June 17, 2011

This next entry came sooner than I expected. It's 3:11am on a Friday morning. Where most people would be far along in their slumber, I, a Yerevan dweller, have just come home from a night of mixed emotions and experiences… just another typical day-you never know where it will take you. Today I learned some good news, some terrible news, and had to say goodbye to one of my dearest friends (his fate is to be determined by Armenia's army). I'll leave the good news at bay until further notice, but I'd like to reflect on the bad news: my friend passed away from unexpected health complications. He was an amazing person who emitted positivity like no other. I suppose the shock hasn't withered away yet, I still can't contemplate the loss, his mortality, and other such questions about life….

All this amidst a night a music and friends (some old + some new + some visiting), there were birthdays, goodbyes, hellos, DSLRs capturing it all, and way too much second hand smoke. Armenian reggae, blues, Beatles, a few shots of vodka, and much more… all on a Thursday night.

Having traveled a good sum, I've never experienced a city where you can walk into any given bar on any given night and see friends in one corner and a group of musicians jamming in another. Everyone in perfect harmony with each other, enjoying each other's company, breathing life into Armenia's capital city.

Throughout the night we remembered our dear friend and his exceptional peaceful outlook on life. It is within this context that I met him three years ago…

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Yerevans-Dolphins-In-Memoriam-Dibar-Tcholakian/218786371475320?ref=ts

A Lifetime in a Single Day

I miss the days of letter writing. I remember in the 1900s and early 2000s I had pen pals in different cities around the world. We would exchange long letters then e-mails and engage in the most incredible dialogue (chronicling the philosophies and inner workings of a traveling youth pre-blogging days)…. The difference between letter writing and blogging is quite simple: in the former you're not sharing your private life on a public platform. But alas I am conceding, within limitations, to extend my experience living in Armenia (and traveling around the region) to everyone out there who cares to know and for those who can't (for whatever reason) be here to see this all for themselves. It becomes more clear to me everyday that this experience is once in a lifetime and deserves to be shared with a wider interested audience. Especially when highlighting some of the thinkers of our generation who are defining the "contemporary" culture of this region.

There are pluses and minuses to being a foreigner in a country where you have spent almost your entire adult life, but there are benefits to both sides. Benefit 1: You are always an outsider observing the natural habitats of new circles. Benefit 2: You actually know more than they think you do, and that comes in handy when you have to tell someone off. Benefit 3: You tend to meet amazing people and with amazing talents on a daily basis. One such hub where these types congregate is "The Club" or "Agump" restaurant at my favorite location, Tumanyan 40.

http://theclub.am

Come see for yourself. Wait, my friend just walked in...

Okay, I'm back. If my procrastination habit doesn't get the best of me, I plan on talking about people, places, and events that are transforming this region and shaping into something new.

I always try to explain to people that it's an amazing time to be in a place where everything is in its nascency.

Wait, another friend just walked in...

When you're in a small city, which is going through such drastic transition with powerful forces working against it, it's a magical time to see how the new generation will brake through barriers and create what is new, what is theirs--even though many talented bright youths are leaving (or would leave if they could), many more than the country (and the region) can afford.

No single day is like the other when you live in a city where you see your friends, your enemies, the mounting problems, and the breathtaking mountain on a daily basis….

What will historians write about when they look back at this period? Until then I'll try to reflect on what I see today.