Jam-Packed Yerevan

Maneuvering through crowds on the sidewalks and dodging cars in the streets has become an artform in Armenia. Sometimes I’ll test them and walk straight at them… like chicken… just to see if they move out of your way. They don’t.

So I’ve had a while to settle, and I’m getting there. I spend the days working and nights with friends. I am enjoying my summer and good for me.

The protest at the hrabarag made me feel like I was back in DC. That was nice. It was a great way to spend my birthday, especially by sharing my support for Ambassador Evans.

Another great moment in the hrabarag this week was the Meg Azg Meg Mshagouyt closing ceremonies last night of which I caught the end. I met up with the mass group of diasporans dominating the middle of the hrabarag just in time to see the end of Andre’s set and then the fireworks explode. WOW! I’ve seen fireworks, even in Yerevan. But the feeling of thousands of Armenians gathered in the center of Yerevan, and there you are with all your friends in the dead center having a blast was amazing.

Lots of diasporans continue to filter into Yerevan this week, including fellow blogger Shooshig Avakian. She’s planning a blogger party since so many of us are here. I just had coffee with Raffi K, Shoosh and Der Hova. Earlier I had dinner with Meneshian and ran into Alex and Madlene at the restaurant. I also finally met a commenter Harmick who seemed quite disappointed by the England vs. Portugal game. Sorry dude.

On that note, there are CRAZY World Cup fans out on the streets. Yerevan is like one big outdoor sports bar. Every night feels like the biggest barahandes with everyone just lounging around. People are roaming, laughing, eating, drinking, kefing, and running into each other on the streets.

Surreal moment of the day: I was sitting with my fellow bloggers at a café when I got a call from Meneshian who handed the phone over to someone who wanted to talk to me. It was Ara Gevorgyan. I did some work for him over email last year, but never met in person. So I hopped over to Hin Yerevan where they were, and as I walked in, I heard the other café across the street playing one of his songs. I entered and said hello, chatted, and he was pulled outside on the balcony for a moment to hear his song playing. It was surreal. He’s such a nice guy and very humble. And now I’m seeing him on TV on Armenian Idol or whatever it’s called. Small town.

Tomorrow, I am traveling with the AYF interns to Garni and Geghard, but should make it back in time for Edelle Hovnanian’s big bash tomorrow night at Vahakni. Also, I apologize, I do have photos of lots of this stuff, but my connection is still very weak and it's difficult to upload. When I find the right connection, EVERYTHING is going up. EVERYTHING. This includes photos of Bambir, Nuné, a fashion show, the protest, Sonya Varoujian, trips with Birthright and AYF to Haghpat, Sanahin, Khorvirap, Noravank, the AIPRG conference, you name it. It's all sitting on my desktop waiting to upload. :(