Please & Շնորհակալություն

             Giving Thanks – After almost three months of living in Armenia, I have a lot to be thankful for. First, I want to thank my parents, Ara & Shoghig, for all the support they’ve provided me. Thank you Loreeg, for continuing to be the best sister ever – though I presume you should be thanking me for leaving clothes behind in my closet which I’m sure are now on your floor. And Aram, for sending me ridiculous memes (I hope we’ll end up at UVA next year!) Also, I miss my parrot more than anything in the world. 

                This year we celebrated Thanksgiving at one of our fellow volunteer’s apartments. She was generous enough to host a majority of the American-Armenian BR community and pretty much threw the best home-away-from-home Thanksgiving party. I brought my friend Simon (Syria) along to experience his first Thanksgiving. I enjoyed all the skeptical looks he gave to new and strange foods. 

Thanksgiving 2012

The last two weeks have been very challenging for me emotionally.  I knew it was coming, but I didn’t think it would be this hard. Seto, the closest friend I made through Birthright Armenia finished his service and flew back to Syria. We became friends on day one, when he walked into the office and said “parev, yes gamavor em” assuming I was a staff member of BR. To his surprise, I answered “yes al gamavor em”.  The first evening after the orientation, we took the bus back together, realizing that we live pretty close to each other. Just a 15 minute walk over the Kievyan Gamoo—Most. ..

Seto was my Armenian language teacher (Western) and fellow comedian. We wrote two songs together, including the infamous Marshrutka song and Yerevani Rabizneri. He skyped with my grandparents, discovered that my mother’s mother was indeed born in Kesab, Syria. We were pretty much inseparable for the two and a half months he was here. Five of us accompanied him to the airport, and I had been dreading the last goodbye (not forever, but for a while).  Seto, I don’t think anyone can forget all the craziness we experienced including – singing in the marshrutka, speaking hayastanci without laughing, singing the marshrutka song in Calumet, the trips to Artsakh and Gyumri, and of course the goodbye party. Simon is also leaving Armenia in less than a week; Yerevan won’t be the same without my Syrian buddies!

Damascus can't compare to this!

On a more positive note, I am moving into an apartment! Bye bye Halabyan, hello Demirchyan! I hear that most of the long term volunteers end up in an apartment at some point or another. It is located very close to Gentron, which will cut travel time in half. I will be sharing a flat with a volunteer from Germany. Malte looks like your typical German – blond with blue eyes.  I introduced him to his first lahmajoon at Mer Taghe. The waiter who was serving us was of course confused by the German spoken between us, and then the Armenian I spoke with him. He asked “Is he your brother? You look similar.” After I said no (obviously, I have dark hair and dark skin), he said “Oh, you’re married.” Again, no. Malte didn’t understand this short conversation and after I explained it we laughed for several minutes. The three languages I speak have been put into a blender that doesn’t stop…Today I woke up thinking in German, I greeted the lady at the supermarket in Armenian blended with English (it was 7:30 AM), and worked with the kiddies at school in soviet English. 

Of my three volunteer placements, I enjoy working with my German students the most. They are very bright and help me with Armenian, although I refuse to learn Eastern ;-). Our latest project was to create a menu for a restaurant, using their Partizip II skills to describe the different kinds of food they are advertising. 

I bought a furry Russian hat over the weekend. The lady selling it didn’t have many teeth but was really funny and gave me a Soviet era pin to put on the hat. I also visited the crazy shooga by the stadium. There was so much Engrish (foreigner English) to be found, but I got yelled at for taking a picture…again. 

Current/Future projects: children’s acrobatic show with Evelina, Komitas piano & voice duet with Julieta, decorating the new apartment, and more trolling around Yerevan.

Rabiz, Aziz Jan!

The cultural phenomena in Armenia, which is known as Rabiz, has been very influential in my stylistic and materialistic growth. Okay so maybe it hasn't, but it is very easy to distinguish this special kind of Armenian from others. The word Rabiz itself originated from two Russian words meaning "without class". Self-explanatory, I would assume. My observations are in no way generalizing Armenians as a whole, because every country has its 'special' kind of people. Hayastancis, don't take offense - I know you have your own stereotypes about Diasporan Armenians, which are probably true.

The song that Seto & I have written touches on some of the crucial aspects of Rabizology. However, for those who do not yet understand the Hayastanci culture, I'll outline some basic principles in English.

Rabiz male
1. Black clothing from top to bottom
2. Matching sweatsuit with pointy leather shoes
3. Obvious fake designer clothing with matching colored pants
4. Wears sunglasses regardless of weather or time of day
5. Squats, spits seeds, and smokes cigarettes ---> see photo
6. Speaks an unintelligible form of Armenian

The squat, which is surprisingly comfortable

Rabiz females are harder to describe because they aren't as prevalent, but our song touches on the highlights (no, not in the bleached out hair).

Երեւանի Ռապիզերի

To the tune of "Yerevani Axchiknerin" by Tata Simonyan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD5Cvx_UFlA 

Seto Hovsepian & Ani Tramblian

Երեւանի Ռապիզնէրի, Երեւանի Ռապիզնէրի (Yerevan Rabizians, Yerevan Rabizians)

Շատ գեղեձիկ կը հագնին, Երեւանի Ռապիզները (They dress so classy, Yerevan rabizians)

Տղաքը կը հագնինշ գույնզգույն տաբատներ, (The men wear colorful pants)

Կարմիր կապույտ եւ դեղին, սուր եւ փայլուն կօշիկներ (Red, blue, and yellow, pointy and shiny shoes)

Թեւ-թեւի անոնք կ՛անձնին, աղջիկները կը դիտեն. ( Arm and arm, they go by, watching the girls)

Գետինը կը պպզին, սիկարեդներ կը ծխեն (Squatting on the ground, smoking cigarettes)

Գետինը կը պպզին, սիկարեդներ կը ծխեն (Squatting on the ground, smoking cigarettes)

Երեւանի Ռապիզնէրի, Երեւանի Ռապիզնէրի (Yerevan Rabizians, Yerevan Rabizians)

Շատ գեղեձիկ կը հագնին, Երեւանի Ռապիզները (They dress so class, Yerevan rabizians)

Աղջիկները կը հագնին, բարձրկռունկ կօշիկներ (The girls always wear high-heeled shoes)

Հարսի հագուստներով, կ՛երդան համալսարաններ (They dress like brides to go to university)

Հինկին առտու կ՛արդննան, հայելիին դեմ կը նստին (They wake up and 5am and sit in front of the mirror)

Երեսները կը ներկեն, ինչ է որ ռապիզ ելեն (To paint their faces so it comes out Rabiz)

Երեսները կը ներկեն, ինչ է որ ռապիզ ելեն (To paint their faces to it comes out Rabiz)

Երեւանի Ռապիզնէրի, Երեւանի Ռապիզնէրի (Yerevan Rabizians, Yerevan Rabizians)

Շատ գեղեձիկ կը հագնին, Երեւանի Ռապիզները (They dress so classy, Yerevan Rabizians)

Ռապիզ բարը լըսեցի, երբ ես Երեւան եկա (I heard Rabiz slang, when I came to Yerevan)

Ռապիզ երգը լըսեցի, երբ մարշրուտկաներ ելա (I heard Rabiz songs, when I rode the marshrutka)

Ինծմէ մի նեղուիք երբեք ես ալ հայ եմ ձեզի պես (Don't get mad at me, I'm Armenian just like you)

Ռապիզ եւ վոչ ռապիզ, բոլորս ալ հայեր էնք (Rabiz and non-Rabiz, we are all Armenian)

Ռապիզ եւ վոչ ռապիզ, բոլորս ալ հայեր էնք! (Rabiz and non-Rabiz, we are all Armenian)

Երեւանի Ռապիզնէրի, Երեւանի Ռապիզնէրի (Yerevan Rabizians, Yerevan Rabizians)

Շատ գեղեձիկ կը հագնին, Երեւանի Ռապիզները (They dress so classy, Yerevan Rabizians)

So much bread!

This week wasn’t overly exciting. I woke up on Wednesday morning to see that America re-elected the great promise-breaker. We all saw it coming but I am truly saddened that we will have to deal with Obama’s incompetence again. As a self-driven conservative, liberalism goes against every grain in my body. In other news, I am volunteering at Repat Armenia as an English language editor and semi-journalist. 

Haters gonna hate.

It is about time I wrote a post about food. I wrote a similar style blog while I was abroad in Dortmund, Germany in which I explained my dietary choices and mishaps. This experience is entirely different, perhaps because I already know what adjusting to another country’s dietary customs is like. I can sum up the diet in a few words - BREAD & BREAD; but I'll explain something other than BREAD if you continue to read.

Nakhajash, or breakfast, is something pretty basic for me. I am a huge advocate of yogurt, which I eat every day. At first, I would only buy the German products because I trust their quality more than Russian things. I like to eat fruit at breakfast which varies depending on what my host family brought back from the village in Vanadzor. There are usually apples and peaches around, and last week my host brother brought back clementines from Georgia. Coffee is quite different here. I love Armenian coffee, which is served in small coffee cups. It tastes great but the serving size is quite small so it doesn’t completely satisfy my desire for a warm beverage in the morning. Therefore, I must resort to instant coffee, which seems to be the norm around here anyways. I haven’t even seen a drip coffee machine around so I don’t think it’s a thing in Armenia. Instant coffee is nasty compared to fresh brewed American or German style coffee, but I don’t really have a choice.

Snack time! Bonchik is Armenia’s donut. At Grand Candy, Armenia’s widely known candy company, one ‘bonchik’ costs 80 dram (about 20 cents). A bonchik is a fried dough blob that is filled with a kind of cream. It sounds like a donut, but is better because it is always served fresh – piping hot fried goodness. Unfortunately napkins in Armenia are even worse than in Germany. Bonchiks are served with a wax paper napkin. As if a slip of wax paper is going to get the grease and powdered sugar off of my mouth and fingers…!

Ponchik-monchik!

Lunch time is usually around 1pm or later because work generally starts at 10am (as opposed to 9am like in the US/Germany). My work schedule varies from day to day so lunch is always a surprise for me as well. Some days I will go to the supermarket during my break to get some sarma and tabouleh. The sarma at the local ‘STAR’ supermarket is pretty good. Tabouleh is way better at Nana’s house. I really miss the Lebanese/Armenian food we eat at home like zatar, hummus, feti, labneh, and tabouleh. If I’m wanting to eat something more starchy I’ll get a Khachapuri. Khachapuri is a triangle shaped bread thingy filled with cheese. Sometimes the dough is flaky, sometimes it is soft. The kids at school go bonkers for this stuff.

Armenians pride themselves on two things (not including khorovats): lavash bread and dolma. Lavash bread is a traditional flatbread that can be eaten with every meal. You can of course find loaves of bread everywhere, but they sell rolls of lavash as well. I can eat everything with lavash but my favorite is trusty Nutella. Be careful though, because lavash dries out quickly and becomes unappetizing. Everyone’s mother can make dolma better than the next person’s. Dolma is a traditional dish that consists of a hollowed out vegetable (squash, bell pepper, cabbage) that is filled with rice, meat, and spices. I don’t like to eat much meat in general so I’ll pass on the khorovats.

One of my favorite oddities spotted so far is the connection between Costco’s Kirkland brand and the SAS supermarket chain in Armenia. Kirkland is Costco’s own brand so its products are high quality at a low cost. My family loves the Costco wholesale stores in the states so  the first time I saw the Kirkland sign in Armenia I had a huge smile on my face. No, they don’t give free samples here (sorry Hirig). I tried to take a picture of the glorious KIRKLAND sign in the SAS supermarket but I got yelled at by an employee who told me I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside. Stupid soviet mentality is still highly visible in certain aspects. 

Dolma - stuffed peppers, grape leaves, etc.

Fruits and vegetables here are fantastic. They don’t use pesticides and pomegranates really do grow everywhere. There is pretty much the same variety as in the US, but strawberries are really expensive and I haven’t seen a pineapple in a while. Armenians like their persimmons, apricots, plums, and figs (which are even better dried)!  And fruits are sold everywhere. On the side of the road, in 'fresh fruit' markets, and in...soviet cars!

Pomegranate Lada - thanks, https://www.facebook.com/TarverdiPhotography

As winter rolls around, the prices for fruits and veggies will skyrocket so the alternative is homemade fruit and veggie preserves. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment! I have a feeling I will become good friends with potatoes by the end of this year…

Visited Sanahin and Haghpat over the weekend in the Lori province. Far drive, not so exciting. 

Անի

Only in Armenia do we travel to various borders to see our own historical tourist attractions. We have to cross through backland Azerbaijan to visit our Artsakh, or our Nakhichevan. This time it was for me; we went to see the city of Ani. Historically known as the City of 1001 Churches, a city that once rivaled with Constantinople, the Christian capital of the Middle East now stands in ruins. Although an earthquake rocked the region and destroyed many of the monuments, it was the Turkish government that finished the job, by ordering its officers in the region to destroy all evidence of Christian Armenian existence. 

Look, you can see bits of the wall.

Once we approached the buffer zone between Armenia and Turkey, we had to switch to a different bus. The ‘road’ to the actual border was not exactly in great condition and our bus wasn’t going to exert itself to make it to the end. The border bus was quite the experience. The floor was covered in diesel fuel and the windows were mostly nailed shut. Oh yeah, and the driver was smoking...All of the Gamavors crammed into it, which resulted in marshrutka like chaos. A good stomach churning 20 minutes later, we reached the final border point. It was the edge of a cliff that led to the river, which separates Armenia and Turkey today. I had a feeling that visiting the city I was named after would be an emotional trip. 

Simon, Melissa, Armen & I enjoying the gasoline marshrutka

We got off the bus and walked past the border patrol to reach the viewpoint. Initially I was in such a shock, I didn’t move; I just gazed into the ruins. From that point, I could see some of the city’s walls that were still intact. I could see the remnants of many ancient churches. And there was one church that was still in good condition. As I sat on a rock, tears flowing down my cheeks, I imagined my Ani with full-fledged wings, a bustling metropolis in Western Armenia. Of course I was angry that it isn’t recognized as part of Armenia. However, I now know why I was named after this city. God blessed Ani with history of Christianity, and even though it was conquered 1000 years ago, it still stands today as a symbol of Armenians and their will to keep fighting, to never give up.

Me & my Ani

We had a picnic in a village also along the border. I should clarify – there are several kinds of ‘bathrooms’ in Armenia. There is your standard, European/American toilet with sandpaper toilet paper. There is your ‘arabgan’ (Arab) toilet, a hole in the ground with a small platform where one is to squat to relieve him or herself.  And there’s my personal favorite, au natural, or outdoors. The picnic spot was an extremely flat piece of land. Guys didn’t have much of a problem. They could just walk away far enough and do their business across the fence and into Turkey. It was a bit more difficult for women. I walked towards the train tracks, which I thought were abandoned. I was about to unzi…oh shoot, there’s a family in that house across the tracks. I walked for another good 10 minutes when I finally decided I just wanted to go and get back to lunch. Luckily there was an abandoned hut where I left a surprise for whoever comes in next. Word of wisdom – always carry tissues and hand sanitizer. 

We made it to Gyumri in the evening, where we endured a fascinating (…) tour of Gyumri’s history museum. Okay, so Gyumri was ravaged by the earthquake that rocked the region in 1988. The destruction was still visible, as many structures still lay in ruins. The Gyumretsis, on the other hand, are some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. They speak a different dialect of Armenian, which is actually closer to Western Armenian. We were staying for less than 12 hours with our host families. However, it took about only an hour to make a connection with them that I know I will never forget. Gyumretsis like humor. I explained the marshrutka song, and the interesting dialect of Yerevanci men, to which we all started laughing. They especially enjoyed the grunt – this would be too much to explain, you’ll just have to visit and hear for yourself. This family told me that I’m not a Yerevanci, I’m a Gyumretsi at heart. I’m pretty sure they’re right!

Seto & I enjoying a Gyumri evening

On Sunday, November 4^th, we visited a children’s orphanage in Gyumri. Many of the children lost their parents during the earthquake or the war and now live in the center. I really loved playing with them, especially doing some acrobatic tricks with Evelyn! It was touching when they held hands and stood in front of the gate to block our bus from leaving. Our driver wasn’t exactly a charmer and just honked at them until they moved…

Church in Gyumri. Awesome!