individuals, thought of this as a major step forward for Armenia. Others, however, are not of the same mind. Most people have been complaining that the clause, particularly the sexual orientation component, does not speak to the cultural values of the country.

Regardless of what one thinks of the issue—and I hope most are in agreement with my colleagues—I realized (don’t know why I hadn’t before) that there is a silent, very silent, collective in Armenia that does have very progressive ideas based on the principle of common welfare and equality, but unfortunately their voices are either never raised, or they’re never included in the rhetoric of the boisterous few, including the politicos, public figures, and the clergy, who don’t always reflect the value system of all Armenians, but rather prescribe a value system of sorts for all Armenians.

With spring comes rebirth, and it is encouraging to see the birth of ideas, or even the rise of the voices of progress from the ashes of winter—the winter of ideas, ideas of yesteryear.

Here’s to a spring of renewal.

If you're interested in the labor code, here's a link to the new website of the National Assembly www.parliament.am

Am I allowed to plug any companies here? I've tried over a dozen different taxi services, and I finally found one (a couple of months back), which I'm absolutely satisfied with. Clean spacious Ford Crown Victoria cars with meters, drivers who act professional and don't smoke in the cars, or blast rabiz music. (I hope I don't jinx this.)

Their phone number is simply T-A-X-I (8294). Their rates start from 200 drams, whereas the other ones start at 500. But they are a little more expensive (if you don't travel a short distance), since they're per km rates are a little higher than the others.

I had a great conversation with the last driver I had. I had to tell him right off the bat that their taxi service was the best in Yerevan. He told me that their rates a little more expensive, but they make an effort to offer the best service possible. We also got into a conversation about this and that, and how we, Armenians, are such a small people (in numbers), and we need to take care of each other, and stop killing each other (basically referring to the stupid behaviour of some Armenians in California, as well as the numerous killings in the army over here). I mentioned I was from abroad, and his response was, "That does not matter to me, we are all Armenians". (A rare comment, but definitely commendable.)

What a glorious day today is, sun shining, quite warm actually Tshirt weather and all my last minute meetings out of the way. I have just picked up my visa, air ticket and I'm going to Egypt tomorrow morning for a week. All you people living in Yerevan, enjoy the fine weather we're having.

Last weekend was non-stop.

Friday night was dinner and the Armenian Navy Band. Just awesome.

Saturday started with more intense negotiations with the neighbors for a water line at my new remodeling, then visits to a few of the water department offices before determining nothing could be done until Monday anyways (this took hours). Saturday afternoon I moved to an apartment closer to work (and actually just downstairs from Alex). Now my walk to work is 5 minutes, and I have a garden. Saturday evening - dinner and Armenian Navy Band (why mess with a great formula? :-)

Sunday morning I fortunately went back to my old pad to move more stuff. I say fortunately because I got a phone call from my entire extended family from all over the world that was gathered at an aunts house. I spoke to so many of my aunts and cousins it was just great! After that, I had a great breakfast, did vernissage, took a nap, then went to Alex's for a delicious fish dinner (that orange fish I had in Dilijan, we brought some back to share), and by chance two people brought Tutti Oghi (Mulberry Vodka), which I capitalize out of my respect for it's powers. Then, when I was already feeling the alchohol pretty well, my wood furniture arrived from Dilijan. I think it arrived around 10 or 11pm, but none of us remember. The next morning I got around to actually looking at it and it is just great stuff. I can't wait until the loft space is finished being remodeled and they finally reach their new home.

Last night we had the horrible experience of going to a bar… they had one of those game machines where the claw goes down and tries to grasp a toy… those horrible machines that steal so much of our time and money. I was flabbergasted when I saw… among all the toys and treats… a pack of cigarettes. The game meant to entertain the children while their parents hang out was filled with cigarettes. I complained to the manager… and he said… most of the people who play the game are people who are out of cigarettes and do not feel like walking around the area to find a shop… ingenious but devastating to the innocent kids who play this game. Just as we had settled down… they put on a turkish CD. Arthur was so mad that he told everyone off and we dashed out as soon as possible. This has been happening quite often lately. Arthur has told off the sellers at Vernisage and vendors on Abovian for the very same purpose. I know this does not read to well… but I cringe when I hear turkish tunes. My spell-check keeps capitalizing this word turkey. It should not be capatilized… what is wrong with this spell-check.

Love is in the air. The couple we set up seem to be hitting it off and have seen one another every day since the first magical night we set them up… Ozzie also had a good first date, even though both Ozzie and Dunken broke the cardinal first date rule and pooped in front of one another in the park… and Arthur and I are preparing for a semi-honeymoon… I feel love everywhere.

Today we will go to the graduation ceremony of the first group of computer graduates from the Computer Center that my family founded in honor of my late uncle Bobken Minassian. We will go to pass out the certificates and will spend some time with the school kids. I have not spent quality time at the village for a while so I am pretty excited.

Wow! I just got home from the Armenian Navy Band performance. It is absolutely, mind-bogglingly awesome. Every single person was blown away by the talent, the sheer joy in the performers, the creativity, and the last song was a beautiful melancholy vocal singing of Bzdig Zinvor which brought many to tears. They will be performing every night through April 11, and I wonder how many times I will go...

Yet another article on the British Ambassador http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2004/03/B529ECC1-B272-4376-BE23-0070C6D16C4F.ASP

I have a guest in town for work who is from Uzbekistan and currently living in Croatia. I took her to the Arto concert last night from the Armenian Navy Band. She was so lost in his music, I could see it on her face. Most of the people on my table bought his latest CD which we had personally autographed by Arto. I will have to see him again in the next month or so, the guy is purely amazing.

The forecast calls for a few more days of cold before the temprature starts to shoot up on Sunday, reaching 70F by mid week. Could that be the final end to the cold? Is this weekend the last frost of the winter? I am really not sure when it is safe to plant seedlings here, since in California I could plant them any day of the year.

This week at work has been primarily dedicated to a team building retreat, which actually takes place in Yerevan, so it is not so much of a retreat. We are actually doing things like blindfolding everyone in the office and building rocket ships of rope (yes, I am laughing as I type this). Sure there was a moral at the end of that story, but did I mention we were all running around blindfolded? lol.

Ah, MTV is back - it really improves the quality of my mornings. I like to have that on as I work on my computer, email, get ready for work. VH1 is still missing, but this is progress. Another thing I wrote about a while back which I should mention is still pending is the gas line at this place. As I said they finally put in the pipes a while ago, but still no gas. What a waste, I heated with electricity again this winter. Much more expensive. Heating my tiny place cost $60 some months, and although I kept it nice and toasty warm, it is a tiny place I am in.

I will have to catch Arto and the Armenian Navy Band performing soon. Madlene is right, it is one of the most impressive live performances out there. I really enjoyed it last time and am happy to hear he is doing so many shows this time. I wish the other internationally known Armenian groups would perform here as a regular part of their tours. System of a Down, Cher, Aznavour, and the absolutely NON-Armenian Gwen Stefani/No Doubt, just because so many people believe that she is Armenian :-) (I asked her dad and he confirmed she is not at all Armenian).

the armenian navy band with arto tuncboyadjian is one of the best live performances i have seen. he just has a way of engaging his audience and making everyone smile for hours. just watching arto on percussions (as well as with a slew of toys including an empty fanta glass bottle, a regular cooking pot, and salt and pepper shakers) is enought to enjoy the experience... but that is not where it ends... an amazing 12 person band from armenia... inlcuding vahagn hayrapedian on keyboard, manch on drums, vartan grigorian on duduk/zurna and clarinet and many other talents close the deal for an amazing ensemble.

they are playing live in armenia for the month of march and some of april in the home of journalists building. if you are here or will be here make sure you catch them... for an amazing night of music. we are quite lucky to have them here in such a warm setting for so long...as they are pretty busy playing all over europe. arto just did a cd with serge tankian from system of a down and that was another well done project.

we went to see the armenian navy band perform with another couple who have just found true love. since they are a new couple... we gave them the two seats near eachother... while arthur and i sat apart... what i found out is that it does not matter how long you are together... nothing changes... i was still itching to sit next to art and hold his hand... :o)

this week has to do with blind dates.

arthur and i set up his old roommate from LA, who is in town visiting with a local girlfriend of mine who is the sweetest thing since corn-bread at sylvia's soul kitchen in harlem. we all went out for a double date yesterday... and they seem to have hit it off considering their second date is today.

azaduhi (our golden retriever) has a blind date with her future husband dunken. a colleague has a male golden retriever and they are scheduled to mate by next year. they have never met though. so we decided to get them together for a playdate. i took ozzie for a shower and nail trimming for her date... but i fear i have made a mistake... apparently in the doggy dog world of dogs... the smellier you are the better.

the final blind date is a blind date arthur and i have with a vacation package we bought for next week. unfortunately i have reached my point of no return and need to get out of here for a short while... i just need a week to recooperate... as i have not been out of the country for a long time... and my last trip was anything but pleasure. i will let you know more about the vacation as it unfolds but it is exciting to go somewhere exotic... more details to come.

things in yerevan are calm... there are not too many tourists... so i still have time for myself... i spend it reading... walking around yerevan... hanging out with good friends... and of course mixing culture and benevolence and trying to participate in both those things as much as i can.

I have started my own column, something I have thought about doing for a while. I don't know how regular it will be, but this genocide denial by the British Ambassador, and the Armenian government's response has incensed me!

My column

Firstly may I encourage readers to send a brief thank you note to ngsforum@nationalgeographic.com for the excellent article in their March issue of the National Geographic. The pictures are great and the article is great, we need more coverage for Armenia so a little thank you, might go a long way.

There are 5 young (16 year old) Aussies in Yerevan who arrived 2 weeks ago. Only one of them is half Armenian, the others are just Aussies. These kids have been chosen to come to Armenia for 9 months for soccer training as part of an elite group to train with the local kids. The initiative comes from an Australian Armenian to send these kids to Armenia while they do their schooling via correspondence with the aim of competing in the European field together with the Armenians. There will be another 3 youths arriving soon. Can you imagine, 8 youths plus their coach living and spending their money in Armenia for 9 months? That's not all though, these kids' family and friends are all coming to visit them during their stay and will be taken to the regions for sightseeing.

Of course the kids are all sick due to the weather and the altitude (it is still snowing on and off and they did come from the Australian summer afterall). They tell me they find the training here much harder than what they are used to. Poor kids, I feel for them, our bodies are just not used to it, but they're young and they'll get over it.

Now why can't there be more initiatives like this and did I mention these kids are not Armenian? Think of the experiences these youths will share with the local youths and the friendships they will walk away with.

First, I'd like to thank the 5 people that responded to my last log with intentions of helping out the family who recently had their 10th child.

We contacted the Minister of Education, who in return contacted the principal of the school where 6 of the children are attending. The principal was very nice and promised to pay extra attention to these children. We found out that the kids have not been studying properly, only because the family cannot afford the necessary schoolbooks. We will probably purchase the books ourselves for the children. We're also looking into having a doctor drop by the home once in a while to check up on the newborn, as well as the other young ones. A new home would also be nice for the family, but that will take a little more effort.

Second, this has nothing to do with Life in Armenia, but today I heard a really kooky story (but taking into consideration that it involves some show-off Armenians from Armenia, I can sort of believe it did really happen.) Supposedly, a couple in California just got married, and seeing that the 'horse drawn carriage ride to the church' idea was a bit too tired for them, they decided to enter the banquet hall with it as well. Upon entering the hall, the "zourna" started playing which drove the horse crazy and knocked down tables and the bride to her death. The husband has since been in a coma. What the heck? Is this story for real?

Haghatsin Monastery today in the snow...



The fish we ate for lunch...



The old Armenian wooden bench I got...

Friday was a great day. I took the entire afternoon off, bumping into one friend after another almost like a baton race, in a way that I can only imagine happening here.

Saturday morning started early, with me and Rene visiting a house being demolished for the new pedestrian blvd. There were a bunch of iris plants that we had decided to rescue. We dug up a ton of them, took a bunch and left a bunch of dug up ones for others to easily resue. This morning I planted a bunch of them out along the sidewalks here - I hope they survive. They are quite hardy, but they might need a little help with watering, something that would be very difficult for me to do from the 6th floor.

Mid-day Saturday was a human trafficking presentation, which I got to really late. There was a lot of talk about the case of the girl claiming to be abused by an Australian-Armenian family. The whole story sounded pretty fantastic to begin with, but the additional details shared today make the whole thing sound even more ridiculous. I don't know what really happened, but forced medical procedures in Australia, erased airline records across the planet, copies of identification records at the Armenian KGB gone, all just sounds like some crazy conspiracy theory to me.

Today we're off to the regions to look for antique furniture... I am keeping my fingers crossed!

A certain Yerado Krikorian reported this morning on CNN on a 1500 old Church in Syria filled with frescoes. It looked absolutely breathtaking and is being restored to attract further tourists. Ah there are so many places I have yet to visit. I just wanted to add that the very first Yerado I met was in Yerevan from LA and she was a sweetie.

Life in Armenia is full, energetic and motivating.
I told you about Lara’s efforts in regards to the International women’s day event. This was held at the Chamber theatre. I was there all day Saturday and Sunday. During this time we befriended the actors, staff and technical guys of the theatre. They are a crazy bunch of people. If you haven’t been to this theatre hall yet, you should make a point and attend one of their off the wall musical/plays. They are funny and always have a crack at some personality like Kirk Kirkorian or Charles Aznavour. They are a young cast with a fresh humor.
During the following days, I had the pleasure of meeting some artists. One of them was a woman named Louise. She had been part of the “poss” (whole) theatre. This had been an experimental theatre since the soviet times, where people could always try out new things. It was recently privatized and sold. All the actors and other artists who worked there were out of a job. Some of you may have even passed by in front of the entrance on Tumanian street.
Last night, Lara and I were invited to a birthday party at one of the young scholars of the Yerevan State University Sociology department. There were 5 others around the table. It was so refreshing to sit around a table of beautiful and smart locals who could carry a conversation about fashion, politics, globalization, food and the future of Armenia. This is the new generation of Armenians that I want to be part of.
Today, I went to Vartenis. This is where LCO plans to hold its next summer campaign. I visited the Shatvan School. This is one of the border refugee villages. I was accompanied by an architect, seismologist and a contractor. Upon return, I joined my friends for Russian class and then walked to Poplavok for some Sushi.
Let’s see what interesting things await me tomorrow.

It's good to be back home.
It felt like we were away for ages, though it was my shortest annual trip of the past four years.

Mid January, we had a week vacation in Jordan. The daytime weather in Yerevan varied from minus two to plus two and in Amman was sunny, plus twelve and over. I had a series of first time experiences; like seeing Petra, Akaba, Jorash, Dead Sea, Jordanian food, a camel ride (advertised by young yelling boys as "taxi-taxi, air-conditioned").

Interesting things occurred before and during the trip. We had to fly from Yerevan to Alepo, and then to Damascus, followed by a taxi ride to Jordan. There was a delay of three hours in Zvartnotz airport, we went thru the regular channels of security, passing thru the door that detects metals and much more, and the belt that was suspicious of Nigol's sunglasses and camera placed in the pocket of his jacket (not interesting), then we were driven to the Syrian airplane, stood in line, showed fingers to identify our luggage piled in front of the plane. Upon entering it a security officer hand searched purses and other parcels and only then we took our seats. All countries are taking security measures very seriously, some more than the others. Five days later I was looking for my hand lotion in the same purse and found my pocketknife in it. Hmm.

Three days ago, coming back from TO the security officer went thru our carry on, twice. This might sound funny, or not, but we had a bottle of balsamic vinegar, candles, small bottles of paint and jell-vaseline. He took ten good minutes and let us go. Later, we recalled seeing a movie where a bomb was made using similar ingredients.

Back to Jordan, there are so many beggars, young women and kids in the streets. In Petra these kids spoke English, picked up stones and tried to sell them to tourists. They are beggars everywhere, in the streets of Toronto, Montreal (where some freeze to death), and Jordan. When it comes to Armenia it bothers us a lot. We cannot reconcile ourselves to the fact. A detour to past October, an experience with an Armenian woman beggar in front of Hin Yerevan. My sister, brother-in-law and I were jugging in the streets. As a general rule I try not to give to beggars, believe in helping thru organizations. The young woman came after us, I made the mistake of saying something like "you should be ashamed of yourself". Big Mistake. She followed us for four blocks, told us stories about her husband abandoning her and being in Moscow, about a sick kid with failed kidneys in the hospital, doctors refusing further treatments for lack of payment, about her three other kids left alone in Vana Dzor, gave me name and address. She had a drug prescription in her bag and papers from the doctor. She wore me down, I believed her story, took her to the pharmacy, purchased one of the drugs, the pharmacist did not have the other medication. Gave her fifteen thousand drams for buying the medicine, for treatment, for spending time with her sick kid. Next evening my sister came back and said, guess who we met in the street?

What I learnt from these experiences? That camels eat their own shit and they stink, that one week is too short for vacationing in Jordan, that security measures might not be too secure, that begging might start from poverty but turns into profession, that seeing Jordanian historical sites, cities, temples, caves is a humbling experience (Megha, megha to Garni and Geghart), that Armenians are planning to build centers/Armenian clubs in Jordan with four pools for four thousand Armenians, a prelacy in Montreal and a high school costing six million Canadian dollar in Toronto, that some fled Arab countries to stay Armenian and flee Islam only to marry muslims and non Armenians in Canada and America, and that eight weeks is too long for staying away from Armenia, for me.

first of all, i cannot say how happy and excited i am that arthur ispirian has decided to sing songs from the past. his video premiere, asum en te showed last night on rubikon and the reaction was fantastic. the song is one of a kind, composed by khachadur avedisyan and words by sylva gabudikyan... fantastic. the chorus, asum en te sere sud e, chem havadum im angin... is known by most armenians and the song just simply... a treasure.

the music video took you back to the yerevan of yesterday (somewhere many yerevantsis would rather be)... with clips and bits from old armenian movies... to a performance by arthur which was outstanding .

the premiere show was also fantastic. he took the time to thank his beautiful wife and to express how much she supports him. what a great guy!

the day before was womens day. arthur had to run around a slew ot tv stations to congratulate women all over armenia... being a heart-throb is sure a hard job! he also made time to congratulate the special lady in his life with flowers and lots of hugs... and a dedication of his new album.

in other news, we have an event today at work and so i have decided to straighten my afro curls into a more presentable hairdo... for those of you who have seen me... you may be wondering... who i have found to straighten these curls... i must say i am not sure if it can be done... but am off to the hairdressers to find out.

I tried to log yesterday and the damn thing expired so here I go again. Women's day was really nice, my work colleagues gave me a huge bunch of flowers, it was so sweet. Armenians really do love their flowers.

On a different note, while I was resting outside of my work yesterday, this babig (old man) came up from behind and so all he could see was the back of my head and asked "akhchig jan, hayeren gartoum es?" "girlie, do you read Armenian?" Now how did this man know to ask me that question? He hadn't even seen my face. Anyway I looked up, saw that he was selling thick books which would have taken me years to read and I responded "no". there was no reaction on the man's face like it was no surprise that I couldn't read and moved away.

Oh yeah Austrian Airlines have increased their flights from Vienna to Yerevan due to increased demand to 4 flights a week from April 5, yeah more visitors.

Lastly I'm sorry I missed the premiere last night for Artur's new video, and hope to see the taped video real soon. Sorry Madlene, I was too busy reading the National Geographic's story on Armenia, it's a great article.

Alright, so my women's day was great. I worked in the garden for hours, making a lot of progress. Then in the afternoon I went to have a bite with Lena, and was telling her all I had to do that afternoon was meet up with Ashod to transfer 35 gigs of scanned files from my computer to his new hardrive. Lena said all she had to do was buy some floppy's to get Ashod some digital pictures... so it sounded like he was working like crazy to fill up his 160 gig hardrive as soon as possilbe. After eating we went into my favorite computer store where who do we see but Ashod. Lena says "HEY, TALIBAN" (his nickname) and of course everyone in the store stares alternatively at him, then us. We got everything we needed, then Ashod and I headed to my place for the big transfer. It took a couple of hours, and was interrupted by a half second power outage (all too common) which rebooted my computer, but I got him everything necessary.

Back to the restaurant. As I was saying, a lot of people seem to be keeping the traditional lenten diet (vegan) this year, and I am seeing businesses actually respond to this. A few restaurants I have been to have had seperate lenten menus, with items especially added for this season. It is great to see, and I am sure that next year there will be much more, since businesses here tend to copy each other a lot. So maybe next year I will give the full diet a shot - but so far this year it has been easy to give up meat. Yesterday I took a hard to find chocolate to work for the girls keeping lent. It does not have milk, and uses cocoa butter, so it is perfectly alright for them. They were quite happy!

Next week will be the USAID "retreat", although after office-wide voting, we decided to have our retreat right here in central Yerevan and stay at our homes rather than go off to Sevan. I have never been to a work retreat, so it should be interesting.

Another bit of news I meant to write about, but keep forgetting is the student protests. A couple of weeks back the government was introducing a new law on the military draft, which would remove exemptions for grad/phd students. There were relatively large student protests (a few thousand protestors), and believe it or not the bill was withdrawn. The officials said it had not gone through enough public scrutiny yet to be considered. That is a big step for democracy here. A new precedent has been set. I know, some people only like to focus on the negative, so sorry for spreading the good news :-)

Tonight I will play RISK again, lets see if I fare any better...

what a week !
Lara had organized a great event to celebrate the International Women’s Day. This all started when we received a grant from the Canadian Government to hold a training seminar on Gender issues at the Sociology Department of the Yerevan State University. This was done in June of 2003. That action led to a group of MA students to get together with Lara and start a new women’s center within the university. This center, now called Ganayk Hayots (women of Armenia) held its first event. They organized a collective art exhibition at the Chamber theatre near Madenataran. At the opening there were over 200 people. Some had to leave because there was literally no room to stand. The organizing committee was composed of both diasporan (Canadian, American, and Lebanese) and local young women. They received a lot of news coverage. The point of the exhibition was not to criticize or change the way things are here in Armenia, but to simply offer women artists (professional or amateur) to freely express themselves. I am very proud of my wife for actually rolling up her sleeves and diving into such a complex challenge. Of course I, as well as many other friends, was put to work to help with the set up. But we didn’t mind.

Today, we began the second week of our Russian classes. We hold them at our place. There are seven of us. It’s a nice way to fill your time. We have lots of laughs... Sylvie is in our group.

Happy International Women's Day!

A great excuse for a 3-day weekend if ever there was one. It has been a cool weekend, but not freezing. The week should be nice and warm. I have been taking care of errands, hanging out with friends, catching up on sleep and relaxing so far. Today I will either do some more of the same, plus gardening, or get out of town for the day.

My guys have built the bars for the windows where I plan to move to. I have been moving non-essentials there on my way to work - I will be cutting down my 15 minute walk to work in half when I move. A lot still needs to be moved, including my cable service. Outdoors, buds are sprouting, bulbs are in bloom, and spring is pretty much here, so I need to start on the garden. Meanwhile I am making some progress on the Rediscovering Armenia text, but don't feel it is nearly enough.

Here are some interesting numbers from the census on residents of Armenia born abroad:

Azerbaijan - 115,689
Georgia - 66,796
NKR - 29,271
Russia - 29,077
Iran - 15,999
Syria - 5,345
Ukraine - 4,295
Turkey - 3,242

Just recently I discovered that Armenia has a negative population growth rate, which currently stands at approximately -0.07%. This is not that surprising, considering the unemployment rate, widespread poverty and emigration this nation has experienced since Independence.

Then I heard a story on the news that defies this statistic: A family in Yerevan just had their 10th child. Can you imagine having 10 children? Naturally, my relatives (who were watching the news with me) and I were ecstatic for this woman, who claimed that, God willing, she would have even more children. My relatives decided to find this woman to congratulate her with a gift for her heroism. After contacting the television station, followed by a visit to the hospital where the newborn was delivered, we finally found a contact phone number for the family.

Yesterday my aunt and I decided to call them for a short visit. They did not have a phone of their own and the phone number we had actually belonged to the neighbours. The mother was surprised when we called her, and she couldn't quite understand why we wanted to meet her, but she still said we were more than welcome to come by. (By the way, we were the first people to call to congratulate them, she said.)

The entire family of 12 lives in a small home with two small rooms just outside of the center of Yerevan. (We learned that one of the children was sick when she was two and passed away.) The 9 children, their parents, and (of course) the father's mother, all live in this small home. The dad has transformed the upstairs into a workshop for his woodwork, and they all live downstairs.

What a bunch of awesome kids Haigoush (the mother) has. The oldest son is currently serving in the military, so we didn't get a chance to meet him as well as the eldest daughter.

It was a short visit, but I'm hoping to visit again soon.

I don't think anyone can deny that this is definitely a heroic act. The pride this family has is just astonishing. They don't have much in the form of material things, but they seem so happy. They are very committed to their Armenian heritage, and even the grandmother mentioned that all the boys are always ready to defend their country if they need to (even the little ones).

If anyone reading this would like to help this family in any way possible, whether by giving them clothing, money, toys, or anything else that might be of any help to them, please email me and I will definitely assist in any way I can.

Please write to armoaid@yahoo.com

Here is a picture I took of 5 of the children. (from the left) the super-energetic Robert, Datevik, Ardash, newborn Bella, and Laura.

Foreign cars are so expensive in Armenia, just look at this site for some prices www.avtoshuka.am, not that I'm looking at purchasing one, in fact I'm still waiting to find out if I'm staying or going.

The discussion on the Diaspora logs has gotten me to think about issues of tolerance and civility. I was looking for an appropriate quote to post, because tolerance is an issue that we deal with in Armenia everyday. Diversity in ideas--especially those that threaten the status quo and the people who control the status quo is not an easy feat to achieve, but a necessary one. If Armenia is ever to move forward, we Armenians must understand that. This also includes things that are seemingly not relevant to the "Armenian reality" but in fact affect our daily lives, because we must deal with these realities frequently, and all of these issues inform our choices and our disposition when it comes to our actions directly relevant to Armenia. I came across the following:

"Becoming human is becoming individual, and we become individual under the guidance of cultural patterns...which give form, order, point, and direction to our lives....[But] we must...descend into detail, past the misleading tags, past the metaphysical types, past the empty similarities, to grasp firmly the essential character of not only the various cultures but the various sorts of individuals within each culture, if we wish to encounter humanity face to face."

--Clifford Geerts, The Interpretation of Culture

I finally saw one of the movies from the African American series on Friday night called "Finding Forrester" which I enjoyed. This was followed by Arcada a new joint on Terian street to check out the Dali room, quite tastefully decorated with very comfortable seating. It is a 3 level cafe? with Japanese theme on top level, a cafe for middle level and the Dali room in the basement. This again was followed by yet another new joint called "Bunker" a lounge playing both rap music and a violent movie on a very expensive flat screen TV.

Saturday night, I enjoyed a very relaxing dinner with my consultants who had completed their projects in Armenia on youth issues. I have learnt so much from these consultants on various fields and thoroughly enjoy my work. The nice relaxinf dinner was followed by Latino Fiesta or something at Astral Club. I had not been there for over a year and now I know why. The place is so smoky with no ventilation and quite disgusting actually.

Sunday morning was spent at Madlene's house for scrumptious breakfast with her daddy, followed by a cabaret show at camera tadron and dinner on Proshian street (BBQ street).

I am also in the process of reading 3 books all at once, Fugitive pieces by Anne Michaels, a Grisham book in French and a teach yourself Spanish book. I can't seem to get into any of them at the moment.

Jermuk was absolutely beautiful, but I will let the picture do the talking for me. It seemed every direction you turned was worthy of a postcard. The temprature was not bad, despite all the snow, and the resort town was undergoing a building boom. Every single hotel and spa was being remodeled. There are at least a dozen large ones, and they were all being done by local investors, and primarily targeting local customers. Two of them were really beautiful buildings which were completely gutted and redone, while the others were undergoing various levels of lighter work. Non-hotel buildings were being converted as well to hotels. This to me was perhaps the greatest sign yet that Armenia is starting to boom internally. People are not worried about putting large amounts of into business here, and some people have enough disposable income to spend $20-$100 a night on a hotel room. Once all the hot mineral baths are done, the place just needs a ski lift and it will be amazing all year round, and much better than it ever was in Soviet times.