a land of potential

I apologize for the long time since my last post. I've been experiencing some pretty amazing things and also facing some tough mental transformations. I've decided that I can't post my inner thoughts on the internet because they are mine and I'm still working them out and when you come to a country as wonderful, strange, and conflicting as Armenia, you need to think about what you've seen before you speak.

Regardless, I'd like to list some of the highlights of the past few weeks.

I went to Artsakh, known as the republic of Nagorno-Karabagh, which is an Armenian country sort of seeparate sort of connected to Armenia. Its an absolutely breath taking place and going there really challenged a lot of the ideas that I have about war, peace, patriotism, happiness, etc. If you get the chance, you should google the Armenian-Azeri war over the region and just learn a little about what is going on. We visited a memorial museum, a wonderful rehabilitation clinic, ganzasar church, hiked to a waterfall and much more.

On the way out to Artsakh we stopped at Tatev where there is an ancient monastery. In order to get to the monastery you have to drive about an hour down into a gorge and then back up on the other side. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and no one should leave Armenia without seeing it. There are some beautiful photos on my facebook page from Tatev.

Yesterday I went to the first ever TEDx Yerevan event. It was really exciting and incredibly organized. Some of the talks were great and overall I think it was a great step for Armenia. I hope after this event future speakers will really embrace the "ideas worth spreading concept" and begin to dream big for Armenia. A great success i would say though.

I've been spending a lot of time at a great place called Calumet which is owned by two Beirutsi Armenians. Its a really laid back place and they always play good music. One night, I had an Irish-Armenian music jam with one of the owners, who agrees with me that there is a strong emotional, musical and possibly genetic connection between the Irish and the Armenians (he lived in Ireland for 6 months and had a plethora of beautiful Armenian and irish folk instruments). The next night I attended Sonya Varoujian's show there-- she's a great spyurkahay Armenian from New York who plays folk music. She has a beautiful voice and some great songs in both Armenian and English. Afterwards, I went up on stage and ended up jamming and playing (originals and every cover I could come up with) for about 3 hours. It was wonderful and really made me feel comfortable and connected to this wonderful place.

A great sensation I've been having here in Armenia is that it is like a child's play house. It is miniature sized and therefore you feel like you can really feel its contours and make a difference. Everything here feels accomplishable and yet impossible. I can sit for hours in a cafe and talk with both diasporans and locals about all the great things that need to be done in Armenia. Sometimes its just a fantasy and sometimes everything seems so achievable. Its nice to be in a place where everything has not been tried. There is so much room for potential.

I'm going to leave it there for now and with one thought that really affected me and I hope affects anyone out there who would ever think of coming to Armenia-- I met a jazz musician from New york at a club the other night. He has no familial ties to Armenia, is not Armenian, and kinda of came here on a whim a few years back... and ended up staying for 2.5 years. He said there is just something special and inspiring about Armenia and its true. Despite the difficulty, frustration and "stuckness" that can sometimes overwhelm you here (and I think has, understandably,  taken a toll on some of its long-time residents) there is also an overwhelming aura of creativity and potential that permeates the air here. I hope I can maintain this energy and pay it forward in my time here.

All the best,

Simajan

Photo at Tatev by Gohar

These are a few of my favorite things...

Last night, my mind was absolutely blown away by a local singer who sounds like a mix between Jeff Buckley and Stevie Wonder. Actually probably the most incredible male singer I’ve ever seen live. He’s the lead singer of a band called “Dorians”. At the same event I was lucky enough to see the phenomenal band “Katuner” which is comprised of some of the most accomplished and ground-breaking musicians in Armenia.

They love music here. They love the blues. They love art. Its really great.

My favorite desert is essentially a piecrust rolled into a small scone shape with sugar on it. On the outside it is browned and crunchy, on the inside it is like soft, uncooked piecrust. Yummmmm.

I’ve learned to cut bread holding it up in the air and pulling the knife through.

Time is flexible here… while that occasionally makes me jumpy because of what I’m used to, I thin kit is good for me to learn to take things as they come.

There is a lot of love here, especially family love. Parents absolutely adore their children. Couples are very intimate and romantic. Its nice to be in a culture where there is a very great appreciation for love.

You can eat fresh grapes that hang off the vines in front of basically every apartment building.

Yerevan is basically a small circle and you can basically walk anywhere within the center of the city. Also, there a few great places to go and all the great people always seem to end up in the same place at the same time.

Their keys look like beautiful old works of art (see picture).

I eat tan (a mixture of plain yogurt, water and salt) very often and it is very good for your stomach.

There is almost a brutal code of honesty here when it comes to sharing your opinion. Very little BS. Disorienting at first, but you come to appreciate it, and hey… maybe I’ll hone my tastes while I’m here.

Now that I’ve told you all the good things I’m going to tell you a little story about my nemesis…

As I snooze the morning hours away—work rarely begins here before 10AM—I lie dreaming about Hayastan, home, friends, family, and other peaceful beautiful things. It is only 6:30AM and long before I should have to wake up. After all, the days are long and steamy here and I really do need my rest. Just as I am reaching the most wonderful part of my dream I am wrenched back to reality by a “zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” in my ear. I swat it away and desperately try to climb back to that dream but no… now its landed on my calf and if you know anything about how sensitive you are to touch in the morning when you just want to be left alone… you will understand how irritating it is. For the next hour I battle this ugly, half-centimeter-sized wretch who has without fail, terrorized me every morning since I’ve arrived. On my leg, my foot, my forehead, my lips!! He does not discriminate and seems to take joy in landing on all my hyper-sensitive spots. He usually wakes me in time to see the sunrise reflecting off the distant mountains and while I occasionally consider forgiving him for his behavior due to the wonderful gift of sunrise, I immediately take it back one I realize that he has just risen me in time to be conscious of how hot my bed will be for the next 3 hours of my sleep. Three hours later, defeated, and not as serene as I would have hoped, I rise from bed, stretch my shoulders and wander into the kitchen where low-and-behold he is sitting there right in the breakfast nook waiting for me. He jumps and does a dance on my watermelon, turn to give me a wink goodbye, then flies off towards the mountains. I eat my breakfast as a defeated Goliath but I know one day… I will get my revenge.

Listen to Dorian's here. I really love "Es Kulam" which is in Western Armenian (or old Armenian... its kind of like Armenia's version of Shakespearean English. THis is the language that diaspora Armenians speak predominantly. Its really beautiful). Their rock stuff is great too though. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwlJLh2UVWw&NR=1

Also, here is Katuner (the video is not great quality but I wanted to put up a more complete song)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK8E-a7CQHQ&feature=related

Much Love, 

Sima

Simajan

Its just over week since my landing in Yerevan and I have almost exclusively good things to say. From the moment my host-sister, Liana, arrived home from work on Friday, I have been in a constant state of exploration and discovery. Liana is not only exposing me to the Armenian language, introducing me to her friends, taking me to great local music clubs and feeding me amazing food, she is also helping me get accustomed to the rhythm of life in Armenia.

Every evening we have taken a walk around the city. Considering the busy life I came from, it is really wonderful to find that I can carve time for a 2-3 hour walk or rest or chat every evening. Though I know this leisure will not last for much of my stay, its existence lets me know that I have successfully transported myself to a different place, both physically and mentally. We often stroll to the Cascade which is a long set of steps that flows from a mountain top pointing to the heart of the city. The strip is called North Avenue because the architect who designed the whole city, made it so that the cascade channels a northern wind and bring cool air into the city. Its quite amazing. We've also strolled to the singing fountains in Republic Square where they blast music (American and Armenian-- I was greeted with Aretha Franklin and Cotton Eyed Joe) for 3 hours every night of the summer and have fountain/light shows to go with the music. Its amazing how many people crowd the streets every night just to enjoy fresh air together. Also, my room has a wonderful view of Ararat. For those of you who are not familiar with Armenia... Ararat is a national symbol and a huuuuuuge absolutely awe-inspiring mountain that is almost visible from everywhere in Yerevan. Unfortunately it is over the border in Turkey so many Armenians are never able to go to Ararat even though it is one of their most beloved national symbols (Armenians basically first settled around Ararat around... 5000 years ago). Anyways, enjoy the pictures taken from my bedroom window below. Though I have to tell you, none of them capture its beauty and as usual, my dinky camera can't show the beautiful colors that shine on the snowy top at sunset. However, you'll get a small idea of how great it is. Ararat is one of those things that it is not overrated, it is just as great as all people say it is.

I've begun my Armenian language lessons and I'm stumbling through trying to quickly learn as much conversation enablers as possible while also trying to properly understand the language. Having studies arabic for the past year its interesting comparing the two languages which both are drastically different from Western languages, do not share many word origins, and have different alphabets. As of now, Armenian seems to be much more difficult because it has all these sounds that really trip up your tongue (kh, gh, ts, yeh, tyun, etc.). Who knows though, in a month I could be totally accustomed to it so I'm hoping it will get easier.

I've done some fun activities with Birthright (BR) Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) people. On Thursday we went to go see the National Folk Dance ensemble. It was really exciting and as usual I sit up in the balcony the whole time thinking... why don't people wear dance costumes all the time?? Oh... I will never learn. Last night we went to Sevan's house (the director of BR) to play mafia, meet BR people past and present and eat food. Sevan has a beautiful house and a wonderful family so it was nice to be in that environment. Today a group of us participated in a sort of treasure hunt challenge that got us to the outer reaches of Yerevan. We were split up into two teams and given clues on little pieces of paper which took us to: the French Embassy, the Bangladeshi neighborhood of Yerevan (a poorer area), a mercedes dealership (??), and a famous warrior statue (you'll have to excuse my lack of specifics... I'm still having a lot of trouble pronouncing/remembering Armenian names and places). It was a fun way to stretch out my understanding of Yerevan.

In the evening we ended up at the house of an Armenian-Diasporan who has come to Armenia and works now as a wine consultant. He talked to us about the Armenian wine industry and of course, we got to enjoy the fruits of some of the companies that he works for. Walking into his dining room we were presented with a table full of fruit, dates, delicious Armenian sweets and of course, lots of wine. I swear I was Persephone walking into Hades' lair. Anyways, it was great. Relaxing. Yes I'm still in tourist mode. I promise soon I will be talking more about the work I'm doing and the challenges I'm facing. But I really am trying to be positive about every experience I have here in Armenia. I will write more about how I feel about the country, their ideas, my perceptions, their practices and questions I have about Armenia later. I want to give myself the opportunity to run through a mill of emotions before I start reflecting on the "character" or "essence" of Armenia. I don't know if I'll ever feel that I've necessarily earned this right, but what I know is it seems too soon to give my "impressions" of Armenia as of right now.

I am Simajan now. Jan is what everyone adds to the name of someone of endearment so whenever I come home to "Hello simajan how are you!?". If my count is correct I think 7 people have referred to me as Simajan and that is a good number for me.

Please enjoy my pictures and of course I've forgotten my ipod so I can't remember the playlists I've made but I can tell you that I had a Beatles session the other night which was great after reading that Rolling Stones released their list of the 10 best Beatles songs of all time. Here was the list in case any of you feel like joining me for a brief spell of Beatlemania:

10. While my guitar gently weeps
9. Come together
8. Let it be
7. Hey Jude
6. Something
5. In my life
4. Yesterday
3. Strawberry Fields
2. I want to hold your hand
1. A Day in the life

A pretty good list though while I was scrolling through my ipod to find all of them I kept wanting to stop at others. However, my only addition is "I'll follow the sun". I really love this song right now. Its so pretty, simple and perfect.

Enjoy the music and pictures.

All my love,
Simajan

Greeting from Yerevan

Hello friends and family,

I am writing from an outdoor café (Santa Fe Café) in Yerevan, Armenia. Though I have much to write about this amazing country and the two days that I have spent here, I want to begin my travelogue from the beginning of my journey -- the Czech Republic. Maybe even before that I will write a little about why I am taking this trip...

I am a student of cultural diplomacy. For me this title reflects an interest in the ways that people can communicate through music, arts and culture in general in order to create cross-cultural communication. In all the places that I have travelled to in the world (which I hope to reflect upon in later posts) my most profound experiences and deepest connections have been a result of music. Music is able to cross lingual, cultural, and economic barriers in ways that other forms of communications simply cannot.

During my previous semester at NYU I realized (as I studies ethnography, politics, music, and language) that I had no time to absorb what I was learning and not enough experience with which I could guide and apply my studies. There has been a growing feeling in me for months and maybe even years that I need to understand my own identity and place in the world before I go out and begin to study others. After thinking it over and deciding that I did not appreciate the falling-off-a-building feeling I was getting as I rushed through my studies, young twenties, and life in general in New York, I told my family I wanted to take off for a year.

My plan was to first study the "other" place in the world that I most often identified myself with-- Armenia. For my whole life I have been "the Armenian" in my community. I loved to bring up my Armenianness when everyone was discussing their heritage. I loved to raise my hand in history class and deliver the story of the Armenian Genocide and how my family escaped. I loved feeling different. I loved writing grade school reports. I loved eating laghmajun, paklava, and dolmas. However, I've begun to feel that my understanding of being Armenian and most certainly Armenia as a country was very superficial and historical. I will leave my description of me/Armenia there and now start to describe my journey-- beginning with the Czech Reuplib (my 3.5 day stopover on the way to Armenia --- beats Moscow airport for 11 hours by a longshot...)

I arrived in Prague with slightly too much luggage to lug around-- however the ambition in me (or more likely cheapness and fear) drove me to the bus stand rather than the taxi pickup area. I took a bus to a train to a train and arrived in Poricany (45 minutes to the east of Prague) with no cell phone, heavy bags, and English. Having had know way to contact my host I walked to the office there where a very nice Czech Man who spoke no English decided he would drive me around town to try and find the house. I kept saying "CHURCH" to him and he would talk in full Czech phrases back to me. Nevertheless, after about 20 minutes I arrived at the beautiful home of Sarka and Roman. Two beautiful artists who own the monastary (house/teaching place) behind the only church in town. Sarka is an artist and theatre director in Prague. She has been invited to travel around the world to speak about theater and is a very intelligent and wonderful woman. Roman is a painter and teaches painting to teenagers in Prague. Both are very generous and happy and currently trying to turn their house in a Creative Collective where artists can come from around the world to practice their art, but first and foremost they hope to connect with the children in their village and provide them a place to cultivate their creativity. I arrived during a BEAUTIFUL sunset. I was tied up being fed a wonderful Czech meal (chicken, cabbagey sort of dish and potatoes) to photograph the area during sunset but I caught a pretty good time later on during the week. See photos hopefully attached. I stayed there one night and then went to Prague. Here is prague:

I was a tourist
I spent time with Maggie and Micah
I went to Cross Club which was very cool but very spread out
Prague Zoo is best Zoo
I love trdleniks
I gained weight

Now back to Poricany. A beautiful, magical, creative place. I returned on Thursday midday to relax in their extensive garden and have a wonderful conversation about artists, alternative living and general happiness around the world. Sarka showed me these books by this author Robert Florida who wrote a book called The Rise of the Creative Class and a few other books about artists and how they live. I didn't get to read them but I reeeeeaaaaalllllly want to and suggest some of you look into the books as well. They look awesome.

While we were talking Sarka prepared an amazing meal consisting of wild mushrooms (she and Roman had spent 3 hours walking through the forest that morning collecting hundreds of beautiful mushrooms), tomatoes, potaotes, chicked, ham, zucchini, onions, blue cheese, cream, butter, etc. It was so yummy and we ate and drank wine out in her garden. Her adorable Dog, Hakyo I believe is his name, cuddled up next to me and tried to get some food. It is hard to describe when you meet someone who inspires you and who seems to be doing amazing things with their life and work. All I can say is Sarka and Roman have built themselves a beautiful life in Poricany/Prague and I believe that their home will be bursting with creativity and happiness for a long time.

I forgot to bring my ipod but I wanted to include I list of songs that I have been listening to. So please feel free to plug into grooveshark.com if you would like to hear what I hear.

1. Lakeside - BLK JKS
2. Ruby - David Rawlings Machine
3. Let it Die - Feist
4. Terakaft
5. I was Wrong - Spanakopita ft. Jake Saner

Argh i can't remember the rest but I'll add it to the next post.

Love,
Sima