Notes From Hairenik | An Armenian Blog

Yerevan's Hidden Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:53:00 PDT

Last week as my friend Loris and I were walking down Tsitsernakaberd hill from the Genocide memorial we decided to enter the Hrazdan gorge and go for a stroll down there, perhaps get a bite to eat at one of the more modest restaurant "complexes." I had never walked about on foot in the gorge, so it was a perfect opportunity--the weather was mild, and the sun was still shining being late afternoon.

We found a footbridge that crossed the river and made our way along an unpaved path. Before long we stumbled upon the kids' railroad, which was installed at least 40 years ago. It's a hidden gem of Yerevan, not very many people know about it. I have only heard of it, but never actually seen it until that day. We were at the end of the line, so we decided to follow the tracks to the station.

I did not realize just how lovely the nature is down in the gorge, with some tremendously tall trees and breathtaking scenery. We did see some other walkers, and a few couples making out behind the trees. It was refreshing to get away from the smog and dust that awaited us above, it was as if we were in a secret haven, fully protected by the nature of a thriving forest. We stumbled upon a swimming pool of sorts--apparently the water pouring into it from a pipe is clean and people do bathe there.

The kids' train seemed fantastic, only judging by the looks of it. For a nominal fee children aged two years and older can go for a ride, but they would need constant adult supervision it seems while seated on the bench seats; there didn't seem to be any seat belts. Regardless, I can't wait to take Areg down there, he's only seen trains in his books and Baby Einstein videos. To get there, you would need to enter the gorge from Proshyan Street, the roadway being located just adjacent to Nairi Hospital.

The Hrazdan gorge is certainly gorgeous, and much of it seems to be intact despite the monstrous structures they've erected down there, and the area is relatively clean, free of strewn cellophane bags and other trash. It's definitely worth visiting in the spring and summer months.

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:11:00 PDT

Areg Adores Chi Chi

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 01:24:00 PDT

I happened to catch another classic moment a couple of days ago of the special relationship that Areg and Chi Chi have. Chi Chi is extremely patient with Areg. If he starts handling her too roughly she starts to make this peculiar grumbling sound similar to a speed motorcycle revving. It's not a very loud sound, but she makes it obvious that you need to back off. Nevertheless, it still doesn't stop him from trying to stick his fingers down her throat.

They will be true best friends before long.

Areg Loves Corn Flakes

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:38:00 PDT

The other day as Areg was chowing down on his favorite breakfast--corn flakes, oats and milk--I decided to capture the moment. A few months ago he insisted that I stop feeding him. For a two year old kid, I think he does a pretty good job of shoveling in the food, and every day he spills less all over his shirt and pants. Usually I only fill the bowl a third to a half of capacity, because he has a habit of dumping it into the tray or else his lap. Seems the more food he sees the stronger the temptation. When he wants more he just tells me--"milk," "oats" and only just recently "con fakes" (previously known as "uh uh uh" while pointing to the box).

A Lesson in Shopping for Niva Tires

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 01:22:00 PDT

A Niva on the test track using Kama-232 tires, courtesy Газета АВТОРЕВЮ.

Last week I decided to purchase a new set of tires for my Niva. I was no longer confident that the ones I had were able to handle the road properly, especially with my two year old in the rear strapped in his booster seat.

So what’s the problem? It’s a Niva, the world famous four-by-four that can travel through swamps and cornfields all day long before coolly cruising down city streets in the evening. It should hold it’s own no matter what, right? Look at them all in Yerevan, for crying out loud. There’s a snow white Niva with black-tinted windows and giant alloy wheels on almost every corner.

Problem is most of them are outfitted with the wrong tires. I would say 90 percent of the Nivas on the road in Armenia use the KAMA Flame 205/70R16 shown to the right, most with aftermarket fancy mag wheels. This tire is great for the streets and it handles fine in the snow. My first Niva had them on the factory rims. But they can’t handle turns very well, with lots of pulling especially when making a hard left, as if the car was just about to tip over. I thought this was a normal thing, that Nivas are supposed to handle that way.

The wheels on my car made the tires jet out from under the fender, which means they were separated farther apart from each other. Plus the tires themselves are wide at 205 mm, much wider than they should be for a Niva to perform properly, with too much friction and thus higher rolling resistance, things I only just learned about in my research.

The Niva in this photo, which is not unlike mine really, down to the color but sans the fancy running boards, has wheels that make the tires--in this case the KAMA Flames--stick out. They look cool, and as you can see they do all right in the snow, but steering at slow speeds with this configuration is challenging. Parallel parking is very cumbersome, it cannot be done without breaking out into a full sweat since my model year did not offer power steering. And as I mentioned, turning abruptly is not advised. On wet pavement, driving can be disastrous. Once when going home down Heratsi Street as I was just about to enter the tunnel that passes beneath Charents Street I slammed on the brakes when I saw that at least a foot of water had collected there, and my Niva slid out of control. I was lucky no one was driving beside me in the left lane. And thankfully no one else was traveling with me. My Niva on more than one occasion has slid quite nicely on gravely or sandy pavement as well.

Here’s a photo of my Niva parked in Shushi taken about two years ago for another perspective of how the tires were fitted, which is absolutely the wrong way for proper performance.

I love Nivas, something about them that I cannot shake. I could not imagine driving anything else in Armenia other than a Niva or perhaps a Villis, which is a lot larger and tougher, practically indestructible on any terrain (based on the original Willys Jeep design, incidentally). I have traveled on some very arduous roads in distant parts of the country, even where asphalt had never been laid like in the mountainous terrain high above Jermuk. So now that I have a little boy I need this thing to ride as safely as possible if I’m going to keep it. Not only that, I still want it to be able to travel on any road surface without fear of losing control.

Courtesy Popscreen

Courtesy Wall321

Obviously the first place to start researching is the Internet. Most of the English language sites are catered to enthusiasts in England, Australia and, yes, even the US as strange as it may seem since they were never sold on the American market. You see photos of these cannibalized Nivas with all sorts of crazy modifications made to them like these above, as if it were designed for a safari in a tropical rainforest littered with boulders and pools of mud five feet deep. So I started searching for Russian sites on which tires for the Niva are reviewed, and I found a few that gave me some leads and actually taught me what to look for.

The original Niva tire was only 175 mm wide. It is known as the Voltyre VLI-5, shown here, and is supposedly not in production any longer or else is very hard to track down (I managed to find a set of four brand new ones with the factory rims ironically enough for 120,000 dram, or $286). These things are hardcore, they were designed for roaming through fields as if rolling lazily down Newbury Street window shopping from the driver’s seat. They look like they belong on a mini-tractor. My spare tire is a VLI-5, and I never once used it. The have poor rolling resistance and thus are terrible if you're looking for good gas mileage (who isn't). They are also notorious for being very noisy, so although they may be excellent for off-roading, they’re unpractical.

There is also the VLI-10, the tread design of which doesn’t seem to be very unlike the KAMA Flame--they’re made at the same tire plant after all. Alas, those like the Flame are also bad on wet pavement. Other solutions were good in the mud and snow, but not necessarily so on normal roads, and vice-versa.

I wanted to find some additional information about one tire I saw on a page that had a poor description, and a search for it led me to the web site that had just what I wanted--a side-by-side comparison of the leading tires used on the Niva today, thanks to the experts at Auto Review magazine (Газета АВТОРЕВЮ). These guys examined everything, from the depth of the tread to performance and life of the tire. And thanks to Google Translate, I made perfect use of the highly informative, detailed article, albeit with a few snags here and there.

I obviously narrowed my selection to the two top contenders--first the K-156-1 Niva 4x4, considered to be the best tire ever made for the car by the reviewers, with long resistance to wear, deep zig-zagging treads and capable handing on virtually all road conditions. The ideal tire, designed specifically for the Niva. And I found out the other day that they don’t make them anymore--seems the tire factory went out of business and there’s supposedly none to be had. They are the Holy Grail of Niva tires.

Niva 4x4 K-156-1

Kama-232

Next on the list was the Kama-232, which like the K-156-1 is an all-season radial 185 mm wide. New Nivas actually roll off the assembly line with this tire. According to the review the 232 has excellent performance on wet pavement, with a score of 10 out of 10 for handling and braking. That should be reason enough to buy a set. The minus, and it’s a huge one, is the short life on these tires--they estimate that after 15,000 kilometers the original grove depth--7.7 mm--will have been whittled down to just four. Oh well, they stop and steer flawlessly on both wet and dry roads, and perform great in the mud, to boot. Why don’t I just drive down to Sears or Costco and…

Oops. I’m in Yerevan. No mega stores here but one, aptly called Mets Aniv (Big Wheel). Call to them tells us they’ve got none. So much for being big.

The only way to shop for certain things in Yerevan is on foot. Okay, fine, shopping for anything at all has to be done on foot, beating on every door on the block. And I mean every door. When you need tires, you go to the street where everyone sells them. Luckily that street, named after the writer NAR-DOS, is only a half-mile down the road from where I live. And the kinds of shops on this street transform quite suddenly, every one or two hundred feet, even less. The further you walk, you will see stores selling tile of all kinds, then bathroom fixtures, then doors, and eventually coffins…

So this is the conversation I repeated only 9 times (it was a good day).

“Hello to you.”

“Hello to you, too.” (or a vacant stare)

“Do you have tires for the Niva, you know, Russian?”

“Yes, come this way” or “No, we only sell foreign name-brand tires here.”

“Which ones do you have? What about the Kama-232 or the K-156-1?”

Most popular answers: “I have the 232s but no hubs” or “I don’t have either one” or “Wha? You mean that ting? No I got this...”

The store that came to my salvation was oddly enough the first one I walked by but didn’t enter, thinking they couldn’t help only judging by the thirty-foot long wall of highly expensive 16-20 inch alloy wheels. They were selling rims for Porsche Cayennes, which are not in short supply cruising Yerevan’s pristine, silky asphalt streets (not!). So on a whim I go in there, anticipating being turned down within ten seconds. They looked at me skeptically thinking I wouldn’t like what they had, then pointed me to the corner. Jackpot--four fresh Kama-232s on the original factory rims. Apparently some guy who just purchased a brand new Niva preferred spending some ungodly amount on go-fast tires and just left them there. Now the real challenge--would they be willing to take my Flames off my hands, which still had ample tread on them, along with the crappy rims (the paint on these things was chipping off and they would fall into the tire well, which infrequently but annoyingly caused one or more to go flat, and my having to fill them with air using a pedal pump). After some hemming and hawing, they offered me 20,000 dram for the set. Bingo!

It feels like I’m driving a totally different car. I never knew the Niva could handle so well, especially after a new wheel alignment. It makes turns effortlessly, no pulling, no skidding or shuddering, and overall performance, particularly maneuvering around obstacles, has vastly improved. Stopping is excellent. And I've found the car to actually be nimbler, quicker to accelerate. The tires have more of a bounce to them, so the ride is not as rough as it was with the other wheels--at times I felt like I was driving two horses from a buggy. The pot holes don't feel ten feet deep any more, the slight bumps in the road are no longer obvious to the derrière. It just shows you how obsessed Armenians are with showing off, coveting image more than safety. I’ll take the latter, thanks. Areg appreciates the new Kama-232s as well.

Following the Barevolution

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:06:00 PDT

If anyone is interested in some perspective on the Barevolution--the current movement for change in Armenia--please read my Footprints blog, where I have been covering related news and events.

Today the movement crossed a turning point after several altercations with the police, some with youth activists and others with 2013 presidential candidate (and winner to many) Raffi Hovannisian. Change is imminent in Armenia. If only the majority of its citizens believed in that...

Areg is Two!

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 03:03:00 PDT

Yesterday our April Fools baby turned two years old. Can’t believe how fast time is flying by. He’s getting tall, learning new words every day and is even beginning to count and recite the English alphabet.

Naturally we had a birthday party for him, with food prepared by my master chef wife Anush, who can prepare anything from traditional Indian cuisine to the most delicious, savory summer dolma I have ever tasted.

She decided to go Italian and made chicken parmesan, and lots of it. Less people came by then we expected so only a quarter of it was eaten. She layered paper-thin boneless chicken breasts that she had breaded and fried with a mix of shredded mozzarella and sulghuni cheeses. The effect was unlike any other chicken parm I’ve ever tried, with the succulent meat dissolving on the tongue at first bite. Simply fantastic. There was a fabulous beet salad and focaccia bread, too, which didn’t last very long on the plate.

For the pasta dish she made su beureg, which was made with mini shell pasta mixed with a combination of small curds (essentially cottage cheese without all the guar gum and other dubious ingredients they put in that stuff), sour cream, some parsley and basil, then baked. The flavor was nearly identical to my grandmother’s.

But Anush is also a superb pastry chef, now working occasionally for a Chinese restaurant down the street, so she insisted on making the desserts--a cheesecake with a raspberry compote topping, French chocolate tart served with fresh whipped cream and apple strudel. The photos will do the explaining. She never fails to shock.

Each morning when I look at my son sleeping sweetly beside me I always remember how lucky and extremely proud I am to be a father. Whenever we play or eat together I remind him that he’s my “best buddy” lest he forgets. Now that I work from home we spend a good three-quarters of the day together and I certainly don’t mind being with him for so long. I realize I will have to take another office job at some point, but for the time being we’re enjoying each other’s company very much. I never get tired of him, even when he’s screaming seemingly about nothing (the “terrible twos” started several months early). Perhaps that’s the way it should be for a dad.

Time Flies

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:35:00 PDT

Time is a funny thing. The older I get, the harder it is for me to keep track of hours, days and weeks. The last few months have felt like a couple of weeks at the most. I keep postponing my new posts day after day, thinking that if a week or two passes no one will realize. In ten days my boy Areg will turn two. Seems like we were celebrating his first birthday only a few months ago. And I haven’t posted anything on this blog since New Year’s.

The other day we took Areg to the barber for his first-ever official haircut. Everyone says he finally looks like a boy, whatever that means. Here are some before and after photos, you can judge for yourself.

Happy 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 03:49:00 PST

I want to wish all my readers a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year. Please read my new year's wishes for Armenia on my other blog, Footprints.

Affordable Holiday Wines in Yerevan

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 04:24:00 PST

As people scramble to do last minute food shopping there's a few wines I recommend for those celebrating 2013 in Yerevan this season. Here's a list, in no particular order of preference:

Cadet d'Oc Cabernet Sauvignon, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, 2010. This is a lovely fragrant red, available at your neighborhood Star Supermarket. It's great to drink as-is, with a plate of assorted cheeses or a hearty meal. And for 2690 dram (about $6.70), you can't go wrong at all. By the way, if you love French wine SAS now offers a great selection with prices ranging from $10 to $500+ (no joke).

Karas, Armavir Vinyards, 2011. This premium Armenian wine costs a little more than the aforementioned Cabernet. Karas is hands down one of the best domestically produced bottled wines I've tasted here. There is absolutely no unappetizing vinegary aftertaste that you find in many Arenis and semi-dry wines. It's a real European-class wine made in small batches, which means it's not all that easy to find, although SAS and even Nor Zovk (on Nalbandyan Street, on the block between Tumanyan and Sayat Nova) seem to carry it in good supply. There is also a Karas white, which I've only seen once on the store shelf and have yet to taste.

Cuvée del Centenario, La Caccatoria. An unpretentious, crisp refreshing Italian white (shouldn't they all be that way?) that naturally should be served chilled. But be careful, as the taste is so delicate you will be downing it faster than you can pour. Better buy two bottles if you're aiming for only one. At 1700 dram ($4.50) a pop at Nor Zovk, you won't be complaining about the cost. There is only a handful of Nor Zovk supermarkets, the largest one I know of being in Aresh on Davit Bek Street for those who know their way around town. They have a great imported beer selection at that location as well.

I still stand behind Chateau Voskevaz and Artsakh Shushi, two wonderfully unique wines that are still hard to locate but not impossible. As a precaution I would stay away from store-bought Arenis, although you may fare well with one from Maran Winery so long as you let it breathe for at least twenty minutes before pouring. I can't recommend any particular vintage since it's hit or miss--you'll either love it or pour it down the drain.

One source has told me that many companies are actually bottling wine imported from China and selling it as Areni or whatever else, so keep this in mind. This explains why Areni I once tried offered by two totally different "wineries" tasted exactly the same.

Happy drinking, and enjoy the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:54:00 PST

Happy Thanksgiving from Yerevan (and Meghri)

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 06:45:00 PST

This Thanksgiving morning, yet another surrealistic episode to greet me.

We were in the kitchen eating breakfast when we heard an announcement broadcasted from a bullhorn in the courtyard--someone was offering walnuts and dried fruits for sale. I looked out the window and saw a Lada Zhiguli 2106 come barreling around the corner to park directly behind the building. Intrigued, I asked my wife if I should go down and check out the walnuts, and she gave her approval. I went down to the car and asked the seller to try one. In the back seat he had what must have been a fifty pound burlap bag of walnuts, it may have weighted a lot more. They cracked easily in my hand and the nut was semi-sweet and oily that practically melted right after the first crunch between the teeth, typical of a high quality, fresh walnut. I asked for two kilos, and while they were scooping them into a cellophane bag the dried fruit came out--pails of apricots and figs.

Another seller appeared, a gold-toothed guy who started pitching honey from Meghri (in Armenian, meghrin meghre, so I had to verify that the guy wasn't stuttering or something). Turns out the two guys and the mother of one of them (or both, didn't catch if they were brothers, cousins or friends since they didn't look anything alike) were from Agarak, which is a small town located just beyond the Iranian-Armenian border, a couple of kilometers south of Meghri. I told them I've been there a few times and they were happy about that, so they offered me a three-liter jar of honey that usually sold for 18,000 dram, but since I love Meghri and I'm a good Armenian brother from the diaspora, he'll "take away my pain," etc., they would sell it to me for 15,000 dram, and throw in the walnuts for free (saving 2,600 dram). They told me they had some mulberry vodka filled in a plastic soda bottle that was good "medicine"--a shot every morning to clean out the system--but I turned it down since I still can't manage to finish the moonshine we bought in Artsakh last year. Then as I was walking home they stopped me and asked me to buy another jar.

Turns out gold-tooth's six-year-old son was in the hospital in Yerevan; he had stepped on a nail while playing and grandma tried to cure the wound the old-fashioned way--by wrapping onions around it. That caused an all-out infection and gangrene started to set in. Now they have to pay 15,000 dram per blood transfusion apparently and purchase medications, as the state won't absorb the costs (even though healthcare for children should be free by law if I'm not mistaken). So they had to load up their Lada with whatever they had on hand and haul it to Yerevan. Seems like I was their first and likely only customer they figured they would have because they managed to stop me every 20 feet I stepped on the way home so I would buy more stuff. As I was walking up the stairs more jars of honey were following me. I even ran out of cash and had to run to the ATM at one point to make the last payment, only to find out yet another two jugs of honey were waiting. They threw in a kilo of dried fruit as a bonus along with a free bottle of honey and I ended up with that medicinal vodka (yeah, right) after all, now perched on the shelf. And apparently a case of persimmons is on the way. Seemed to be one hell of a thanksgiving.

Enjoy the day.

Being Accounted For in Yerevan

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 03:27:00 PST

The other day my employer informed me that I had to be "accounted for" so that I would continue to receive my salary starting January 1. (The Armenian verb is հաշվառել or "hashvarel.") Apparently a new law was passed stipulating that citizens and residents of Armenia be accounted for by the Armenian police. Some citizens even have to acquire "ID cards" to supplement their passports.

The entire process was quite surprisingly relatively painless. Since I live in the Kentron district I had to go to the "Identification Services" bureau located just beside the entrance to the police station, which is located in a courtyard at the beginning of Prosyan Street (technically Israyelian Street) close by St. Sarkis Church near the gorge (the same station I visited when my car stereo was stolen seven years ago). There was the usual setup--an office or two with people doing who knows what and a counter with a seemingly random line of people waiting to speak to one of the four representatives. The place looked like it hadn't been remodeled since it opened, probably 40 years ago. I stood confused for a few minutes in one of the makeshift lines before I approached another woman who was sitting apart from the others and wasn't waiting on anyone to find out what I should do to be taken into account as someone who is not a citizen but has a Residence Card. She took it from me, asked me where I live and whether I rent, and requested a payment of 1100 dram ($2.70 at the current exchange rate).

Now here's where the expected inconvenience factor comes in. Just across from her a woman was standing next to an automated payment machine with a touchscreen. She entered my name and pushed the necessary buttons to process the payment. When I gave her a 5000 note she turned me down, as she only accepted exact change. So I had to go to a supermarket across the street and break the bill there. Purchasing a bottle of water solved the problem, then I went back and naturally had to wait five minutes in line before I could pay. She gave me the receipt, I handed it to the woman who was helping me, and that was it. The entire process took about twenty minutes.

What's next is a visit by the police to our apartment to conduct some kind of interview with me. Then I will be required to return to the bureau and pick up my residence card. To be quite honest, I really don't understand why I have to go through with all this since I am officially registered with OVIR (Office of Visa and Registration) at my current address. But I've learned after my last experience with ZAGS when I was applying for the birth certificate of my son that I have to go with the flow and not resist such bureaucratic burdens to keep from going insane.

So basically this is a heads-up to any non-citizens out there who are or might be working in Armenia--you may be required to go through this process. When you walk into the bureau, go to the far right and speak with the polite, soft-spoken woman wearing glasses there (actually everyone was very cordial). A friend of mine employed at AUA and others I've heard about who are working here on short-stay visas haven't been required to do the same, so if you're among them, consider yourself lucky.

An afternoon digging holes

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 12:19:00 PST

Today was my day to play nature boy out in Jrambar, on my plot of land adjacent to the drinking water reservoir known as Lake Aparan. My father-and-law Levon and I had to move a few trees and then we dug twelve holes for some poplars I want to plant alongside the border that touches the road.

I had planted four poplars last year for Areg, and only one didn't make it. So we plan on driving to a nursery in the Lake Sevan area, somewhere around Martuni where supposedly the best poplars can be found in Armenia. If they can withstand that harsh winter climate at such a high elevation, they should adapt well to the conditions near the Lake Aparan.

Along some of the sidewalks in Yerevan and certainly in the parks you'll easily spot Caucasian oaks. There's quite a few of those as well as the giant sycamore trees that line the main avenues. Areg keeps picking up the acorns on his walks with his mom and grandpa, who stuffs them in his pockets. Two weeks ago one fell on my head, which I thought was a sign of good luck.

We took our acorn collection with us so I'd try planting them in shallow holes to see if they would sprout seedlings. I'm not an arborist by any means but growing up in a semi-forested area, I know that the North American oaks can spread like weeds. The Caucasian oaks are apparently a bit elusive and difficult to grow, at least that's what I've heard. We'll find out how true that is next spring.

A kindergarten for Moshatagh

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 12:00:00 PDT

The organization ONEArmenia is raising funds to build a kindergarten in the village of Moshatagh, which is located in the Kashatagh region of Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh). The building's structure actually exists, the construction just needs to be completed.

There are no excuses for kids to go without proper schools anywhere in Armenia or Artsakh, period. Although such a project should have been realized years ago, it's definitely not too late to do it now. The organization has already collected close to $9,000 to meet its goal, and the campaign to raise funds ends on November 3. As of this writing the project is 46 percent funded. This is a good cause; it's an investment in Armenia's future--Armenia's children. Please contribute.

Harvesting the grapes

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 04:22:00 PDT

Just returned from my father-in-law's dacha in Dzoraghpyur, only a 20 minute drive from central Yerevan. Most of the grapes had to be harvested and some apples had to be picked as well so they wouldn't spoil.

Here's a quince -- this weird fuzzy fruit will get much bigger and turn yellow when it's ripe for picking.

He has a few pear and apple trees, actually lots of different trees, including about five apricot and a few plum. A couple of walnut trees, too.

Even if it's only for an hour or two, I never miss the opportunity to leave the city. It's so worth it!

TEDx Yerevan 2012 - A Day of Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 00:50:00 PDT

The entire day I was at the Tumo Center in Ajapynyak where the TEDx Yerevan talks were held. I went in there not knowing what to really expect. I was visiting the States last year when they were held and I think the year before, so I really wanted to be present.

I saw some videos online of last year's speakers and of course I've watched random TED talks on YouTube. Some of the speakers I recognized by name, but most of them were unknown to me. Let me just say that it was one exciting day where there was an aura of knowledge and insight just gleaming, there was no way of avoiding any feeling of inspiration and admiration for these speakers. Just going up on stage to talk to a crowd of a couple hundred people, so naturally as if you're only talking to one person, is a huge feat in my opinion. The creativity energy was flowing everywhere, and a few times I just had to sit down during the breaks and jot down notes on my impressions on what was happening, what I was feeling in the moment.

I won't write too much about the speakers and what they discussed since all the videos will be online before long on the TEDx Yerevan web site. But I thought I would just mention some speakers in particular whose talks you should definitely view when they become available: Armen Berjikly on "When change is not a choice," Madlene Minassian's "Sticker or Sicker Solution,” "Defy and Conquer" by Patrick Sarkissian, Ara Oshagan's "The Documentary Image as Identity," which featured some very powerful images portraying Armenian identity in Artsakh and California where he lives, Bernard Khoury's "Interventions in Problematic Zones" where he showcases many of his architectural wonders he designed for a war-ravaged Beirut on the rebound, "Do You Speak Music" by Sima Cunningham and "Watch What You Say, People May Listen to You” by Sevan Kabakian.

That last talk by Kabakian was especially inspiring and hit home for me since he discussed the sickness, or what he described as the "cloud of negativity," of the fatalistic "the country's not a country" (yerkire yerkir che) mentality that I have criticized many times on this blog and Footprints Armenia as well. His point being, after listening to a typical tirade about how everything sucks and nothing's going to change, is to respond, simply, "What's next?" The perfect, forthright yet most meaningful response you could ever give.

I also want to note that Sima Cunningham is a very talented young singer/songwriter and she's bound to attract a lot more attention as the years pass. I was also quite impressed with the performances by Tsolak Mlke-Galstyan's MIHR dance group -- expressive, sensual movements on stage that seemed so natural, so fluid.

I almost forgot to mention the emcee, Sergey Sargsyan, who is one of the most witty young people in Armenia today. He and his comedy partner Narek Margaryan have a string of news parody videos on YouTube inspired by Jon Stewart's shtick that are hilarious to watch. I think most are in Armenian but I remember seeing one in English. Anyway, he was the perfect guy to have up there introducing the speakers and always lightening the mood.

It's always a wonderful feeling to be inspired, especially when you're living in an enigmatic, yet enchanting place like Armenia.

Looking for a Literary Agent

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 06:17:00 PDT

I am finally winding down revisions on the second draft of my novel. It's loosely based on my experiences in Armenia, particularly about an unpleasant situation I found myself in exactly ten years ago. Writing the book took some time -- I actually started it in 2004, but didn't realize it would take shape as a novel until a few years later. In the meantime, I've been submitting some of my short stories to various journals showcasing new and established authors of poetry and prose, but getting noticed in the literary world is a herculean challenge.

If anyone knows a literary agent they can refer me to, or if you have any suggestions about who I should try, please let me know -- it would be greatly appreciated.

And as always, thanks for supporting this blog.

Areg By The Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:18:00 PDT

Devereux Beach, Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Summertime Areg

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:14:00 PDT

Yerevan and Boston, 2012

Rescuing the kitty

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:25:00 PDT

This morning while my wife was walking across the courtyard behind our apartment building she happened to see a weeny kitten running across the driveway. She didn't think anything of it, figuring her mom was close by watching her every move, so she kept heading for the trash bins around the corner. On her way back home, she witnessed the kitten being attacked by a crow. Anush ran to her safety and scared the crow away, then not knowing what to do with the kitten, brought it home. Now we have a curious toddler, a not-so-neurotic-anymore chihuahua and a lost, rescued kitty to take care of. Anush fed her some milk the second she walked in and in the afternoon kitty woofed down some of Chi Chi's homemade beef and rice hash. I swear kitty nearly doubled in size in 14 hours. Areg got a kick out of kitty, he even started barking at her.

Now we're trying to find a new home for this little puss. We haven't been able to track down kitty's mom, not that she cares her kid's been gone anyway. Kitty looks a little raggedy now, probably because she's so tiny I guess, but in a few months so long as she gets enough TLC I imagine she'll turn out to be a real mouse slayer. Too bad I can't stand cats.

Areg Eats Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:52:00 PDT

Photos taken in "Lover's Park," Yerevan.

Areg in His Hammock

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sat, 26 May 2012 10:30:00 PDT

Article about National Assembly Elections

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:32:00 PDT

If anyone is interested I wrote a comprehensive article about the 2012 National Assembly elections -- perhaps the most important elections since 1991 although few understand this -- for the Armenian Weekly. Here's an excerpt:

In what will either be viewed as a memorable political triumph or the start of an endless campaign of protests, the Republican Party of Armenia claimed victory in the Armenian National Assembly elections on May 6.
Although international news reports had predicted a win for the Republicans, most leaders of the other political parties vying for seats in the National Assembly had been anticipating a less than highly favorable turnout for the ruling party.
According to data posted by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) the Republican Party of Armenia won by a landslide with 44 percent of the vote, amounting to over 663,000 ballots in their favor. The Prosperous Armenia Party came in at a distant second place with 30 percent, just short of 454,700 votes.
The Armenian National Congress, an opposition bloc composed of numerous smaller, obscure political parties led by former president Levon Ter-Petrossyan, barely passed the 7 percent minimum it needed to win its first-ever presence in parliament.
Both ARF-Dashnaktsutyun and the Heritage/Free Democrats party alliance managed to slide across the threshold needed for representation in the National Assembly, with each earning approximately 5.7 percent of the vote.

I'm going to be honest and say that I am appalled by the lack of debate about the outcome of the elections, the results of which were undoubtedly manipulated. The indifference is really depressing. I truly believe that the actual results were never revealed by the Central Electoral Commission and were instead invented by the authorities, likely the president himself judging from the numbers released.

Anyway, back to work...

Thoughts on the Elections and Armenia's Future

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Garbis) — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:30:00 PDT

I was going to pen a few words here on the eve of the National Assembly elections, but since I don't necessarily have anything else to add other than what I wrote in my latest op-ed piece for the Armenian Weekly, and considering that I really don't know how interested readers of this blog are in politics, I'll simply insert a link to the piece.

I will reiterate however that Armenia's future is riding on these elections. They will be a true test as to whether democracy can really work and whether public discontent will finally he heard with their needs properly and promptly addressed. As a direct result of the pretend-not-to-notice laissez-faire employed by this Armenian government, apathy has a strong choke-hold on the citizenry of Armenia and the population of the country is dwindling fast. So if the socio-political climate of Armenia doesn't change soon, and I mean Monday, there's no telling what things will be like even a few months from now.

The future of Armenia lies solely in the hands of Armenian citizens. Let's hope and pray they realize this on Sunday morning and get out the vote.