Writing Again

I took quite an extended break from blogging, mostly because I didn't have too much to say. I hadn't left Armenia for a straight 9 months and I think I became part of the furniture in my office, thus had little to say worth reading. I'm now in Washington visiting my mother for her birthday and regaining some perspective on many things, mostly life in Armenia. After a year and a half living in Armenia this time around, so much has changed over that time, it seems clear now that Armenia is heading in a direction, but it's not clear what that direction is. My impression is that comfortable life is very slowly reaching more people. None the less, there's a long way to go.

Recently I went to visit my relatives living in Armenia. They are among the many Armenians from Iran who repatriated to Armenia in the 1940s. This is my grandmother's sister's family. One of them lives in a village outside Hoktemberyan where she lives as a farmer. I haven't had a chance to spend much time with them until now, but recently went on a Sunday with the whole family and realized what a difference living conditions make on the outcome of one's life. These are people with talent and drive, and it's clear that they are of the same blood, but fortune has not been on their side. Regardless, they are a proud and hard working bunch and somewhat exemplary in their determination to better their circumstances best they know how instead of waiting for someone to do it for them.

Otherwise in the US, as I suspected, the race for the white house dominates American media while Iranian President Ahmadinejad's visit to the UN is creating lots of controversy. On Armenian issues, it seems the genocide resolution is dragging along still. It's not clear when the resolution will go to a vote, but despite Pelosi's previous commitments to pushing the issue, she is not coming through. The pressure from the Turkish government is very heavy, even in the ADL controversy that continues to play out with regards to support on the resolution.

And finally, internet. We all know Armenia's internet isn't ideal, but after the monopoly was lifted last year, I was sure it would improve and become affordable. Well, it now seems it has gotten worse. For the office, we connected through ADC, a Norwegian Company, at high speed and at first got a decent connection for a mighty high price. The connection has become much worse as download time has quadrupled. I am only appreciating the strain this creates after being in the US and soaking up the good stuff. It truly makes a difference in doing business, especially with people who do business abroad. There is a serious need for internet improvement as business and economy continue to grow. We need the means to help it continue on this path, but we are only able to grow as far as our tools allow us to... cheap and fast internet... get it done... somebody.