Փետրվարի 28
Ինչպիսին է Երևանը 2007-ի ձմռան վերջին օրը`
- արևոտ ու սաաառը, հիմնականում գերակշռող գորշությամբ, բայց նաև
- մանուշակներով, ձնծաղիկներով ու լիքը ուրիշ ծաղիկներով ու դրանք վաճառող սառած ծաղկավաճառներով,
- ամենաքիչը չորս մուրացիկներով Աբովյանի վրա, որոնցից երկուսն անտարբեր նստած ծխում են, մեկը` քաղցր-մեղցր ձայնով հացի փող է մուրում, մյուսն էլ լուռ նստած` ուղղակի մեկնել է ձեռքը…
- աշխուժացող հյուրանոցով ու տեղացիներից տարբերվող դեմքերի բազմազանությամբ,
- առավոտյան ու կեսօրին Բաղրամյանի վրա մեքենաների խճողումով,
- բժշկի սենյակի դռան հետևում ցրտից ու դանդաղ հերթից դժգոհող հիվանդներով, ովքեր սենյակում կեղծ ժպիտում են ու անմիջապես համաձայնվում. “Հա, բժիշկ ջան”,
- Կիևյանի վրա բացված նոր վրացական խոհանոցով, որտեղ կարելի է հիշել մանկությունը` Կիկաբիձեի երգերի ջերմ ընկերակցությամբ,
- առանց արմավիրցի Ջիվան Հակոբյանի…
- երկարած ցերեկով` 6:47 է, իսկ դրսում դեռ լույս է
Մի խոսքով, հերթական օրերից մեկը:
posted by christina at 6:54 PM
5 Comments:
Jivan Hakobian@ shat vat hogebanakan vijaki mej e yeghel yerevi vor aydpisi kayli dimi. Yes chem karoghanum patkeracnel te inch@ indz kstiper inknahrkizman gnal. Indz hamar inknahrkizum@ amenatzayrahegh protest-i dzevn e.
Khorhrdayin jamanakneri khnayoghutyunner@ pahanjel@ mi kich antramabanakan pahanj e yev yes chem kartzum vor da er himnakan patjar@. Socialakan tzanr paymanner@ yev dranic bkhogh husahatutyun@ aveli tzanrakshir patjarner en. Anshusht, menk yerbek chenk imana te irakanum inch hogekan tvaytankner uner Paron Hakobian@.
Isk hima ov petk e hog tani ir @ntanikin? Ir tasnchorsamya vordin inchpes petk e lini patani yev tan tghamard@ miyevnuyn jamanak? Yes kuzeyi vor Jivan Hakobian@ ayd masin mi kich aveli khor@ mtatzatz liner yev ays tzayrahegh kaylin dimatz chliner. Bayc, cavok srti, dra hamar arden shat ush e.
One can only imagine how great the pain was for Jivan Hagopyan, God rest his soul, to have taken his life in such a horrible manner. What a tragedy, what a great loss for his family, friends, and the country. And the day after, another anguished man, God rest his soul, ended his life by jumping off a bridge in Yerevan. How many others have there been? Did no one hear or care to hear their cries?
I remember many years ago, in Chicago, two Hayastantsee DPs (Displaced Persons)were talking in our house. Both were family men. One was in total despair (planning to end his life) because he had lost a leg, was in poor health, and in economic difficulties, and the other, my father (who had survived Stalin's horrors as a political prisioner in Siberia, was also in poor health because of years of the tortures and deprivation he had endured in the prisons, as well as suffering a disabling accident, and who was economically not well off either), talked and talked and talked to the man, finally convincing his fellow Armenian not to take his life. My father kept talking to him, telling him, "...Think of your family, your wife, your children...things will not remain the same..."
Finally convinced by these words, the man did not go through with his plans. After some time had passed, he returned to our house to thank my father for having not given up on him, that he kept talking and talking to him.
The bigger question is that the system is so screwed that people have no hope. Whether they commit suicide or not is a separate issue. But, let's say, nobody committed any suicide out of hundreds of thousands Armenians in desperate or close to desperate conditions in Armenia. Who cares about them? Nobody. Some bastard Diasporans come for a summer or two, pay good money (still very low by American standards) for the housing in Yerevan, push the prices of housing ABSOLUTELY out of reach of majority of Hayastantsis, lock those apartments and houses and go. They do only what is advantageous to them. They often even blame the victims like that Jivan guy ("all these lazy Soviet people, used to just relying on the government"). The bastard Armenian government has no will, desire, or legitimacy to do something about it, and happily contributes to the same problem by building superexpensive "elite" neighborhoods, which are even more out of reach of the majority.
I bought a one-bedroom apartment for my sister's family in Ajapnyak (in the vicinity of the Republican Hospital) in 2001 for $4000 (all fees including). Out of my cent-by-cent saved graduate student stipend in the US (and the stipend was LESS than the legal American minimum wage). It was the last year of rock-bottom prices of housing in Yerevan. Now I would not be able to buy anything with that money, not a shitty one small room place anywhere in Yerevan. What caused that unbelievable price hike that happened in just 2-3 years? The economic "development" of Armenia? Don't be ridiculous and pathetic. The main cause is the outsider Armenians discovering this cheap market and moving in. And completely eliminating any hope for hundreds of thousands of Armenian citizens EVER to buy a place for their children...
Artashes, your anger is misplaced. It is not the fault of a Diasporan Armenian, or anyone willing to buy an apartment, that the Armenians in Armenia are unable to buy these apartments. Armenia is part of the free world and fortunately everyone is free to conduct business transactions. After all, these apartments are bought FROM Armenians meaning that an Armenian citizen makes a nice profit.
I don't know if anyone is to blame for the situation. The problem is the low level of personal income by the average Armenian citizen. Whose fault is it I don't know. The world is an unfair place and the nations that have not been colonizers are bound to have lower affluence than the ones who have pillaged other nations.
The monopolization of certain economic spheres by a handful of individuals, and massive corruption don't make things any better.You should direct your anger towards the governance in Armenia and not the Diasporans.
Nazarian,
What you say is only partly true. The "free world" and "free economy" argument is highly theoretical. Even the US, being the economic giant and having all the advantages of the superpower, doesn't think twice to screw the "free market" competition if its corporations will not benefit from it. So, first, get real.
Second, if Diasporan Armenians did not say anything about high patriotic feelings and "Motherland" and "Fatherland" but just get in, do whatever transactions they wanted, benefit from it, and pocket the profit, then I would say: "Ya, that's capitalism, they have the capital, they do whatever in their own interest". I would not agree with it but I would not blame them. Then my blame would be squarely on the Armenian government that does not defend the national interest of Armenia against any theoretical dogmas of "free market".
But professing "patriotism" and NOT caring about the actual homeland and the com"patriot"s, not asking yourself if your actions do the damage to the beloved "patria" - is highly hypocritical, is absolutely unpatriotic, and will invariably cause the justified resentment and indignation of Armenian citizens.
P.S. I specifically mentioned SOME Diasporans in my original remark. I do not generalize to all of them. There are wonderful and dignified and respectful people in the Diaspora, just as there are scums and bastards. And the same is true for Armenia, of course.
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