My first Kiva Fellows Blog entry. Getting will received on reddit, which pleases me.
OK, so it's not like I'm in Brazil, but I'm still looking forward to my first football (soccer) match here in Yerevan. Armenians are notoriously good at individual sports like wrestling -- not so much when it comes to teamwork, or so goes the joke around here. This really puts my eight years as a goalie in perspective (like most Americans, entirely played during childhood).
I recently rediscovered an old email I received from a pal that I thought merited sharing. It has nothing to do with my Kiva fellowship or Armenia, but might come in handy the next time you're at a protest or public speaking event. I left it anonymous just because people like a little mystery in their lives (if you'd like me to credit you, anonymous person, let me know and I'd be happy to):
From my days as a College Republican, I bring you.... The Diamond Formation.I haven't gotten the chance to try this out yet - please report back to me if you've had success with the Diamond Formation.Now, whenever the front person claps, it will appear to most as though people all over the room are clapping - so almost everyone else will, too! Sound bites will rule the day, good or not.</cynicism>
- Find 8 or more people
- Place one front and center
- Place another at the back and in the center
- Place the remaining throughout the sitting area to create a diamond shape... so two behind the front man, slightly out towards the edges... two more behind them, further out... then two more behind them, slightly back in towards the center... and so on.
- Tell the person upfront to clap or boo at appropriate times
- Tell every other person to mimic the person in the row closest to and in front of them.
One of Armenia's many famous artists, Martiros Saryan left this charming self-portrait in his palette, on display at the Martiros Saryan museum in Yerevan. I visited this sleepy little museum last weekend, toured the great collection, and snapped a few photos, but this was my favorite.
It may just be ruins now, but the Zvartnots Cathedral was constructed in the 7th century. Today, it's been restored for visitors and is a stunning sight with Mt. Ararat looming in the background. It's also next door to an adorable flock of sheep (pictured).
Not far from Zvartnots, you can't miss this massive ferris wheel. It's been a while since it last ran, but there's something romantic about the sight.
Photos from around and inside the Etchmiadzin Cathedral -- the oldest church in the world. As every single Armenian will tell you (diaspora included), Armenia was the first country to take Christianity as its official religion (in 301 AD). Whether you're a devout Armenian Apostolic or a fervent atheist, this is a very special place.
Not long after I arrived here in Armenia (or maybe before?) Albert Poghosyan reached out to me and extended a kind invitation and welcome. He'd seen my TED Talk and learned not only that I was at least half-Armenian, but also going to be spending three months volunteering in Yerevan as a Kiva Fellow.
True to his word (thanks again, Albert!) we spent the better part of Sunday together, touring through some splendid museums and a shrinking historic district in downtown Yerevan: Kond. With all the new construction going on and the rising value of the land there in the city center, these Armenians have been relocated to make way for new development. It's been a controversial matter here and I was just thrilled to see these winding streets while they were still here (reminded me of my tour of a Hutong district in Beijing).
The massive derelict structure you'll see at the end of the collection is a Soviet-era hotel, now ruined.
We stopped at Zvartnots to see the ruins and snap some pictures of the famous Mt. Ararat.
I haven't been to this particular location yet (there are a few "Beijings" scattered around downtown) but not only was the one I went to devoid of Chinese people -- an amusing sight for someone used to living in multi-cultural cities -- it was actually pretty damn good. I mostly took this photo for my friend @jenny8lee, who's scoured the globe for all the varieties of Chinese food to write her book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.