|
I am getting used to life in Yerevan more and more, knowing my way around, and am just having a splendid time here. Taking the Marshutnis to work and around town is becoming second nature and I am getting better at crossing the streets in a place where traffic lights are almost in vain and where you just have to find a way through the speeding cars. It all keeps me on my toes to say the least! Speaking of cars, there are SO many more compared to last year. With the stagnant heat of 35 degrees and plus, the pollution is at times unbearable and needless to say, I am always eager to leave the city during the weekend. Luckily Depi Hayk organizes weekly excursions out in the countryside, where the air is cleaner, the raw landscape absolutely mesmerizing, and the people irresistibly charming and simple. Back in the city, I always look forward to attending the weekly Forums organized by Birthright Armenia for us volunteers about the contemporary issues unfolding in Armenia within the different socio-economic, cultural and environmental realms. The guest speakers at the forums really help us to shed light on the socio-economic conditions in Armenia , depicting the real problems Armenia faces today. We also gain insight to social problems just by having conversations with fellow volunteers, because we all work in such diverse spheres, from journalism, education, politics, health, film, agriculture, to social, and environmental issues.
Hours away from Yerevan , lies Shushi, a post-conflict town in Karabagh, a separate republic from Armenia , officially recognized as a country- by no one. Two weeks ago, our Depi Hayk group had organized a three-day excursion to Nagorno-Karabagh. So much ambivalence in me during my time there, which was filled with emotional highs and lows. And I must be honest and say that I have yet to formulate a complete understanding of the geo-politics behind the war that took place in this region years more than a decade ago. Through the winding green summits of the bumpy and narrow road that lasted around 10 hours (we stopped along the way a couple of times), and despite the victory of Armenians, I could not help think that both sides, the Armenians and the Azeris had suffered tremendous losses. Any war is two-sided, people were displaced, sacrifices were made on both sides, too many lives were lost. Meanwhile, I could not stop whispering "wow" as we were passing enormous gorge after gorge through the untamed landscape of the Caucauses. You can actually feel how old this land is and how so much of this untouched nature has seen centuries of history in that region. We passed through parts which were literally once on the Silk Road .
My travel buddy Sophie and I were trying to make sense of the conflict on our way to Karabakh, but it was too confusing and the road way too bumpy to read. Luckily our guide Arsen does a great job at exposing both sides of the conflict, giving us an idea of what went on before, during and after the war.
We stopped at Datev Vank on the way. It was a spectacular ride to reach this imposing monastery and seminary. We got off our big German tour bus and embarked on small microbuses, because the road is just treacherous, but the scenery absolutely breathtaking. What's great about our excursions, is that they are not only loads of fun, but they are highly informative and often lead us into discussions, unlike other tour groups that are just cover the historical basics about a place, take a group picture and go eat lavash in the shade.Instead, our excursions allow us to re-connect with our past, to engage with these historical sights. Datev has marked me for life in more than one way. Not only is the monastery tucked away in a high point amid a chain of mountains and gorges, but while me and Anouch from France were looking for "open air" facilities, I slipped and injured my knee. Some blood and bruises .but it looked worse than the pain I had, which was minimal. Haykak, Hratch, and Miko, from the great Birthright team patched me up. They are not only are they really helpful and caring individuals, but also a fabulously entertaining choir during our bus trips! The scar now is a little souvenir from that mystic place.
We finally reached Shushi very late that evening, after making another stop to Goris on the way. Mind you, it gets dark here at around 10pm.. Some parts look like they were bombed just yesterday. I don't think I had seen a war-torn area marked with such vivid scars. Upon our arrival, the bus pulled in front of the Persian Mosque in Shushi, and within seconds, out of nowhere, we were surrounded by a few dozen kids. They were clearly waiting for us to distribute candy. When a few from our group did, it was like an attack. Adorable yet sad. Just by looking at their faces, and cloths, you could tell what kind of conditions they lived in. Just as you feel heart-broken seeing their state, the shine in their sad eyes comforts you. Most of them were probably born after the war, but just having to play in the destroyed streets and bombed vacant-buildings where vegetation is all that grows, make them war children. In the evening, we had a bite to eat at Saro's house, a character everyone in Shushi seems to know. There, we met up with Land and Culture volunteers, mostly from France and California , who are volunteering in Shushi. Our group did homestays with the local "Shushi-tzee" families. This experience allowed us to get a true feel of how they live, their personal stories and in no time, we had become good friends. Their dialect is really hard to understand, but we managed. Shushi is very high up and has serious irrigation problems. This equates to no running water in the houses, which means no showers, no flushing toilettes, no sink water to brush your teeth, and hence outhouses! I was grateful to be reminded that people live like this on a daily basis, we tend to forget and just take things, such as running water, for granted so easily. Our sweet house mom, has 2 young daughters and a 13 year-old son named Hovsep. The day we settled in their house, which she opened to us with such humility and love, they had lost their baby bull. It had ran away or was stolen. Our host mom was so sad. Losing the bull is a big loss for the family, considering she has three children to feed on her own. Selling the bull translates to 70 to 80 000 drams she said. They had gone looking for it all day, but couldn't find it. The next day, we went to Stepanakert, which is a small city, the capital in fact of Karabakh, where we waited to get our Karabakh visas. We then took micro buses again to go to Kantzasar monastery, which from what I understood was a critical lieu of resistance for the Armenians during the war. The Azeris were only a few meters away and were about the destroy the church, but were eventually pushed back. It would have been a terrible cultural and spiritual loss for the Armenians, had Gandzasar been taken in Azeri possession. When we came back to our host family, it was a moment of rejoice, the bull was in the court! They had found him!!!! We were all relieved! After a friendly soccer match between the Land and Culture volunteers and the Birthright volunteers, we had a big khorovadz thanks to Saro and his family and danced under a big tree with the moon and stars placidly watching over. I was tired of trying to make sense of the conflict and just had an incredible time eating, dancing and singing with fellow volunteers, friends, and Depi Hayk leaders from all over the world. I danced my heart out, it's all I could do. I was really sad when I left Shushi, on one hand, these destroyed buildings were once the homes of Azeris, now Armenians, most refugees, are clinging on to what is left, living in utter poverty and some in sub-human conditions. During the three days we were there, one of the little girls on the street kept on following me and insisted on carrying my backpack. She became my sister and I was crushed when we said good-bye and got on the bus to come back to Yerevan , while she would stay behind. Such a high price had been paid for a place I had the honor to experience. After leaving Shushi behind, we were scheduled to meet the president of Nagorno-Karabakh, Mr. Arkady Ghoukassian at the Parliament in Stepanakert. He was down to earth, basically reiterating the very vulnerable situation NK is still in today. Our trip inspired me to read a book called The Black Garden, one of my colleagues at Bars Media gave me, so I can gain more insight to the political conflict. Needless to say, I am eager to learn more about the region and I know I will return .
Lalai Manjikian (Canada),
AVC volunteer and BR/DH participant
|
