Armenia's Olympic Team heads to Beijing with high hopes

The Armenian Reporter | August 2, 2008 23CommentaryWhat draws you to Armenia?by Sylvie TertzakianUpon my return from Armenia in June, aJewish friend of mine asked me,“What drawsyou to Armenia?”Her question took me by surprise, consideringthe fact that she comes from Zionistparents and is a staunch supporter of Israel.She was asking the question asked in theFrench TV movie, “Le Voyage en Armenie.”In the film, a French-Armenian woman, disconnectedfrom her Armenian roots, travelsto Armenia in search of her father. Whilein Yerevan, she comes across a French-ArmenianFrench doctor, who has left Francefor Armenia, to work in a mobile clinic. Hisanswer: “Because my name is Melkonian.”An Armenian friend who is active in a localArmenian community and has been to Armeniaasked me “What do you talk about withthe locals when you get together with them?”Both women’s questions reflect the factthat, as Americans, we are set in our ways. Wein the diaspora are different from other culturesincluding our own ancestors’ cultures.The prevailing mentality is that we shouldhelp our ancestral countries, with their torturedhistories, survive in adversarial conditions.Beyond that, we in the diaspora differculturally and socially from our people wholive in the ancestral lands.My trip to Armenia in May proved the contrary.Unlike my previous trips for philanthropicand medical projects, to participatein nation building, this last trip was purelyfor social reasons, to connect with people. Atthe end of the trip, I realized that socializingwith people was one of the factors that pullme to Armenia.Similar to grocery shoppingin the United States,supermarket chains wereopen 24 hours a day, offeringpeople employment and theopportunity to shop anytime.It was after the March 1 political crisis,when the opposition clashed with the authoritiesover the outcome of the electionsin Yerevan. Since more than half of Armenia’spopulation lives in Yerevan, I will focusmy article on Yerevan. The gap between ourlifestyles in Yerevan and the major cities inthe diaspora is getting narrower. Globalizationhas moved Yerevan into the ranks ofthe major cities of the world. Inflation wasrampant; some of the new construction inYerevan had come to a halt, due to the skyrocketingprices of construction material, orfor the fear of the unknown political futureof the country. However, despite the weakconstruction industry, which has becomeone of the two main industries, the otherbeing the service industry, life seemed to goon as if nothing had happened two monthsearlier. The cafes and restaurants were fullagain. Even Iranians have bought homesin Yerevan, as a hedge against the insecurepolitical situation back home. They seem toenjoy Yerevan’s lifestyle. Similar to groceryshopping in the United States, supermarketchains were open 24 hours a day, offeringpeople employment and the opportunity toshop any time.Young ladies in tight jeans and stilettosjammed the dance floors of restaurants andnightclubs. In one such venue in midweek,dinner was served during an internationalshow of belly dancing, tango, etc. Betweenshows, the dance floor was filled with young“Shakiras” shaking and dancing to the tuneof the live band. It was no different fromthe L.A. nightclub scene. Unlike in L.A., theabsence of young men was conspicuous. BobDylan’s lyrics: “Where have all the youngmen gone?” came to my mind. According tomy hosts; the men either serve in the army,or they have left the country in search of employment,or they work nightshifts, or theyhave no money to spend on entertainment.Yerevan panorama.The evening also reminded me of Beirut inthe late 1960s, when I attended the AmericanUniversity of Beirut. Upon my return fromIsrael one September, concerned about theheavy fighting in south Lebanon, I asked theowner of a grocery store about the situation.His reaction? “The fighting is in the south,it’s far away from Beirut”. Despite the sniperfire from the Azerbaijanis on the Armenianvillages, the proximity of the closed Turkishborder, the instability in Georgia, the tensionsbetween Iran and the internationalcommunity, the young Yerevantsis were havingfun, oblivious to the reality of the politicalsituation of Armenia. Another reminderof Beirut was the presence of Iranians inthe city, reminiscent of the presence of thewealthy sheikhs during the summers of the60s and early seventies. They expressed thatit was their right, after years of living undercommunism, and the dark years of the early1990s, to enjoy life like normal people. “Menkel mart enk” – We are human beings too.June 1 is Children’s’ Day in Armenia, a dayof celebrations. On that day my friends invitedme to visit Khor Virab, where Saint Gregorythe Illuminator spent years in the dungeonfor his courage to convert the Armenians toChristianity. There was a lot of activity in thechurch: Both babies and adults were beingbaptized, a bride and groom were patientlywaiting for the priest to marry them. It wasa folkloric scene ready to be transferred toan artist’s canvas. The view of Mount Araratfrom the church complex was breathtaking.It was a clear day, and I could almost touch itssnow peaks. Reality hit: Ararat was no morea symbol for me. It was a majestic mountainoverseeing the land of the Armenians. Theonly barrier between me and the mountainwas the heavily guarded border with Turkey.The reaction of my local hosts to Ararat wasthe same as mine: They lamented its captivityat the hand of a foreign country. The discussionwe had about Ararat could have takenplace in any Armenian home in the diaspora.For dinner, my hosts invited me to a restauranton the Hrazdan River in Yerevan.The restaurant sits in a row of restaurantswhere their specialty is khorovadz (grilledmeat and vegetables). The restaurant, whichhas different open bungalows that overlooka large dance floor, was packed to its capacityof 1,000. Soviet and modern fashions met onthe dance floor, as people danced to the tuneof Armenian and international music. A few“Shakiras” were on their cell phones as theyconquered the dance floor. The parking lotreflected the new wealth of Armenia’s elite:Mercedes, BMWs, Hummers, were parked infront of the restaurant. In addition to theoutdoor parking, it had a parking structuresimilar to a mall parking structures in California.It was filled with the newest modelsof European and American cars.Prices in the restaurants and the storesare very similar to the prices in L.A. Theconstruction of new homes and buildingshas filled appliance and home furnishingstores with abundant products. Most areimported, and therefore heavily taxed. Andyet, business is brisk: Many diaspora-Armenianswho have second homes in Yerevan,or work and live there, and the well-to-dolocals are in the stores searching for thenewest products. The construction boom ofthe early 2000s has helped the diaspora andlocal Armenians to mix and mingle. Theyeither do business together, or they findthemselves living next door to one another,closing the gap that was artificially createdby the “iron curtain.”The local women, who make up the biggernumber of the population, have joined theindustrialized world by their heavy presencein the work force. They greet guests at thereception desks in the hotels, they take touristson tours of the country, they are doctors,lawyers, engineers, housekeepers, etc.Common among them is the love for fashionand brand names. Whereas during the Sovietera, a well-tailored suit, or a custom-madepair of shoes made them feel special amongthe nomenklatura, today they wear brandnameclothing, watches, handbags, shoes,and jewelry. Depending on their status insociety, these can be real or fake. Speaking offake, some women have paid visits to plasticsurgeons, to improve their looks Hollywoodstyle.The reaction of my localhosts to Ararat was the sameas mine: They lamentedits captivity at the handof a foreign country. Thediscussion we had aboutArarat could have takenplace in any Armenian homein the diaspora.One evening, the CEO of one of the hospitalsin the city, whose husband is in thegovernment, invited me to dinner. Our conversationranged from family matters tomedicine to women’s issues, to fashion andpolitics. It was no different from having dinnerwith a well-educated and well-roundedwoman in L.A. When the young waiter offeredher the wine list, she went through itcarefully and then proceeded to order thewine, after we had selected our main course.Once the wine bottle arrived at the table, shefollowed the etiquette of wine tasting: shechecked the color of the wine, she swirledthe glass, smelled the wine, and finally approvedthe bottle. She was the new face ofthe Armenian woman: a strong, beautiful,and confident woman who felt comfortableboth in her career and in entertaining herguest from abroad.A few couples occupied the next table toours. They were all locals; the ladies were wellcoiffed and dressed to their teeth. Judgingfrom appearances, a new class of wealthy localsfeels comfortable in their roles as businessmenand businesswomen. They enjoytheir newly acquired wealth. Their conversationsconcern issues familiar to all people inthe global economy.Side by side with the wealthy are the poorin Yerevan and the villages. Many youngpeople have converged on the city in searchof employment. Their presence in the constructionindustry is noticeable. Unlike thesecurity net provided to the poor in the West,the Armenians suffer from the lack of socialservices. The diaspora has been instrumentalto better their lot. Creation of jobs willprovide the unemployed with opportunities,and once the government implementsa functioning tax system their condition willimprove.I will rewind my impressions to May 28, theDay of Independence of the First Republic. Itwas above 100 degrees in Sardarabad, wherethe Armenians defeated the advancing Turkisharmies and on May 28, 1918, proclaimedan independent republic. Local and foreigndignitaries, diaspora Armenians, and themasses had all converged on Sardarabad totake part in the celebrations of a national holiday.Different regiments of the armed forcesmarched in the presence of the president andother dignitaries, three jet fighters zoomedoverhead leaving behind trails of Armenia’stricolor flag, and parachutists impressed thecrowds with their jumps. Representativesfrom different regions of Armenia had setup booths to exhibit their art and products.Large umbrellas advertised Coca Cola andJermuk side by side. Eastern and Western Armenianmingled, uniting Armenians in theirrespect for history and survival.On the way back to Yerevan, I shared a freeride with the locals on one of the new smallbuses provided by the authorities for the occasion.The bus gave me much-needed shelterfrom the baking sun and the crowds. On ourway out of the compound, small groups ofdemonstrators waving Armenian flags andchanting “Levon, Levon,” were proceeding tothe monument. They were marching to joinex-President Levon Ter Petrossian, who haddecided to hold his own celebration. It’s sadthat May 28, which symbolizes the unity of allArmenians, was utilized to divide the nation.A week later, at the Zvartnots Airport, the expresidentpatiently and courteously waitedin line with his security to check in on thesame flight to Paris. As we exited the plane atCharles de Gaulle, he and a colleague walkedtoward baggage claim and disappeared in theanonymity of the airport.The bus ride back from Sardarabad to Yerevanwas very interesting. I was the onlynon-local on the bus. Three elderly mensitting next to me discussed the March 1events. They blamed Ter-Petrossian forinstigating the events at a time when theKarabakh issue was once again on the internationalcommunity’s agenda. One of themen asked me where I came from, and proceededto discuss the U.S. presidential campaign.“Obama has recognized the Genocide.We hope he wins the elections,” hesaid. Once again, a common concern brokethe artificial divide between a local and adiaspora Armenian. The tables had turned,this time; it was a local who showed concernfor issues that involved an Armenian-American. From my seat, I had the luxuryto view Mount Ararat for miles. As the buskept on moving, and the discussion amongthe three men kept on getting more heated,I wondered where else I would go throughsuch an experience. Then, the highlight ofmy trip came: The main discussant of thethree announced that he would sing a song.As my eyes were fixated on Ararat, my earshad the pleasure to hear the song, “Tsaynme Hentchets Erzroumi Hayots lerneren”.Without a blink, I joined him. A diasporaand a local Armenian had united their voicesin a nationalistic song, against the backdropof majestic Ararat. This time, the “artificial”barrier between Mount Ararat and us haddisappeared. At the end of the song, ourduet met with enthusiastic applause fromour audience.That was the defining moment of my trip.What draws me to Armenia and what do Ihave in common with the locals? My travelsto Armenia have been for philanthropic projects,for a search for historical, spiritual, andphilosophical identity. The search transcendsall boundaries and distances. According toour daughter, Taleen, who has made numeroustrips to Armenia, “It’s the missing piecein the puzzle that draws us to Armenia.” It’sa piece of the mosaic of being an Armenianthat draws me to Armenia.f