Things
I've continued on this obsessive path lately on going to Armenia (as if I ever stopped). Part of it was sparked when my dad showed me the construction photos of our apartment complex in Yerevan. I suppose seeing it made it reality to me. I was also checking out construction on Northern Avenue, old ones, but I'm curious when they expect to finish it. Anyone? Anyone?
Otherwise, it is a quiet summer. Sorta boring if you ask me. But there are a couple things happening. This weekend is the last chance to see Beast on the Moon and sadly I wont be able to go. Two Genocide Resolutions are out there and may be put to a vote very soon. More on this soon, I'm sure. A good friend is in town, Ara Sudjian who won the award for Best Music Video. He a major talent and humble guy. I love knowing people like this are out there raising the bar for their field within the community. Visitors always have a way of getting us locals off our butts and out into the social scene. I've been a bit of a hermit lately and it was nice going out to dinner with friends last night. That, and the weather has been absolutely unbearable. The temperatures are okay... in the 90°s (F). But the humidity has left us all sleepy and disgusted. I feel like I have to swim to my car every day. And it hasn't gone below like 60% humidity for weeks. Eww.
AYF Olympics is around the corner, which means weekly meetings and the chaos of frantic planning. But I started to get psyched the other night. I was driving by the hotel and got the chills, as I do every August leading up to Olympics... the calm before the storm. There's something about the atmosphere of the hotel when all these Armenians come in from all over the world and congregate in the lobby, at the bar, around the corner, in the halls... like we take over the block. For folks in LA, it might mean much, but you feel it when it takes place in a city that isn'’t so familiar to so many Armenians.
The uniqueness of Olympics is the community. It's where everyone knows your name. All these faces are people I've met through so many experiences in my life, and they come together in one place that one weekend out of the year. It starts to expose the intricate web network of who knows who and from where... the 2 degrees of separation applies thoroughly here. Many people know each other from Camp Haiastan or AYF. But there are so many groups of summer interns from all sorts of programs that reunite at Olympics... the ANCA interns, Interns from Armenia, etc. All the people who go to Armenia during the summer share their stories and run into people they met there. It's a beautiful thing, a perfect cap on the summer before we all go back to work/school/lives. I realize Olympics may have a different reputation out there, but there are so many quaint little things that happen that draws every generation. And sometimes it's nice to just come together and enjoy the simplicity of competition among friends, good entertainment, and each others' company.
Otherwise, it is a quiet summer. Sorta boring if you ask me. But there are a couple things happening. This weekend is the last chance to see Beast on the Moon and sadly I wont be able to go. Two Genocide Resolutions are out there and may be put to a vote very soon. More on this soon, I'm sure. A good friend is in town, Ara Sudjian who won the award for Best Music Video. He a major talent and humble guy. I love knowing people like this are out there raising the bar for their field within the community. Visitors always have a way of getting us locals off our butts and out into the social scene. I've been a bit of a hermit lately and it was nice going out to dinner with friends last night. That, and the weather has been absolutely unbearable. The temperatures are okay... in the 90°s (F). But the humidity has left us all sleepy and disgusted. I feel like I have to swim to my car every day. And it hasn't gone below like 60% humidity for weeks. Eww.
AYF Olympics is around the corner, which means weekly meetings and the chaos of frantic planning. But I started to get psyched the other night. I was driving by the hotel and got the chills, as I do every August leading up to Olympics... the calm before the storm. There's something about the atmosphere of the hotel when all these Armenians come in from all over the world and congregate in the lobby, at the bar, around the corner, in the halls... like we take over the block. For folks in LA, it might mean much, but you feel it when it takes place in a city that isn'’t so familiar to so many Armenians.
The uniqueness of Olympics is the community. It's where everyone knows your name. All these faces are people I've met through so many experiences in my life, and they come together in one place that one weekend out of the year. It starts to expose the intricate web network of who knows who and from where... the 2 degrees of separation applies thoroughly here. Many people know each other from Camp Haiastan or AYF. But there are so many groups of summer interns from all sorts of programs that reunite at Olympics... the ANCA interns, Interns from Armenia, etc. All the people who go to Armenia during the summer share their stories and run into people they met there. It's a beautiful thing, a perfect cap on the summer before we all go back to work/school/lives. I realize Olympics may have a different reputation out there, but there are so many quaint little things that happen that draws every generation. And sometimes it's nice to just come together and enjoy the simplicity of competition among friends, good entertainment, and each others' company.
posted by Arsineh at 7:13 PM
15 Comments:
Old pics of Northern Avenue? Or old buildings on Northern Avenue?
The first two new buildings on the Tumanyan side should be done by the end of this year, the rest (about 10 buildings) ... supposedly by the end of next year. The Abovyan side (between Aviatrans Hotel and the State Museum) has not been torn down yet, and I think that will happen some time next year. So there's still a while to go for the complete "Northern Avunue" project to be completed ... maybe 2007?
Arsineh where's the building you guys bought an apartment in?
I was checking out the photos on www.armeniadiaspora.com of the construction which I saw up there I think a couple months ago. I know, I'm very impatient, that's old for me. Can't wait til it's ready. I remember when they tore down my favorie Lahmajun stand on Toumanyan. Nothing has compared since. That old woman took care of me every day.
We bought an apt. in Masisavan right by Cascade. I'm very lucky and have wonderful parents. :) It should be ready by Spring 2007, but I'll be there WAY before then.
Oh yes Arsineh I know the Masisavan project. I have a couple of friends from Toronto that bought apartments there.
There's actually been a better Lahmajun place than Mer Tagh@ on Tumanyan?
Hey, if you ever want to see new pics of Northern Avenue or other construction projects in the center let me know, I'm very camera happy, especially when it comes to this stuff.
A apartment is Yerevan, you’re practically repatriated Arsineh. What a wonderful feeling, I bet you can’t wait to see the new pad once it’s finally finished.
D.C./Richmond in the summertime! I can almost DRINK the air! Sounds like someone needs some Ararat! I looked at the label on the bottle I have, and it's all in English, with the name of the export company on the back. I found out why we might have Ararat brandy available in Richmond VA: it seems that one of the top guys on the Virginia ABC Board was Armenian.
Sounds like you are as busy as I am these days! But you at least have nice fresh new digs being built for you in Yerevan! Good luck with the Olympics, and try to get some rest! Vacation is up next for me after the weekend! 2 & 1/2 weeks away from the office out in Yellowstone and other parts nearby and not so near-by!
Lee
Der Hova, you should do a monthly posting of construction photos so we can see the progress. :) Ok, now I'm obsessing. Masisavan... a lot of my parents' friends bought apartments there, mostly barskahyes from DC and barskastan. I'm interested in seeing who else our neighbors will be. Bring on the Canadians! Hagop, it definitely is a wonderful feeling, I keep laying out the room setup in my head. Lee... bring on the Ararat. The ABC board guy being Armenian makes sense. That's always the way, right?
Monthly postings? I would do it. I'm obsessed enough with staring at these new buildings every time I pass by them, so posting the pics on a site wouldn't be a bad idea. :-)
Masisavan ... well ya, it's going to be mostly Iranian-Armenians. My friends from Canada who bought apartments there are as well. You know how it is, they all stick together ... the builder is one ... so naturally all the people who buy from there are as well. It's too bad those barriers still exist in our race.
Apparently the complex right next to it is all Beirutzi. I may have to be the bridge between the buildings. I think the barriers are funny. I've been strangely positioned in both... grew up in the barskahye community, but was emersed in the AYF (typically all the others, mostly Beirutzi) and sorta identify with them a bit more in a strange way. The funniest thing is that both sides have the same criticisms of each other. But those barriers aren't even really barriers anymore, at least around here. I love our differences... and love making fun of them, as long as the haterism is left at the door.
Arsineh you are talking about the "Windows To Ararat" (Lebanese-Armos HQ) (www.windowstoararat.am) project, right?
It's Anto Boghossian's project, which is next to "Masisavan" (Iranian-Armos HQ) (www.masisavan.com).
I suppose the barriers in the Diaspora have greatly shrunk, but over here they are VERY obvious. Armenians from Arab countries hang out together, the Iranian Armenians have their own circles, the American Armenians their own, and so on. Can't wait for it to all disappear one day, along with all the Arabic, Russian, Persian, English and Turkish words we mix into our language.
Totally agree Der Hova.
No, the barriers exist, I suppose I just choose to ignore them. But the idea is that enough mixing goes on that I can ignore the divides.
There are your typical clusters of people who associate with the familiar. In LA, you can clearly see the divides... Glendale - Iranahyes, Pasedena - Beirutahyes, etc. On the East Coast, it's a little different. Each community has a little of each. Washington has it's Amerigahyes, Beirutahyes, Souryahyes, Barskahyes, etc., as do all the other cities. Sometime you'll see groups living in particular neighborhoods, but for the most part everyone is spread around. On some levels, those divides are very obvious. But on other levels, not at all. Most of the time, I forget who's what until they bust out some obvious "gor-gor" comment or the other way around. What I do love is when the Beirutahyes make fun of me for my Barskahyeness, mostly because it's really funny. I really do love all the unique characteristics. There's a girl from Glendale who is soooo barskahye, she sings when she speaks English. But she laughs at the jokes, too, and I think we all should. I make fun of the Beirutzis too... but that's too easy. ;)
I remember one time, I was having dinner with a group of people and we realized we had people there representing all groups: Hayastansi, Barskahye, Beirutahye, Souryahye, Yekiptahye, Amerigahye, and another, I forget. But it was kinda cool seeing Armenians dispersed into all parts of the world, still coming together. It happens enough that I forget the divides, but perhaps this is only in my little world. I feel sorry for everyone else outside of that world.
I'm gonna add to that. Sadly the very obvious divide on the East Coast is between churches and organizations. It's rare to see people who even KNOW Armenians from "the other side." It's even more bizarre when you see someone feel uncomforable to talk to an Armenian from "the other side" because of all the tension. If I didn't know any better, I'd think we are each other's worst enemy. But the thing I love about being in Armenia is that for the most part, those differences are left behind, possibly because people are more concerned with what country you came from. But here, the second I say I grew up in AYF, I'm automatically thrown into that label. Nevermind the work I've done with ALL the other organizations, all my friends throughout the community, etc. That's a divide I've found to be MOST difficult to break. However, one of my proudest moment was when I was directing the ANCA summer internship, we had a couple socials with the Assembly interns, and next thing I knew, they all became friends and hung out regularly. It wasn't so easy the year before. But that is definitely a barrier worthy of breaking.
Harout,
Since you're camera happy can I request you take a picture of something for me too? It's not as politically correct as "buildings" though.
IF you happen to spot the "Halebi nshanavor poz" can you PLEASE snap a pic of her? You don't have to post it just email it to Shoosh so she can frwd it to me and Maria (the girl fell on her ass at Meghedi TRYING to get a picture of her, meghk eh she deserves it)
Lor, Shoosh and I were at Meghedi a week ago and remembered Maria's fall. Remember the waiter ran up to our table and asked if the camera (which was sitting on the table) was okay even though Maria was on the floor?
By the way, I haven't seen her since last year. Maybe she's back in Haleb. Do you know about the transvestite poz that Shoosh, my cousin and I saw one night? That was HILARIOUS!
Ahh yes, that was a fun night at Meghedi indeed!
Shoosh told me about the transvestite kisherayin titerneeg with the guard dog. I wish I had seen that for myself!
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