On the last day of the year, I would like to share two moments that made an impact on my spiritual world.

May 2003 -
First visit of my brother-in-law and niece, Nayiri, then two and a half years old to Armenia.
A hot day, Nayiri woke up in the mini van, parked under the shade. She and I followed the steps of her parents to Dzidzernagapert. In her Pampers and underwear she ran all the distance from the museum to the fortress, like an athlete, to her father's arms. Down the stairs we all went wearing long faces, remembering but not uttering a word. For no apparent reason Nayiri went to the fortress, faced the wall, and started singing Cilicia, 'yerp vor patzvin trner huso, yev mer yergren pakh da..' stumping her right foot with the rhythm of the song, like a wail.
That moment, I believed in reincarnation, genetics and collective memory.

December 2003
Two Sundays ago we went to Yeraploor.
Aram Boghossian, the commander of infantry division of Shushi battalion, survived the war but yielded to cancer three years ago.
You can do nothing to a grieving mother. I walked away from the group and approached Antranig, a twelve year old beautiful boy.
'Is your father buried here?"
"Yes'.
He leads two teenage girls and me to his tombstone. Instead of his picture a palette has been engraved on it, a painter. I see that Antranig has already visited him, a single white carnation lies on it.
I look at the date, he lost him when he was two.
(Carnations were meant for Aram, he understands that family comes first, and he got bunches of flowers from others.)

After a couple of silent moments, one of the girls, Sona tells me that her maternal uncle is buried there too. We visit him, a guy in his twenties. Another single white carnation.
Sona has a hero for an uncle and a cad for a father. He has disappeared in Russia four years ago, leaving four kids behind.

Next we visit Anna's paternal uncle. His father is home, taking care of her and mother, mother is an invalid in bed.

On the way we meet the rest of AYF junior gang, 'Have you been to Shahen Meghrian's tomb?' they ask. We have not.
Antranig leads us. Shahen and his nephew are burried side by side. Antranig checks the dates, they've fallen in the same battle. Then he approaches and kisses the seventeen- year-old's tombstone.
Like one Armenian guy kissing another on the cheek, like one brother to another, like an oath.

I want to cry,
I want to hug this wonderful, beautiful twelve-year-old.
This orphan, this boy, this man, this soldier.
God bless him and his generation.

December 21, 2003
Memories of Canada

Beautiful decorations in malls, on streets and houses. Set up right after or right before Thanksgiving. Same carols played and replayed a million times. Lists. Marathon shopping. December 24, Christmas Eve. Boxing Day. Credit cards full to the limit. Finish line, New Year.
January the 2nd, business as usual. More sales. Boxing Day extended to Boxing weeks.
Hey! Don’t take down the decorations; don’t disassemble the Christmas Tree. What happened to the Armenian Christmas?!
Actually the 6th is a working day. If you insist, you’re permitted to take the day off.

To be frank, commercialization of holidays was not the reason that brought me to Yerevan. But it’s the reason I avoid North America for this time of the year.

Nowadays, Yerevan came out of inertia and showed signs of New Year related activities. Like assembling a huge Christmas tree on the Republic Square (one third already assembled).

Nowadays, I would not mind hearing a carol or two.

There’s no frenzy, but people are shopping mostly for food. New Year Eve the traditional table will be set with drinks and food including Pork leg (jugo) and kufte. For thirteen days, (eleven of which are official non working days), there will be a festive mood. The table will wait for any visitor who might drop in, unannounced. Food, drinks, toasts for a better future.
On the 6th the religious and not-so-religious will go to church.

As for me, please no drop ins. Call before you visit. And no I don’t cook pork or kufte and there’s no permanent set table.

Does that make me a hybrid?

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Shnorhavor Soorp Dznoont to you all.

This morning, I am in bed half sleep and hear Nigol’s voice, Armenia is on CNN map!

Past week, two of our hotel customers were from UAE.
You might be living in UAE for 20 years, but you know it’s transitory stage, not your final destination. Yervand Says.
He’s a Hayasdantzi engineer, found a job five years ago; moved his family. He and his wife, Anna, work. Kids go to foreign school (where else?)
His boss is very happy with his work and every time they need another engineer he says, let’s hire someone from Hayasdan. Now they have more than half-a-dozen hayasdantzi engineers working in the company.

Price of land is escalating in some parts of Armenia. Armenians from Russia, Iran, Syria, UAE, North America are buying land and property.

Before, when I went back, they asked me about thieving Armenians and Mafia, now they’re asking about job opportunities. This from a Syrian-Armenian guy who moved in 1996 and has a store in Yerevan called ‘Everything for Sewing’.

Perceptions are changing.

Armenians are feeling restless, whether born in the Middle East, or in voluntary-compulsory-work-exile situation.

Yervand and a couple of his friends have purchased land in Armenia. His plan is to move back in four years’ time. If you want to start a business this is the time, after four years you might be too late. He held that opinion before the explosions targeting Christian foreigners in different Moslem countries. Now he is apprehensive.

Also last week, we gave complimentary rooms to a Lebanese crew preparing a TV documentary about Armenians. They have discovered interesting findings: More Armenian skeletons in the Syrian Desert; and a village near Syrian Turkish boarder, with Armenian inhabitants converted to Islam. In Armenia the crew filmed Dzidzernagapert and other places, and interviewed Lebanese Armenians who have moved to Armenia. Key questions were, Why did you leave Lebanon and moved to Armenia? Will you consider moving back to Lebanon?

I watched CNN the whole day, I saw Michael Jackson, Georgian and Iraqi news but no map of the region.

Once they decide, Armenians can find their way home.

CNN map, isn’t it for Americans to show where they have invested interest? 

November 14, /2003

Whinnying of a horse, what does it tell you?
“Armenia is a cradle of horse civilization.” Two contradictory thoughts cross my mind simultaneously: Yeah right, here we go again, and, We’re one of the oldest civilizations (if not, The cradle).

Three weeks ago Nigol took his friends to a hunting trip in Artzakh and they encountered wild horses. They could not get too close but took pictures. See a couple on our website.

Last weekend, we’re surfing on TV channels and I hear the last part of the news - remains of a prehistoric horse have been discovered in Shengavit.

If you’ve already visited Armenia, you might have been to Erepouni. The names Menua and Argishti might sound familiar. Argishti conquered these parts of the world, and built cities and fortresses  (he came from the Western Armenia). In the year 782 BC, he built Erepouni and he carved the birth-certificate in cuneiform inscription on more than one rock “With the permission of god Khaldi, I, Argishti son of Menua, built this city for the prosperity of Biainily country and for bringing peace to our enemy country.’ On another rock the last phrase is ‘for the terror of the enemies’.

On September 25th of 1950 the stone birth certificate was discovered. A sprint to Moscow asking permission to celebrate the birthday of city, the green light, and Armenians celebrated 2750th birthday of Erepouni. “Yerevan tartzar im Yerepouni…” Erepouni transliterated into Yerevan. Since then we count the age of the city by the inscription date, 2785 the last count.

“The land was waste and I undertook great deeds.’ Argishti continues.  The land was barren, there were no buildings on it.
The land was called Aza, and it included Medzamor civilization, a city burnt down by Urartians.

Excavations in Shengavit (close to Lake Yerevan) in 1930’s by Kurtyan, between 1960 and 70 by Sartaryan, and in 2000 and 2003 by Simonyan show that settlement phases dating mid fourth to the second millennium BC existed. They had a high level of civilization, stone fortifications, buildings, and spiritual religious beliefs...

Why didn’t the Armenian Soviet leaders admit their mistake?
We’re they scared of becoming the laughing stock of Moscow?

Yerevan is at least five-thousand years old and the
Whinnying of a ghost horse in Shengavit answers it all. 

November 4, 2003

Someone knew who I was. Yesterday I am standing outside the orphanage and a kid from the upper window notices me and calls, ‘Nigol’s woman, where is Nigol?” (Nigoli aghchig Nigoln vordegh a?)

I’ve been visiting this mankadun for more than three years.
Dzovig introduced us to it.
Vorpanotz is located in Zeitoun and housed, at that time, 70 kids from age two to seven.
Dzovig’s family gave a ‘hokejash’ for her father’s requiem. It was lahmajun, veggies, and taan. No alcohol. They are hayrenatarz Armenians. The extra lahmajun they wanted to give away to an orphanage and located the mankadoon.
For months everytime I visited, the kids would run to me and call me Dzovig, then someone would say ‘she’s not Dzovig’.

The first two years we took them slippers, shoes, underwear every summer and boots, pyjamas, sox every winter. Then we gave four TVs. We also took tourists, the ones that are not shy of visiting orphanages. Most of them chipped in.

Last year we took a group of French notaries. They, and their tour organizer, Henry Emard, donated money. With some of the money we got shoes. The principal of orphanage, Ungeruhi Greta, said they needed laundry machines. What they had was from the sixties and was leaking water. We could not find an industrial washer in the market and Greta said the smaller washers  better served the purpose and helped isolate viruses. We got them five, Seven months later the washers were still not used. Greta said they needed hot water to operate the machines. It also meant, the kids were walking from one building to another thru corridors for their baths in cold weather.

This year there was a change in status and the mankadun/vorpanotz turned into a dormitory for kids. Ungeruhi Greta says now it’s under Ministry of Social Welfare and they are getting better funding.

The visible implication of the change is the increase of dormitory population. Since September one-hundred-and-twenty kids reside in the institution and a new section is opened for toddlers. The toddlers barely walk. Picture a giant walking, boom-boom-boom, hard to keep balance, toddlers walk like that. They approach you and raise their arms and want to be held. They also want to leave with you.

The war orphans are at least ten years old; the earthquake orphans are older. Kids in these institutions are from broken homes or from socially insecure families. Hopefully, one day they will have a home to return to.

‘Nigolu nersum a’ I answer to the kid of the upper window. “Pa vordegh a, inchi mer mod chi kalis? Inch a perel”.

This kid is one of the original five. A French Armenian wanted to sponsor five orphans. Perhaps he had other plans, like adopting one of them. Five kids were identified as being orphans; later we discovered that all of them had at least one close relative.

Nigol is supervising the renovation of the bathrooms/washrooms, installing hot water system and water tanks (bugs). Two sets of bathroom/washrooms are now completed and there’s two more to go. Before Christmas I will post on our website, www.parev.am, pictures of the bathrooms/washrooms before and after the renovation. I will also make a webpage for the mankadun/dormitory.

‘Zoularanern a norokoom’. I say and feel the absurdity. The kid doesn’t care about the washrooms and bathrooms. He is expecting bonchig, fruits or candies. Well, Next time. Meanwhile Nigol and I would like to thank people who donated to different projects of mankadun/institution these past three years.  We will also make and post placards with sponsors names at the entrance of each bathroom.
Some people will hate me for announcing their names. Sorry for doing it, but we fill we are accountable.

Vicken Arabian of LA.
In January Vicken came with some money and wanted to disperse it to the poor. We talked about ‘zohvadz azadamardigneri’ families and the orphanage. He assisted eleven families who lost their loved to the war. Then we took him to the orphanage and he saw the hot plates used for heating the rooms. Unsafe for small kids. Same day, he purchased five electric stoves, and a vacuum cleaner.
Next time he visited Armenia he and his family had raised money for the renovation of a bathroom/washroom. Vicken’s sister organized a birthday for her son and in-lieu-of gifts money was donated to the project. Thanks to Sonig and Ara Avedikians. Also thanks to Ani Balian-Boyadjian.

We also like to thank Mike Baronian and Pino Ciaccio of Switzerland for sponsoring the renovation of the second bathroom/washroom.

In September it was my sister’s in-laws wedding anniversary. The fiftieth celebration was in LA and in-lieu-of gifts donations were made. Thanks to Gabriel and Dzaghkanoush Ayanian. The third bathroom/washroom will be completed by it.

We would also like to thank to:
Anush Sarkissian, Silva and Vartan Poladian of LA
Sisters and brother-in-laws, Raffi and Sossi Ishkhanians of LA, Ani and Paul Ayanian of San Franciso
Seta Tashjian, Houri Artinian, Arto Okutan, Maro Jizmejian  and Aida Avanessi of Toronto.
And to people who donated personal items. To Hasmig Manougian of Montreal for donating new clothes and shoes, Manuel Gounjian of Damascus for donating shoes to the kids and their caretakers.
And to the Armenian-Australian whose name we were not told.
Thank you all.

October 22, 2003

Raffi N’s apologies for not writing very often made me realize of my own sins.
It’s the end of tourist season and we’re hosting our last large group, Habitat. 15 Americans have volunteered to come to Armenia and help local Armenians with renovations of their homes.
One of the conversations I had with a group member was related to the insufficient funds for the project.  She asked why Armenians did not donate more finances to Habitat.
Part of my explanation was that Diaspora Armenians are used to donating and volunteering in the West. As for Armenians who have left Armenia it’s not that they do not send assistance, but they prefer the direct way with no intermediary organizations. They directly assist their own relatives, neighbors and friends. Most of them have a deep-rooted mistrust of the system. Though there is a gradual change.
I investigated and there are around 90 local Habitat volunteers.
I’ve been thinking a lot about volunteerism in Armenia and how to expand it. One of my lesser bright ideas is to replace the financial assistance of all Non-for-Profit organizations by volunteer-work-for-assistance program.
A family has lost a member to the war and is getting financial assistance. And a couple of their family members are unemployed or have part-time jobs. In return, one of the unemployed volunteers a certain amount of time (four days a month) to Habitat or Land and Culture or another organization he wants to work with and brings a written statement from them.
Does it sounds more of a compulsory work than volunteerism?
Work is good for the soul and volunteer work is more healing that getting free financial assistance.
 

Aug. 19. 03
The Toronto team played Tehran yesterday, aug 18, 03 in an eventful game at the Grand Tobacco stadium in Yerevan.  We were head to head with the Tehran team for much of the game.  However their experience and depth showed in the end.  Two of our starters got injured in the fisrt half of the game so we were short on the bench.  Tehran was a much bigger and deeper team than us.  Fortunately the injuries to  Oshin and Narbeh are not serious they are already up and dancing.  The final score was 91 to 69.
Later today we will be playing Pasadena at 4pm.  We are having a great time and appreciate all the support we are getting from back home and here in Yerevan.

Raffi Asailian

August 11, 2003
Toronto Game against Sydney
The game was very close and with many lead changes for both teams, at the end of the game the score was tied at 72 points, in overtime Sydney took the lead and Toronto came back and went ahead 3 points, however Toronto turned the ball over 3 times at the last minute of the game which resulted in Sidney’s victory 86-84.
Coach Barouyr
 

March 8, 2003
We celebrated the Beauty day, i.e. Women’s International Day.
It was very special, because the organization I volunteer with had invited thirty widows and mothers of freedom fighters.
Some of the mothers came wearing black from head to toe.
We had prepared an Armenian table: cake, pastry, torts, fruit, sandwiches, candies, champagne, and soft drinks.
A lady had invited a poet living in the area, and she read some of her own poetry; the women spoke, raised some issues to us and to two journalists covering the event. The widows sang and wept, drank, and always remembered the departed ones, whose blood ensured the independence and sovereignty of this country.
Life is hard. But we are Armenian, and as one of the elderly mothers quoted poetry, from another late freedom fighter, Tatul, life continues. We survive and we prevail.

I’d like to congratulate to all women readers in Armenian, ‘Tzer Mardi 8-u shnorhavor’.

On a different note, tomorrow I am leaving for Canada for two months.

March 3, 2003 (part two)
We are politicized.

Round two of preelections campaigns, apart from meetings and marches, was characterized by debates on different TV channels. Supporters of each candidate from different camps aired their views.

Debate is healthy. Forums are constructive. However let’s stick to rules of the game: let’s  stay polite and not attack each other on a personal level. With this understanding, Onnik, I will publish your e-mail.

If we are debating, let’s agree on the topic.

My theme is not the elections per se, nor the candidates. Though I am talking about them, indirectly. I am discussing what’s transitory and what’s more permanent.
Elections and yes, presidents, are transitory. They come and stay either five or ten years, and they go. Values are more permanent. I am talking about the creed, ‘unity of people, unity of nation,’ and yes ‘unity of land’.

Geghamian working with Kocharian? Raffi being in Demirchian’s camp? For the purpose of this particular theme, does not interest me.

If we had a polling system, and we asked Yerevantzi’s opinion on Karapagh and Karapaghtzis, what do you think the outcome would be?

I am talking about a mentality that was deliberately disruptive to the Nation and promoted in order to win some points over an opponent in political arena. Unfortunately, even the leader of party whose doctrine is National Unity stayed silent on the issue.
Only Sos Sarkissian evaluated the severity of the danger and addressed the issue in one of the debates. He said, x-pats came (referring to the older wave) and we called them ‘Akhbars’, Virahi’s came and we called them ‘shur dvadzner’, Armenians from Baku came and we called them ‘Turks’, now we are calling Karapaghtzis (in derogatory way).
I think, we as people came to the peak of  our unity with Karapaghian movement, now we are retreating.

People might disagree with Kocharian but they should separate it from his identity as Karapaghtzi. Karapagh should not be a front neither it’s people, not by Armenians.

The letter from Onnik
Firstly, the general perception is that Geghamian is working with Kocharian in order to split Demirchyan's vote so if you think him a look, remember well that in 1998 Kocharian promised to make him Prime Minister and the rumor is that he is playing the arrogant, anti-Kocharian demagogue to scupper Demirchyan's chances.

Then look at Demirchyan and actually consider that much of what his team (Demirchyan himself is just a figurehead) says is pretty much widely known and felt by the population. Also consider that rather than prove themselves xenophobes, Raffi Hovannisian is also on their team and Demirchyan has links to people (mainly AAA from what I've heard) in the US-Diaspora.

Doesn't mean that Demirchyan will make a good President of course, but just to let you know that you arguments are somewhat simplistic and perhaps tainted more by the favored status of Parev.am by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Diaspora Conference.

It's also worth pointing out that Kocharian is now believed by some analysts to have polled only around 20-25% with the rest made up in falsifications. And even if it turns to be higher -- say, 40% -- that still constitutes a largely apathetic electorate that was either reluctant to trust the alternatives or took the bribes (3,000 dram for university students, 5,000 for the average citizen).

But you're right, in a sense it is a leap forward for democracy in Armenia given that had the OSCE not comoe out with its statement on 20 February and had not tens of thousabds appeared in the streets, the CEC would have declared Kocharian the winner in the first round. Now, we're a satge further and the real test of democracy will come on 6 March.

Will barbed wire be strung across Baghramian with remote-detonated gas bombs attached and will the riot police and the military use the plastic bullets they've apparently been supplied with.

Anyway, in a sense, the situation you describe in your email is one of Kocharian's making whichever way you look at it. The situation in Armenia is deteriorating and we're now about to enter into a period of instability because Kocharian never allowed the democratic process to function in all walks of life. That it has come this far is an advance but one only down to the fact that people decided to fight this time, something that you have often wished for in your logs.

And now they are and the real state of the republic will be evident the day following the elections. I hope that everything will be calm, but the real blame for the situation if it proves otherwise is not Demirchyan or Geghamian, it is the way in which Kocharian has ruled Armenia for the past five years, and specially since the 27 October assassinations in the Armenian National Assemby.

Rgds,

March 2, 2003 (part one)
One-step forward, two steps backward.
That’s what happened to us, as people and Armenian nation.

I think with 2003 elections, the country took a step forward towards democracy. More than 60 percent of the electorate voted. Today the number of people indifferent to elections is marginal. Even kids in schools are debating the pros and cons of the candidates. Participation in public life, through meetings and otherwise, is very high. All positive signs for the country.

Black PR. is the negative publicity used in preelections campaign. It was used in abundance and it doesn’t worry me, it occurs everywhere. In general terms it’s OK, except when it intends to alienate a group of people from the Nation. The biggest share of the sin belongs to Geghamian, he referred himself as ‘halal dgha’ (because he’s of this land and water), and Kocharian a Karapaghtzi. Karapaghtzis became an undesired part of the nation. Others picked it where Geghamian left. Calling Kocharian Turk or worse than Turk. It was said that Karpaghian clan has occupied the country.

I heard that a car with Karapaghian license number was stoned in Armenia.

A deliberate, intentional negative publicity was used to alienate Kocharian and through him Karapaghtzis from the Nation. And to a certain extend it gave results.

Do you think once you encourage people to think along these lines, it will stop within election arena?

Won’t it spread to x-pats, who are born neither in Armenia and nor on Armenian lands. Won’t it be recycled and reused with the next elections and next candidate born outside Armenia?

As Armenian Nation we took two steps backwards, the creed ‘One people, One Nation’ was pierced.

And can you tell me please, who will gain from it?
 

February 20, 2003
A few hours ago Armenia cast her voted to elect a president. We’re waiting for the outcome.
Meanwhile some preliminary data for you.
Inspite of the weather: snow that would not stop the whole day, one million 420 thousand and 344 pp participated in the elections. That makes 61.9 percent of the electorate.
The highest turn out was in Syunik region 72.5 %
The break up is as followed:

Yerevan  58.1 %
Arakadzodn 59.9 %
Ararat  68.6 %
Armavir  67.5 %
Gegharkunik 65.3%
Godayk  62.1%
Shirag  54.2%
Syunik  72.5%
Vayotz Dzor 66.2%
Lori  58.9%
Davoush  67.6%

February 16, 2003
Today I saw two Russian soldiers standing infront of a shop. One of those shoe-box-shops that have a tiny window for sale transactions. The office where I volunteer is very close to it, and the lady shopkeeper is interested in having a side job as a cleaner lady in the office. Something that she can do in less than an hour everyday and have extra income.
When I noticed the soldiers, she hurried back and invited me with her. They were window-shopping. When we got close, each said in Armenian ‘pogh chunem’.  She asked what they needed, they kept repeating ‘pogh chunem’ with a wistful look,  she said you are ‘soldat’, meaning she won’t ask for money, and gave them a pen as a gift, they took it and left.
The previous cleaning lady disappeared a month ago. Her husband was very sick, then passed away. We assisted her with funeral expenses, and she took the deceased to their city, Sissian, to bury him properly, with his family. We waited for her return patiently. What’s the proper mourning period in Armenia? No one was complaining. This week we heard from another shopkeeper that two hours after the funeral she had followed him to the other world. Wow, what a bond.

January 24, 2003
Pre-election campaign has officially begun three days ago.
Armenian citizens in LA, Moscow and 32 other cities will be able to vote.

Personally, I am looking forward to the next presidential election. I am hoping that by then Armenia will have a bill for dual citizenship and I’ll be a member of the electorate.

Did you notice that there are two candidates with the same first and last names. Where else this could happen, eh?
Last count, eleven candidates, a couple of them real dodos and not a single female. You think there are no women qualified for the job?
One respected lady is Dr. Ludvila Harutiunian. She’s smart, politically mature and balanced. And she knows better than to trek the impossible journey, twice.

I am also looking forward to May elections. O.K. Armenia is not ready for a woman president. But will women have more seats in the National Assembly? I mean, look at Europe, republics of  former Soviet Union, most have thirty to forty percent women elected in their parliaments. We’re not Europe? Look at Iran for God’s sake, and some other Islamic countries, they have more women in their legislature than we do.

We can do better than four seats, right?
 

January 11, 2003
Harout, what were you saying about the weather?

There was a heavy fog in Yerevan today. We descended from Azadutyan St. to downtown Yerevan and noticed that the city was in mist. On Derian Street we saw volunteers cleaning the streets, then to Republic Square and the Christmas tree was invisible. By the time we reached the outskirts of Yerevan I was urging Nigol to cancel the trip to Giumri. However, once we passed Vahakn’s houses everything got clear. The same thing happened in reverse order on the way back in the evening. Most unnerving experience.

I love Giumretzi-s, they are so proud of their heritage, and contribution to the cultural life of Armenia. At the beginning of the 20th century when Yerevan was a mud city, Giumry was flourishing. Had all the qualifications of becoming the capital. In this sense Giumri reminds me of Vazken Manoukian, the man that could have been the president.

Times changed, earthquakes happened, azeri population got exchanged with Armenian refugees. Today we got very close to the border, to Voghchi and Pyuragn inhabited by the refugees. Most of them had higher education and professional careers in Baku.

The highway from Vahakn’s houses to Giumri was clear and well paved; the roads in Giumri were atrocious; to visualize the roads of Voghchi and Pyuragn, you have to think of a narrow passage beyond atrocious with lots of pits and holes in it and covered in ice.

This year Giumri’s roads will be paved and construction of 71 more buildings completed. Important for economy, but transitory jobs. Seasonal/ permanent employment is being created in Agriculture. Even a couple of years ago the Armenian market in Winter was full of tomato, cucumber and other hothouse products imported from Turkey.  No more. The agricultural field is tax-free for the next five years and is growing rapidly, and hothouses are sprouting in Araradian and  Shirak fields. And Giumri is rising again.
 

January 8, 2003
Decided to skip the cold, the snow, the ice and commercialization of holidays.  Stayed in Yerevan for Christmas.

Looks like can’t run from certain things.

(In Yerevan) the Canadian weather caught up with us in the second week of December and stayed with us for four weeks. The break came yesterday, the snow melting process started by hitting the trees, then the roofs: piece by piece the frozen ice detached itself and find its way into streets and onto unsuspecting passerbys. On the fourth floor of our hotel, the waterpipes that survived the phenomenal weather of minus twenty something of last week burst early this morning. Stoically we accepted the fact of soaked rugs and dripping ceiling. When it gets dry we have to renovate and repaint the damaged areas.

A piece of ice hit me this afternoon. I was reading today’s issue of ‘Haygagan Jamanag’ (January 8, 2003), an interview with Ardashes Geghamian, one of the twelve aspirants for Presidency.
A paragraph caught my eyes (more like popped it), I translate,

Naturally, our people distinguishes between it’s begotten son, (referring to himself), of this land and water, and a visitor who has come for games and wants to be transplanted on our land by artificial means. He won’t succeed.

It’s pre-election time. Time to discredit your opposition and opponents. Ardashes Geghamian is targeting Vartan Osganian, the Armenian who was not born in Armenia but moved to his land to serve his country, applied and received Armenian citizenship.

And in his haste, we all become target of his DISCRIMINATION. He is not scared of alienating Diaspora and expatriates (no votes to be gained from this pool). And this is the man who gave a different meaning to preelection campaign by taking it to Russia to search for voters in Russian power circles (and hence the debate/animosity between him and Osganian).

At the moment, “splashes of mud,” is the way to describe the state of our streets and politics. I am sure it will change for good pretty soon.