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YEREVAN-FOUND AND LOST
Jaana Davidjants
HETQ
http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/7206/yerevan-found-and-lost.html
November 24, 2011
Ten years ago when I lived in Yerevan I was completely in love with the
city. Armenia felt like home in its post-war sincerity and patriotism,
as well as in the complete hospitality of its people.
Everything seemed possible, the overall mood was bright, and everyone
looked to the future with hopeful expectations.
I guess this was the reason I was so taken aback while visiting
this time.
The triumph of ghost houses
The first thing that perplexed me was the view of the city. I noticed
with surprise that Yerevan is in worse ruins than it was back then,
the city centre now filled with empty houses and building carcasses.
It took me a while to realize that these are completely new
constructions, the city is covered with "modern ruins". Instead of
valuing its history and architecture, and renovating its buildings,
Yerevanīs official policy seems to favor sheer destruction, demolition
and later construction of bad quality ghost houses.
Yet, there are amazing places in Yerevan, for example the outdoor
cinema next to the main square which is soon set to be demolished.
Places like this can make every tourist envious.
Despite prevalent nationalistic sentiments, it becomes clear that
Yerevan values its own identity little and looks longingly towards
Europe. This can be seen while strolling down a sidewalk in the
center of the city, lined with cafes named: London, Paris, Rio and
so forth. But it seems that Armenians are trying to copy Europe from
what they've seen in music videos, or as told by a distant relative
who knows someone who went there a long time ago. The outcome is a
cheap and absurd imitation which has nothing to do with those cities.
Furthermore, as much as Yerevan tries, it will never become Paris or
London (and why should it?).
A great example of ghost houses can be found on the main street in
the city centre. If one walks on Abovyan during the day, things seem
quite glamorous, as every building carries a big logo like Hugo Boss
or Versace. But during the night, it becomes clear that something
doesn't add up, on the whole street only few windows are lit up. The
rest of the apartments sit empty since they were built, more than two
years ago. Certainly one explanation is the poor construction quality,
as well as the high prices which exceed some cities in the heart of
Europe, for example Berlin (keeping in mind that Armenian medium wage
is 200-300 dollars per month). The city is full of empty apartments
while the actual need for new ones is very small. Foreign Armenians
with their desire for summer apartments in Yerevan have created a
real-estate bubble with no connection to reality which will burst soon.
Public space and trade
There is a noticeable absence of public space. People seem to exist for
the city, not the other way around. And so it happens that when in a
park with a little child who walks on the grass, suddenly a security
guard appears and announces it is strictly forbidden. This gives one
an impression that the park is not there for spending a good time but
for admiring it from afar. How to explain this concept to a 1,5 year
old is altogether another subject.
Caucasian trading mentality mixed with raging capitalism is far
from charming. One starts to tire when it turns out that from ten
identical tables you happen to be sitting at the one unmarked "VIP"
table with a large extra fee. Or when a taxi driver tries to convince
you that the rate has doubled as you place a small bag into the trunk
(per the driver's request). And so now the pack is somehow considered
as some kind of separate traveller in the trunk.
One could think that Armenians are just not very blessed with any kind
of mathematical talent. Somehow though not one of those miscalculations
happen to be in favor of the client. It seems that the locals have
learned only one side of the business making, that is the part where
you ask for the money without understanding that there is at least
some degree of well-being you have to provide in return.
If for no other reason, at least because you might need the client
at some later point. As we know, good business is done with a stable
client base.
Cutting the branch you sit on
And the sad paradox? The only ones suffering from all this are the
locals themselves who are consistently cutting the branch they sit
on. Statistics shows that a big part of Armenian economy is supported
by foreign Armenians. And most of the tourists are foreign Armenians.
Why bite the hand that feeds you? And when my friends ask me how
Yerevan is and whether they should travel there I donīt know how to
answer. Because I am not sure anymore what Yerevan has to offer. The
architecture of the city has been ruined, life is more expensive
than in Europe and the story of Armenian hospitality has turned into
an old myth from a distant time. And so I tell them: better go to
Tbilisi. Georgians at least value their city and in big part have
been able to get rid of the sickness common to the Caucasus region:
corruption. Or then go to Istanbul, which is truly vibrant, a good
mixture of East and West and where a tourist doesnīt feel taken for
a fool at every step.
I understand that Iīm being unfair to many amazing Armenians, to some
that I met during my stay. But then again, it isnīt about the common
person. Itīs about a society with an extreme level of corruption, a
society where the only value is money, a society which doesnīt cherish
its own people. It is ugly and very far from anything sustainable. And
it produces a large number of small criminals who are sadly louder
than nice people.
And because of everything mentioned above, I am not surprised to hear
that Armenia is loosing a large part of it's youth to emigration. As
in Estonia, no official media campaign can bring back young people,
only the real knowledge that there is a possibility of building
something in your homeland can stop this emigration.
I deeply hope that when I travel to Armenia again in a couple of
years I will be positively surprised. I hope that things will have
changed for the better.
Jaana Davidjants
HETQ
http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/7206/yerevan-found-and-lost.html
November 24, 2011
Ten years ago when I lived in Yerevan I was completely in love with the
city. Armenia felt like home in its post-war sincerity and patriotism,
as well as in the complete hospitality of its people.
Everything seemed possible, the overall mood was bright, and everyone
looked to the future with hopeful expectations.
I guess this was the reason I was so taken aback while visiting
this time.
The triumph of ghost houses
The first thing that perplexed me was the view of the city. I noticed
with surprise that Yerevan is in worse ruins than it was back then,
the city centre now filled with empty houses and building carcasses.
It took me a while to realize that these are completely new
constructions, the city is covered with "modern ruins". Instead of
valuing its history and architecture, and renovating its buildings,
Yerevanīs official policy seems to favor sheer destruction, demolition
and later construction of bad quality ghost houses.
Yet, there are amazing places in Yerevan, for example the outdoor
cinema next to the main square which is soon set to be demolished.
Places like this can make every tourist envious.
Despite prevalent nationalistic sentiments, it becomes clear that
Yerevan values its own identity little and looks longingly towards
Europe. This can be seen while strolling down a sidewalk in the
center of the city, lined with cafes named: London, Paris, Rio and
so forth. But it seems that Armenians are trying to copy Europe from
what they've seen in music videos, or as told by a distant relative
who knows someone who went there a long time ago. The outcome is a
cheap and absurd imitation which has nothing to do with those cities.
Furthermore, as much as Yerevan tries, it will never become Paris or
London (and why should it?).
A great example of ghost houses can be found on the main street in
the city centre. If one walks on Abovyan during the day, things seem
quite glamorous, as every building carries a big logo like Hugo Boss
or Versace. But during the night, it becomes clear that something
doesn't add up, on the whole street only few windows are lit up. The
rest of the apartments sit empty since they were built, more than two
years ago. Certainly one explanation is the poor construction quality,
as well as the high prices which exceed some cities in the heart of
Europe, for example Berlin (keeping in mind that Armenian medium wage
is 200-300 dollars per month). The city is full of empty apartments
while the actual need for new ones is very small. Foreign Armenians
with their desire for summer apartments in Yerevan have created a
real-estate bubble with no connection to reality which will burst soon.
Public space and trade
There is a noticeable absence of public space. People seem to exist for
the city, not the other way around. And so it happens that when in a
park with a little child who walks on the grass, suddenly a security
guard appears and announces it is strictly forbidden. This gives one
an impression that the park is not there for spending a good time but
for admiring it from afar. How to explain this concept to a 1,5 year
old is altogether another subject.
Caucasian trading mentality mixed with raging capitalism is far
from charming. One starts to tire when it turns out that from ten
identical tables you happen to be sitting at the one unmarked "VIP"
table with a large extra fee. Or when a taxi driver tries to convince
you that the rate has doubled as you place a small bag into the trunk
(per the driver's request). And so now the pack is somehow considered
as some kind of separate traveller in the trunk.
One could think that Armenians are just not very blessed with any kind
of mathematical talent. Somehow though not one of those miscalculations
happen to be in favor of the client. It seems that the locals have
learned only one side of the business making, that is the part where
you ask for the money without understanding that there is at least
some degree of well-being you have to provide in return.
If for no other reason, at least because you might need the client
at some later point. As we know, good business is done with a stable
client base.
Cutting the branch you sit on
And the sad paradox? The only ones suffering from all this are the
locals themselves who are consistently cutting the branch they sit
on. Statistics shows that a big part of Armenian economy is supported
by foreign Armenians. And most of the tourists are foreign Armenians.
Why bite the hand that feeds you? And when my friends ask me how
Yerevan is and whether they should travel there I donīt know how to
answer. Because I am not sure anymore what Yerevan has to offer. The
architecture of the city has been ruined, life is more expensive
than in Europe and the story of Armenian hospitality has turned into
an old myth from a distant time. And so I tell them: better go to
Tbilisi. Georgians at least value their city and in big part have
been able to get rid of the sickness common to the Caucasus region:
corruption. Or then go to Istanbul, which is truly vibrant, a good
mixture of East and West and where a tourist doesnīt feel taken for
a fool at every step.
I understand that Iīm being unfair to many amazing Armenians, to some
that I met during my stay. But then again, it isnīt about the common
person. Itīs about a society with an extreme level of corruption, a
society where the only value is money, a society which doesnīt cherish
its own people. It is ugly and very far from anything sustainable. And
it produces a large number of small criminals who are sadly louder
than nice people.
And because of everything mentioned above, I am not surprised to hear
that Armenia is loosing a large part of it's youth to emigration. As
in Estonia, no official media campaign can bring back young people,
only the real knowledge that there is a possibility of building
something in your homeland can stop this emigration.
I deeply hope that when I travel to Armenia again in a couple of
years I will be positively surprised. I hope that things will have
changed for the better.