My anger over the growing problems of Armenia’s most important natural resource, Lake Sevan, is hitting a boiling point. I am always overjoyed when I finish my climb from either the Dillijan Valley or the Ararat Valley and I am met with the beauty of Lake Sevan. However, her beauty is only skin […]
Zarchka has an interesting post on love, sex and marriage over at Life Around Me. So interesting was it that the forum page which resulted in Zara posting has since been taken down. So much for open discussion, but one thing’s for sure, her post had an impact and if discussion was censored and actually […]
After literally just returning from the U.S. at the weekend, Garo (a.k.a. Christian Garbis) at Notes from Hairenik has some bad news about his father. Despite initially recovering from open heart surgery, Khosroff suffered another heart attack in his sleep although he is thankfully in a stable condition albeit not responding to verbal communication.
It […]
For those of you that know me, this is no joke. I really am trying to give up smoking. No need to explain why I guess, and not least since apart from Princess Margaret, there are few who smoked as much as I do. Basically, when even Armenians tell you that you smoke too much […]
One thing that always amazes me about many Armenians from the Diaspora when they come to Armenia is how easy they rationalize everything. In particular, they love the cafes in Central Yerevan and don’t even think about the fact that they are usually illegal and owned by corrupt officials or their business partners. The cafes […]
Nor Kharberd, Ararat Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2000
Eight years ago, before coming to Armenia to live, I had been vegetarian for 15 years, including 5 years as a vegan, in the U.K. Of course, Armenians don’t like anyone different and it took 3 months and a vodka-soaked New Year […]
HIV/AIDS Awareness Class, School No. 43, Erebuni, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / UNICEF 2005
Following on from Marcella’s post on di cavoli e di re where she mentioned how some young Armenian adults believe there are no cases of HIV/AIDS in Armenia, Yerevan’s Center for the illness paints a different picture. Moreover, […]
Vardenis Psychiatric Institution, Gegharkunik Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2003
I originally missed this story when it was published on ArmeniaNow.com last week, but when I saw it today thought it was worth posting something because it touches upon two issues among many that are ongoing interests for me. One is […]
A friend has sent me an interesting article from last month’s Eurasia Daily Monitor. Given the firebrand nature of the Georgian President, and the fact that most educated and middle class Georgians I met in Tbilisi last year told me that he was mad, the Georgian press is now asking questions about Saakashvili’s mental health.
On […]
As many people will tell you in Armenia, sex still remains a taboo subject in Armenia. Despite the growth in the number of strip bars in Yerevan, the open availability of prostitutes, and the way many girls dress provocatively while strutting their stuff in the city center, Armenia still remains a fairly traditional society in […]
