Stepanakert, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2001

Well, it has to be said that today is a really good day for the Armenian blogosphere in so much that we really have some genuine content coming out of the country. No crap about how the cafes are wonderful in [only] the center of the capital, but news about real life in that part of Armenia and Karabakh, or Artsakh in Armenian, that constitutes the majority of the population.

To get the ball rolling, Nessuna has arrived in Stepanakert and posted an entry literally only a few hours after arriving. I’m both really pleased and impressed by this. Apres, Nessuna. I’ll buy you a beer — or a coffee, actually — for this when you return to Yerevan. Really, true blogging in action.

“Azat Artsakhy voghjunum e dzez,” says the banner, which translates into “Free Artsakh welcomes you”. The road, mountains, rocks, forests. The driver drives my attention to the caves, which were made by the soldiers as a good garrison and a spot to hide and shoot from. He also tells me there is a waterfall somewhere but we miss it.

We make a detour to see Shushi. Terrible roads, destructed buildings (some of which are inhabited), the church (the famous church where weapons were being kept), the smell of the candles, amazing accoustics, two teenage girls praying, the priest. We ask him when the church was built. The church is white, it’s big and it has color-glassed windows, which is unusual. The construction began at 1868 and lasted for 19 years, we are told.

Stepanakert: it’s bigger than I’d think and it’s lively, there are people in the streets, no depressive remains of buildings. N. meets me with flowers, very nice but totally unneccesary. The small hotel, I’m given an hour and a half to rest, after which he has a surpise for me.

Shushi, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2001

Meanwhile I’ve also found some other blogs written by non-Armenians currently in the country. Coincidentally, after posting about Habitat for Humanity and a new project to provide housing for families in Armenia, one of their volunteers is already posting about his impressions and experiences here. Check out Transatlantic Zeppelin for more.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA — It’s 11PM, and most of us are bushed from the work today on the Habitat apartment block. It’s in an impoverished village just south of Lake Sevan, a small provincal capital of 30,000 that the guidebook describes as “struggling to survive.” There’s no industry or employment to speak of, and the streets haven’t been maintained in many years. It’s as if time stopped in the town when the Soviet Union fell apart, though the town has aged substantially in the 16 years since then.

Habitat’s apartment block was started (3 of four stories) in 1989, but when the Soviet Union collapsed, construction stopped until Habitat bought the shell in 2006. Construction might have re-started in the early 1990s, but many townsmen left to fight the war against Azerbaijan over the Karabagh region. Like Poland, Armenia has a long history of being run-over by more powerful neighbors, which contributed to the dispute over Karabagh.

We spent the day hauling sand, cement mix, and water up to the 2nd floor, where it was mixed and spread. It was great to have the future homeowners working alongside, though at times we weren’t terribly productive as decisions had to be made through interpreters. One of the wives even brought us a very tasty sweetened dough/pastry for lunch!

At the same time I’m also happy to have come across a new blog by a Peace Corps Volunteer just arrived in Armenia. Again, it’s really positive that people are blogging about and from the regions of the country. Unfortunately, living here it seems that there are two Armenias — the city center, and then everything outside of it. I’ve always said this, but I’m encouraged that the focus on only one insignificantly small part of the country is losing importance.

We went hiking the other day. The mountains here are beautiful, but are interspersed with old buildings and remnense of the former Soviet republic (factories, old homes, etc). It is a very interesting site to see concrete pads mixed with sprawling mountains, and it definetly makes you appreciate how fortunate we are in America.

Meanwhile, those Diasporans living in Armenia whose personal economics are starting to become affected by the appreciation of the dram against the dollar are starting to speak out. Perhaps this is how it’s meant to be. I mean, the middle classes in the United States only started to raise concerns on certain issues — such as DDT, for example — only when it started to affect them.

Garo at Notes from Hairenik and Raffi at Cilicia.com have more on the weird economic paradox that is Armenia. Even in the context of global economics, something really weird seems to be happening.

Shushi, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2001