The unveiling ceremony was a success. Very well organized and attended and it was fun.

People looked at the American flag and at the cat and asked what does it symbolize? Armenians search for deeper meaning in everything.

The fat cat will become a landmark of Yerevan, and perhaps replace the name Cascade. I heard one person talking on his cell, telling his friend, I’m at the Cat.

Next time you’re in Yerevan, see the Cat; take the escalators up and down to the Monument. It’s free of charge and the view of the city from upstairs is awesome.

Most of the time we focus on the negative, ignoring the positive around us. What’s happening in this corner of Yerevan, Kafesjian Fund’s investments, the escalators that came back to life, the new constructions in the area, and the Cat that came from Italy to Yerevan, to stay.

The black fat Cat might symbolize the reawakening of good luck for us, Armenians.
 

November 24, 2002
This week –
We moved back to our apartment, after hopping from one room of the hotel to another for four solid months. It’s the best way of finding what ’s working and what’s not in the hotel.

So, I am on my Fall schedule: reading books and watching movies & videos. Yesterday saw Sexy beast, one of the films of this week’s British Festival. Mildly put, it was very disappointing. Perhaps I was anticipating to see another The man who went up the hill and came down the mountain, or Full Monty. The Moscow theatre was full with very young people, mostly the young understand English.

After the movie returned to our apartment with a few friends for popcorn and a video, Vahe Berberian’s Out of the Closet. Vahe is an enigma. Writer, actor, director, painter, and many other things. I try to see him performing in Armenia, and I wonder – his politically incorrect humour, (where Bourj Hamoud meets LA), would it be understood and enjoyed in Armenia.

October 18, 2002
We went to Garni and Geghart today. Garni got part of Linsi’s money and is having excavations. On the way to Geghart the axles of the car broke. Nigol called help and waited with his friend, while his friend’s wife and I walked to Geghart. You appreciate the monastery and the nature more when you’re walking. We also appreciated the gallantry of Armenian drivers who stopped to offer us rides.

Before, there was ‘Hin Yerevan’, now there’s only ‘Mer Kyughu’, a restaurant that has the d?cor of the Armenian village and live traditional Armenian music. Tonight, after fixing the car, we took the same friends to dinner and noticed the commercialization of the band. They play one song every 15 minutes and wait for requests. More and more bands are following this tradition. We experienced it a couple of days ago in Monte Cristo of Hraztan Gorge, we had taken 49 people for dinner and they adopted pay and I’ll play policy.

Yesterday, we couldn’t resist Gor’s invitation. In his e-mail he wrote, We guarantee good music, warm beer and cold women:-” we went and as we enjoy his music but could only last six to eight songs; need a smoke mask to survive a whole concert.

Still yesterday, we got another TV from Aray and took it to Zeitoun orphanage. This time the money came from a group of Notaries from Marseilles. They visited Armenia for five days. Out of 43, only five had Armenian background. Enjoyed the sites, food, drinks and chance meeting with Yeltzin at Ashdarag Dzor, and planned meeting with the Catholicos and other high officials. They’re also sponsoring the building of a school in Giumri.
Some were surprised with the contrast: the wealth of Echmiadzin’s museums and the poverty of people.

Now each of the five group of the orphanage has it’s own televisions. We discussed other needs with the caretakers and decided that the next priority is washing machine. They do have a couple of  industrial ones from 1960’s, one in half working condition and the other does not work at all but they keep it to use the spare parts with the halfworking one. Together we decided to equip each group with its own, a precaution and defense against contagious viruses or diseases.
 

October 11, 2002

We’re happy when we get visitors.
Didn’t expect as many in October. Last week there was a businessman from Arab Emirates, one of the first flyers on a new airline. He was content with the weather, though it rained constantly. The city he lives in hasn’t had rain for the past five years. According to him, more visitors will come to Armenia, now that they have the choice of not flying with the Armenian Airlines.
Met a third cousin for the first time. She’s lived most of her life in LA and I have visited the city several times, but we had to meet in Yerevan. This city brings families together. The last day together we went to the Armenian Airlines office to get her ticket confirmed, something she did not know she was supposed to do. The agent told her that her booking was cancelled, because the ticket number was not entered in the computer (?!@). Fortunately the agent fixed the problem with no hassle.
Yesterday a couple returned to Lebanon. The day before got informed that their open ticket would keep them in Armenia for at least another two weeks. The flights to Lebanon are supposed to be booked till the end of the month. The couple had received their higher education in Yerevan and was revisiting the country after an absence of 12 years. The woman and the man took emotional turns with the country’s unemployment, poverty, population number, food, and with the unchanged problems of the Armenian Airlines.
A good trip turns sour with unplanned extensions. We’re happy when we get visitors and we’re happier when they leave, on time.
 

October 8, 2002

LOVE MY JOB.
(If you have forgotten us) - Nigol and I are in hospitality business; have B & B, place tourists in our and other hotels, do tour guiding, provide other services related to the job, and enjoy life.
According to Nina Hovnanian we had 20% more tourists visiting Armenia in 2002, and it’s not even year end. Last year Armenia got 126 thousand tourists.
Room booking is part of our job. It’s hard work. Here’s an example.
We got a letter from a Torontonian. He’s coming to Armenia with his wife and son. Wants to book with us but does not clarify room numbers. I know him from Toronto, and also know that among other things he loves fishing. I write him back asking, on behalf of Ishkhan and Garmrakhayd, whether this was going to be a business or pleasure trip. And add that the mundane matter of booking rooms could be completed upon his arrival. He answers back, “The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources was extremely pleased to hear that I am leaving the province for a couple of weeks. For them, it meant that the fish massacre in Ontario will hold during that period.
Ishkhan and Garmrakhayd, being Armenian fish will be protected. Please assure them that I will not come close to any body of water in Armenia.
Furthermore, I am bringing sperm with me and if they have the eggs, we can start a new species, and may call "Arca" (Armenian / Canadian) (Takavor-better than Ishkhan)
I have been in Armenia not too long ago (1967)
Back to serious stuff-Regarding the room(s)
When we got married 32 years ago (I was 2 years old), our bedroom was so small that we could fit only one narrow single bed horizontally. Vertically it could take a double bed, but who wants to sleep standing up. So after 9 months, when T. was born,still couldn't afford a bigger room. Therefore, to enlarge the room, I removed the wall papers….”

I also do tourguiding  I provide them with historic facts and dates, myths, and inevitably we’ll start group discussions. Always, always, always, someone will say ‘do you think it’s right to spend 12 million on a church when there’s so much …. Unemployment and poverty’; or, ‘if only we had built fortresses instead of churches’. I always warn the tourists about the pickpockets especially in Vernisaj and Ecmiadzin, it’s one of the parts of my duty that I take very seriously.

99.99 percent of the drivers are self assigned tour guides. The average driver is very sociable, doesn’t drink on the job and has excellent driving skills. The tourist realizes the extend of his skills on the roads of Dilijan and Datev and appreciates it. When it comes to providing facts and historic info he’s very creative. Once we were passing by the statue of ‘Guy’ (Guyi artzan) and someone inquired about it, the driver said it’s Vartan Mamigonian. Or, whenever someone asks me the name of a tree in the middle of nowhere, I turn to driver for help.

I wanted to tell you about my meeting with the police, but I won’t.
 

July 11, 2002

I am getting ready for the opening of Parev Inn Suites, by cooking home made mortadellas and sarmas.
Nigol is busy with other matters, like going to Harkayin. The accountant told him that Harkayin refused last month’s report instead demanded: July taxes in advance, a meeting with CEO and only then wanted to accept June’s accounting report.
So Nigol went, and asked why they demanded to see him in person (in a very loud voice). And harkayin denied it’s own request and said there was no reason for him to come. Then negotiation began for July tax payments, Nigol wanted to make the payment at the end of the month and they wanted it right then, eventually they agreed on a date in the midst of those two.
Tax collectors from business are very enthused workers; or, there is too much pressure on them. Whatever the case they’ve been doing good job.
Hope we all make good money and pay our share:)

July 7, 2002
This morning we went out only to discover that it's Vartavar. All kids (and not only kids) are throwing buckets of water on passengers, especially on girls and women.
I kept my windows locked while we were driving. Especially Apovian was war zone: young men on the roof of a building with buckets of water, drenched cameraman, several young women completely soaked.
Left Apovian and decided to have iced coffee at petite Paris, between parking and entering the caf? a group of 'lagods' pursued me, I was almost running and made it just in time by entering the cafe.
You never know, they may get me in the afternoon.

June 14, 2002
Today the tax collector guy (for garbage and what’s the other service fee collected with it?) rang the bell and I invited him in, only to  realize that had no tram with me. It was happening the first time. His reaction was so surprising, ‘don’t worry’, ‘don’t worry’ (mi anhaksdatzek) and left. Is this the usual reaction to everyone? Or as a customer with good paying history knew that he could get it the next day.
A couple of months ago the water guy (not the same person) knocked the door. He was new at this job and invited himself in. I asked to see his credentials. I have lived too long in the West to trust complete strangers. At first he did not understand me (an unusual request?) then was ready to show his ID. There was a cigarette in his hand. In Canada even when it’s subzero people go out for smoke. The guy asked how many people lived in the apartment, I got suspicious (info was supposed to be in his books) and told him the truth, two. He said according to his documents only one person was registered at the address and the name he gave was my family name and Nigol’s truncated family name as a first name. A person who does not exist. Explained him so.   He said why don’t we continue to pay for one person per registration info. He kept smoking and sitting in the chair, noticed some English books and asked where were we from. Then gave the name of his cousin in US whom I did not recognize. After the Genocide his cousin’s family went to America theirs to Eastern Armenia, his father was a ‘hi-aser’. There was resentment in his voice, the resentment of a person who thinks was cheated by life, and confessed that they were forced to collect taxes (a job below his station, as before he had a higher position).  I paid for the whole year – I really don’t like the smell of cigarettes in our apartment, particularly his brand.
 

June 8, 2002
My last entry turned into an interesting forum, thank you all for your participation- Let's start a second session on the same topic:)
Cultural values evolve and it should (hopefully for the best). At the beginning of last century the first Diasporans, survivors of the Genocide, had arranged and mail order marriages.
At least two fictitious works deal with this subject matter, the play written by Richard Kalinoski, The Beast on the Moon, and Zabelle, a novel by Nancy Kricorian. In both Armenian heroines have arranged marriages and immigrate to US to meet their husbands to be.
A non-fiction book, biography of Arshille Gorki mentions his parents' marriage (survivors of Turkish atrocities), as being arranged by seniors for ensuring lives and physical continuity of Armenians.
30-40 years later Armenian men from Middle East immigrated to Northern America and some of them returned to Middle East to marry a girl from their own original country and sometimes from the same town. I am not talking about childhood sweethearts. You think there were no Armenian girls in the countries/cities they lived in? Or perhaps they thought that Middle-Eastern-Armenian girls from the same country or town were more Armenian than the girls in America who just like them had adapted to the ways of their new society.
Two guys from Northern America who volunteered to serve in Armenia during 1990-1994 in the past four years came back and choose Hayasdantzi girls. Eventually they hope to make enough money and move back to Hayasdan. Perhaps they think and hope that Hayasdantzi girl will agree to come back to live in Hayasdan.
On personal level, marrying couples are consenting adults and they do what's right for them: for love (hopefully), survival, financial, and biological reasons.
Eventually we all might benefit from these marriages: it might help in bringing Spurk and Hayasdan closer. We can all chose to look at mismatched marriages (not all of them are) as spectators and say it's their own business, we can also say it happens everywhere on the world, we're no exception.
On another level we can accept that there's cultural (including family) pressure on Armenian girls (who unlike third world countries are educated) to marry which sometimes forces some of them to make very unsuitable marriages with the first spurkahi and/or even odar who asks her hand even when she has met this person only 10 days ago.
I agree with you, Vahan, Lancaster does not represent US. But as a Hayasdantzi do you think Yerevan represents Armenia? If we did a survey from Lori region to Meghri what do you think the average marriage age would be?
I don't see Hayasdantzi women marrying a Spurkahi for fortune. Maybe some are marrying into money but not all. A few might be marrying to leave the country, and that reflects the mood the country is in.
Armenia has thousands are cultural and family values that we should all be proud of. But when we see problems, keeping our heads in the sand would not help solving it. Admitting it is the first step.
Armenia is exporting brides and it is also exporting babies for adoption. But that's another story that I don't want to touch. Not now.

June 4, 2002
We had a wedding past Saturday; a Canadian-Barskahay got married with a local girl. Two young people made a beautiful couple.
There are two more weddings planned for the summer (that we know of): a Lebanese-Armenian with a local girl; and a Swedish-Armenian with a local girl. Also, yesterday an Anjartsi from Canada got engaged to a Hayasdantzi girl, wedding has to be planned yet.
Armenia is also exporting brides.
According to local custom couples get married very young between 18 and 22. However the economy of the past decade pushed eligible single men abroad (more men than women), or made it very difficult for them to make families. Hence we have eligible single young women waiting. And we do have double standards: a guy over 25 is a good catch, a woman over 25 is ‘dunmna’. Diasporan Armenians don’t mind the ‘dunmna’; one got engaged to a 23-24 yrs old, (12 years younger than him), and the other to a 25 yrs old (15 years younger).
Local attitudes and values are completely different from the values I was raised with. One local attitude is, it’s OK to be divorcee woman but is a disgrace not to be married at all. Mothers encourage their daughters to get married at all costs and later divorce their husbands if they’re unsuitable. Another puzzling value is the morality of the unmarried woman: at a young age if a girl dates a guy a few times then she should marry him. It’s a matter of morality and men of the family are very protective of their young sisters’ or daughters’ reputation. However, if a woman has not married and she’s in her 30’s and wants to become a single mother, it’s condoned by the society.
Diasporan Armenians have mostly adopted a combination of Christian/ western values. Locals are more fatalists and instinctually created their own morality code, which closely scrutinized, is the appropriate one for the continuity and survival of the nation.

May 21, 2002

Saw two plays on the weekend.
At least dozen theatre groups perform in Yerevan and at each season they add on their repertoire. Unlike anywhere else I’ve been, the audience is a fair mixture of very young, young and adults.
The play I saw and like to discuss is The Beast on the Moon presented by Metro Theatre.
Three years ago I had seen the English version in Toronto presented by Hrant Alianac.
It is only natural to compare the two, both were beautifully played, except that three issues bothered me and I’d like to share them with you.
In the Armenian version:
? at the end the couple splits, because the wife sees that the only way the husband can feel the empty head places in the family picture is for her husband to get remarried to another woman (because she’s barren).
? the level of verbal and physical abuse by the husband was in high volume;
? The kid, (was it Vence), is housed with a catholic orphanage and is being sexually abused by a priest;
? After the wife walks away, the husband gives away items most dear to him including his bible and decides ‘to live’.
Anyone read the original script? Just wondering, which version was truer to the story.

April 13, 2002
D. and his cousin K. went to the consulate to get visa for Karapagh visit. None of them speaks Armenian, the lady at the consulate does. She asks: ‘Where would you like to visit?’ D. says Sushi, K. tries to Step… but could not pronounce it clearly. The lady does not understand Sushi and Stp… and starts firing names among which Aghdam, Kubatli…. They keep repeating yeah, yeah, yeah… Well she says you’re not permitted to go to those cities. A couple of hours later the driver goes with them and translates, he also says, ‘it’s not up to them, we’ll go where I drive’ and gets visas for them.
K. was perplexed, if those places are not part of the tourist zone why bring them up?

On a serious note, occupied territories are not open to foreigners. As an American or foreigner, if you are planning to start a tea factory or some other factory in Titzmairee, or Agdam forget it. Try your luck in Shushi and Stepanagerd
 

April 10, 2002
…How do you like Armenia?
(me)  I love it.
 It’s a good place, isn’t it?
We’re at Hayasdan hanrakhanut (mall) shopping clothes for D. Hard to believe, but it’s a hayasdantzi who’s got a praise for the country. (The usual question being: ‘what forced you to move to Armenia”)
Turns out, he has lived in Kiev for 7 years and then chosen Yerevan to return to for living.

D. is looking for a sweater. A half-Armenian from SF who doesn’t have the Armenian looks, and does not know the language, but has crossed the ocean for the first time to (shop in Armenia ??) and discover his roots.

Being an Armenian? Foremost, a matter of choice.
 

April 8, 2002

“Congratulations on your April the 7th, “ I am getting good at this. Yesterday I used it twice. April 7th being the day for motherhood and beauty. Even women and girls congratulate each other. Armenia is the only country, that I know of, that celebrates Mother’s/women’s day for a whole month from March the 8th to April the 7th.

On this happy occasion we invaded S. & K.’s house, gave flowers to S. and (in exchange) borrowed videos. One of the two/or three things we miss, English movies (the first being our families, dah). Unlike North America, in Armenia you don’t have to subscribe to the cable to watch good movies. There’s a free TV channel, cinemax that shows Hollywood and Russian movies all in Russian. All English movies are dabbed; and when it’s good dabbing (Arnold and Sandra speaking only Russian) we turn it off, but when it’s very bad dabbing we watch it (we hear Arnold saying ‘Sandra’ in English and translator’s voice repeating it in Russian ‘Sandra’). It’s hilarious and frustrating. The best movies are the ones that have English subtitles (for deaf).

That’s one of the two (or three- stretch it) sacrifices that I’ve made of, with moving to Armenia.
 

March 30, 2002
It’s almost Easter, and instead of attending a church I will give my twopence about a hot issue often discussed everywhere by Armenians: Did we need to build the new church in Yerevan, St. Grigor Lusavorich.

According to official statistics there are more than 3 million and two hundred thousand people living in Armenia. One third of the population lives in Yerevan that makes around a million; let’s assume there are some inaccuracies and ‘fix’ the number around seven hundred thousand.

About churches in Yerevan, lined by their chronological age from the oldest to the youngest are: St. Hovhanes, Katoghige, Zoravar, St. Sarkis, St. Sarkis, and Lusavorich. Armenian Protestants have a worship house, (and there’s the Iranian blue mosque for Iranians), which brings the  total of all Armenian worship houses to seven. What’s the proportion, one hundred thousand to each church?

When I resided in Toronto, there were 2 Gregorian churches, one Catholic, one Protestant and one for Brethren ‘yeghpayrutyun’. Five Armenian churches for 30 thousand Armenians. I am sure that’s the proportion in every city of Diaspora.

A typical tourist visits Armenia for 14 days and sees 12 to 15 churches/ monasteries. Gets the impression that there’s church overflow. Most monasteries were built for hermits, monks, in remote places and are not accessible for day to day life. Think of Datev and Noravank.

Do we need more churches or not? Definitely yes, (I can hear your screams) though we don’t need to spend $10 million on each. And we need more clergy especially the type that can reach people in their dire times. The void is already being filled by unorthodox cults.

Happy Easter.
 

February 17, 2002
This week was ‘Duruntez’ also knows as ‘Dyaruntarach’.
40 days after Christ was born, He was taken to the church on this day. Duruntez-Dyaruntarach is ‘to go forward to meet Christ’, an explanation given by the Armenian Church.
The way it’s celebrated in Armenia has a zesty flavor to it.
Even when I was a kid, Armenians kept their Christmas tree decorated, and on Dyaruntarach took it out to street to burn. In later years this tradition died in Lebanon.
This week in Armenia couples joined hands and jumped over flames in their wedding costumes to get married in the church. A sight worth seeing.
Believers walked to church and lit candles and carried them all the way to their homes.
Once upon a time when we worshipped the fire we took our newborns, engaged and new weds to it for blessing and good fortune.
So, what conclusion should we draw?
That the Armenian Church is very wise?
That we are a strong people?
That we are struck in our old ways?
Or, all of the above?

February 16, 2002
Hello, hello, hello.
    We've been back for ten days now.
    Wanted to share these news with you all.
    Population of Armenia is more than three million and two hundred thousand!
    In October each household answered a survey comprising of 32 questions. A way to figure out the ethno- socioeconomic layers/
    structure of Armenia.
    (Sample questions: the place you live in is it an apartment, or a house.
    How many rooms?
    What's the exterior like?
    Are you satisfied with garbage removal system
    What's your profession?
    What's your income?
    Do you have another source of income?…)
    The preliminary result of the survey is the population number Three million and two hundred thousand and something…

November 10, 2001
I smell gas though the bulb is empty. It’s not worth filling it as I will be leaving for Toronto on Tuesday. Will feel the excitement when I am there, right now I am feeling insomnia.
A blogger reader sent me a nice e-letter re my last entry. She writes, ‘Thank you for today's beautiful posting. I have been fortunate enough to visit my homeland on more than one occasion (12 and counting) and I return every summer for at least 8 weeks.’ Keep coming. As for me I moved to Armenia after the third.  This month two years ago.
When we’re in Canada friends refer us as Hayasdantzi, when we’re in Armenia we’re Canadatzi. Doesn’t matter either way we’re Hi. That’s that.
It’s been exciting two years. We’ve started new businesses in Tourism and Investment in Armenia. By Western standards we’ve started a new life; by Eastern standards, Life has unrevealed a new fold. We’ve come back to where we belonged perhaps after 1000 years.
Got letters from blogger readers and from www.parev.am. A friend wrote “Houzitch e nayev tidel ait ngarnere: intch keghetsgoutyoun, intch kheghdjoutyoun, intch barzoutyoun...
Voghtch menak: hargav or me gdesnevink ... touk "khenter" vor gabrik tser yeraze ...”
If you have a dream you better give it a chance. If not, doesn’t matter consciously or unconsciously you’ll pass it to your kids and one day they will rush in where you have feared to tread.