The Talent, the Hope, the Passion

Armenians are the most artistically talented people I have ever met. Whether they are cooking an authentic Armenian dish, decorating the insides of a night club, making khatchkars with a piece of stone and a hammer, playing the saxophone at a local jazz club, singing badarak music in the church choir, designing flower bouquets for the local tzaghig khanoot, or merely using words to express their emotions, Armenians are an impressive breed. Granted I am more informed about my own culture than that of any other nation, I can honestly say that I am thoroughly proud to be Armenian.

I had a jam-packed day at work today. I had three interviews, all which really allowed me to connect with and understand the diverse crowd within the city of Yerevan.

ArmeniaNow founded a program titled, “Hye Dzmer Pop” (Hye Santa), which seeks out underprivileged families throughout Armenia and tends to their needs, whether it be sending kids to school or paying for a family’s rent. My job is to interview the families that we have helped and give a report on how their lives have changed since the program. Today I interviewed the Moradyan family, coincidentally the three kids of the mother which whom I interviewed, are the kids I worked with at Orran two years ago. So, Deanna (the other intern) and I met Margarita at Orran today at 1:00. She looked tired, but she nonetheless happily walked us to her house in the district of Kond. After walking through a hill of rocks and a few flights of battered stairs, we arrived at the Moradyan residence. I walked down a dirt pathway where she invited us inside. She, her three children, and her unsatisfied mother in law, Ovsanna, live in a square room. There are two beds, one for her and the kids, and the other for Ovsanna. The room is approximately 11x11 ft. The walls are discolored and look as if they were carelessly slapped together. The roof is a metal sheet that covers the top of the room, with holes covered by old stained newspapers to keep the rain from pouring inside. Besides the beds, there is nowhere to sit. There is an unstable wooden table, a crooked cabinet, and about 10 jugs of water. There is no running water within the household. When they run out of water, they must walk about 20 feet outside their house, fill up their jugs from what I am assuming is a well, and carry it back to the house to store for future use. You can imagine that these are terrible living conditions. Yet, they are the most grateful and sincere people you will meet. After speaking to us about the improvements that Hye Dzmer Pop has had on their lives, they offered us kakhstr soorj with sliced mini apples and sunflower seeds. The food was served on a wooden stool about one-foot tall, which rocked back and forth if you touched it, with a light pink paper towel as the tablecloth. They prepared the coffee in a rusty jazzve, with water out of their jug stash, over a miniature portable stove. It was probably the best coffee I have had in Armenia thus far. After finishing our coffee and discussing their living conditions, I remembered that I had pictures on my laptop (which I had brought to record the interview) of my last visit in Armenia of her kids. I pulled them out, and the smiles that were put on their faces after seeing these old pictures almost brought tears to my eyes.

One of my questions for Margarita was what she saw in her future and what she had hoped to accomplish. She told me she doesn’t have a future, but she just wants to raise her kids and have them learn English so they can get decent jobs and support a family. She repeatedly stated that she has hope. Hope that her situation will improve with the help of Hye Dzmer Pop. Hope that her kids will grow up to be normal, successful human beings. Hope that her kids will finish school. Living in America, we are so lucky to have the opportunities and lives that we do. Sometimes I take things for granted, forgetting that there are people in the world who have very little compared to me, but are filled with so much more hope. It may be innocence or naivety that fills these families with hope, but my trip to the district of Kond really put my life into perspective. I love life. Everything about it. So I am not going to let meaningless obstacles blind my vision and keep me from appreciating what I have.

My fingers are pretty shaky right now, considering every time you have an interview, Armenian soorj is involved. Like I said, I had three interviews today. You do the math.

My second two interviews were with two jazz musicians, both members of “Art Voices” jazz band. They were so charming. The way they expressed their love and appreciation for music and jazz was full of passion and enthusiasm. I am curious now, so I am going to see them live next Tuesday at Malkhas Jazz Club. Perch, the drummer, told us that he imagined his drum set as a woman, and he plays his drums as if he loves that woman. Artur told us that jazz is his favorite type of music because it is the closest to his heart. These musicians are 26 and 23 years old respectively, but they giggled together like they were 12. It was absolutely adorable.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with the creativity of the Armenian race. These were specific hands-on interactions that I had with Armenians that proved to me their passion and appreciation for life. But it does not stop here. I have been observing Armenians since the minute my plane landed. Their main focus is detail, and although it may hinder them from a quicker development, I love watching and seeing the outcomes of their hard work. Every restaurant I attend, the menu is different and creative. It is rare to see a plain black booklet of Armenian dishes. At Jazzve, the menu is in the form of a newspaper, the food categories divided up into sections, and the different plates in different columns. At Stop Music Club, the menu is shaped as a record. The words are written in a spiral. At Vernissage, you can experience first hand the crafts completed by bare Armenian hands. The paintings of Mt. Ararat or Etchmiadzin, the knitting of purses with the Armenian alphabet sewn on them, the carvings out of wood and stone, or the beautiful jewelry made out of beads and string. If you walk down Tumanyan street, you are very likely to come across a flower vendor, who sells lavish and fresh bouquets designed to the very tastes of Armenian people. Not one petal on any flower looks old. I am not kidding when I say that Armenians cherish beauty and details.

My stay in Armenia ends in five weeks. I am dreading the day that I have leave this amazing land. Five weeks seems like so long, but it really is not. Two months is not enough time to thoroughly soak in the culture!