Almost to my surprise, I see my feet walking the streets of Yerevan... I like to think that they recognise each other with a mixture of reserve and happiness...
The cafes and restaurants recognise me, and some of the waiters apparently do as well...
Summer make the streets bloom with green squares full of flowers, cafes and fountains, the men still there, with the same pointy mocassinos, the same black trousers and silky kind of t-shirt (black of course) that was perhaps under the jackets the last time I saw them... they still eating seeds and talking to each other with the overhanging bellies and their smell of rancid sweat... cheap sunglasses have been added.... There are exemptions of course... some alternatives hang around... some hip hopers.. and fair share oh heavies... after all one of the most known Armenian bands System of a Down do very well overseas... but the black dressed seed eaters are a noticeable majority (even if some go for beige, partricuallarlly if the have mobiles)
The women still here as well, my dearly admired Armenian women... they seem to have pushed even further the limits of materials science in terms of textile stretchiness, the levels of discomfort tolerance at such compressed dress code, the size of the stilettos has overpass the heights that traditional physics is able to explain, the g-strings are only to be seen in the anti-material dimension and the colour range of the clothes in contrast with the hair, make up of their lips and eyelids, definitively escapes the range of normal human vision... There are exemptions of course... But seriously... I really believe that if this country were to give their women a more prominent role in running government institutions, Armenia would be much better off... Adventurous aesthetics reflects, decision making power, particularly in societies as structured as this one...
The music still sounding... the international baroque festival, the Tokyo String Quartet, The Armenian Philharmonic and the young composers festival happening over the next 3 weeks!
The work I’m doing is a review of what I did last year, and an expansion into further products for exports for the EU.... but I’m working for the Americans! I worked with the ASME project last year while here with the EU and seems to have made an impression because they brought me back here almost to my surprise, we had talk about it last year.... but it seemed to complicated... as all USAID funded programmes need to employ Americans, flying American airlines (The Fly America Act!)... I’m not American and there were no American lines from Holland to here... but yeah... they agree to by pass all those issues... (EU programs are required as well to employ EU citizens, and so on)
Is quite interesting to see the different working mentalities, the EU gave me some Euros and sent me here... no office, no nothing... I had to work it all out by my self... the Americans picked me up from the airport, put me in the Marriot (poshest hotel here), and a team of people that came and introduced them selves and knew who and what I was doing. The EU does paper, legislation, institutional support, capacity building and so on... this guys do market research, upgrade factories, take Armenians to food expos, they are in the move constantelly...
Big part of my life has been about breaking my preconceptions; I grow up in society that had preconceptions towards Americans (gringos), Jewish, British, other Europeans, homosexuals, capitalists, communists, Turks, artists, body builders, rugby players, drug users, etc (Argentina of the 70’s-80’s was complicated, and so is my family)
Since then I try to break with all them, and I’m proud of having done so, however and even more since the Bush reign of terror, I’m very “anti American” and tend to put them all in the same basket... and here I am...
Is VERY refreshing to hear Americans criticize they own government actions and foreign policy, I guess the ones I’m working with have the option of being outside and see how the world see them. Some of the guys I have partially talk here have said the roughest things I heard saying...
I suggested that in the next elections 90% of decision for the new president should be based on American votes and 10% on a global election process... after all, the actions of their government impact the rest of us... and we don’t get to choose them... the guys here liked the idea... but I don’t think is going to go far do...
Anyway... I went with some of the younger guys here to the opening of a fruit drying plant in a village (not far from the place in the picture), based on supporting the cooperative of fruit planters... it was cool... very cool... big horovats (grilled meat), home made wine, vodka (of course), local musicians... and so on...
it was a beautiful afternoon and then night, big full moon and warm... they drinking lead to a lot of dancing on which I shamelessly took part (some local dancing it looks very much like pericon and malambo, Argentina’s traditional dance!)... I even went for a haka at the end... that caused too much impression as some o the children run away... but anyway... it was good to feel that the dancing has such a plainfield effect... mayor, politician, cleaner, planter, foreigner... we are the same there....
after the dancing the singing comes up... and man... still give me goose bumps.... Armenian history is very sad... and so are some of the songs... you dance to celebrate being alive, but you sing to remember the ones that are gone... either killed or emigrated....
in such musical country like this, singing is seriously amazing... this ladies would sing so beautifully sad... that I just had to cry... I had no idea what they were saying... but I knew what they were about... an old lady came and gave me a hug... the translator told me she did it because I’m away from family as well... and thanks to my family is that i can afford to be here... strong stuff, mate...
Some of the songs go back to the 3rd and 4th century (remember this a 3000 years old culture!)... and they all know them... I feel sometime envious of that (as with Maori at home in NZ), as they have such strong connection with their history and roots... while people like me seems to have problems even to explain where I live...
Is good to be here do...
there Margreet (vib’s mum)(parents divorced a while ago) lives with Barthold (who owns the farm), they don’t farm it anymore as they took a government offer to keep most of the farm as an “scenic reserve”, meaning keeping it nice (and getting paid by the government to do it), while some other parts are leased to farmers and tree planting... the cows at the top are the front neighbours... the closest house is Barthold’s cousin (Gert) farm, at least 150 m away... and then nothing at less than 400mt... Barchem it self is not much... 1000 people? A pub café, the best bakery in the region, a mini supermarket and a farm shop... end of story
