Օպերա (the Opera)

loursanekar

  The view from the Cascade and Mount Ararat.

Paikar, Paikar Vinch'u verch!

Last friday, I went to the protests against current president Serj Sargissian. Despite everyone's advice not to go (US embassy, every other embassy, internship advisors, locals, roomates... you catch the drift.) I do not regret going for a single second (maybe because I wasn't shot or thrown in jail). But I don't think I would've regretted it either way. 

When I got there, there was already a massive amount of people (an estimated 200 000 people). The whole crowd was screaming "Levon" (the former president they endorse, who was speaking at the event). They were chanting political slogans (like the title of my post which means "struggle struggle till the end") in unison which was resonating in my gut. I had chills going through my entire body from beginning to end and I was about to cry overwhelmed by the novelty of the situation.

I remember thinking... holy shit... I am witnessing a historical moment. This is going to be reported on, written about, analyzed, scrutinized and I was there. When people will talk to me about it I will be able to say "I was there."

Shnoravor!

Soooooo yesterday my b-b-b-b-b-b-b-birthday. I really didn't want to make a big deal out of it because I didn't think I could expect much from an Armenian celebration... or rather I didn't know what to expect.
It wasn't until noon, when Tsoline found out through facebook that it was my birthday. Then the word was out and I got a text from Vram and Ara. It was a normal day up until my Armenian class was over and I got a call from Alex who was coming to pick me up. Hayk was still performing his concert so Alex and I waited for him at a coffee place near the Opera. It was really nice and we spoke a lot about Prague which made me kinda sad after cause I still miss it a lot but then he MADE MY DAY with a personal annectode from his first moments in Prague. Apparently, he was walking in an ally late at night and and a black drug dealer asked came up to him and said "Marijuana?" and he turned with a frightened look asking "Madonna?" he thought the guy was a priest or something.... Poor Alex had no idea what weed was!

Shtapir, Genatzenq

I put my alarm clock at 9:15 today. Despite getting up at 8:30 on my own. I went back to sleep until my alarm went off, then went to sleep again until Tsoline walked in the room to tell Aline her mother was on the phone. I wasn't rushed today because I was supposed to interview the Belgian Hunger striker I missed yesterday night before heading to work. So I easily got ready, then had breakfast, then prepared lunch, brushed up and left.

I went to North Avenue, the brand new, centrally located avenue of Yerevan in search of my Belgian Human Rights activist. I was done with the interview around 12, when I went to work. When I arrived, Julia –my editor– asked me when I could be done with the story. Thinking about political context and such, I predicted I would not be done by the end of the day. She started negotiating. After a minute, she got what she wanted. 

So I sat down at a computer and started transcribing the interview. I printed the french transcription and started writing the article in English. Surprisingly, even though I've only been in the country for 3 days, and have no political background, I managed to get informed enough to get political and global historical context. Granted it was a 600 word story (it's for the web, they have a 600 word limit.), but I am usually so slow.

The reason it had to be done today was for it to get published on Friday. (yes tala... btw... people are starting to think you're a religious jew with all the msg u leave on my wall about Friday). ArmeniaNow.com is a weekly that is published every friday. I love the fact that I landed on Sunday, filed my story on Wednesday and will have it published by Friday (it sounds like a Craig David song from the past). Also, I didn't fall asleep at work anymore... (I attribute that to the extra hour I got this morning... and the mid-day strong cup of Armenian coffee maybe). 

Lav Achratel

            I went to my internship at National Geographic today. We talked a bit about the kind of article I would be writing. I’m really exited but kind of stressed to find something worthy of NG traveler.

            I left at one saying Vram needed to show me where Birthright Armenia was, which was true in parts because he did call, but I was leaving to get lunch with my Aline and Tsoline, my lovely roommates, at the Mariott. I was so exhausted I almost passed out on my food. No, Seriously.

            Then I went back to my place and plug the fan next to my bed and took a niiiice long nap and worked a little to get my bombin’ articles out of the way in order to fully dedicate my time to NG and ArmeniaNow. Then I took another nap (I dunno what’s wrong with me… it’s the heat!)

            I left my apartment at midnight to try to get an interview with a Belgian hunger striker (my editor at ArmeniaNow.com wants the story on this expat who doesn’t speak Armenian or Russian and that no one but MOI can interview). But after a failed attempt, because the poor starved man was sleeping, I got a Kilikia piva (Beer) and walked back on Mashtots Prospekt thinking, “Damn, I live in Yerevan.”

Achratum em

        I had no time to eat breakfast this morning. I picked up 3 bananas and left the apartment in my black jeans and a long-sleeved cotton shirt. WawaWIWA it was HOT! So at one I started getting really hungry and falling asleep at my desk because I only got 3 hours of sleep. I was trying to hide it, I didn’t want people seeing me fall asleep on my first day, lah! Anyways I failed miserably. But the cute receptionist who always smiles at me kept coming by my desk and asking me how I felt. Damn, if this wasn’t Armenia, guys… she’d be a target. Ok, no but for realz though, wait for my blog on Armenian girls, I’ll try to post some snapshots!!

            I left work exactly 10 minutes after my editor left and literally tried to stay awake by updating my “where I’ve been app on facebook.” But guys, I was trashed!!! I couldn’t keep my eyes open. The receptionist came by and dropped a quick “having fun yet?” and I snickered (I love snickers… but that’s not what I’m talking about here).

            I went back home and literally CRASHED on my bed for 30 minutes before Hayk called me and asked me if I wanted to go visit a church then have dinner at his home a little removed from the city. I really didn’t want to but I was too tired to come up with an excuse/lie, so I said yes. Then he called me 30 minutes later to tell me he was downstairs so I got dressed in a flash and left. I walked out on Mashtots Prospekt to meet him and when he asked me again whether I wanted to go see the church now or have dinner first. Since I was up and conscious for 5 minutes already I quickly confessed that I was too tired to go visit a church (honestly, when am I NOT too tired to visit a church???!!). So the Marchoutka to his soviet apt and had dinner. His mom is a typical Armenian mama; SHE WON’T STOP FILLING MY PLATE UP! I was already too tired to eat and she didn’t listen to my perfect Armenian “Votch, Votch!”

            Hayk then insisted on teaching me some more Armenian before we took the marchoutka back home and I raided the supermarket for breakfast and lunch survival items; lavache, humus, lapis and 2 other kinds of Armenian cheese, eggs, cherries and peaches –yes I will blog about Armenian food soon. First, I need to have more of it… just not in one sitting!

First day in Hayastan- tour of Yerevan

Barev (it mean "khello")

I is just completed first day in Yerevan. I is found it very similar to former Soviet Union (bastards). They khaves a lot of big cement apartments and everything is ritten in Armenian and Russian. I khas also visited whole of Yerevan center today. I went to the place of republic and saw very biiiig fountain works at night. I liiiiike!
Hayk, my Armenian guide also showed me the Opera and the Cascade. They are both very big plain buildings that reminded me of photos of North Korea. I felt bad when both Hayk and Vram asked me if Yerevan looked like Europe and I very blatently said "no."

Departure time -3 hours

I've been surfing the net for more information on Armenia and Yerevan in order to form a vague expectation of my near-future home base. Unfortunately, the internet does not have much to say about what one can look forward to in Armenia lest for churches and museums (BO-RING). I'm quite sure –or at least I am trying to reassure myself- that there is more to Yerevan than just a handful of churches. I is heard a lot about greeaaat Russian Prostitutes... WAwawiwa! For realz though, I read a government warning from the american embassy that if you're staying at a hotel, your room might be bugged and your phone, tapped!! Eerr, wasn't this practice heavily used in Moscow and East Berlin during the Cold War??!!! (ps: it's a rhetorical question, I KNOW it was a practice used during the Cold War...) I'm not staying at a hotel though, but I won't be discussing local politics with anyone in my apartment, that's for sure!

Otherwise, the weather will be nice until end of June, staying in the mid-to high-20's. Then in July and August, the temperatures may reach a maximum of 35 degrees Celsius (let's hope it doesn't get to that... y'all know how I do badly in the heat.) 

So yeah... Hot Temperatures + Armenian version of the Patriot Act = Tatiana going psycho!!! Argh, what the hell... if I end up in a Hayastanii jail cell, at least I'll have an original topic and a great deal of time to write a book!

Pre-Arrival Hayeren

I finally caved. I'm learning minimal Armenian in order to avoid being totally lost in Armenia. You will be happy to know I already know how to greet people and introduce myself. 

That's not even going to get me past the passport control. 

But, I have noticed that a lot of vocabulary of Eastern Armenian - because, to make matters worse, Western Armenian (spoken among the diaspora) is different than Eastern Armenian (spoken in Armenia), is similar to Czech. Here's one example: "Most" in Armenian, also means "Bridge." Damn, I'm practically fluent! I should probably devote a bit more of my time to the study of this language, especially in basic survival areas such as food. mmm I hear they have great food. How muuuuch?