Arina, that's awesome! I love it. :-)
The most I've done (a couple of times) is picked up an empty pack, in front of their eyes, and put it in the trash can. Sad part is that there aren't a lot of trash cans in the city. I know it's not a good excuse, considering most of the time I put small garbage in my pocket till I find one, but the city really needs it.
Anyway ...
One of the top singers in Russia, Philip Kirkorov, is supposed to come to Yerevan for a concert in April. Recently, he made some nasty racial remarks to an Armenian journalist, and so this journalist is planning on taking it to court. He’s also known to be quite pro-Turkish. Sadly, the guy is half Armenian himself (his dad Bedros is the Armenian parent.) Over 30 youth organizations in Armenia, including the AYF, have been protesting for the past few days, trying to convince the organizers of the event to pullout on this concert. Today, the vice-Mayor of Yerevan, Arman Sahakian, was on the news saying that the concert would still be taking place (even though the idiot singer is a disgrace to Armenians.) Later, I read on the news that the vice-Mayor is actually the organizer and promoter of this concert. UGH!!! The youth organizations have promised a "surprise" for Philip when he arrives. :-)
Other than that, I just found out that a family that had recently moved here from Toronto will be moving back. Unfortunately, they couldn't find good paying work to live here comfortably. This sort of thing happens, and sadly, most of these people move back to where they’re originally from, and all the rumours start spreading. (You guys all know the game "pss-pss telephone right? I bet you an Armenian invented it.) These people move back, and all the Armenians of that community start saying, "Look what happened to 'so and so', they couldn't live there." And so everyone else gets scared to make that same move.
A couple of days ago I met up with one of my relatives visiting from Syria. She mentioned that she knows quite a few Armenians from Aleppo that are planning on moving here soon. With all the tension that is taking place in Syria and Lebanon right now this is only going to stimulate that move more.
The problem here is that, if repatriates aren't well off, and they just make the move thinking everything will be alright, they almost always end up being disappointed. Finding an inexpensive rental apartment in Yerevan isn't always easy. Finding a good paying job? Well … no comment. Starting a business can also be a problem, considering renting commercial spots are also very expensive.
Moving to Armenia takes a lot of thinking, but, in my opinion, it's completely necessary for us to survive as a race.
Diaspora Armenians can really help Armenia in more ways than just sending money over. I've always said that mingling with the locals is always very important. Walking into Sam and Stepan’s Square One restaurant really proves this. Although you could rarely find a table to sit at, it's great to see Armenians from all over the world gathered under one roof. Am I being cheesy? Am I expressing my thoughts well? I don't know really. I just think that something as simple as Square One really creates that social progression our youth strives for, and undoubtedly needs.
Time to sleep.
The most I've done (a couple of times) is picked up an empty pack, in front of their eyes, and put it in the trash can. Sad part is that there aren't a lot of trash cans in the city. I know it's not a good excuse, considering most of the time I put small garbage in my pocket till I find one, but the city really needs it.
Anyway ...
One of the top singers in Russia, Philip Kirkorov, is supposed to come to Yerevan for a concert in April. Recently, he made some nasty racial remarks to an Armenian journalist, and so this journalist is planning on taking it to court. He’s also known to be quite pro-Turkish. Sadly, the guy is half Armenian himself (his dad Bedros is the Armenian parent.) Over 30 youth organizations in Armenia, including the AYF, have been protesting for the past few days, trying to convince the organizers of the event to pullout on this concert. Today, the vice-Mayor of Yerevan, Arman Sahakian, was on the news saying that the concert would still be taking place (even though the idiot singer is a disgrace to Armenians.) Later, I read on the news that the vice-Mayor is actually the organizer and promoter of this concert. UGH!!! The youth organizations have promised a "surprise" for Philip when he arrives. :-)
Other than that, I just found out that a family that had recently moved here from Toronto will be moving back. Unfortunately, they couldn't find good paying work to live here comfortably. This sort of thing happens, and sadly, most of these people move back to where they’re originally from, and all the rumours start spreading. (You guys all know the game "pss-pss telephone right? I bet you an Armenian invented it.) These people move back, and all the Armenians of that community start saying, "Look what happened to 'so and so', they couldn't live there." And so everyone else gets scared to make that same move.
A couple of days ago I met up with one of my relatives visiting from Syria. She mentioned that she knows quite a few Armenians from Aleppo that are planning on moving here soon. With all the tension that is taking place in Syria and Lebanon right now this is only going to stimulate that move more.
The problem here is that, if repatriates aren't well off, and they just make the move thinking everything will be alright, they almost always end up being disappointed. Finding an inexpensive rental apartment in Yerevan isn't always easy. Finding a good paying job? Well … no comment. Starting a business can also be a problem, considering renting commercial spots are also very expensive.
Moving to Armenia takes a lot of thinking, but, in my opinion, it's completely necessary for us to survive as a race.
Diaspora Armenians can really help Armenia in more ways than just sending money over. I've always said that mingling with the locals is always very important. Walking into Sam and Stepan’s Square One restaurant really proves this. Although you could rarely find a table to sit at, it's great to see Armenians from all over the world gathered under one roof. Am I being cheesy? Am I expressing my thoughts well? I don't know really. I just think that something as simple as Square One really creates that social progression our youth strives for, and undoubtedly needs.
Time to sleep.
posted by Der Hova at 1:54 AM
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