Monthly Archives: November 2011

California's emigration problem…

Posted by on November 27, 2011 1 comment

One of the headlines in today’s LA Times was that the bad economy has led to an emigration trend that might be a permanent thing.  There seems to be no real good job-creation driver/industry for such a large population base.  Immigrants to California have slowed down quite a bit, and emigration has picked up quite a bit.  Some of the stories sound so similar to what you hear here.  Musician couldn’t find work so he moved to Idaho so he could work in his field.  He later goes on to say, “My personal goal is to move back there eventually. It’s just a matter of making the finances work.”  Another sentiment you hear in Armenia.

In both places, I blame of course governance.  In Armenia, government corruption is draining the economy badly, and robbing people of opportunity and jobs.  In Los Angeles, though there is blatant government robbery (see Vernon and Bell scandals), that is not the main problem.  The main problem is a bloated bureaucracy and red tape that I think competes quite well with the Soviet system at its best (ie. worst).  The disaster of an educational system and transportation network compound the problem.

There is no reason why beautiful Armenia, with such an educated and well connected people shouldn’t be thriving like Singapore or Switzerland.  There is likewise no reason why diverse LA, with such a great climate and location shouldn’t continue to grow and boom.  Except for bad governance…

Winning receipt

Posted by on November 23, 2011 3 comments

Sitting in a print shop waiting for my print job, I saw a poster on the wall…  ”Winning Receipt” is said on top.

So I took a closer look, and it was a government poster telling people that their official receipts have lotto numbers on them that can win them cash prizes of between 5,000 and 5 million dram (about $13US to over $13,000US).  Not bad.  The poster encourages people to ask for a receipt whenever they buy something, so they’ll have a chance at winning.  This of course would have a big effect on getting much of the economy out of the black market, which is quite big in Armenia.  Lotto tickets used to be sold all over the the sidewalks back before much of the street vending was cracked down upon, so this might be a good way to get people to demand receipts.  A big part of the problem in Armenia however is that the oligarchs pay virtually none of their tax obligations.  Since they’re the government, they aren’t really cracking down on themselves.

And no, even though I was standing in front of that poster for a while, I was still not given a receipt.

Map of Non-Smoking Places in Yerevan

Posted by on November 23, 2011 7 comments

Let me know if any good places are left out on the Map of Non-Smoking Places in Yerevan.

Those years

Posted by on November 19, 2011 No comments

Or as they say in Armenia, “en tariner@”.

Yerevan has come a long ways both economically and in terms of hope and belief since the late 80s early 90s that sometimes you forget what it went through.  The photo exhibit at NPAK/ACCEA this past month has been as stark a reminder as you can get.  This retrospective of Ruben Mangasarian is a mind numbing, stomach wrenching look back at what this nation went through in a few short years.  This man seems to have been present at every single event, and captured it all.  Massive, unprecedented protests in Yerevan.  Earthquake and aftermath.  Blockade.  War.  Refugees.  Extreme poverty.  Economic collapse.  Everything hit at once, and people still had hope for a bright future.  The sacrifice was going to be worth it.  Ideals were everything.  The dream collapsed when the new government, rather than sharing the ideals and dreams of the people, thought only of themselves.

 

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Cold white stuff…

Posted by on November 16, 2011 No comments

is falling from the sky already :-(

There is more to Armenia than Yerevan

Posted by on November 12, 2011 1 comment

For the past year, I had been literally stuck to my work and for that reason, I had spent most of my time in Yerevan until May of this year when my agency, Deem Communications, was tasked to organize a Eurovision party in Vanadzor, Armenia’s 3rd largest city. Since that date, I have been traveling in and around Armenia very regularly, either for business or pleasure, and have rediscovered my love for this beautiful piece of land.

Vanadzor
In May 2011, I spent several days in this beautiful mountainous city. Once a vibrant industrial city, now a somewhat deserted and depressing place, Vanadzor reminds me a lot of what Yerevan used to be about 7 years ago. It is slowly coming out of the soviet era… key word is SLOWLY. Yes, there are businesses like the telecoms and banks and restaurant/café chains, but it is not at all doing well economically. In June, I had the pleasure of revisiting with another business trip (opening of Byblos Bank Armenia’s new branch). The most necessary thing right now is HOPE. The youth and young families need to have their hopes restored so that the city becomes, like its older years, a pleasant place to live and to visit. The lush green hills, the wide and clean streets offer a perfect setting for it!

Shushi, Karabagh (NKR)
When my parents were visiting, we all went down to Shushi. The drive was quite long as they had forgotten their passports thinking that Karabagh and Armenia did not need a checkpoint, let alone a separate visa – but that is a separate blog of its own. The scenery during the drive was breathtaking. July is a really nice time to make this trip. On the way, we stopped by Mirhav Hotel in Goris. This hotel is done very tastefully; bravo to the owner, a barsgahay from Germany. Once in Shushi, we took in the crisp fresh air. Did a bit of hiking in the medieval fortress Armenian city. We heard stories from before the war, during the struggle, after the victory and now. Not all these stories were enjoyable as one can imagine. Nonetheless, they mark me every time; the man, the wife, his children, her family, his land, her future, his life… The nature in Karabagh is just perfect. I met some kids whom I had worked with during my Land and Culture Organization (LCO) years back in 1999 and 2001… they had grown so much. It was also nice to see that 2 new hotels had opened, the roads are being built and new stores are popping up here and there. There is even a “marchrutka” that comes by our neighborhood. Two years ago, I had the chance to work on reviving the museum in Shushi. I highly recommend a visit there when visiting Karabagh (though they have messed it all up again… eh, what to do). The director of the museum, Ashot, is also a character!

Ashtarak
My oldest daughter was hounding us to take her to this ranch where she wanted to spend several nights. To my surprise, this place called Ayrudzi was one my favorite new discoveries along with the Ashtarak city Pascal and Diodato café! I think we have been back at least 15 times since July. They have great middle eastern dishes and a really wonderfully decorated space … and WIFI! The more I visited Ashtarak, the more I fell in love with its quaintness, lovely weather and many beautiful churches. During one trip last month, we dropped by Saghmosavank, an all time favorite of mine, which reminds me again of my earlier days in Armenia with the LCO.

Sevan
Another business trip to Sevan for our new client Bohemian Resort. Needless to say, any trip to Sevan is just great. It is soothing and refreshing. It takes you away from all your thoughts and hustle-bustle of the city. I went back and for on different occasions over the summer… great great great! So great in fact, that in July, we organized Yeprad’s baptism at Bohemian Resort. It was really a nice place to stay (although the rain prevented us from maximizing the 2 day stay). Prior to that, the entire Deem Team was invited for a staff retreat, which was exceptional!

Tsapatagh
After all the family visits and other duties Lara and I had to do, we decided we would need to get away from it all and be with the kids and only them for at least 4-5 days. Avan Tsapatagh from the Tufenkian Resorts is just the perfect place. The rooms are so nice and clean. The bed and couch are sooooo comfortable. The food is just good. The hikes up the mountain and to the lake are so relaxing… best experience in Armenian vacation destination. We used to spend much time there in 2004-2007… then, other neat places started popping up and we somehow forgot about this beautiful hotel. We really made the best of it and remembered all its unique attributes.

Dilijan
Another Best Western has opened in Dilijan. My agency was commissioned to do some creative and promotional work. The drive to Dilijan (not far from Sevan) is a special one with sceneries changing from rural to rocky mountainous to lakeside to green/lush mountainous… a photographers dream! We also visited Dilijan with my parents. Haghardzin… akh, what a beautiful ancient monastery it WAS. Yes, was! It has been commissioned to be renovated (not restored). It now looks like some new euro-stan trashy construction with white manufactured tiling… I do wish they decide it was a mistake and bring it back to what it used to be… a GEM! On this trip, we visited the new Tufenkian district (Old Dilijan). Deem had worked on some signage and the restoration of the museum. I am glad that the museum still is intact and has attracted many tourists since. Finally, we had coffee and desert at the Artbridge Café there. The kids loved this trip – we shall repeat!

This being said, after every trip outside of Yerevan, I always feel glad to be back – back HOME. Home to MY CITY, Yerevan!

Apple in Armenia?

Posted by on November 10, 2011 1 comment

Just read on news.am that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak visited Armenia today(http://news.am/eng/news/81433.html). I’m sure you’ve all read that Steve Jobs’s adoptive Mom was Armenian – so it’s great to hear that Steve W visited. I wonder when we’ll find out why…

Ethnic food week…

Posted by on November 10, 2011 No comments

It’s turned into quite an ethnic food week for me.  Two nights of Chinese food, followed by Persian then Indian and then Mexican.

So what to eat tonight?  Italian, Russian, Arabic, Georgian, American or dare I say it…  Armenian?  Oh wait, I forgot about lunch, I had lahmejun and Ajarakan Khachapuri for lunch yesterday, so scratch Armenian and Georgian off the list.

When You Live in a City Without Actually Living IN It

Posted by on November 9, 2011 1 comment

Adrineh wrote a thoughtful and interesting blog about some mixed feelings being a repat in Armenia.  The local vs. diasporan thing, the privileged vs. those without.  I think most repats/expats moving to Armenia must go through this process in some form or another, and everyone must figure out what works for them.

I’ve been in and out of Armenia for many years now.  When I first arrived, I came without any real expectations or many preconceived notions.  The only information I was armed with were many warnings from Diasporans to be really really careful.  Armenia was full of thieves and a mafia that might kill me!!  Well, aside from the thief of a taxi driver that dropped me off that first day, I am hard pressed to think of any other examples of being ripped off in all the years I’ve been here.  As far as mafia and safety goes, that may be even more laughable, since I never felt safer in my entire life and the only mafia is the one that runs the whole country.  They don’t bother with little people – as long as you don’t try to import sugar, oil, or some other commodity one of them has claimed as their own. Read more »

the kids

Posted by on November 6, 2011 No comments

so, as i have mentioned we have two boys who are 4 and 5. today, they attended the most wonderful birthday party at a small theatre. the small theatre was filled with repatriates and at one point- i stopped to look around and what i saw was positive, amazing people with such drive and a passion to make this country great. all the kids were running around- most of them i knew from when they were warm and snug in their mom’s belly and i felt so insanely grateful to have such great friends and to have the opportunity to be here- in armenia.

after the birthday- we took the kids to grandma and grandpa’s house for a visit. we left them there for a few hours and when we came back they were next door at the new neighbor’s house. i went to fetch them from the neighbors and walked into to find that david (my five year old)- was getting a chess lesson from the neighbor’s 10 year old and my four year old was curiously watching from the sidelines. chess! on the drive home, i asked the boys if they are ready for a second activity (they already do tae kwon do)- and david expressed an interest to play chess and shahik expressed an interest to learn to swim. luckily, the world’s greatest chess players (literally)- live within a stone throw from our home and although we do not have an ocean- we also have great swim instructors. the kids are lucky to be here as well.

Getty Museum Armenian Manuscript battle

Posted by on November 5, 2011 No comments

The Zeytun Gospel

There is a legal battle going on over 8 pages of a Toros Roslin manuscript that the Getty Museum acquired for almost a million dollars over 10 years ago.  Toros is probably the most accomplished Armenian Illuminated Manuscript painter in our history, and these pages were taken out of his Zeytun Gospels and eventually made their way to the Getty.

They are, in a word, stunning (see the photo).  You can read about the legal battle in the LA Times.  I personally think that these 8 pages do much greater good to Armenians if they remain at the Getty, so I hope they stay there in any settlement.  So many people can be exposed to them at the Getty who would never otherwise see an Armenian manuscript.  This includes many Armenians in LA.  What good would eight more pages of the book do in Armenia?  The manuscript library here does not display more than 2 pages (by opening the book and putting it in a display case) of any manuscript.  So here in Armenia, these pages likely wouldn’t even be seen.

How repatriation misinformation is spread

Posted by on November 3, 2011 8 comments

Today an article came out on repatriation that is so one-sided that it is basically the spreading of misinformation.  It’s quite disappointing to see someone take an issue as important as this and mangle it completely then present it as a balanced, newsworthy article.  Since repatriation is a big theme of this blog, I’m going to dissect the article for you bit by bit and show how, for some reason, many people want to present repatriation as crappy option for people.

First the article by Liana Aghajanian spends time misrepresenting a new project called The Armenia3500 Project.  Check out the website and then see what she writes about it… Read more »