Աշուն

In memory of my parakeet, Havgeet, who just passed away after 6 glorious years living with her buddy, Juteek.

Sireli blog untertzoghner (readers),

Happy November. The end of October was full of fun excursions, strange occurrences and lots of gata. It has gotten much colder here, and as Armenians like to believe in old wives’ tales, I am collecting plenty of them. For example, today on my ride to school, one of the teachers asked if I am cold. I said yes, that I was cold. Her response? “You need to stay here and marry an Armenian man so you can warm up. You know, that’s why they have the big bellies – they need to stay warm!” My gut reaction was no, and I made that evident through my skeptical facial expressions. She responded “what, you don’t like Armenian men? You don’t want to marry an Armenian?” I had to explain that I don’t think of marriage as something that happens because it needs to. This isn’t the last story about marriage in this blog entry. 

Stampeding ducks!

Our last excursion was to Dilijan, a beautiful region of Armenia in the north.  We visited Parz Lij, a picturesque lake. There were lots of ducks and geese swimming around in the water, and they started coming towards us as we got off the bus. I had my Russian cracker biscuits in hand, ready to feed the swarms! They are surprisingly aggressive, not like the ducks in the Aflac commercials. I wanted to hand feed them, but those duck bills pack a powerful punch. I finished the crackers and was followed back to the bus by a gaggle of geese waiting for more food. What can I say, I’m a bird lady! The Parz Lij property also had a nice café and paddleboats…and a dilapidated marshrutka. The lake itself was surrounded by the majestic colors of autumn. The more we travel outside Yerevan, the more I love Armenia; however, I don’t know if I could live in a village long term. 

Our next stop was a monastery, Haghardzin – I hate to be a spoilsport, but I’m all monasteried-out. For me, it’s me it’s more about what is around the monastery rather than the building itself. There was this really awesome thousand year old tree with a hole in it. The mystical prophecies behind this tree vary, but all of them involve wiggling one’s way through the hole in the tree. There was a group of locals attempting to slide through the tree in their fancy church clothes and expected stilettos. I thought everyone in their group had finished, so of course I laid down in the tree and quickly slithered through. When my head popped out on the other side, I was facing the sky and about 9 Armenian women staring at me. They were as confused as I was – they were expecting one of their group members, not a eccentric spyurkahye. However, they told me that due to my agile and swift performance, I will be married within the year and have a baby boy. That was marriage story # 2. 

Hole-y tree

While the group took a tour through the monastery, Evelyn and I decided to lay out on one of the rock walls, which quickly turned into a stretching session. I didn’t realize it, but we were being watched by a group of young Armenian men who looked confused and impressed by our goofy stretchiness.

When we got back to Yerevan, 6 of us were walking through Republic Square to find something to eat. The fountains started their daily routine of music and water, and the hit song “Cotton Eye Joe” started to play. American ears perked up of course, and we started to square dance. It turned into indescribable silliness when we all started dancing to whatever music was playing. I’m just glad we could entertain the somber locals sitting nearby. Something like this happened again, while Evelyn and I were doing yoga/acrobatics at Mashdots Park. We were practicing some stunts and many children came up to watch us and ask what we are doing. The Norwegian Ambassador to Armenia even wrote in a Facebook post that Mashdots Park reminded him of Norway because there were ‘people on all the benches, and even two young girls practicing yoga’. 

Wednesday was Halloween. Unknown to many Armenians (or cursed upon because it is a Devil’s holiday apparently), Halloween made a casual appearance in downtown Yerevan. Sitting with Simon and Vartan, we randomly came up with the idea to give candy out to kids dressed up in costumes on Northern Ave, because we were told that there were a good number of costumed kids there. Luckily Simon had a pirate hat and eye patch, and I was wearing black and white which matched. Simon was the videographer while I worked on my best pirate ARRRRR and sauntered up and down Northern Ave. I though saying ‘Pari Halloween’ sounded stupid, so I stuck with ‘Happy Halloween!’, as I approached cute kids dressed up as witches, ghouls, or animals. Most of them were confused; someone was giving out candy without expecting anything in return? What language was she speaking anyways? Arrrr? Like take the candy? I think I was asked like 5 times to take pictures with kids. I was having a blast being a goofball and spreading joy and a taste of American culture to Armenia. People were so curious as to where we were from, so it was really fun to mess with them and be even more mysterious. Oh yeah, and I was stared at in the There should be a video compilation coming soon. 

Only the beginning.

This weekend: trip to the border to see the ruins of Ani from afar and then a one night stay in Gyumri. Also, graduate applications sent to UVA, Penn State, Rutgers, and UCLA!

2006, Aujord'hui, et Jermuk

Das Wetter ist schon kälter geworden. Ich denke an Deutschland aber das Wetter dort ist immer kalt ;) Naja, diese Woche…

Something incredible happened on Saturday, October 13. I was sitting in a café on Parpetsi street with Asqanaz and Joe, enjoying a warm fruit tea. No, that wasn’t the incredible part. These two guys and a couple girls walked around the corner, and me having the good people-watching view I had, examined them from head to toe in just a matter of a few seconds. I recognized them immediately as two of my closest friends from my summer working at AGBU's Camp Nubar. Not only had I not seen them in 6 years, since we worked together in summer 2006, but the chances were unusually sparse because Loris and Sevan are from France. The initial shock of seeing them and recognizing them was so exhilarating! I saw Loris first, and gave him a huge hug while Sevan stood behind. He thought I didn’t recognize him – I did of course, I just saw Loris first! We were both so excited to see each other (randomly) on the streets of Yerevan. I joined them (Loris’ fiancé, her sister, and another French-Armenian friend) in the Beatles Pub, where we had a few drinks and reminisced on our summer in 2006 and caught each other up on our lives, and what brings us to Armenia. I was still high on joy the following morning. Unfortunately Sevan flew back to France the next day, but I’m so glad I got to see him. Loris and I enjoyed an authentic American burger a few nights later, before he went back to France as well. Loris will be back and forth between Yerevan and Lyon, so our friendship will continue to blossom. I think those kinds of friends are the ones you’ll have your whole life.

Sevan, Ani & Loris - friends since 2006

My German lessons are going well. I really enjoy working with the students because they are enthusiastic about learning German. It is difficult for me because I am not able to explain things in Armenian. Though, I believe this is better because then the entire lesson is done in German. It may be difficult at first (as are my Armenian classes), but I think this will be a good thing in the long run. On the contrary, Armenian classes are frustrating – I would be better off with an independent study session.

This week I actually took some initiative to be a leader and organize an independent excursion. I know, the über sarcastic and cycnical Ani probably shouldn’t be in charge of anything... With the help of Simon (Syria), we planned and organized a trip to the Kechut reservoir and Jermuk. I didn’t believe how difficult the job of arranging and corralling a group of people would be, but I do now! The trip went as planned – we stopped at the Kechut Resevoir to see the star-shaped spillway. Unfortunately the water had already flown out of the reservoir because it is the middle of October, but the structure itself was really neat. And kind of scary since you can’t see to the bottom and you’re standing above a giant hole.

Star-shaped Spillway

 We continued on to Jermuk, which I now deem my favorite town in Armenia. The entrance to the town actually looked somewhat European – cutesy narrow street with shops and pretty lights. Of course the real highlight was the natural serenity of Jermuk. The fall colors were actually visible here, and gave the impression of the Alps in the fall – only in Armenia (even better!). Take a look at the pictures, though they don’t even do Jermuk justice. Jermuk is famous for its natural mineral water, which supposedly has some healing benefits. I would like to come back
and spend a week at the hotel/resort to appreciate the natural springs and therapeutic waters.

Real fall in Jermuk

We stopped at a waterfall in Jermuk along the way, which was also very beautiful. Simon & I, Oriort Ani, prepared a picnic lunch, which we ate at a church on the route back to Yerevan. Seto (Syria) and I also sang the infamous Marshrutka song. The whole trip was really nice, because we had a small group (14 people) and no forced activities. The group dynamic is really different when you don’t have a strict schedule to adhere to. And I don’t like being talked at or stuck in a large group. If the information is displayed, why should I listen to someone read it? I can read myself and go at my own pace. This trip to Jermuk was all about natural beauty and appreciation of what God has given to our homeland. I am so proud to be from this nation, the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion.

Waterfall near Jermuk

Marshrutka Joy Patrol

Our song is finished - lyrics by Ani Tramblian (USA) and Seto Hovsepian (Syria)
Hopefully a music video to come soon ;)
Share this with our fellow Yerevancis to spread the love! If you aren't familiar with the marshrutka system, read some of my previous posts to become acquainted with Yerevan's true glory. 

Marshrutka Joy Patrol
Ani Tramblian & Seto Hovsepian
 
To the tune of 'It's a Small World' (Disney) Sing along!

Երեւան եկա, մարշրուտկա տեսա             (Yerevan yega, Marshrutka desa)
Շատ գեղեցիկ են մարշրուտկանէրը,         (Shad keghetsik en marshrutkaneruh)
Ամեն գույն, ամէն թիւ                                   (Amen kooyn, amen tiv)
Ամեն չափ, շատ հանգիստ                          (Amen chap, shad hankist)
Միայն տեղ պետք է բնտրես:                      (Miyayn degh bedt eh pndres!)

Կանգարում կանգնեք էլի,                           (Gangaroom gangnek eli)
Կանգարում պահեք էլի,                              (Gangaroom bahek eli)
Հաջորդ կանգարում կանգնեք,                    (Hajort gangaroom gangnek)
Ախպեր ջան կանգնեք:                                 (Akhper jan, gangnek)

Ամեն օր կարնեմ սիրով մարշրուտկա,      (Amen or garnem sirov marshrutka)
Կիեւյան կամուրչ եւ հալաբյան,                 (Kievyan gamoorj yev halabian)
Վարոդներ կը ծխեն,                                     (Varortner guh zkhen)
1ՕՕ դրամ միշտ կարնեն,                            (Hayrur dram misht garnen)
Հարուստ մարդ պիտի դարնան:                 (Haroost mart bidi tarnan)

Կանգարում կանգնեք էլի,                            (Gangaroom gangnek eli)
Կանգարում պահեք էլի,                               (Gangaroom bahek eli)
Հաջորդ կանգարում կանգնեք,                     (Hajort gangaroom gangnek)
Ախպեր ջան կանգնեք:                                  (Akhper jan, gangnek)

Հայկական եօկա, դուռը բաց կը մնա,        (Haygagan yoga, tooruh pats guh mna)
Խի պիտի քոցեն շատ բիս հոտեր կա,        (Khi bidi kotsen shad pis hoder ga)
Ութսուն-ութ Օպերա                                   (Ootsoon oot Opera)
Մետրո? Ոչ մարշրուտկա                            (Metro? Voch marshrutka!)
Վոպշը, կող-կողի նստինք:                           (Vobschem, gogh goghi nsdink)

Կանգարում կանգնեք էլի,                           (Gangaroom gangnek eli)
Կանգարում պահեք էլի,                              (Gangaroom bahek eli
Հաջորդ կանգարում կանգնեք,                    (Hajort gangaroom gangnek)
Ախպեր ջան կանգնեք:                                (Akhper jan, gangnek)

Vobsche?

So Armenia has one of the world’s oldest wineries, as it was found in the same cave as the world’s oldest shoe. One would assume that Armenia would have had loads of time to perfect their wine making abilities, and demonstrate them at the Areni wine festival (6 October). False.

The Areni Wine festival was an interesting experience I’m glad I got to take part in. The music and dancing is what saved it from utter failure. The festival itself consisted of about 50 booths selling things, maybe 20 of them being wineries. I had hoped that the other booths would be local artists and vendors selling various crafts, but it was practically all old ladies selling junky toys from China. There was a cigarette claw machine game. Yes, you heard it right, a claw machine that cost 100 dram to try and grab a pack of cigarettes. Extremely amused by the prospect of winning a *gasp* pack of cancer sticks, I had to try it for myself. The well designed Russian machine made it impossible to grab a plastic-covered pack of cigarettes, which is I guess, a good thing. 

100 dr per try!

The wine at the festival wasn’t great, and wasn’t terrible. I am by no means a wine connoisseur, and actually have no real experience with wine (beer is my thing!). I can tell, however, a good wine from a bad one. Some of the best wines I’ve had are from Germany or the USA. In any case, the festival was fun, however quite hot as there wasn’t any shade. We were joined by the American ambassador to Armenia and his wife. I learned that the family’s 5 children all went to…JMU! I could’ve sworn I was the only Duke in Armenia…

We visited the cave nearby, where the world’s oldest shoe was found. The cave tour was extensive – (they even showed us where they performed ritual sacrifices of young virgin women… no bueno) and the dust won me over quickly so I left and wandered around.  The best part of the day was ending it in Noravank, one of my all time favorite monasteries. It is known for its two-story church, and the super fun staircase one has to climb to get to the upper level. I liked exploring this monastery – there were many nooks and crannies I could find to escape the tourist mobs and enjoy some peace and quiet. There was also a random pit, which I climbed down into. When I was ready to emerge, there were lots of Russian tourists looking at me strangely and saying things in Russian. Check out the photos for some interesting views of Noravank.

Work week was anticlimactic, so I’ll go straight to the Armenia vs. Italy football match! I love football (as demonstrated by my loyalty to Borussia Dortmund…) and I was very excited for this game, especially because I had seen Italy play against Germany in Dortmund two years ago. I don’t particularly like Italian style football as they like to fall down and roll around to waste time. We ran around before the game to try and find face paint to show our spirit. I painted my whole face red, blue, and orange, not thinking about how I was to get it off later. It didn’t matter. I looked like an Armenian warrior-woman with my blue stripe accenting my Armenian nose. We were told that there would be security and any bottled beverages wouldn’t be allowed in the stadium. Not only was there no security, but the vendors selling drinks would pour the drink from the packaged bottles into weird plastic cups, and then throw the bottles away. I don’t get it – they created more garbage AND wasted half of the liquid that wouldn’t fit in the cup. Go figure. 

All out!

 Armenia played very well against the obviously favored Italian team. Due to some questionable calls from the referees, Italy was awarded an early PK, which dampened the spirits a bit. After Armenia got its first goal, the stadium went wild! It was so brilliant to see the national pride and spirit of Armenia. Even though we lost, Armenia demonstrated its power and determination, which I think was definitely more important. Afterwards we went back to the city center, where I got plenty of weird looks for having paint all over my face. At home, the water had already been cut off, as it was after midnight. After lots of soap and makeup remover, I no longer look like the warrior princess.

Coming soon – song about the Marshrutkas. Seto & I are writing a masterpiece in Armenian about the system we all hate to love, but love to hate. Also the Vobsche Awareness Committee & Marshrutka Joy Patrol are in the works...

Artsakh, the motherland

Saturday morning came faster than I had expected. At 7 am, all 35 of us were ready with our bags to embark on our 4-day trip to Artsakh. More commonly known as Nagorno-Karabagh, or Mountainous “Black Garden”, Artsakh is an Armenian territory nestled in between the prickly thorns of Azerbaijan. I remember singing songs about Artsakh in Armenian school as a kid, but never understood anything about it, or why it was important until this trip.

Mount Ararat was especially beautiful on Saturday morning. We stopped a little ways before Khor Virap, to eat some breakfast and take pictures. There were no clouds, and our Ararat made me feel once again, proud to be Armenian. I was wearing my System of a Down t-shirt as well, which only added dramatic effect. We then visited the Tatev Ropeway and monastery. The Tatev Ropeway is the world’s longest ropeway, which obviously cost the country a lot of money. As cool as the ropeway was, I felt like it was a waste of money. Reaching the region of Tatev was difficult enough because it is nestled in the mountains – I can’t see the roads even being accessible in the winter. The main goal was to increase tourism, which is great; however Armenia’s development is progressing so rapidly, I would think the government would want to spend its money in way that would actually impact peoples’ lives instead of just tourism. Lunch at the monastery was really nice. We ate our typical Armenian spread of lavash (bread), tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles, cheese, salami, olives, and peppers inside one of the churches. It was a nice way to cool off and appreciate the intricacy of Armenian architecture. There was a secret passageway in our lunch church which used to lead to some other room, but it actually led pretty much straight off of a cliff. Me being myself, I had to climb down there and enjoy the physical challenge and beauty myself. I swear, it could have been the Garden of Eden, it was so beautiful.

Two steps out of the monastery...and bam! CLIFF

A couple of more landscapes and waterfalls later we reached a suspended bridge that was actually quite long. Many members of our group were too scared to cross it! It wasn’t build according to western standards of course – you could see the water a hundred feet below your feet because the bridge floor was made of a waffle-style grate. Me being myself, I enjoyed shaking the bridge and jumping on it to increase the thrill and irritate others. I even ended up doing a handstand on it. I hope the pictures came out well.

We eventually arrived in Shushi, Artsakh at about 11 pm. At first, Artsakh didn’t seem any different then Armenia. Our host family was great – the couple met each other through Birthright Armenia and ended up moving to Shushi. Their story is incredible, and they have an amazing daughter, Anahid. I think she’s gonna end up being a soccer player one day. She loved kicking around her pink bouncy ball with me. Although Sunday’s activities were kind of slow/boring, I enjoyed riding around in the military vehicle which we took to visit the frontlines of the Artsakh/Azeri border. 

We also visited the Tatik/Papik monument and had an interesting evening, where we were divided into groups, given a bottle of Armenian wine (not the best…), and forced to socialize with the locals. We were told that most of the time, volunteers end up coming out of the apartments not having even opened the wine, but instead given copious amounts of tuti-oghi (vodka). So with high expectations, our group of 5 bravely knocked on a random Stepanakert (capital of Artsakh) apartment and was welcomed in by a family celebrating their daughter’s engagement. The family was nice enough, even though I spent most of the time translating the conversation going on between one of the more ‘talkative’ volunteers and the family’s father. He was extremely anti-American, which made me feel even more reluctant to talk about my life in Washington DC. He did ask an interesting question though – “Do you feel like people treat you differently in the USA because you are Armenian?” I had to think for a minute – growing up in northern Virginia, you don’t pay attention to where people are from because chances are at least 40% of your classmates will be Asian, and the rest a mix of all kinds of ethnicities. So I answered, yes, I feel proud to be one of the few Armenians in Virginia, but no, we are all equal in such a diverse community. We weren’t offered any alcohol, just coffee or tea, so of course my mind began to wander because I can’t sit still. I was even caught not translating anymore because I didn’t care about what they were talking about. Empty conversation = klooghs arten doors neh (my head is already outside).  Stepping into the fresh air an hour and a half later, I was greeted by my fellow gamavors (volunteers) who were blissfully drunk, babbling in various languages. It is not fun being the sober one in a group of drunk people.

The following day was nice because we finally got some free time to wander around Stepanakert by ourselves. Seto and I found an open-air market serving the local specialtiy of Jingalu-hats (bread filled with different kinds of herbs and spices). The woman making it was so nice and showed us how she makes it. The mixture that is put in the bread is full of 17 different kinds of herb and spices, and then Panini-grilled to a crisp perfection. The inside was delightfully garlic-oniony and we topped our meal off with some surj (coffee) and cake. We visited another monastery about an hour away from Stepanakert, which was my favorite part of the trip. It was so secluded in the mountains, and incredibly silent. I appreciate personal space and peace and quiet, so it was my sanctuary. I could really feel God’s presence as He blessed Armenia with such a beautiful landscape. 

Meeting the President of Artsakh was about as exciting as watching paint dry. He was your typical politician – didn’t actually answer any of the questions we asked and told us to research online instead with our ‘ipods & smartphones’. I was close to falling asleep but it ended thankfully and we were released to Saro’s house to have our first kef! That was my first introduction to Armenian toasts. I thought a few people would say something meaningful and philosophic and we would get up to dance. I was wrong. First the people who spoke unique languages were asked to toast, repeating what they said in Armenian or English. I was impressed by the content of the toasts – and was actually brought to tears by a few of them. Ok, back to Ani. I was asked to toast in German…and since everyone decided to say such meaningful things, I did the opposite. I rambled about food in German and decided not to translate anything, as to leave my deutsch up for interpretation. I couldn’t handle sitting down for much longer (already for one hour toasting) so I got up and wandered around outside. Verchabes (finally!), the dancing began and we were all brought back to life.

A few hours of sleep later, we departed from Shushi en route to Yerevan. We stopped at Datevank and had an Armenian picnic consisting of barbecue and more barbecue. The monastery was really nice, but I actually liked playing with the farm animals nearby a lot more. There were lots of cows mooing really loudly and pigs snorting. The baby pigs were so cute! They would get close to me, but not enough to where I could pet them. The baby turkeys were my favorite though. I would whistle at them and they would all bob their heads and squawk back. It was also quite peaceful to spend the afternoon there without any time constraint or pressure. Our drive back to Yerevan was so dusty. The road connecting Artsakh and Armenia was pretty much a dried up dirt road. Literally everything in the van was coated with dust, inside and out. I woke up from a nap choking on dust. One of the coolest things that day was stopping in a village to get some snacks. The locals asked if I am from Syria because I spoke Armenian well (apparently…). That is the greatest compliment to me, because with Yerevancis I always feel too shy to speak Armenian.  

I felt that connection with Artsakh and Armenia that I had so anxiously awaited. The landscape, the peace and tranquility within a war-stricken territory were all points in which I could connect and feel myself and my ancestors living together in Armenia. Despite the hardness of war, the Artsakh locals are such nice people, always ready to help and show us Spyurkahayer a good time. I know that part of me and who I am came from this territory, our real Armenia. They kept stressing that ‘we’, as in themselves and Diasporans, are one. This impression is somewhat missing in Armenia. Upon arrival in Yerevan, the first cab driver we asked to take us home cursed at us because we mentioned that he didn’t have an official meter and sped off. Welcome home...

Le handystand