On Aspersions and Celestial Diversions

So, there are a fair few things an outsider finds strange in this country. Of course, that is true for any country, any foreign society, but, as an Armenian, you would think that your idea of "normal" would pass just fine in Armenia. We all know only too well, however, that that is not true. At all.

Sigh...

Case in point: this ancient practice of "spreading water around". Have you noticed how, just randomly, in the day, someone - usually a middle-aged lady - just gets up and spreads water around a shop or café or wherever ? I never quite understood it. What is the point of that, exactly ? The most common method to undertake this act is to dip a broom in a bucket of water and then just fling the broom around. Controlled flings, I grant you, but quite pointless, in my opinion, all the same. The more advanced water-spreaders have, in recent years, taken to using hoses. Progress.

Now, if the water had some miuron in it (chrism/holy oil), that would make perfect sense and would certainly get my approval. Every pavement in the country would be constantly blessed, and that would probably ultimately make us the most pious nation on the planet. Such is not the case, however.

Another thing I am far from comprehending around here is this obsession with putting on a fireworks display every other night. And it's always the exact, same fireworks. Always. The exact same. This is not an exaggeration, even when I say "every other night".

I had some friends with me during Independence Day last year, and, where they come from, there's this huge, HUGE fireworks display during New Year's, lasting perhaps hours on end, or whatever... On our September 21st last year - fifteenth anniversary and all - we had a real "treat", in that there were four fireworks sets going off simultaneously. Four of them, exactly the same, being over and done with within five minutes. It was a bit embarrassing.

Last night was the real kicker, though. It's almost ten pm and I can see some bright blasts in the distance. This is Yerevan, late June, however, so you know what that means... It's still daylight! Oh, okay, more like twilight, but it looked utterly ridiculous, putting on a fireworks display without waiting for the Sun to go down...!

Welcome to Europe

Reading yesterdays 4 headlines on Armenialiberty.org, it was interesting to see that three were related to our immediate Turkic neighbors (and their bad relations - or should I say lack of relations - with us) and one with our more distant neighbors... the EU and the Council of Europe. In the near term, it is the Turks that have our fuller attention, but in the long run, certainly, the latter will grow a great deal in importance. The article was on Armenia's integrations with Europe, both legally and organizationally. I know people will think I'm crazy for saying it, but in 15 years, if Armenia is not an EU member, it will at the very least be on the verge. I have traveled extensively in Armenia, Western Armenia and in Turkey, and let me tell you that Armenia as a whole is much more European and closer to meeting any and all of Europe's criteria to enter than Turkey ever has been. I think it is quite likely Armenia will enter the EU before or at the same time as Turkey, though I am sure they'll both make it in. How can I say Armenia will enter in a mere 15 years, when it just had elections with so much vote buying, etc? Well just look at Armenia 15 years ago, then look at it 15 years before that. 30 years ago, in 1977, it was part of an "invincible" Soviet Union. It was impossible for us to have independence from such a superpower, right? 15 years ago, in 1992, Armenia had seen that superpower collapse, independence come, a massive earthquake, a devastating war and blockade, and a completely, utterly destroyed economy. There was no industry, production or jobs. Over the last 15 years that situation took its toll with massive emigration, corruption, poverty, etc... but now, a great deal has again changed, construction, IT and tourism are booming, the culture here is become more open and western, and people are all amazed at how quickly the turnaround happened. So it hardly seems like a stretch to think that in 15 years, Armenia will have simply continued to progress and develop, enough to have entered the EU. So, those are my rambling thoughts on that topic.

In the other articles, Armenia again told Turkey it should open it's borders, the Tashnags said we should not return any land to Azerbaijan, and the European soccer group (UEFA) has decided to cancel the matches between Armenia and Azerbaijan because Azerbaijan refuses to let Armenians come to Azerbaijan. Instead, each team just gets zero points for each of the two matches. I think this is another injustice Armenia is being forced to endure. If Armenia is willing to play and host, Azerbaijan should lose a point for each game. Why is Europe allowing sports to be held hostage by these nationalist, racist, colonialists?

And on a much lighter note, a few recent pictures from my flickr page:

Pictures!

Well in case you're wondering about how sturdy the memory cards on these digital cameras are, mine survived the drop down the cliffs of eshu dzor (donkey gorge) in Yenokavan/Lastiver Canyon. The first two pics are from that trip (the camera has been recovered!). The last picture is from last night, the Fete de la musique... with live music being played outdoors in a bunch of venues in central Yerevan...

My first update...

So it's been over 2 months since I actually moved to Armenia, and after a few speed bumps, I'm now ALMOST "smooth sailing". Where to begin...??? Well when I first moved here, I moved into a VERY temporary (meaning, extremely cheap) apartment in "quartal". (Ok, so most people don't even know where that is... let's just say, it's part of the last buildings you see before getting to Vahakni). Yes, the place was on the 8th floor (and of course, my luck, the elevator stopped working a week later), and it didn't have hot water... nor did it have a kitchen. For anyone who knows me even a little bit... you know how difficult it would be for me to not have a kitchen-- so just imagine! Anyhow, this place became a bit more than temporary-- since the house we had bought was not completed... and after long debate, it is now once again (for better or for worse) property of the builder--not mine.

This left me homeless. :) I set out to find the "Geent" and went searching for apartments... When I read the blogs about housing in Yerevan, all I could do was shrug and smile, because I too was on that boat... looking for a long-term place to rent, which used to be a lot easier before, but not when landlords are looking to make daily rates, rather than monthly ones. So, finally I found a place in the city, and I am paying A LOT more than I should be-just because the guy let me stay here for the summer, while no other landlord would even consider it. Hopefully, something more logical will be available AFTER the summer craze. Atleast, if nothing works out... I bought a car a few weeks ago--- that can be my last resort :) haha

During this whole housing mess, my job search continues. Although I've been to a few interviews, there is really one job that I am hoping with all my heart to get... I even went all the way to Keghart this past weekend, praying that this job prospect ends my job hunt. I know, I know... nobody said it was easy! But hey, I believe I will end up where I can make the most difference.... it's just, the clock is ticking! :)

So, now I'm sitting in my "way too expensive" apartment, enjoying the cable internet the former renter had installed (and I only have to pay 5000 dr. a month for), with a bowl of "toot" next to me, working on a project I started back in the day when I used to have free time... I've read 5 novels since I've been here, and baked almost every cake in my "cute-cakes" book. In general, adjusting to life in Armenia hasn't been all that difficult, since it really feels like I never even left! :)

Cheers! (with my toot--whose cousins are well on their way to becomming tooti ogh)

TSUH :)~

I've waited 13 years for this!

Before I get to the 13 years thing, a couple notes. I'm glad we have another addition to the repat community. There are many close friends leaving soon who have been here from 5 months to 15 months, so we're happy to welcome more people. Welcome Tamar. I should also mention that there are also more people who unexpectedly spent a lot of time here last year/this year who went to the US and are scheduled to return to Armenia this summer. Keep 'em coming... I have another blog for this later.

Okay, crazy week. I'm trying to wrap up a gazillion projects right now to safely and comfortably take two weeks off. What could be the occasion for such a thing, you ask? Drum roll please............ my PARENTS ARE COMING!!!

What's the big deal? Well, anyone and everyone who knows my Dad knows that the true Armenia exists predominantly a 30 kilometer radius around my father. He has one of the biggest Armenian libraries East of the Mississippi, probably one of the biggest Armenian Stamp collections (including other countries' stamps with an Armenian theme), a ridiculously massive art collection, and refuses to throw ANYTHING out that has a single Armenian letter on it. Many don't know this, but he might also have the largest blog in the world. No one would know it because he's sadly not interested in publishing it online, so it sits on his computer in word document format. By the way, he's reading every word of this because he reads every Armenian related website for at least 4-5 hours every night.

Here's the kicker... he's never been to Armenia. The Armenian Ambassador to the US himself has been pushing him to come... my father tried using the excuse of "they wont give me a visa" on him. The Ambassador laughed. Well, he has his 10-year visa, his plane ticket, fellow doctors to cover him while he's gone, a place to stay, a wife to guide him (otherwise he'd get lost... the man can't travel alone) and a daughter to visit.

My Mom on the other hand, she's been here... in 1989 on behalf of the ARS to do relief work after the Earthquake. She came here for 2 weeks. I think she's in for a surprising change of scenery.

I have been waiting for this moment since the first time I stepped foot in Armenia in 1994. All I can remember feeling throughout that trip was, 'I wish my parents could see this.' Every stone I saw, every corner I turned was most interesting through imagining it in their eyes. To this day, I've allowed them to live vicariously through me. They bought an apartment without ever seeing the land. They have friends who visit and come to tell stories and current events. In two days, Armenia and Armenia will come together.

Of course, my parents never do anything without having a good excuse to give everyone... they are also here for Kojian's mentioned Conference. God forbid they come just to be here. I hope he has a talk with those doctors that misdiagnosed me.

Oh yeah, and new camera equipment comes with them. YAY!

Moving to Armenia

Hi everyone. So this is officially my first blog! I guess I should introduce myself... my name is Tamar (actually Tamara but I go by Tamar), I am from Sacramento, California and I will be moving to Armenia this week! I decided to write one installment before actually moving just because the pre-move might be interesting. For example, this trip will be my fourth time traveling to Armenia, so it seems pointless to keep buying entrance visas, especially since I'll be staying this time :) However, I didn't look into getting my Armenian 10-year passport soon enough, so I'll be getting the 4-month visa at first and then applying for my passport upon arrival in Hayastan. This is kind of complicated in light of the newly-passed Dual Citizenship law, but according to the people with whom I've inquired, the law hasn't taken effect yet so I should just pursue the passport instead.

Anyway, I am heading to Armenia to help coordinate the first AGBU Yerevan Summer Intern Program. It will run from the end of June through the beginning of August. After the program, I'll be bumming around the rest of August, and then begin working on the final two classes of my masters degree in International Affairs. The classes are an internship and an independent study, so I'll be looking for an internship as soon as I step foot in Armenia, and I'll also be designing a study of some of the current conditions in the country. After the semester is over, I'll be looking for a more permanent job. Admittedly, it's not all pinned down yet, but hopefully I will manage to get things situated soon after arriving.

While the school issue is making me a bit nervous, I am excitedly anticipating the start of my journey as a repatriate in Armenia. This move has been in the works from some time... in fact, I think I have deep down wanted to move to Armenia ever since my 4-month stint as a Birthright Armenia/Armenian Volunteer Corps volunteer in 2005. The truth is that, having spent those months falling in love with life in the homeland, I really never wanted to leave. But I came back to the US to do my masters at the New School in New York City. Constantly studying Armenia and the Caucasus region at school helped keep me connected to Hayastan, as did a fundraising project I undertook in the past two years.

Really, much of my energy and efforts of these past few years have brought me to this moment... to finally be able to feel free and confident enough to make the decision to move to Armenia. I am maybe 5% apprehensive, and the rest just incredibly excited and happy to be making this move!!! I'm looking forward to meeting the many other repatriates in whose footsteps I am following... see you soon!

Second International Medical Congress of Armenia

So the Second International Medical Congress of Armenia is about to strike town. The doctors should start arriving from all over the world for the 3 days of conference and then no doubt most will be around for some sightseeing, meeting up with old friends, work, etc. The dram has been pretty stable at just under 350 to the dollar, but I expect the infusion of spending from these guys, as well as regular tourists as we are now in high season will send the dram up (ie. the dram rate down). I've actually preemptively converted dollars to dram to beat the rush and the drop... because in August we'll have the massive Pan-Armenian games. They are only every 4 years, and are just huge. There have been no hotel rooms available in August from at least in March.

The Dental Experience

Long-time readers will recall my medical experience in Armenia last fall that resulted in 2 months long mis-diagnosis and false treatment of my E. coli. Well, I have another practice to blog about now.

After my mishap on the waterfall, I had my share of dentist consultants as well. Similarities in the experience were competition. Every doctor claimed to be the right one and that all others were lying or uneducated. The bonus is that at the very least, they seemed to know what they were doing for the most part. Better yet, there were more selections to choose from.

So I went to the first dentist (I'll refrain from naming them, ask me personally if you want more info) who gave me two options: filling and restoration or crowns. He seemed eager to do the filling, but wasn't going to charge me for it because he couldn't guarantee satisfaction. As nice as he seemed, this was not encouraging. I continued to the next recommendation. They presented the same options on a higher end, but I pushed for the most promising one to avoid mess ups... I said let's go with the crowns to avoid the not so reliable option. They continued to tell me that it would require 3 root canals. AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! I've been avoiding those all my life and now I have to get 3 in Armenia? Oh boy was I freaked out, but I agreed.

I went in with an appointment 5 days after the accident as they recommended, so that the swelling would go down and settle. Don't know why this helped, but I continued to look like a moron with chipped teeth all along. That's okay, they promised to give me a temporary thing that day to make me look ok.

So I sat in "the chair" and they couldn't have been nicer. They offered headphones to distract me from the work they did, shot me with that numbing stuff, so my entire upperlip to mt nose was numb and I didn't feel a thing the whole time. The only horror I faced was that while they were drilling, a Celine Dion song came on and I had no way of getting out of it... like torture. But I coped just fine and experienced no pain through the process. I continued to ask, "so what about that temporary thing you offered to give so I don't look like an idiot anymore?" They told me that they can't do that right now, they need the teeth open. ARG!!! This was on a Friday, so I had to go through another weekend of stupid chipped tooth look.

As I'm walking back to work, I run into a good ol' friend and gave the dental update. He asked me where I went, so I told him. The reaction I got was the worst I could ask for. He was horrified and highly recommended not going back there. Apparently he also had a filling done there that led to months of pain due to sloppy work and had to go elsewhere to get it fixed. Just when I thought I was in good hands.

Given the source who's opinion I highly respect, I decided to try his guy. I waited until Monday (which is when my next appointment was scheduled) and dropped by in the morning. He said he just had another patient from that same place come to him to fix his problems. Again, the competitive edge came out. I told him they did root canals and he reacted as if I said the US launched nuclear bombs straight for Yerevan. WHAT?!?!?! Why did they do such a thing? That's crazy!

Well, they might not be the most professional, but I figured if he could do a good job for my friend, he's worth a shot. I scheduled an appointment for Wednesday (10 days after the accident) and continued another 2 days looking like an idiot. Finally, I went in. The assistant was not so clever, but the dentist seemed to be determined to restore my tooth with filling to be perfect. 2 hours and quite a bit of pain later, he hands me the mirror. I felt like I was in a movie. It was like art... the man had painted a picasso in my mouth! It's almost impossible to tell that it's not real at all. It matches my other teeth completely, looks completely natural, and even has the same quality. It might even be better than the tooth I had before.

Now I have to go back on Friday to fix the second, and then later the third (which is just cracked). But at the very least, I don't look like an idiot anymore. Best part is, I don't have dental insurance and it was CHEEEEEAAAAAPPPPP!!!!! (Relatively of course)

So there's my dental story. I hope it encourages you all to travel to Armenia to get dental work done. I just recommend you get lots of opinions and as around, see who does what work well. They might be good, but only at one thing. This guy does fillings really well, this guy does cleanings, this one does great root canals, etc. etc. You get my drift, eh?

More on tooth 2 and 3 later.

The land of mint...

Armenia isn't only about pomegranates. Mint is another pervasive thing here, and the mint iced tea at Twinings on Abovyan near Sayat Nova is something else. As you can see, they just infuse the water with mint until it's like drinking a stick of Wrigley's spearmint gum. Actually the flavor is a bit more subtle than that. At Studio Cafe (foot of the Cascades) you can ask for the "Mint Fresh". It's not on the menu, but it's fresh mint leaves put in a blender with water. Also simply fantastic. So for those of you who are around in Yerevan, I highly recommend it. For those of you who aren't coming... you can make these at home from your own mint patch. If you don't have one, go to Home Depot or a nursery and buy a small plant, it spreads like a weed if it has sun and some water, so you don't need a green thumb. Most places sell peppermint, spearmint and a third mint - which goes by different names (Mint the Best among others) buy the third mint, it is the typical mint flavor you need for these drinks, as well as tabule and other Armenian dishes. Alternatively, if you find some mint for sale at the Armenian market, then you can also just stick some of those in the ground (again, these need water) and some of them should grow.

Double standard extraordinaire

George Bush yesterday in Albania said:

“At some point in time, sooner rather than later, you’ve got to say, ‘Enough is enough — Kosovo is independent,’ ” Mr. Bush said. He said any plan to extend talks on Kosovo, like the one proposed recently by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, must end with “certain independence.”

Of course, Karabakh Armenians have a better case for independence than the Kosovo Albanians, yet somehow, it seems oil in the Caspian has changed the formula for independence there... Where is the US Military intervention on behalf of the Armenians? Where is the visit to Armenia, the "enough is enough"?

I know I'm just pointing out the painfully obvious here, but I couldn't help myself.

Football!

The big news to report from here was the football match last night. We were to play against Poland in European championship qualifiers. Now, I am absolutely not a sporty guy at all, I never follow any of the matches or scores or whatever in anything. I do, however, like to go to the stadium during a match, just to be a part of that atmosphere.

It's mostly men, stinky with cigarettes and chewing sunflower seeds. There's a great deal of shouting and cursing, and the best part is when a player falls and everybody extends one or both arms in righteous indignation. I love to imitate, and add an "Ara!" for good effect. Often there are moments when the crowd immediately stands (someone is near scoring a goal, the referee made a bad choice regarding our guy, a feeble attempt at a Mexican wave...). It's just such an enthralling and exhilarating time!

Add to that the fact that I went with a big bunch of old and new friends, aaaand - here comes the big part - we won! We beat the Poles 1:0. It was incredible! The crowd went completely wild, everyone's throat got hoarse shouting "Ha-ya-STAN" and "Ha-yeeeeer". People filled the central streets, spilling out of the stadium after the match, and the celebrations continued, spirits remain nice and high...

Poland is top in their group, and beating them, a world-class team without doubt, was a big deal. Now we have to see how we fare in certain other matches with certain other members of that group. One in particular. I wonder if we'll be able to attend the Armenia-Azerbaijan match after all...?

Build a hotel!!

I know I've said this before, but I don't know if anyone is listening, so I'm going to do the broken record routine...

"Armenia's National Statistical Service said 72,000 tourists visited the country in quarter one of this year, up from 51,000 in the first quarter of 2006. It said the growth rate was 42 percent."

People, these numbers are for the WINTER - the least visited time of the year. Tourism is booming here, there are not enough hotel rooms to go around, not enough flights... the opportunity is screaming out here. Don't say I never said anything!

Meanwhile, here are Armentel's rates for local telephone calls (on a land line). The first 360 minutes free, 5 AMD per minute tariff from the 361st minute, and 9 AMD per minute tariff from the 1001st minute...

Am I the only one who sees the backwards logic here? Aren't you supposed to LOWER the price the more people talk???!?!?

Everything is relative.

I had the opposite experience of what Kojian just described, yet still similar to something out of a movie. However, my incident happened so quickly, I didn't even realize it until after the fact. Fortunately, I did not lose my camera and shall share a play-by-play presentation of the events that took place. I just hope my parents don't read this before I talk to them, but if they do, Dad, I had every intention of telling you first.

So, I was on this trip with Kojian and 6 other adventurers into the deep canyons of Northeast Armenia, somewhere around Ijevan. You must read the end to grasp the moral of the story.

The trip began with a long hike along the canyon where one false step would plummet us to a nasty crushing death. It's entirely possible that this was the experience my cell phone had, but we will never know. Rest in Peace dear cell phone, you served me well for a year. Make that Accident #1. Though, I never knew when, where or how it happened. It was simply missing when we arrived at the camping sight. S

Accident #2. Once we arrived, we decided to rest, swim and then continue hiking towards the caves nearby. As we hiked through deep forests, we found a watefall gorge and decided to decend down into it. As we're all exploring around, I started to notice Anoush holding her hand to her head. It seems a rock the size of at least a baseball tumbled down the hillside and landed on her head. Oh the fortune we were having on this trip. Apparently the bump was the size of Ararat, but she seemed okay so we continued onward.

After exploring crystal-coated caves, Aztec-like carvings and evidence of life from the caveman days, climbing under and over ancient dwellings and discovering little corners and holes, we finally made it back to the camp sight for an incredible Khorovadz (BBQ) dinner prepared by our hosts, and hanging around a camp fire bonding with the hosts. Eventually, we all piled into a massive tent and slept like sardines.

Accident #3. Next morning, we wake up to another beautiful day. Anoush's swelling had gone down and I came to terms with the loss of my cell phone. We decided to have one last dip in the river, but a little further up where the waterfalls were (different from the sight of Accident #2). I joined in as the previous day was just too cold for me. I suited up and followed. At first I was absolutely unwilling to jump in. The reactions of the others from the freshly melted mountain snow water that was rushing over them was not exactly my idea of a light swim. But eventually we reached the highest waterfall where it was now or never. I stepped down, took one deep breathe and dipped in from head to toe at the bottom of the waterfall. It wasn't too bad, but still no light swim. At this point it was just me and Maro as the others were done freezing themselves. The guide was helping us cross slippery rocks to continue up the waterfall. We climbed up the side where the water was less and found our way to the top where the water was gushing, and planted ourselves and what appeared to be the most dangerous spot... all for a great photo op (which sits in Kojian's camera in the donkey gorge). I though 'phew' once I escalated up and realized I didn't fall to my death after that. The guide found one more spot at the top where it was flat, to show us another great little pool. He guided me across more slippery rocks and told me to wait as he went to get Maro. Before a thought even crossed my mind, I raised my head, felt around to figure out what happened, realized I was horizontal and that there was a tooth piece floating around in my mouth. I felt more to realize where the piece had come from. My teeth had broken my fall. I couldn't figure out how it happened because I had very little pain. I recalled something of reaching my hand out and it slipping out of the way. The guide rushed over to find me toothless, but conscious. He was somewhat relieved, but profusely apologetic.

He carefully guided me back down to the others where they were very nervous to see what happened. Apparently the images I had put in their heads was much worse. I didn't realize it at the time, but it could have been a million times worse. We went back to the camp sight, cracked a few jokes (no pun intended), started to pack up and headed back to civilization.

Accident #4. Raffi's camera. Along our hike, the guide started telling us about "Eshoon satkatz deghuh" (where the donkeys go to die) and before I knew it, I saw Raffi watching his camera join the donkeys. All the photos, all the moments that couldn't be recovered... well, maybe there's hope.

We walked to the end, and the strangest thing occurred to us. Despite all these accidents, this was still what of the most exhilarating, incredible and beautiful experiences we all had. Though I lost my phone, all it meant was contacting everyone and regaining the phone #s I had before... a chance to touch base with everyone again. Anoush's head is back to normal. The simple fact that the only thing damaged in my fall was my teeth is almost a miracle considering I was steps away from falling to my death and the injury could have been a million times worse, and of course, the loss of great photos is difficult, but in the end, we all made it out in one piece... for the most part. Sacrifices aside, the experience was one of the best I've had in years. The sacrifices themselves even gave me a realization that everything is relative. Since dentistry is quite advanced in Armenia, I shall be back in one piece in no time.

You can see all the photos from this trip at the 2 following links:

The Adventurer Life (Part I)
The Adventurer Life (Part II)

Those surreal movie moments...

Every so often you have one of those surreal movie moments, where time seems to slow down, and you feel like you're watching a movie...

Last weekend was another crazy adventure of hiking, camping and great khorovadz. Lots of stories to tell, but I think I'll just share one. After all was said and done, on the hike back to civilization, someone pointed out Donkey Canyon to us. As we stood over a cliff easily a hundred feet high, maybe a couple hundred, I whipped out my camera one handed and snapped a shot of it. Apparently this is where they used to bring the old donkey and shove them off the cliff when they were no longer useful. A nice, picturesque spot. Worth a shot... but the flash went off, and I was not so pleased with the results. Still one-handed, I pushed the flash off button. I don't know if I succeeded in shutting off the flash, but I did succeed in launching the camera out of my hand. I watched it bounce at my feet, from there it bounced a good one foot and over the edge and went straight down the sheer wall, bouncing off of it once... all in slow motion!

It remains to be seen if I'll have photos of that trip to share with you or not :-)

The Incredible, Incomparable, Incomprehensible... Armenian Youth

Sigh...

Yes, it's time to flog one of my favourite hobby horses: the youth in Armenia. Now, I'm a "youth" myself, but I'm not from around here, of course, and I expect that's why I often have trouble fitting in with society at large in this country, and with the younger chaps in particular.

To be more specific, my derd has a target demographic: young Armenian boy, 15-25 years of age. Like I said, I'm not from around here, and Yerevan is the kind of place where one can spot a foreigner from ten miles away, and I, in the defence of Hayastanyan society, do not take the trouble to make myself look like I'm at home.

Not that I think there's anything inherently wrong in that, but I am often the victim of catcalls, comments and meaningless queries. And they are so stupid, they have absolutely no subtlety. They ask me for the time in the middle of the Hrabarag (where there's, like, a huge clock), they try to strike up a pointless conversation just to see if I can speak Armenian. And I am not being paranoid; you can see it in their eyes.

What's funny, though, is how it gets more active based on - a) the season, with summer somehow boosting their numbers and nerve, and b) the length of my hair! The longer it gets, the more "inquisitive" our compatriots become. And I'm not even talking about when I had a beard...

Well, thankfully, it's only a small segment of society, but it still bothers me and, of course, this lovely weblog is a most appropriate means to get it off my Armenian chest. ;-) And, to be sure, I have met more than a fair few representatives of this infamous demographic who most certainly do not conform to the standards I have described. Still, I look forward to the day when black people and Chinese and Star Wars fans dressed up as Jedi can walk down Abovyan without someone sniggering a condescending "Aper!" from behind.

Dr. Kevorkian (Dr. Death) freed from jail

I'm very happy to unexpectedly report that Jack Kevorkian is a free man. After years in jail for nothing more than helping people in need, he has been allowed to leave jail (not before being made to promise not to help anyone else).