Armenia State Officials, Public Figures Should Speak Up, Condemn Hate Crime

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 4:37 am May 17, 2012

Regardless of whether you think I’m perverted, mentally ill or should be burned at the stake (some of the terms I’ve heard applied to LGBT people — for example: see comments in this article), you have no right to take the law into your hands. The crime that was committed was a hate crime because it was committed against an establishment viewed as being frequented by members of a specific community and because the accused said one of their motives was that one of the owners of the bar had participated in the gay pride festivities in Istanbul the previous year. These motives, which I was told the brothers named in their confession only to retract them later, amount to hate against a particular individual and a particular group of people — hence, hate crime.


How timely then for ILGA Europe (the European branch of the International LGBT Association) to launch its first annual review of the human rights situation of LGBTI people in Europe and the European neighborhood on May 15, two days before the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, a week after DIY was firebombed and the same day the bar was targeted a second time. Needless to say, ILGA Europe ranked Armenia among 10 countries in the negative zone (!) — countries which do not meet even the basic requirements of human rights standards.

Two other important events took place on May 15: a press conference organized by human rights organizations to talk about the DIY case and a conference titled “LGBT Rights in Armenia: Silenced Reality” organized by PINK Armenia, which, along with the Women’s Resource Center of Armenia (WRCA), has been at the forefront of defending LGBT rights in Armenia before, during and after the DIY firebombing.

And these two events, which, in a way, rallied around the same cause, transpired markedly differently — a fact that can be viewed as symbolic of the society in Armenia today. The first event, the press conference at 11 am, was filled to capacity. Journalists from online and print media and television crews with their large cameras, as well as interested onlookers, not only filled the small room at the Novosti Armenia press agency, but also spilled out into the hallway. There was obviously great interest in this case — at least for the media.


The second event, the conference — so timely and urgent — was attended by only a handful of people, mainly civil society and NGO representatives. Though invitations were sent to the ombudsman’s office, the police and other state agencies, no one from these structures came. PINK Armenia tweeted: “If there are any state officials or reps at #armLGBT conference, they are keeping silent…”


While WRCA Executive Director Lara Aharonian, who was present at both events, tweeted: “No one from local authorities came to the press conference this morning and none present here at the #LGBT conference #armLGBT”

So it seems that as a topic, the DIY firebombing and LGBT rights are interesting for the media (they can be sensationalized and raise their ratings), while state officials have more important things to do, it seems, than attend events addressing important issues of concern to their electorate (oh right, the elections just passed).
Photo of DIY before bombing (from DIY Facebook group)
If there was ever a time for state officials and public figures to speak out, it is now. And again, I say, you may consider us mentally ill (despite the fact that homosexuality is no longer considered a mental disorder by the psychiatric/psychological community — that is, if we are required to base our arguments on the scientific community), you may despise us, you may wish we never existed, but you must stand up and condemn such acts. I believe the authorities are obliged to respond — not by creating a page on Facebook praising the neo-nazi attackers on DIY bar, as one state official did, but by publicly stating that it is acceptable neither to take the law into your hands nor to terrorize, intimidate, vilify or otherwise harass another person or group for ANY reason. Period. 


(At least one party leader, Raffi Hovannisian from the Heritage Party, showed his solidarity when he came to a concert in support of DIY. Kudos!)
Photo of DIY after bombing (photo courtesy of Nairi Hakhverdi)
What is now widely cited knowledge, two local MPs of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) faction — Artsvik Minasyan and Hrayr Karapetyan — posted the 1 million dram bail for one of the accused (the other had been released earlier on signature that he wouldn’t leave the country). On the same day the bail was posted, Minasyan effectively defended his stance, going one step further. In an interview to Panorama.am[AM], he said:

“In this case, I am convinced that these youth [the accused] acted in the context of our society and national ideology, in the right way,” adding, “Tsomak’s kind […] is destroying Armenian society.”

So not only are public figures not condemning these acts, they are defending them!
Front room of DIY which sustained the most damage (photo courtesy of Nairi Hakhverdi)
As Unzipped: Gay Armenia puts it, Minasyan effectively supports and encourages terrorism in Armenia. Like me, Unzipped also believes that political parties and members should stand up and say that they are opposed to such statements:

“If ARF-affiliated groups and party members worldwide care about the reputation of their party, and — more importantly — the future of Armenia, they should speak up against homophobia. They should demand that ARF makes statement clearly disassociated from their MP’s statement. They should demand that disgraced MP Artsvik Minasyan resign,” he writes.
(photo courtesy of Nairi Hakhverdi)
(And luckily, we’re not the only ones. In a letter submitted to and published by The Armenian Weekly — a Dashnaktustyun-affiliated publication to boot! —, a person who self-identifies as being associated with the Armenian Revolutioanry Federation also believes the political party is obliged to respond.)

However, not only has there been no such response by local or diasporan ARF-D members, but also Yerkir Media, a local ARF-D–affiliated media outlet, has posted a pathetic and rather homophobic video response to accusations that it misrepresented Tsomak, the DIY bar owner who participated in gay pride festivities in Istanbul last year, in an interview it conducted last year (English transcription of video narration here: http://www.yerkirmedia.am/?act=news&lan=en&id=7131). No comment, indeed. 
(photo courtesy of Nairi Hakhverdi)
There is so much more to say on this topic, but I’ll leave it at this for now.

Other relevant posts by fellow bloggers and journalists:
Global Voices: “Armenia: Fears After Nationalist Firebombers Released on Bail”
Ianyan Magazine: “Armenia: In Wake of Arson Attack, Support and Fear”
Unzipped Gay Armenia (cited in several instances above)

Queer-Friendly Yerevan Bar Bombed: What Happens Next?

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 2:40 am May 14, 2012

For the first time since moving to Armenia, I am afraid. Queer women are in the spotlight — an unfamiliar and not at all good place to be in. We perhaps have become used to being invisible here: we can hold hands in public and generally be more affectionate than men without experiencing stares and suspicious glances from passers-by. But now more than ever, it seems, we elicit the same contempt that has traditionally been reserved for gay men (see earlier post).


For those who don’t know, a Molotov cocktail was thrown into a local Yerevan bar early morning on May 8. Luckily the bar, DIY, was closed and there was no one inside at the time. Two Iranian-Armenian brothers, 19 and 20 years of age, have since confessed to committing the crime. The word around town is that these two men are part of a larger network of fascist groups who have been hostile and entered into confrontations with staff and owners of other bars perceived to be gay friendly and “alternative” and this (combined with the knowledge that one of the bar’s owners had performed at gay pride festivities in Istanbul, Turkey, last year) was their motive for bombing the bar.

(CCTV footage of attack)


In actual fact, a lot is unclear, but one thing is for certain: hate crime is on the rise.
DIY — that was our safe space. And now we don’t even have that anymore.
What we have instead is a culture of fear. While there has been an outpouring of support for the DIY team and a call to stand up against the neo-nazis and fascists in the country (with slogans such as “No to Fascism” and “Your bombs do not affect us”), I am concerned for those of us who are not as vocal but visible. Good friends of mine, LGBT-identified activists, are afraid — for themselves, but also for their family members and loved ones.
And, I hate myself for thinking this, but at times like these I can’t help but wonder why some of the more outspoken LGBT activists and queer allies had to raise their voices, draw attention to themselves/ourselves, wishing now that they lay low and not provoke other possible acts of violence. And I know I’m not the only one thinking this. Because now we’re in the spotlight and the wayward glances I get every day any way have taken on a whole new meaning.
However, another part of me says “No! We should not stay silent.” In fact, now more than ever, we should stand up and say you will not silence us, your acts of violence do not scare us. Is there a way to do this without endangering our queer brothers and sisters and possibly their families too? Is now the time to be “loud and proud” or to step back (if only momentarily) in consideration of the safety of others?

More information (including photos and other video footage) here:

Unzipped: Gay Armenia
Ianyan Magazine
Global Voices
The Splinter

Living in the Present

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 8:01 pm April 9, 2012

Is it just me or does along with the warmer weather and sunshine come children? All of a sudden all those little people adults have been hiding in the winter have appeared literally overnight strolling the city streets, and I can only wonder: who knew so many children live in such a small city?

But children are a comfort and speaking of another sort of comfort…
Sometimes there’s nothing like a big bowl of lentil soup to cure all ills. And though spring has arrived, today is somewhat of a gray day with little sunshine, so what better way to give your stomach a break post-Easter and your soul some comfort than with a bowl of lemony, vermicelli- and spinach-filled soup? I highly recommend it.



And though today is a quiet day to contemplate such things as the joy that is children and the comfort that is soup, pre-election season is upon us. Walking down the streets of central Yerevan, you’d be hard-pressed not to come across a single campaign poster for a party or a candidate, or a leaflet promoting said party or a candidate. Just the other day I saw young men and women (older teens, really) distributing Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law) party leaflets that weren’t actually leaflets so much as a single piece of glossy, four-color paper stuck on a stick (ostensibly to fan yourself with on that unusually hot day). Ah, the fun (and the polluting of streets and minds) begins!

And just in case 2D representations of the elections isn’t enough for you, you can catch all the action on TV, on the Internet, and, of course, on social media. I found out from my friend Artur Papyan about a Facebook group where members can post the campaign videos of all parties participating in the May 6 parliamentary election.
It would be interesting to find out how much of a role social media will play in these elections (more so than past elections). I’m sure bloggers and media experts Samvel Martirosyan or Artur Papyan, among others, will have a few stats for us perhaps during, but also after the elections.
So I say, let the games begin!

Women Occupy Yerevan Park on International Women’s Day

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 9:02 pm March 10, 2012
March 8 — International Women’s Day — will be memorable for me this year because of this group of women who broke through the barricades and occupied one of the kiosks in a central Yerevan park. 

For those who don’t know, environmental and civic activists have been coming to Mashtots Park nearly every day for over 3 weeks protesting the construction of shops in what they say (and many will agree) is one of the few remaining green spaces in downtown Yerevan. These same shops (most often referred to as “kiosks” though they’re much larger than that) were dismantled on Abovyan St. (another downtown Yerevan street) and “moved” to Mashtots Park. From what I understand, the shop owners have a 10-year lease with the city and they have 3 remaining years left on this lease. So to solve the problem of at once dismantling the kiosks on a downtown Yerevan street (a move the mayor initiated following his removal of street vendors in the capital) and not breaking the contract with shop owners, the municipality decided to “move” them to Mashtots Park. The idea is that the kiosks are temporary (so why the concrete base?) and will be removed when the contract with shop owners is up in 3 years. 

Though Armenian prime minister Tigran Sargsyan said he was opposed to permanent structures in the park (note: he didn’t say anything about temporary structures), and Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan agreed with him, it’s business as usual and the green light for construction of the shops. 

This, of course, hasn’t deterred activists who are at the park every day (usually leaving around 8 pm or so) while construction continues. On Mar. 8 (which is a statutory holiday in Armenia), it was the women who took charge and broke through the barricades. Though police were on scene and initially tried to stop them, they eventually gave up and let things be. Yerevan deputy police chief Robert Melkonyan (known by his nickname Bazaz), also on site but in civilian clothing, explained the police’s hands-off approach by saying that construction wasn’t going on anyway and it was better to avoid any incidents between police and activists — can you believe he actually said that?

And the funniest thing of all, the police — including Bazaz! — handing out flowers to the women. Those who were outside the kiosk accepted them, but those on the inside shook their heads, refusing them and repeating their sole request: that the barricades be removed — which they were. Amazing, huh? Solidarity among women that led to positive results… more of this in Armenia, please.


In the second video (yes, by CivilNet), you can also see MP Anahit Bakhshyan (from the parliamentary opposition Heritage Party), who is also inside the kiosk, and who (at the end of the video) said, “That which these young women are doing today is more than what Clara Zetkin did at her time. These youth will lead us,” she says. 

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 1:11 pm February 29, 2012

… and I feel fine (or so goes the popular song by REM). Except I don’t. Feel fine, that is.

In case you haven’t been following the latest round of political machinations in Armenia, let me enlighten you. First (well maybe not first, but this is where I’ve decided to begin this story), Vartan Oskanian, Armenia’s foreign minister during Robert Kocharian’s presidency and chair of the Yerevan-based think tank Civilitas Foundation, declared his intention to return to politics. And not just any politics — but to join the ranks of the Prosperous Armenia Party (the junior partner in the country’s ruling coalition).
A little bit of background: It was Kocharian who declared a state of emergency in March 2008 and called in the troops to quash the mass protests against alleged electoral fraud, organized by supporters of unsuccessful presidential candidate, first president of the Republic of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrossian, and it was Oskanian who stood before the public and defended the actions of this administration. Actions, let me remind you, which international actors have billed “the use of excessive force and violence” and which resulted in the death of 10 people on Mar. 1–2, 2008 —murders, which till today remain unsolved.
And now Oskanian, the founder of a “civil society institution”, is making a comeback, initially deciding to leave it up to the Civilitas Foundation board to “make a decision about his future status.” In the two weeks since he declared his intention to join the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), however, he submitted an official resignation to the board, saying “Armenian law does not mandate such resignation. But I have decided to do so in order that my political activity not restrict Civilitas’ work.”
However, as fellow blogger ArtMika points out, no surprises here, right? So how, pray tell, does this translate to the world coming to an end?
Well, there’s more.
The Armenian National Congress (HAK), the extra-parliamentary opposition bloc led by the same Levon Ter-Petrossian mentioned above, has made it clear that it doesn’t rule out cooperating with the BHK. WHAT?!
“If the Prosperous Armenia Party demonstrates in the coming months and on election day that it is really interested in free and fair elections, I think there will be large room for cooperation,” said HAK spokesperson Arman Musinyan at a press conference on Monday.
You mean to tell me the unsuccessful presidential candidate (Ter-Petrossian) whose supporters were essentially attacked in March 2008 is now ready to cooperate with a party associated with the same president (Kocharian) who ordered said attack and who now includes the foreign minister of that administration (Oskanian) who till today not only hasn’t apologized for the actions of those fateful days, but also defends them?
And finally, the icing on the cake, the introduction of a bill on emergency rule, which was passed at its first reading in parliament (though has since been withdrawn and amended, to be voted on again), allowing the president “to turn to the armed forces for help if police and other security forces are unable to enforce emergency rule. In that case, military personnel would be allowed to use riot equipment and live ammunition in accordance with an Armenian law on the police.”
In short, as ArtMika puts it: “It is not impossible to suspect that this looks more like preparations for a version of 1-March-part-2.”

Diasporan Armenians, Oligarchs, Environmental Activists and Eurovision

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 11:40 pm February 26, 2012
Today I was overcome with a feeling of powerlessness. The smallness of me in the vastness of the universe. But more specifically, the smallness of me in this tiny country. Because this tiny country (barely on the map) is full of two kinds of people — those who are barely surviving and those who are thriving. And the great expansive divide between the two is what was eating at me today.

As anywhere so too in Armenia, I wouldn’t be amiss to say that those who are thriving are the ones pulling the strings. Small mom-and-pop corner stores shut down every day while large chain supermarkets sprout like mushrooms in the wild. Foreign-owned businesses that, though they offer jobs for residents and even pay taxes (though who knows in whose pockets this money goes?), are, nevertheless, foreign owned and Armenia is just one more country to do business in among many others around the world. Diasporan Armenians who come here and live better than they ever would back home, all the while feeling self-righteous and perhaps proud, believing they are doing good for the motherland, when really what they’re doing is good for themselves. And many others, just passing through, who’ve decided to volunteer or do research or an artist residency for a brief stint before going back home. A cultural excursion or an anthropological study.

And it makes me wonder about the future of a place where the wealthy Diasporans and local oligarchs control which way the tides turn, where options are limited and the majority live from month to month. And I say this as environmental and civic activists protest the construction of shops in a park in downtown Yerevan (one of the few remaining green spaces) — the same group that was able to secure recent victory with respect to saving Trchkan Waterfall. They are not tied to any political parties or groups as far as I know (which makes it all the more amazing); however, a small core group is zealously nationalist, singing Dashnak [Armenian Revolutionary Federation] songs and calling anyone perceived as the enemy “a Turk” (not to mention that one of these activists is also been known to utter homophobic remarks).

But I digress.

At the end of the day, money talks and shops will be built and this country will see more mining operations destroying the environment while lining the pockets of state officials. And coupled with the environment crisis is the emigration crisis: in one mining town, residents have confessed that their village is empyting as more and more people go to Russia to find work, but, they say, at least mining has created jobs so they can stay and support their families.

There is so much going on at any one moment in this tiny country that it’s enough to make my head burst. For example, how the news is twisted and you can never trust what you read — the latest example: headlines that shock (“Armenia will not participate in Eurovision”) but which are sensational and not completely true. In this case, the story was actually about a group of Armenian artists who issued a statement saying they refuse to participate in Eurovision when it is held in a country (Azerbaijan) that refuses to make strides in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process by not withdrawing its snipers from the frontlines. And so when I pointed out that it is not in fact accurate to say that this statement by a group of artists means Armenia will not participate, I am told that it is a set-up, that this script has already been written — that is, an impetus was needed, was created, so that Armenia’s public broadcaster (the body responsible for deciding Armenia’s participation in the song contest) can now comfortably and easily say they are heeding the call of “these artists” and so Armenia won’t be participating in Eurovision this year. And, apparently, everyone knows this already — it’s just not official yet. But still I say, this is inaccurate and unacceptable in journalism.

It’s enough to make your head hurt.

There’s so much more to be said and so much more that took up residence in my mind today, but I’ll leave it at this for now.

Do You Know the Secret Behind Armenia’s Postal Service?

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 7:38 pm January 21, 2012
Because if you do, please tell me. To this day, Hay Post, the “official national postal operator of the Republic of Armenia,” remains a big mystery. Sometimes I get my mail from Canada, sometimes I don’t (though it always seems the mail I send to Canada is received). And don’t ask me why.
Earlier this month, I went to the post office just to check if the two cards I’m expecting from friends in Canada (good thing they told me they sent me mail!) had arrived. Both friends had sent their cards in December and two weeks had passed. Alas, no mail, but the woman behind the counter asked me to leave my phone number so that they could call me when they get my mail. (For those not in the know, in Armenia we don’t actually have mailboxes outside our homes so any mail you get is delivered to your nearest post office.)
So I began to give her my mobile phone number only to be interrupted and asked for my landline number at home. Now, call me unreasonable, but if I’m at work all day and out of the house (and it should be said answering machines are also not widespread in the country), how am I supposed to get her call? If she’s going to go to the trouble to call me, wouldn’t it be better if I give her my mobile number instead? But I assume she was calling from the post office’s own landline number and, as we all know, calls to mobile phones are more expensive than those to landlines (and sometimes offices will block this option). So a landline number it is — or no call at all.
It was no surprise at all then that the next time I walked into the post office, she told me she tried to call but there was no answer. So how did I know I had mail? By the other system of informing residents: a piece of paper stuck not to my apartment door but to the front door of the building — a single standard form addressed to me AND my neighbor to come pick up our mail. Luckily the wind didn’t blow that piece of paper (then two people wouldn’t have known they had mail) and I did the good neighborly thing of bringing it in and up to my neighbor’s flat to let her know she too had mail waiting for her at the post office.
The next day, I walk into the post office and by now the woman (it always seems to be a woman and always one person who’s assigned to your apartment, eh?) recognized me and immediately went to the back to get my card. She then asked me while I’m at it couldn’t I possibly give my neighbor’s letter to her too? What?! Isn’t this a criminal offense? Perhaps it’s not an offense to have someone else’s mail in your possession, but what if I opened it? That’s a crime, right? Needless to say, Post Office Woman didn’t bat an eye.
And though she knew who I was and which apartment I lived in, we don’t really know each other that well (contrary to the way this story is being told, I don’t go into the post office that often) and I figured she’d have to check my ID (passport, check). But no. So she not only didn’t check that I am who I am and live at the address for which I’m picking up mail, but also gave me my neighbor’s mail to pass on to her.
Oh, and at the end of the work day when I returned to the apartment and finally delivered my neighbor’s mail to her, didn’t she tell me what I feared — that she went to the post office that day to pick up her mail and was told I had picked it for her instead. Sheesh.
As for mail that goes missing (remember I’m still waiting for a card!), when I inquired how this might happen, the lovely Hay Post staff informed me that mail (just like airlines, it seems) doesn’t arrive direct to Armenia but goes to a processing center in Russia first — at least mail coming from North America does. And anything that goes wrong of course isn’t Hay Post’s fault, but that of Russian postal services. How could I argue with that?
Whether it’s the fault of Russian Post or Hay Post (or even Canada Post), it goes without saying that the more drop-off points mail has, the more the margin of error increases. Error would be less likely if mail sent from Canada was received directly by Hay Post. Anyone know why this isn’t the case?
At the end of the day, I have to say it’s still a thrill to receive snail mail from friends and family abroad, and in Armenia, it’s all the more special, because I know that it was just as likely I might never have received it…
(And in case you thought postal service woes were limited to Armenia, I recommend you read this lovely rant about the inefficiency of France’s La Poste by fellow blogger Sion Dayson — I remember reading it at the time and thinking, so it’s not just me? *sigh*)

On Giving Gifts in Armenia

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 2:51 pm January 7, 2012
First, apologies to my readers. I just noticed that it’s been nearly 2 months since my last blog post. To say I’ve been busy is an understatement — but even so and since this is a new year, I want to endeavour to post more frequently on this blog. I’m not sure if it’s a good sign to start off the year’s first blog post with an apology, but I do hope you’ll forgive me.
Though this is not the first time I spent New Year’s Eve in Armenia, it is the first time I did so after I made the move to live here. So this year was particularly special, and recognizing this, I decided to do something special for my family in Armenia: make up lovely baskets of sweets, alcohol, cheeses, crackers and so on wrapped in cellophane — you know, something fairly common in North America to give to friends, family, work colleagues, clients and so on over the holidays.
So imagine my surprise when I found out that such baskets are normally reserved for weddings, engagements, and other such lavish affairs. I mean, no one simply shows up at someone’s house with a basket of goodies unless it’s a special occasion (and apparently, New Year’s and Christmas don’t count). And so it was that I showed up at my aunt’s house and then my other aunt’s house (both families on my mom’s side) and then the home of my family on my dad’s side bearing a basket with goodies wrapped up in cellophane and a big festive bow (see example of one such basket below).


On two occasions, I was told I shouldn’t have spent so much money (note to self: lavish items such as a bottle of Ani Ararat brandy and a package of Brie may not be appreciated when your family is trying to figure out how to make their money last till the end of the month) and on one occasion, the 5-year-old son in the family opened the package and dug into the Toblerone before anyone could blink an eye.
Apparently, I still have a lot to learn.
Though I have to say, the icing on the cake (which brings a smile to my face every time I think of it) is when I went to my partner’s dacha to spend NYE with her family bearing a similar such basket. Well, you can already imagine their surprise — but, this time (knowing about our relationship), they joked how I was the fiancé coming to take their daughter away (in Armenian: եկել եմ աղջիկ ուզելու)! Of course it didn’t help that a couple of days later, I left to return to Yerevan — taking their daughter with me :)
At the end of the day though I think my baskets brought a smile to the faces of my family members and “in-laws” (!) as they were unexpected gifts and not something usually a part of these holidays — kind of like me :)

Disclaimer and Comments to be Now Moderated

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 11:50 pm November 15, 2011
I should listen to my friend Artur Papyan (aka Ditord) more often — or at least follow his example. 

Not only because of a recent unprecedented lawsuit against a local Armenian newspaper for libellous comments left by readers (!) on the online version of its website, but also because of an increase in the number of offensive comments left on this blog, I regret but I have chosen to moderate all comments, and, following in the footsteps of said Artur Papyan, am including the following disclaimer:

This is a personal blog and as such the views expressed on this blog are mine alone. Feel free to challenge me or disagree with me in the comments section of each blog entry, but I reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever (most notably if I consider it to be abusive, profane, rude, derogatory and/or not contributing to the conversation) — so keep it polite, please.

While I have taken care to be as accurate as possible (including links), please note that I am only human (and humans make mistakes). Also, it is possible that information which was accurate at the time of posting is since no longer true. You are welcome to correct any inaccuracies in the comments section of each blog entry. For the most part, posts are intended to give you a snapshot of my life at the time of writing, but my thoughts and opinions may change and what I wrote a year ago may not be true today.

I promise my best not to knowingly offend, defame, insult or humiliate anyone or any party directly or indirectly. If an individual or party feels I have published information that is insulting or harmful to them, please contact me directly via Twitter. 

Thank you for reading!

Adventures in Baking, or Reading Armenia’s Constitution

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 2:27 am November 14, 2011
Today was Sunday, and one of the few Sundays in a long time where I allowed myself to stay in, read, lounge and otherwise take it easy.

I recently purchased the little 64-page booklet that contains the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia (yes, I know you can read it online AND even get an English-translated version, but I wanted to hold the stapled pieces of paper in my hands and read the original Armenian).
And I found a few rather interesting tidbits: For example, did you know that prisoners can’t vote or be elected (Article 30)? Perhaps I can understand why they can’t be elected, but why can’t they vote?

Also:
  • “Adult capable persons are obliged to take care of their parents who are incapacitated and in need of such care” (Article 36). Note the word obliged. Adult children have an obligation to take care of their parents.
  • The vaguness of Article 8: “The church shall be separate from the state in the Republic of Armenia” and yet “The Republic of Armenia recognizes the exclusive historical mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a national church, in the spiritual life, development of the national culture and preservation of the national identity of the people of Armenia.” No comment.
Some parts were just too funny (or too sad, depending on how you look at it):
  • Article 27: “The state shall guarantee the existence and activities of an independent and public radio and television service offering a variety of informational, cultural and entertaining programs.” Independent? A “variety of informational, cultural and entertaining programs”? I guess I just have different definitions of “independent” and “variety” (and I haven’t even touched upon the other aspects of Article 27 which “guarantees” freedom of expression).
  • Article 32: “Everyone shall have the right to fair remuneration in the amount no less than the minimum set by the law, as well as the right to working conditions in compliance with the safety and hygiene requirements.” Ha!
  • Article 33: “Abuse of monopoly or dominant position in the market and bad-faith competition shall be prohibited.” Can we say monopoly on sugar, anyone? (And that’s just one example.)
  • Article 45: “Everyone shall be obliged to pay taxes, duties and other compulsory fees in conformity with the procedure prescribed by the law.” Again I say ha!
However, in all of this, what really stood out for me was Article 35: “The family is the natural and fundamental cell of the society.” Note, the family — not the individual, the family. (Also connected to this point: Article 48: “The basic tasks of the state in the economic, social and cultural spheres are to protect and patronage the family, the motherhood and the childhood.” Italics mine.)
I confess, this explained a lot.
And this was only Chapter 2! I confess, I haven’t read the entire Constitution yet, but after Chapter 2 (“Fundamental Human and Civil Rights and Freedoms”), I needed a break.
So I decided to do a little baking of my own.
And here’s what I came up with: oatmeal cookies with walnuts and mixed dried fruit (apricots, cherries, apples — all local, and all prepared by my partner’s mom). Delicious!
P.S. Confession: I didn’t bake them on my own. It was a team effort :)


Adventures in Baking, or Reading Armenia’s Constitution

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 2:27 am
Today was Sunday, and one of the few Sundays in a long time where I allowed myself to stay in, read, lounge and otherwise take it easy.

I recently purchased the little 64-page booklet that contains the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia (yes, I know you can read it online AND even get an English-translated version, but I wanted to hold the stapled pieces of paper in my hands and read the original Armenian).
And I found a few rather interesting tidbits: For example, did you know that prisoners can’t vote or be elected (Article 30)? Perhaps I can understand why they can’t be elected, but why can’t they vote?

Also:
  • “Adult capable persons are obliged to take care of their parents who are incapacitated and in need of such care” (Article 36). Note the word obliged. Adult children have an obligation to take care of their parents.
  • The vaguness of Article 8: “The church shall be separate from the state in the Republic of Armenia” and yet “The Republic of Armenia recognizes the exclusive historical mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a national church, in the spiritual life, development of the national culture and preservation of the national identity of the people of Armenia.” No comment.
Some parts were just too funny (or too sad, depending on how you look at it):
  • Article 27: “The state shall guarantee the existence and activities of an independent and public radio and television service offering a variety of informational, cultural and entertaining programs.” Independent? A “variety of informational, cultural and entertaining programs”? I guess I just have different definitions of “independent” and “variety” (and I haven’t even touched upon the other aspects of Article 27 which “guarantees” freedom of expression).
  • Article 32: “Everyone shall have the right to fair remuneration in the amount no less than the minimum set by the law, as well as the right to working conditions in compliance with the safety and hygiene requirements.” Ha!
  • Article 33: “Abuse of monopoly or dominant position in the market and bad-faith competition shall be prohibited.” Can we say monopoly on sugar, anyone? (And that’s just one example.)
  • Article 45: “Everyone shall be obliged to pay taxes, duties and other compulsory fees in conformity with the procedure prescribed by the law.” Again I say ha!
However, in all of this, what really stood out for me was Article 35: “The family is the natural and fundamental cell of the society.” Note, the family — not the individual, the family. (Also connected to this point: Article 48: “The basic tasks of the state in the economic, social and cultural spheres are to protect and patronage the family, the motherhood and the childhood.” Italics mine.)
I confess, this explained a lot.
And this was only Chapter 2! I confess, I haven’t read the entire Constitution yet, but after Chapter 2 (“Fundamental Human and Civil Rights and Freedoms”), I needed a break.
So I decided to do a little baking of my own.
And here’s what I came up with: oatmeal cookies with walnuts and mixed dried fruit (apricots, cherries, apples — all local, and all prepared by my partner’s mom). Delicious!
P.S. Confession: I didn’t bake them on my own. It was a team effort :)


Ten Reasons I Love Living in Yerevan

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 4:47 am November 10, 2011
An exchange on Facebook and finding this blog by repats inspired me to write a list of reasons why I’m happy to be where I am at the moment and why I am enjoying my life in Yerevan, Armenia. Here’s the list (in no particular order):
  1. Living in a small city means I’m not stuck in a two-hour commute to and from work every day. It takes me 10 minutes to ride my bike or 20 minutes by foot to get to work from my home.
  2. Bread (baked fresh! Every day!) costs 100 drams (less than 30 cents!) and though produce (and just about everything else) gets more and more expensive each year, I can still buy fresh, local produce for a few dollars a kilo. Highlights this summer included cucumbers at 100 drams/kg and tomatoes at 200 drams/kg (less than 60 cents!).
  3. The people I meet. I regularly meet amazing locals, repats and expats — all of whom are doing amazing things and, more importantly, are passionate about what they do. Their passion inspires me.
  4. Going out on a weeknight. In Toronto, if I were to ask friends to go out to a bar or cafe on a weeknight, most likely I’d get the response “It’s late” or “I’m too tired” or “I have work tomorrow.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard such responses in Yerevan. Sure, it doesn’t mean that every time I ask a friend to go out she or he agrees. But the fact that it’s a weeknight has never been an issue.
  5. The view of the city from the top of the Cascade.
  6. Not that I’m looking to leave, but if I wanted to take a short trip, Yerevan is only a six-hour drive from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. I couldn’t help but compare this with the six-hour (less if you’re speeding) trip between Toronto and Montreal. That is to say, the same distance between these two cities in Canada (dotted by the same landscape) allows me to visit a different country and experience more of a varied landscape here.
  7. I have the personal cell phone number of the electrician in my building. He knows me by name (and “You’re the cyclist, right?”) and I can call him anytime if I have a problem. I have heard of others who have the personal cell phone numbers of their doctors, teachers, what-have-you. This is unheard of in Canada.
  8. No matter where I am in this country if I come across a group of people sharing food and/or drink, I am inevitably invited to join them. And it’s not just me. People share their food (regardless of how little it may be) with total strangers because how can you not? It is good neighborliness that I only wish would be practiced between countries in the region.
  9. My partner. She lives here and so do I. And I am forever grateful that we can be together in the same place.
  10. And of course my friends. I have met more people here than in my entire life of living in Canada that I can confidently say will remain my friends for the rest of my life. People who genuinely care about you and who, even if distance were to separate us, would pick up where they left off at our next encounter. Even transient friends (those who come to Armenia regularly but live abroad) are valuable and it means that I now have more friends in different countries than I ever did in Canada.
Compiling this list wasn’t difficult (it took me maybe 20–30 minutes), and I’m sure there are many more reasons that I’ve simply forgotten at the moment (like how I can be 20 minutes late to work and no one will say anything, or how it’s so easy to have things like tables and cupboards handmade — at a fraction of what it would cost in Canada).

But I want to know: What are some of the reasons YOU love living in Yerevan or Armenia? (Please answer in the comments section.)

(Un)Social Media and the Power of the Media

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 2:53 pm October 16, 2011
Lately, I’ve been wanting to spend less time online — or rather, less time on social networking sites. I have found that rather than help my work (I work in news media) Twitter and Facebook are actually affecting my productivity: in short, social networking sites are a big time waster — no surprise there, eh?
I know that it’s all about filtering (this brings to mind artist and comedian Vahe Berberian’s remarks at a recent public forum organized by Civilitas Foundation), but honestly, this simple act takes a lot more energy from us than we realize. Having to sort through all the non-essential, irrelevant news in my Facebook news feed or Twitter timeline is wearing me out to the point where I don’t have energy or any space left in my brain to do other things or… to contemplate life. And I need those moments of contemplation not only for peace of mind, but also to be able to write a blog post such as this one :)
I have become more aware of all the negative content I subconsciously consume on a daily basis and how much of that is through some form of media. More and more I feel the need to hear, read and watch material that is positive and uplifting (and I’m not talking about watching some Hollywood romantic comedy). Because hearing/reading/watching something positive not only makes me feel better about myself and the world we live in, but also makes me want to do stuff, to be active and present in my life, to reach out to people, to create. And oh how much we need more people in the world who are not complacent, not brainless consumers, but active participants, people who create and connect with others.
The two clips below are videos I watched recently (ironically, both I found out about through postings by friends on Facebook). The first speaks to the (negative) power of the media, while the second speaks to the (positive) power of interpersonal relationships and the power of now. What do you think?

When You Live in a City Without Actually Living IN It

Filed under: Le Retour — Tags: — Adrineh @ 11:51 pm September 6, 2011
A couple of days ago a good Hayastanci (born and raised in Armenia) friend of mine, introducing me to a new acquaintance, commented that she considers me բնիկ Հայաստանցի (bnik Hayastanci, a native of Armenia), citing my experiences of living and working here to be just the same as any local. 

And though it was meant as a compliment (and trust me, I am flattered when those born and raised here consider me one of their own), I can’t help but feel like an impostor. And I would hate to represent myself as someone that I am not.


The truth is, I cannot erase my privilege and difference from local Armenians. As a native English speaker, born and raised in the West, I am privileged no matter where I go in this world. I can travel freely to just about anywhere (well except for maybe Azerbaijan, though I have yet to try) — I only need to show my Canadian passport to get past just about any border with little hassle. But that is only the tip of the iceberg.

Believe it or not, in some cases, I even have more privileges than a local Armenian in her own country.  I have access to tools and resources she does not and I have contacts — powerful currency when trying to secure work and locate opportunities to get ahead.

So why do I feel at such a loss?

Coming back from a visit back home, I realized how little I make use of my privilege here; that is to say, how little I use it for not only my but others’ benefit.  For example, my ties in the Diaspora (though weak as I preferred to distance myself from the Armenian community in Toronto rather than embrace it) should’ve helped me secure financial and logistical support to help my friend Syu, whose mother in Armenia has been diagnosed with breast cancer and prescribed the atrociously expensive drug treatment Herceptin. Not to say that I didn’t reach out to my family and friends in Toronto, but I feel like I should’ve been able to do more than I actually did (and continue to do as Syu’s mom is still undergoing treatment). 

I have realized that for as long as I have lived and worked in Armenia, I have opted to “blend in,” assimilate if you will, rather than acknowledge the fact that I am different and this is an unavoidable fact.

It’s true, my mother was born in Yerevan, and yes, I speak the local dialect with a sprinkle of Russian words that I learned in childhood, which makes me at least more “assimilated” than other Diasporan Armenians and repats. But it doesn’t erase my privilege — nor the fact that I have lived here without feeling like I fully LIVE HERE, despite what my friend says.

And I’m not the only one. So many of my expat and repat brothers and sisters live here without actually living here, without being a part of Armenian society. We have the privilege of being able to surround ourselves in a bubble of expat and repat friends, go to restaurants and gather in places that the average Hayastanci couldn’t afford to go to in a million years. 

I myself am not part of this circle and actually feel more distant from most repats and expats than my close-knit circle of Hayastanci friends, but this doesn’t exclude the fact that, whether I like it or not, I am part of this group.

And lately I’ve been feeling that I should do something about that. As cliched as it may sound, use my privilege for good instead of running away from it. What do you think?
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