For Sale . Yerevan
By Louise Manoogian Simone/AGBU News

Can you imagine an anonymous private developer receiving a permit to build a neon-lit cafe adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC or twenty feet from the wall of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City? Can you imagine the facade of the Smithsonian Institute or Metropolitan Museum hidden by two-story high billboards advertising cigarettes, alcohol, wearing apparel and candy? Can you imagine the green space of Central Park in New York City suddenly overrun with a hundred cafes of indiscriminate design and size?

At first glance, one is impressed by a bustling, colorful Yerevan: new restaurants, hotels, shops, apartment and office buildings are flourishing throughout the city, a far cry from the hungry days and dark nights of ten years ago.

But the joy of seeing the first outdoor cafe, Western-style advertising, stores filled with previously banned goods, gas stations instead of rusted trucks hosing car fuel into buckets for waiting drivers is quickly turning into serious concern as commercial interests destroy historic sites and the environment.

Yerevantsi's have always honored their city: a city that was designed by revered architect-planner Alexander Tamanian in the first third of the 20th century. The older generation has always remembered with pride that the Opera House on the corner of two prominent streets with an adjoining plaza was constructed when the population was starving, proving that in the worst of times Armenian culture still remained a priority.

So what has changed?

Is it possible that two national elections in the past year caused payoffs for political support to a small but influential segment of the population? Could it be that the 21st century ruling generation has forgotten the pride and priorities of their parents? Or is it just poor taste?

After some inquiries, like most cities it seems that Mayor's office is responsible. Its chief architect and an appointed architectural committee grant licenses to all new design and construction within the city limits.

Trees have been cut down, park benches removed, a royal blue and white Roman Empire style cafe with Roman statues and fountains has recently arisen in a major green park, casinos line the highway from the airport to Yerevan instead of being placed a few lots back, a three story restaurant now stands on a corner in front of a fifty year-old apartment house blocking the view of dozens of tenants, the view from the American University of Armenia Business Center is now a wall of cafes instead of a park, kiosks are placed directly in front of institutions and billboards reign supreme on all major thoroughfares of Central Yerevan. Newspapers have reported that there are more gas stations in Yerevan than in Moscow-a city of 10 million. These are only a handful of examples. Ask anyone and they'll give you dozens more.

One local businessman who has many successful commercial interests related another incident. While driving on a major thoroughfare that leads from Republic Square to the new St. Gregory Church he noticed workmen digging large holes in the street ten feet from the sidewalk. He stopped the car and asked the workmen what they were doing. "Building a new store" was the answer. "In the street!" he exclaimed, immediately placing calls to a number of officials-the work was halted. Of course not everyone has that clout.

Considering the usual time span between obtaining permits and completing construction would be at least one to two years, it is possible two mayors who have held the post since 2000 are guilty not only in their sell-out of Yerevan but also in succumbing to the pressures of influential citizens and officials. The electorate has no vote since mayors in Yerevan, unlike other cities in Armenia, are appointed by the President.

Who knows what's next?

Trafficking In Armenia and the Struggle against It
AZG Daily #027
18.02.2004

Trafficking as an evil is spread all over the world. Armenia is not an exception. What shape does it take, does it really exist and what are the steps to be taken to tackle it? Below you will find interviews with government officials and victims of trafficking.

Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Markaryan: “The phenomenon of trafficking does exist. In fact, it exists in every country and corresponds to the level of social welfare of the given country. It is two years that the Women’s Council within the office of the Prime Minister has been established. It is aimed at research and development of projects concerning trafficking issues. Although the scale of the problem is not large in our country, it really exists and is becoming obvious. We shouldn’t ignore it and say that there is no need to take steps to address trafficking. I would like to point out that the government’s Strategic Program of National Development for 2003-2015 includes studies on gender and trafficking issues. So great attention is paid to the phenomenon and it is certainly under control”.

In one of the regions in Armenia I had a chance to talk to a woman (for obvious reasons, I do not mention the place and the name) and tried to find out why she became a pimp and later a victim of trafficking. Ms. S. told me that her family of six had been deprived. Her husband left for Russia and she had no news from him. Her close friend urged her to make a living by prostitution and at first she received customers at home. One day she was invited to a party in Yerevan where she met people who promised her to help find a job abroad. 20 days later, leaving her children with her elderly mother and sister, she took a bus to Turkey. There she was met, taken to a hotel and the next day she was introduced to the employer as a waitress. Before she started work, they asked her to sign several documents. As she didn't know any foreign languages, she signed a contract agreeing to work for her employer for two years on the conditions set by the latter. She had 10 to14 clients a day. She was often beaten and humiliated. Once she tried to run away. She cut up a sheet, tied the pieces together and tried to climb out of the window but fell down from the seventh floor, breaking her arm and getting other injuries. Her employers helped her to recover but she was forced to sign another contract for five more years. Under this contract she was obliged to supply the employer with girls from Armenia. She had to send them to Turkey by bus. Otherwise she would have to pay 50.000 USD per year and, besides, she had to leave her two teenage daughters as hostages. Ms. S. thus became a pimp. Later she got the punishment she deserved. Now she swears that she will never do it again and is very unhappy because she was responsible for jeopardizing and ruining the future of her own daughters.

On October 14, 2002 the Prime Minister of Armenia passed resolution #591-A establishing an Inter-Departmental Committee aimed at tackling of trafficking in Armenia. The Committee included representatives of all the ministries and departments concerned with trafficking issues. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is responsible for coordinating the Committee’s activities. Valeri Mkrtumyan, Head of International Organizations Department in the MFA, says, “As a phenomenon, trafficking exists not just in Armenia and this region, but in all countries in transition. Trafficking is an evil and we have been fighting against it and will apply all possible means to continue fighting against it. Unfortunately, there has been no research that would help us deal with the problem, and I can hardly quote any data or any exact figures. One of our goals is to estimate the scope of trafficking in Armenia. In this respect, we only have progress in one direction. At least we know to which countries Armenian women are trafficked. They are Turkey, United Arabian Emirates and, to some extent, Greece and Holland… Presently the Committee is cooperating with all concerned agencies in those countries and in Armenia in creating a joint working group that will visit the countries where, according to our data, the trafficking phenomenon exists. The group will be conducting studies and will introduce the results to the Government.

My interview with the next victim of trafficking was a little more encouraging. K. learnt from her neighbor there was a big demand for nurses to look after elderly people in Turkey. She signed up in a queue, received a mall sum of money in Armenia, left three children and a disabled husband in the care of her relatives, got an air ticket from her future employers and left for Turkey with a group of seventeen women. On arriving in Turkey they were taken to a hotel. The next day the “employer” took away their passports. Then the women were forced to serve a client every 30 minutes. It may seem strange enough but most of the group agreed at once. They demanded that K either work for them during 3 years or pay a large sum of money. Only three months later, by pure chance, the police checked the hotel and found the women. They stamped their passports and exiled them from the country. K., who has a PhD degree in philology, is now in a state of depression, does not want to live and has made two attempts by poison herself. The second time, the doctors saved her life with great difficulty. The whole story came to light in the hospital when she was asked to explain the situation.

On the opinion of the Minister of Justice of Armenia, Mr. David Harutunyan, “the trafficking as a phenomenon does not exist. Perhaps there are separate cases but as a phenomenon, I think it does not exist. The criminal cases under prosecution are not sufficient ground to maintain that trafficking exists and has become a social phenomenon. There are some cases of trafficking. The perpetrators must be punished but it is too early to speak about it as a phenomenon. The US State Department has included Armenia in the list of countries where trafficking exists, based on publications in mass media. I think that trafficking as a phenomenon does not exist in Armenia.”

During one year Mrs. K sent five girls to Dubai to a hotel that belonged to a local friend of hers. All the girls agreed to go there and work as prostitutes. But the boyfriend of one of the girls learned about this and informed the police. When they were boarding their next flight, the police detained them but a day later they were released. Mrs K was arrested and sentenced to one year in jail. Mrs. K says “My friend in Dubai helped me with money and, as compensation, bought me a villa and a car. Now many mothers who have young daughters ask me to help them and send their daughters too. But now I do not take risk and I am afraid”.

On the opinion of the Chairmen of the Permanent Parliamentary Commission on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs, Mr. Mher Shahgeldyan, “unfortunately, trafficking in Armenia exists and there are facts indicating this. There are also data indicating that underage homeless children are involved and are used in these activities. I have no facts about the trade in human organs. Now we pay serious attention to the problem of adopted children, we check the families that adopt the children and keep track of them while they grow up. We cannot declare today that such things do not exist, that women do not go abroad for prostitution, sometimes as a result of fraud. The problem seems to be rather serious where the Arabic Emirates and Turkey are concerned.”

Mr. G is currently under investigation for recruiting girls from several regions for prostitution. The girls ended up as victims of trafficking. I interviewed two girls who were sent back from the Arabic Emirates on their own wish. Their fates were almost identical. They were deceived and taken abroad. As they say, their so-called “boss” and a man who was with him were met by certain people both in the Yerevan and Dubai airports. They shook hands and the girls had the impression that both sides knew each other very well. The “boss” introduced the girls to those people, then collected the girls’ passports and handed them over to those people. Without any difficulties or queues, the girls passed customs and passport check-ups and boarded the plane. One girl says that “there was a very young girl of about 16-17 who boarded the plane without problems at the check-ups. Later we learned that her passport was false. Upon arriving to Dubai airport, she was met by Mrs.G and then turned over to three men, two Arabs and an Armenian, and they left. Since then we have not seen this pretty young girl. The room where we served clients was thoroughly guarded. After eight months I realized that I had lost my feminine identity. I behaved like robot and automatically did what I was supposed to do. Then I felt that I was getting weaker and asked to see a doctor. They refused. Three days later I could not leave my bed. I asked the chambermaid who brought me food to hand my short message to any Armenian she could find. I did not know any foreign languages and could only explain to her with gestures that I was dying and put the message into her pocket. A few hours later several men and doctors came in. They examined me and, shaking their heads, talked to each other in Arabic, then left some medicines and went away. A little later the Armenian boss and the Arab entered my room. They saw the medicines and got very angry. They took the medicines and left the room. A few minutes later they brought one of my old clients. All I can remember is that I began shouting and breaking everything around me. The guards broke into the room, tied my hands and started beating me. I don’t remember how long I was unconscious but when I could open my eyes I saw the maid who had brought the doctors. A few hours later my employer arrived and spoke to me in Armenian. I was astonished because I thought he was an Arab. I demanded that they send me back to Armenia but he answered that he was not going to fall to my tricks. Only with the help of some kind people were my friend and I able to come back to Armenia. Now I am handicapped and do not want to live. I beg you to do something to stop this and prevent other girls from sharing my fate”.

Mr. Rafael Gulnazaryan, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General of Armenia, says, “Trafficking certainly exists in Armenia. The situation here is by far better that in the neighboring countries. If only the corresponding agencies had known earlier about trafficking! Now everybody knows about it. During the past six months, public organizations have become more informed; by now at least one third of them is aware of the issue. All the possible measures are taken to reveal the cases. The Fourth Police Department, the Office of the Public Prosecutor, National Security, Border Guard and all the law-enforcement agencies in general are concerned with this issue and cooperate with each other in this field. First of all, this work is done by experts from the Fourth Police Department who are specially trained in this field. The level of trafficking in Armenia is the lowest in all CIS countries. People from different countries run prostitution businesses that occupy entire streets. According to police data, trafficking exists in Armenia and has become evident in 1996. Earlier, in 1994-1995, there had been only separate cases. Public interest in this phenomenon arose only recently. Now public awareness has risen and there is an opinion that the issue was not dealt with before and that law enforcement agencies only just started to address this problem. This is not true and we have always been concerned with this issue even before it started to be called ‘trafficking’ in 1998, and, undoubtedly, law-enforcement bodies did deal with it. At present there are numerous cases under investigation, under prosecution, cases of trafficking prevention and solved cases, sentenced perpetrators. In few words, these cases always existed and are at various stages of solving. Besides, the number of cases does not necessarily correspond to the number of victims. Whatever the punishment, it is important that the crime be punished and the punishment be inevitable.

The behavior of the next interviewee astonished me. It was a woman who had worked as a prostitute for seven years, starting from the age of sixteen. She started to receive clients in her own home, then moved to Dubai. Twice a year she visited Armenia and gave her friends addresses where they could apply for the job of prostitute. According to her, “very few people have the ability to learn this ancient profession. While I am in demand and well-paid, and have my own clients, I’ll be able to create good prospects for myself, I’ll get rich and then I’ll marry an old man and will enjoy myself and do whatever I want. Do you mind my talking like this? I’m not ashamed of anything or anyone. This is a job and I learnt to do it well. I am very skilled in my profession. If you wish, you can come with me and see for yourself who visits me while I am in Yerevan. Many people are ready to break into my house and beg me to stay a little longer in Yerevan. But abroad they pay better. The people here are not so advanced and do not demand much. Well, this is enough, I’m wasting my time. My pals have been waiting for me the car for half an hour”. I felt demoralized and very uncomfortable and came back to Yerevan. On the way home I had an argument with my husband who was angry with me that I had tried so hard to find Anahit, that terrible woman, and allowed her to belittle me in front of him by saying that if I were a little younger she would have taken me with her.

Two years ago the Chairman of the Parliamentary Permanent Commission on State Law, Mr. Viktor Dallakyan, after getting acquainted with the problem, proposed a law that became the basis for introducing a provision on trafficking and its regulation. I interviewed Mr. Dallakyan and this is what he said: “This phenomenon exists in Armenia. Research shows that its scope is not large. This is a result of the difficult socio-economic situation in the country, poverty and unemployment. In order to solve this problem we thus needn’t worry so much about the results but need to exterminate the causes of trafficking. There problem has other aspects - moral and legal, plus scarcely any public awareness or media coverage. We also need to improve our laws. In particular, in the law we have a provision concerning this problem and setting a punishment for trafficking but we need to enforce a separate stricter law concerning crimes of this kind. I received proposals to this effect from corresponding organizations in the USA. There is a separate law concerning the problem of trafficking in the legislation of the USA. At present we are working on the draft of such a law and we are studying the experience and legislation of other countries. I think that enacting a separate law could provide proper grounds for addressing the issue.

I am thankful to the Education and Culture Office of the State Department of the USA for their support of my work on the article and my studies that included interviews with the victims of trafficking.

By Marieta Makaryan

Tonight I went to Southern Fried Chicken (SFC) and have to say that the food there is quite good. Only problem I had was the Ketchup, which has a strange taste and an exp. date of 14.04.03.

Though SFC is a very clean establishment, with cleaning people to rush your table the minute you get up and a bathroom with a live-in cleaning lady, the bathroom situation is a bit odd. What I mean is that they have one bathroom, with 2 sinks and 2 toilets, which is used by both sexes.

Today I found myself coming out of the toilet to find 3 girls/women at the 2 sinks doing their make-up. And though I didn’t mind watching them working away at making themselves beautiful, my food was getting cold and I had to wash my hands. After a couple of minutes of waiting, they gave up one of the sinks and as I was drying my hands, the lesser of the attractive finished and waited for her friend to finish to leave, freeing up much needed breathing space, as if she didn’t trust me in the same room alone with her very attractive friend.

The weather here in Yerevan is great. It’s not too cold and there is no sign of rain yet, though I did wash my car today, so you can be sure that rain will soon start.

I was told that a couple of days ago they had very heavy hail in Martuni, knocking out the telephone system and breaking windows.

I got a call last night that my presents were needed in Armenia, so this morning I headed out and in a few hours found myself in Yerevan.

The weather on the road was great and I brought a couple of people from Martuni with me, one of who got car sick on the way.

When we were pulled over while she was barfing out her brains, a cargo van pulled up and gave this poor girl a bottle of water and a hand full of candy.

To say the least, we were very impressed with the act of kindness and for the next hour talked about how there still may be hope.

Anyway, I’m going to be here for at least a week, so I hope I’ll have a chance to meet up with some of the loggers and relatives.

The Azeri’s want a peace deal and us to trust them? It’s clear to me that we have to have very defined borders with them and keep our buffer zone at all costs

A1 Plus | 18:23:25 | 19-02-2004 | Official |

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

At 5:30 am on February 19, Lieutenant Gurgen Margarian of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, posted to Budapest to participate in the NATO Partnership for Peace Programme’s English language training course, was brutally murdered in his sleep - axed by an Azerbaijani military officer attending the same course. His attempt on the life of a second officer of the Armenian Armed Forces was blocked.

The murderer has been arrested by the Hungarian Police. Representatives of the Armenian Embassy in Vienna are in Budapest, working with the police and monitoring the situation.

This crime is the logical consequence of the anti-Armenian hysteria that has been left unreined by the Azeri authorities over the years and of the warmongering militarist propaganda of recent months, which consistently infects all of Azeri society.

It is evident, that such state policy has crossed the bounds and officials, representing Azerbaijan abroad, can commit cold-blooded murder.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia expresses its outrage and most vehemently condemns this crime. The Ministry expects that the international organizations will appropriately assess this crime and react. At the same time, we demand that the Hungarian authorities punish the perpetrator to the maximum extent of the law.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry expresses its condolences to the family, relatives and colleagues of Lieutenant Gurgen Margarian.

You have to check this site out!!!!

The Moscow Times
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004. Page 9

Armenian Oligarchs: Goldfish in a Puddle

By Kim Iskyan

Russia has many oligarchs -- not least the 17 Russians who made it onto Forbes magazine's list of the world's 500 richest people. No Armenian national, however, made the grade.

The threshold of wealth to qualify for oligarch status in Armenia is a rounding error for the Russian counterparts of Armenia's moguls. Armenia's annual GDP (which is a lot larger than any individual's fortune in the country) is equivalent to two months' revenue for LUKoil, or the total wealth (as of March 2003) of oil baron Viktor Vekselberg, the fourth-richest
Russian on the Forbes list.

But in Lilliputian Armenia, local oligarchs -- who would barely merit a nod from the maitre d' at Cafe Pushkin -- are veritable Gullivers.

Armenia's oligarchs are easy to spot. They're the guys swaggering down Yerevan's main drag, Abovyan Street (shrink Tverskaya by a factor of 10 and you're getting close), flanked by a bevy of flathead thugs who look like genetically engineered, black-turtleneck-clad KamAZ trucks on legs. The local moguls join the corrupt Nagorny Karabakh generals in building mansions
gaudy enough to make palatial New Russian dachas look like modest middle-class suburban pads by comparison.

They're piloted about town in a Hummer, Bentley or maybe a tinted-window Mercedes sport utility vehicle -- chase car optional.

As in Russia, Armenia's oligarchs have their fingers in a lot of pies. There's the Armenian mini-mogul who, according to the Commission to Protect Economic Competition, in 2002 controlled 96 percent of all sugar imports and 78 percent of all alcohol and spirits imports. Another has a bank, an airline that is perpetually on the verge of bankruptcy, and an offshore company that accounted for more than three-quarters of all gasoline imports. He's often linked to Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan, Armenia's gray cardinal, who headed up the president's re-election campaign last year. (It was probably just a coincidence that the quality of gasoline deteriorated -- perhaps because it was being diluted -- right around the time that the campaign needed extra cash.) Then there's the bank-and-real-estate tycoon, the candy-and-tobacco baron, the beer-and-natural gas magnate, the power-and-media industrialist, the my-wife-is-friends-with-Putin's-wife power broker and so on. Some of Armenia's oligarchs are giving something back as parliamentary deputies. (Immunity from prosecution has nothing to do with their desire to serve their country, of course.)

If Russia's oligarchs are sharks in a pond, Armenia's are goldfish in a puddle. But if the puddle is your universe, it's not such a bad life.


Kim Iskyan, a freelance journalist and consultant based in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed this comment to The Moscow Times.

For the most part, the ARF and I are thinking on the same level, but then again I think for the most part all of us are thinking on this level. Now let’s see if they can accomplish 10% of what they desire. I wish them luck.

A1 Plus | 19:32:19 | 18-02-2004 | Politics |

DECLARATION OF THE GENERAL CONGRESS OF ARF

Repeated expressions

"The party will continue to strengthen the Armenian state, insisting on the state's defend of the rights of Armenians of Artsakh and other regions, straighten the struggle for Hay Dat and national identity of Diaspora Armenians and their relations with the Homeland".

No to corruption, yes to legality

"ARF will use all of its strength to fundamentally improve the socio-economic conditions in Armenia, to eliminate corruption and economic monopoly, to establish social justice and rule of law, to form civil society and make fundamental improvement of the political system".

No reconciliation

"ARF will continue its vigorous struggle for the Hay Dat. The fake initiative of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation is completely unacceptable. The General Congress underscores the necessity of expanding and giving momentum to the activities aimed at recognition of the Armenian Genocide and
neutralizing of Turkey's denial policy".

NKR as a negotiating part

"ARF considers unacceptable any concession in Nagorno Karabakh Republic security guarantees. The international recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic should contribute to its reunification with the Homeland. In the conditions of Azerbaijani government's destructive policy, the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic should be involved in the peace talks, while Armenia should be the guarantor of Artsakh's independence and security".

Sovereignty to Javakhk

"ARF will support the Javakhk Armenians to overcome the tough socio-economic conditions, triggering cultural, educational, lives, and will react to the Javakhk Armenians' quest for incorporating a provision of autonomy in Georgia's constitution".

Citizenship of Armenia to Diaspora friends

"It is necessary to clarify and reevaluate the relations between the Homeland and Diaspora making them more complete and coordinated. The Armenian constitution should provide for dual citizenship".

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Armenian Inflation Tied To Bread Prices In 2004
18 February 2004

By Atom Markarian

Armenia's Central Bank (CBA) said Wednesday the success of its efforts to curb higher-than-expected inflation largely depends on whether or not there will be further increases in the price of imported wheat this year.

According to government data, the inflation rate stood at 8.6 percent last year -- well above the 3 percent target set by the CBA. Government and bank officials say the consumer price index was mainly pushed up by a 30 percent jump in bread prices between last June and December.

The CBA hopes to keep the inflation within the 3 percent limit in 2004. But as its chairman, Tigran Sarkisian, admitted, the authorities are not quite confident about meeting the target. "It is extremely difficult to make such forecasts," he told a news conference. "If bread prices continue to grow we will definitely have a higher price index."

The higher cost of bread, a basic staple in Armenia, has hit hard scores of low-income families that make up a considerable proportion of the country's population. It also fueled public anger with the government which was used by its political opponents. They blamed the price hike on a handful of government-connected wealthy businessmen who enjoy a de facto monopoly on lucrative imports of wheat.

The authorities denied the charges, citing external factors such as a rise in wheat prices in the international markets as the root cause of the problem. Armenia imports wheat to meet most of its bread demand, with Russia remaining one of its main suppliers.

The Russian government decided last month to suspend its wheat exports, citing the need to prevent a similar rise in its domestic bread prices. The move could therefore spell more trouble lying ahead for the Armenian consumers. Analysts say a lot will depend on this year's global grain harvest.

Sarkisian spoke to reporters as he unveiled the Central Bank's annual plan of monetary policy that will be submitted to parliament this week. The document projects an economic growth of at least 7 percent in 2004. The forecast figure is rather modest compared to the 13.9 percent growth registered by the Armenian government last year.

Officials admit that the multimillion-dollar assistance provided to Armenia by the Lincy Foundation of U.S. billionaire Kirk Kerkorian added several percentage points to the record-high GDP increase. More Lincy aid, mainly used for road construction and other infrastructure projects, is not expected this year.

"We base our monetary projections on a 7 percent growth of the Gross Domestic Product and take into account the fact that no more Lincy Foundation funding and structural adjustment loans from the World Bank are planned for this year," Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian added that another key objective of CBA policy is to promote long-term lending and borrowing, which remains very uncommon in Armenia despite the relative macroeconomic stability of the past eight years. He said the CBA envisages "radical reforms in the financial sphere" that will encourage local commercial banks to introduce new Western-style services such as housing mortgage.

Some banks already make mortgage loans. However, those are repayable in less than six years, making the service unaffordable for many middle class families.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Tonight in Yerevan, the streets are crowded with couples. It’s nice to see so many young people in love.

My girlfriend and I went out for Chinese food at Lotus, which is down the street from the Ani Plaza Hotel. Though the food had much room for improvement, it was the first time my girlfriend has had Chinese and for the most part she liked it.

Today was quite hot and I won’t say it was short pants weather, but was the kind of weather that you don’t need a jacket. Even right now a long sleve shirt is enough to keep warm. I’m sure it will get cold again and then March will be who knows what?

They have a new big screen television in Independence Square, which really lights up the place, but the programs that they show is a bit questionable. Last night, they were showing a fashion show that had bare-breasted models. Not that this is bad, but it seems not to mix well with our culture. I wonder who is in charge of programming for this television?

Not much else going on right now that I can write about other than I’m still in Yerevan meeting people and don’t know if I’ll see everyone that I need to on this trip.