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It's Not Black and White: A Diasporan Living in Armenia
http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/24085/its-not-black-and-white-a-diasporan-living-in-armenia.html
17:49, March 4, 2013
By Vrej Haroutounian
Last year, I decided to make the move to Armenia. After finishing grad
school, the many summers I had spent working here culminated in my
decision to take this step. Although I had considered this option for
quite some time, it still caught members of my community with
surprise. My move to Armenia incited all types of emotions and
concerns about my motives. Some reminded me of the corruption that
exists in Armenia and relayed personal stories of theft and
lawlessness. Others were concerned that I was throwing away the best
years of my life. I was met with many confused faces as they were
simply puzzled with my decision. Some even thought of my move as
escapism. A dichotomy existed in each and every single person that I
encountered. On one hand, they were not supportive of my move based on
their primary or secondary sources of information. Conversely, they
did not hesitate to give mean envious look of uneasy support.
I got on a plane five days after defending my thesis. Once I landed in
Yerevan, I started working right away. Once again, the interrogations
started in Armenia, this time by the locals inquiring as to what I was
doing here. They spoke of the same things: the corruption,
unemployment, lack of education, and lack of opportunity. All of them
attested to the absence of hope. They deemed me a nice, smart guy and
encouraged me to go back, start a family, and live my life. Yet again,
I smiled and continued to move forward, as I had when the same
warnings were issued to me in Los Angeles. Over the next few months, I
started to feel like a guinea pig, constantly reporting my activities
back to my community in LA, amid having to face the local
interrogation of my trials and tribulations of living in Armenia.
So why did I come to Armenia? Essentially, I live in the city of
Yerevan, a city with great architecture. From the oval park that wraps
around the city, to the different buildings that line the streets,
from the Stalin-era tuff buildings, to the pre-fabricated structures
constructed in the late Soviet era, to the parks that are constantly
being fought over by activists and business ventures. The numerous
statues and museums that litter the city center are constant
motivations to excel. The scale of Yerevan adds to its convenience.
Being less than 2km across, the city center provides a very
pedestrian-friendly atmosphere. These two kilometers are host to a
multilayered experience of culture. Yerevan, even with its problems of
traffic congestion, café littered parks, and unorganized sidewalks
Yerevan still proves to be a great and walk-able city. This is a place
of constant cultural movements, hosting academic conferences,
internationally renowned musicians, art exhibitions, filmmaking, and
the flow of visitors. In a meter my meter comparison Yerevan offers a
living experience that contests with some of the best in the world.
Outside of Yerevan is a country filled with all types of beauty: from
the lush forests of Dilijian to the majestic mountains surrounding the
Datev monastery. I am living in an ecologically-rich environment; this
small country has seven eco-systems that are constantly in quarrel, as
a people try to make the best use of their resources. As a landscape
architect surveying my surrounding,, I see opportunity, a chance for
everyone to become a part of Armenia. I see the possibility of people
joining together, living here in unison, and designing sustainable
homes, parks, cities, and forest reserves. I realize the opportunity
for us to make collective decisions, to resolve our common issues,
whether we should utilize mines or develop ecological tourism instead.
To create and compile the data that supports one decision over the
other, the dualistic approach to Armenia is unfair to everyone. The
more we invest into Armenia, the less dualistic our narrative will be.
Our collective reality will become unitary if we invest in having more
shareholders in this country. In the last few weeks, I have seen
students protesting at universities and peaceful rallies all over the
city. These are people investing in their voice and in themselves, for
the advancement of their country.
Our society creates a spectrum that classifies all of our actions to a
specific designation, as either right or wrong, black or white, up or
down, us vs. them. We are forced to create and design with
limitations, which stem from our fears and worries. In taking our next
steps, we are taught to be careful to not toe the line between the two
extremes that we are confined to. Thus, when we make the decision to
untie ourselves, we are faced with criticism and speculation. Your
"right" and your "wrong" are given a status that becomes a lot bigger
than yourself and what you can do in your current context. It is not
always black or white. We do not always have to be right or wrong. Our
decisions are subjective, independent to the sources that may exalt or
maim them. We do things for ourselves and to achieve our motives,
regardless of preconditions. Attaching extremities to decisions, one
way or another, limits our views and deprives us of opportunities.
In 2009 I traveled around California with my classmates, visiting
major cities and natural preserves, an experience that made me truly
appreciate the state and its natural and man made landscapes.
California will always have a special place in my heart because I
invested the time to study her landscape and planted many trees all
over the LA region, contributing to her beauty and sustenance. Now,
I'm here in Armenia with the same motive, learning, working and
investing myself in this small country. As for all the fears, concerns
and negative narratives that are constantly created by speculators, I
pay no attention I am not a fedayee. I am not a martyr. I am not a
nationalist, and I am not here to save anyone or anything. I am just
another person, walking down the street in Yerevan and smiling at you
if we happen to cross paths.
http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/24085/its-not-black-and-white-a-diasporan-living-in-armenia.html
17:49, March 4, 2013
By Vrej Haroutounian
Last year, I decided to make the move to Armenia. After finishing grad
school, the many summers I had spent working here culminated in my
decision to take this step. Although I had considered this option for
quite some time, it still caught members of my community with
surprise. My move to Armenia incited all types of emotions and
concerns about my motives. Some reminded me of the corruption that
exists in Armenia and relayed personal stories of theft and
lawlessness. Others were concerned that I was throwing away the best
years of my life. I was met with many confused faces as they were
simply puzzled with my decision. Some even thought of my move as
escapism. A dichotomy existed in each and every single person that I
encountered. On one hand, they were not supportive of my move based on
their primary or secondary sources of information. Conversely, they
did not hesitate to give mean envious look of uneasy support.
I got on a plane five days after defending my thesis. Once I landed in
Yerevan, I started working right away. Once again, the interrogations
started in Armenia, this time by the locals inquiring as to what I was
doing here. They spoke of the same things: the corruption,
unemployment, lack of education, and lack of opportunity. All of them
attested to the absence of hope. They deemed me a nice, smart guy and
encouraged me to go back, start a family, and live my life. Yet again,
I smiled and continued to move forward, as I had when the same
warnings were issued to me in Los Angeles. Over the next few months, I
started to feel like a guinea pig, constantly reporting my activities
back to my community in LA, amid having to face the local
interrogation of my trials and tribulations of living in Armenia.
So why did I come to Armenia? Essentially, I live in the city of
Yerevan, a city with great architecture. From the oval park that wraps
around the city, to the different buildings that line the streets,
from the Stalin-era tuff buildings, to the pre-fabricated structures
constructed in the late Soviet era, to the parks that are constantly
being fought over by activists and business ventures. The numerous
statues and museums that litter the city center are constant
motivations to excel. The scale of Yerevan adds to its convenience.
Being less than 2km across, the city center provides a very
pedestrian-friendly atmosphere. These two kilometers are host to a
multilayered experience of culture. Yerevan, even with its problems of
traffic congestion, café littered parks, and unorganized sidewalks
Yerevan still proves to be a great and walk-able city. This is a place
of constant cultural movements, hosting academic conferences,
internationally renowned musicians, art exhibitions, filmmaking, and
the flow of visitors. In a meter my meter comparison Yerevan offers a
living experience that contests with some of the best in the world.
Outside of Yerevan is a country filled with all types of beauty: from
the lush forests of Dilijian to the majestic mountains surrounding the
Datev monastery. I am living in an ecologically-rich environment; this
small country has seven eco-systems that are constantly in quarrel, as
a people try to make the best use of their resources. As a landscape
architect surveying my surrounding,, I see opportunity, a chance for
everyone to become a part of Armenia. I see the possibility of people
joining together, living here in unison, and designing sustainable
homes, parks, cities, and forest reserves. I realize the opportunity
for us to make collective decisions, to resolve our common issues,
whether we should utilize mines or develop ecological tourism instead.
To create and compile the data that supports one decision over the
other, the dualistic approach to Armenia is unfair to everyone. The
more we invest into Armenia, the less dualistic our narrative will be.
Our collective reality will become unitary if we invest in having more
shareholders in this country. In the last few weeks, I have seen
students protesting at universities and peaceful rallies all over the
city. These are people investing in their voice and in themselves, for
the advancement of their country.
Our society creates a spectrum that classifies all of our actions to a
specific designation, as either right or wrong, black or white, up or
down, us vs. them. We are forced to create and design with
limitations, which stem from our fears and worries. In taking our next
steps, we are taught to be careful to not toe the line between the two
extremes that we are confined to. Thus, when we make the decision to
untie ourselves, we are faced with criticism and speculation. Your
"right" and your "wrong" are given a status that becomes a lot bigger
than yourself and what you can do in your current context. It is not
always black or white. We do not always have to be right or wrong. Our
decisions are subjective, independent to the sources that may exalt or
maim them. We do things for ourselves and to achieve our motives,
regardless of preconditions. Attaching extremities to decisions, one
way or another, limits our views and deprives us of opportunities.
In 2009 I traveled around California with my classmates, visiting
major cities and natural preserves, an experience that made me truly
appreciate the state and its natural and man made landscapes.
California will always have a special place in my heart because I
invested the time to study her landscape and planted many trees all
over the LA region, contributing to her beauty and sustenance. Now,
I'm here in Armenia with the same motive, learning, working and
investing myself in this small country. As for all the fears, concerns
and negative narratives that are constantly created by speculators, I
pay no attention I am not a fedayee. I am not a martyr. I am not a
nationalist, and I am not here to save anyone or anything. I am just
another person, walking down the street in Yerevan and smiling at you
if we happen to cross paths.