Armenian Wrestling Championships

Armenians love wrestling, and they're good at it.  Today I went to the Armenian National Wrestling Championships and saw the country's best compete for a spot on the national team.  Competition was fierce, and as the day progressed the energy in the gymnasium mounted.  Many of the wrestlers hailed from Gyumri, Armenia's second largest city, and when pitted against a Yerevan-based opponent, the onlookers cheered adamantly for their hometown lad.  Nobody looked more engrossed then the young, aspiring wrestlers.  They sat in the front rows and leaned over the railings to get closer to the action.

Today's event was Greco-Roman, but Armenia has been successful internationally in all styles.  Armenia wrestlers captured 2 bronze medals in Beijing in 2008 and one gold and one silver in Atlanta. 

Who needs the Australian Open on TV?  (Well, if I had cable, I'd like to watch that too.)             

Cultural Exchange at the French Embassy

Last night I attended my first official diplomatic event: a piano concert at the French Embassy. 

What appeared at first glance to be old guard European diplomats enjoying Liszt and Ravel turned out to be something much more important.  The piano concert was part of a music exchange between France and Armenia, where French masters train with Armenian music students, culminating in the opportunity for two Armenians to travel free-of-charge to Normandy to compete in the 3rd European Piano Championships.  I tip my chapeau to the French Embassy for a wonderful event of cultural exchange through music.

Now you may be wondering why a lowly American diplomat is invited to a piano concert at the French Embassy.  The truth is that I wasn't invited.  The U.S. Ambassador was invited, but as often is the case, she had to regretfully decline the invitation, and the onus fell on someone else.  I happily accepted.

I arrived at the French Embassy and followed the stream of people flowing through the front door and up the stairs to the reception room.  This was a decidedly European affair.  People greeted each other in German, French, and Armenian, and I felt slightly alone not knowing any one.

Most guests came in pairs, and the crowd was an older, dapper bunch.  As I waited in my chair for the show to start, couples glided into the parlor, shaking hands and smiling at familiar faces on the way to their seats, a ritual they've probably perfected in capital cities all over the world.

The French Ambassador opened the night with a short speech, and I could here his French accent through his Armenian remarks.  Four pianists played for us, three Armenians and a Frenchman, and they played brilliantly.  My favorite piece was Ravel's Scarbo (Gaspard de la nuit)- pure keyboard acrobatics.

After the concert, we were quickly ushered to tables in the back of the room for refreshments.  A few minutes later, the chef appeared in his white toque, smiling and nodding as we inhaled his salmon and dill crostinis and tiramisu bites. 

I met a local radio DJ and a French precious stone merchant and before leaving introduced myself to the French Ambassador. 

Tomorrow: The Armenian National Wrestling Championships

First Impressions

Greetings from Yerevan! 

I'm here, safe and sound, and tucked into a handsome flat in the city center.  I'm new to this city and country and have heaps more to see and learn, but here are my first impressions:

Yerevan

Yerevan in winter is cold and hazy.  It's not a big city.  A ringed boulevard circumscribes the center, and most places are within walking distance.

Men mill about the streets in black jackets.  Women bustle by, adding slightly more color to the city's palette.  The roads are hectic.  Soviet-era Ladas compete for the road with luxury SUVs, and drivers make up the rules as they go.  The cafes have boarded up for the winter, and in those that are still open, patrons hold coffee cups to their lips and stare outside at chilled pedestrians.  I get the feeling that Yerevanians are biding time until warmer months, but right now, the city has a languid, almost dreamy, quality.  The perpetual chill and haze temper the city, keeping it calm and quiet until spring's awakening.

The shopkeepers have been friendly.  They smile at my attempts to communicate in Armenian, and they don't miss a beat when I revert to Russian.  Actually, all of the Armenians I've met have been friendly, quick to give directions or welcome you to their country.   

Yerevan is in a valley, and haze obscures the highlands surrounding the city.  Only one day since my arrival has Mt. Ararat been visible, but it's imposing beauty took my breath away.  The mountain's two peaks fill the sky south of the city, with the scale and solemnity of a celestial body.   I look to the south every day to catch another glimpse of the beautiful mountain.

Yerevan's buildings range from stately opera houses to modern glass offices to Soviet-block apartments to vacant shells.  While wandering the streets I've noticed modest concrete homes hiding behind modern condo complexes.  Many of Yerevan's buildings are made from beautiful tufa stone, which ranges in color from reddish pink to peach to tan and can be carved into ornate patterns and images.  The tufa buildings that surround Republic Square -- a large plaza by my apartment -- glow apricot at night.

Republic Square

My Place

My apartment is a clean, European styled flat.  It has 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, a large storage/utility room, joined living/dining area, and a kitchen.  One facade faces a park and has two little balconies.  The other facade abuts a dilapidated office building, from which, middle-aged men chain-smoke and watch me cook the morning's eggs.  My place is located in the city center and is a 5-minute walk from Republic Square.  Until my stuff arrives, the walls are bare and shelves empty.  I look forward to decorating and making this apartment my home. 

I will update my blog often and share my personal interaction with my new city and its people.  This lifestyle is an adventure, one that, I want to share with you.