It was much easier this time. We were coming from a technologically advanced country to a less developed country. Also, we created our own jobs, did not go through the whole local-experience tragic/comedy black drama.

Have I adjusted to life in Armenia? After five years in Armenia, I know there are certain values to which I won't adjust. Like Women issues.

As soon as we start discussing women issues: like getting higher paying jobs for women, pay equity, more women involvement in decision making processes, women in politics, the 'F' word is slapped to our faces. 'F' standing for Feminism and being dirtier than the four letter word.
(Step two) It will be mentioned that foreigner (whores) are bringing their own dirty values to Armenia and these issues will be aligned with homosexuality and globalization.
(Step three) It will be followed by phrases like 'traditional values' and the traditional role of the Armenian woman and the Armenian man in the family: woman's place being in the kitchen, taking care of the kids; man's place supporting the family and in politics. (The traditional family unit is under threat.)

An Armenian queen built the two monasteries in the North: Haghpad and Sanahin, after her husband's death. She dedicated them to her two sons. She also ruled the country.
Another princess sponsored the building of 40 monasteries and churches; spiritual, religious and educational centers of the time.
Another Armenian Cilician queen, whose first husband was imprisoned, did not enter the bed of her second husband for many years. It was a forced marriage to keep the kingdom in a Nationalistic Armenian family. She also used to wear ordinary citizen's clothes and leave the palace at night to help the poor and the ill.

Current day, the Armenian woman is beautiful, conscious of her appearance, hard working, intelligent, educated and responsible for the education of her kids and the kids of the nation.

In healthcare and education, more than 83 percent of employees are women, yet when it comes to administration women in these two fields have less than 13 percent representation.

She's also less paid, less involved in decision making process, more submissive.
60 percent of women in Armenia have highest education (meaning university degrees), though the average income of women is 48 percent of the average income of men.

Registered unemployed figures: men make 35.6 percent of which 37.5 has highest education; women make 64.4 percent of which 62.5 has highest education.

1918-1921 women had voting powers in Armenia and five percent representation in the parliament; today the figures are the same.

When did we mess up our traditional values? Was it when Yerevan was a war zone between Turks and Iranians for two hundred years? Was it Soviet times?

For the past century (if not longer) patriarchal and matriarchal family units have coexisted in our society. I will explain: in the last fifteen years because of the war we lost more than seven thousand (mostly men), a million left the country (more men than women), and many job-seeking husbands left to foreign countries not to return; in the II WW three thousand Armenians died, and in 1915 survivors of the Genocide were more kids and women. We've had it with each generation, but the fact has not registered in our conscious.

Traditional values change; they're not the same as moral values. Got many issues to resolve. Need collective strategy thinking and both - man and woman power.

We got a couple from Brazil. With the second edition of Lonely Planet we were hit with a new wave of walk-in customers: backpackers holding the LP the way you would your passport at the border.
Hotel work is seasonal; Mid November was the opening of dead season. I offered free English classes to my middle-aged employees, twice a week. Hired a lady journalist, who is earning her money by tutoring English, has an accent, but ‘got a system’. She’s teaching ‘pupil for ‘student’, ‘I’ve got for I have’.
Invited a couple of friends to join the group. Women are talking, and more women want to join in. The youngest in this group is forty-something. Almost everyone knows the alphabet, except for the cleaning lady, who feels cheated because back in Lori they got passing marks but not German knowledge. You think it would have helped her?
Being in the same age group gives them confidence. Younger employees already have essential English.

If nothing else, I figure it’s a good pass time, bonus knowledge. Though Julia was not enthused with the idea. She wants to teach Armenian to every tourist that comes to our DooN. Perhaps, I should write to Lonely Planet and say visitors can get free Armenian tutorials while having breakfast.
It’s hard to land well paying jobs in Armenia and as a friend said, English helps even when you’re applying for a driver’s position.

May 27, 2004
More celebrations
of the Independence Day of the  first Republic of Armenia
in Victory Park, on May 28th, from seven to nine PM
Organized by ARF

It was another interesting day.
Went to Ararat valley to a village named Sis close to the town Masis. Used to be an Azeri village.
On the way to the village we saw many fields or should I say  wasteland? Past Spring Hraztan river flooded and covered the fields, taking away wheat seeds, covered and ruined the asphalted road and God knows what it did to the flooded houses. The fields have turned into swamps and are full of useless cane.

Sis village has 1200 inhabitants, most are refugees from Baku, Sumgait and Girovabad.
Lands suffer from a condition common to low lands. Mainly, having excess non-soluble sodium salts. ATG with a local NGO called SIS is trying to overcome these problems.  In a pilot program new methods are being experimented: as in digging ditches and installing pipes; building artificial land slopes for removing surface water; Plowing the clayish land, treating it with gypsum to turn insoluble salts into soluble, a slow but hopefully effective process.

If this pilot project is effective Armenians will be able to reclaim more salty lands and put them for good agricultural use.

We did something different than going to see a monastery.
Went to a veterinary office/lab.
Interesting to see the work done. Learnt some new terminology related to animal diseases and changed my mind about thinking animals in Armenia being very healthy. We have our share of animal illnesses.
Also, learn that 'sibirakhd' is anthrax and not mad cow disease.
The lab has the best experts in town but lacks in technology:  among other things needs more microscopes, thermostats, and stain (dye) for slides.
The only equipment purchased in the last decade is a fridge.
On the bright side, the building was renovated.

Back to Garni and Geghart today.
Took a family for a visit, Ozanians. They’ve somehow related to General Antranig. Though the exact relationship is an unsolved puzzle.
On the way to Geghart we encounter herds of sheep. Stop the minibus and take pictures of sheep, donkeys, and shepherd.
Next picture at Geghart, I am photographing them with the khatchkar wall as the background; a local teenage boy approaches, gives his camera to me and asks for a group picture with Ozanians. ‘Why would he want a picture with us?’ they ask and conclude that the young guy’s fascination is similar to what they have shown to the shepherd.
We go back to the area where ‘madagh’ is slaughtered. I am relieved to see the floor clean, no fresh blood spelt. We see a group of local young teenagers.  Carol is a people’s person and starts a conversation. Uses the few Armenian words she remembers from her childhood.
Click, click, everyone is taking pictures. Carol asks for an Armenian song; the girls sing. More pictures, hugs and kisses to Carol. It is a graduating class of Toumanian School, from Akhalkalak, Javakhk.
I get an invitation to Javakhk, a phone number and a name.
I thought they were locals, but why should they look different. They are Armenians.
No Armenian language skills but a pilgrimage from US to Armenia, to the fatherland of their parents; Young Armenians from Javakhk and an excursion to Geghart and me.
AREN’t we amazing?

Catching up with my logs.

The first ten days after my return I slept a lot.
Change of seasons' weather makes me sleepy, I sleep more than ten hours a day. I've discovered that with Spring and Fall my blood pressure drops.
Getting a drop or high in blood pressure during this time, is a common chronic illness with many in Armenia.
Guess it's because Yerevan is 900 m. above sea level.

Funny, with tourists mostly the opposite is true.
My sister-in-law visited past Fall. The first two days she was hardly walking and was heavily leaning on a cane. Two days later she put her cane aside and was walking hours and hours.
Another elderly couple discovered that even after eating grapes and cake their sugar level was normal (they measured it everyday).
(Mostly, refers to getting diarrhea or constipation, the most common discomfort for tourists).
Remember that joke, a tourist visits hell in her dream and everything is swell, and then she dies and goes to hell...
 

We sold our apartment.
A friend told a colleague who told a friend... and she made an offer.
We have an oral agreement. I want to move before the 7th of April.
First step, a guy came from (was it?) notary and recorded the changes we've made.
He discovered that the closet, part of the balcony, we've changed into (khorovadzanotz) barbecue place, was not on our map.
When you buy an apartment, you get an ownership booklet with the map and coordinates of the apartment.
We assured him that we did not extend our balcony into somebody else's apartment.
Next step, we've got to get the apartment-does-not-have any debt statement.
I am storing books, albums, dresses, shoes and bags. The next six months I will be living in the hotel, moving from
one room to another.
I am hoping that our house, that Nigol is building in Broshian, will be ready next Fall.

Preconceptions,
we thought an expat would buy the apartment, because we've remodeled and knocked down two walls,
four doors, turned into an open concept apartment. The new owner is a hayasdantzi who has lived in US and loved it.
She thinks even the half wall we've left to conceal the washroom door is unnecessary.
The colors between diasporan Armenians and Hayasdantzi Armenians are blurring.

Talking about selling and buying, many diasporans are buying land or apartment.
Owning a piece of property in Hayrenik has caught like fire.

Property laws in Armenia
A friend's parent was in Armenia back in Fall, and he wanted to buy a piece of land in Broshian city.
Broshian is 12 Km from core, downtown Yerevan. He left and Nigol purchased it for them.
A couple of months later we met in Toronto, they wanted to buy, Nigol was ready to sell. Then they called the Armenian embassy.
Someone, (consul?) told them that as they were not Armenian citizens they could not buy/own land in Armenia.
Hello, we're not Armenian citizens and we own land in Armenia. Would our friends believe us?

Some Armenian embassies fear that a wealthy sheik might buy all lands in Armenia.
You need to have special residency status from the Republic of Armenia if you want to buy property in Armenia,
and the status is given only to Armenians. Even when your spouse is Armenian and you're not, you don't get it.
The law is applicable only to 'dnamertz hogher' which means lands you can build and reside on. Agricultural land, a totally different story.
Our friends did not buy. We returned home, the value of land in Broshian had doubled and Nigol sold it to a couple of Armenian guys from Lebanon.
 

Canadian embassy in Armenia - not on agenda
The Canadian consul is visiting Armenia. We got an e-mail, and yesterday a group of Canadians met him.
He was surprised by our numbers. Said he was expecting to chat with four or five people.
We were more than twenty and many were missing.
Canada does not have an embassy/ consulate neither in Armenia, nor in Caucasus. Has an honorary consul currently working from home.
The rumor is that Canada is planning to open one in Georgia. The consul has not heard of it.

And finally, the soprano singer, Isabel Bayrakdarian, who sings like an angel, will visit Armenia in April and will have
a concert with Edward Topchian.