“Armenia is like a beautiful rose with many thorns”

“At first it was hard. I couldn’t find my bearings. I would often comment that these people say they are Armenian but use many Turkish words. It’s a vocabulary that you won’t find in any Armenian dictionary. I also had to get used to the difference in pronunciation,” recounts Hovsep Arzoumanian, a diaspora Armenian who has been living in Armenia since 2008.

He moved here from Lebanon. “I always wanted to come to Armenia, to make a contribution and to find some spiritual succor.” He had thoughts of working at the orphanage in Gyumri or at the “Orran” (Haven) benevolent NGO organization assisting the elderly and at-risk children. He has worked at several professions - – psychologist, theologian, job trainer and art therapist. Hovsep was living and working at “Orran” as an educational division coordinator. “I found going to Armenia alone and living in such trouble conditions to be somewhat tiring and dangerous. I chose “Orran”. First you are better protected and I am freer to conduct my work. The institution is under more effective control.” Hovsep works on a voluntary basis and receives no formal salary. Instead, “Orran” takes care of his expenses.

They demanded 900,000 AMD to extend my visa; I took them to court

The first time he travelled to Armenia he drove in his car. He decided to extend his travel documents and certain official demanded 900,000 AMD from him. He went to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and was afforded free legal advice. He took the tax authorities to court. “They saw that I wouldn’t keep quiet. They said that there was a misprint of a “0” and that the amount should have read 90,000 AMD. In fact, I was under no obligation to pay anything. That official was later sacked from his post. They like to rip off foreigners. They say ‘this guy has money, a car and works for a benevolent organization. It’s time to con him’,” states the diaspora Armenian who they failed to fleece. Hovsep was born in Lebanon and attended Armenian and French schools. His family was ferried to Lebanon from Cilicia on a French ship after the 1915 Genocide. Hovsep is youngest child in a family of seven. His parents hail from Yozgat, a town in central Anatolia about 200 kilometers east of Ankara.

Preserve your Armenian identity as a part of humanity

“In a way, my return to Armenia was to assuage the grief of my father and mother,” he says. Hovsep explains that in the diaspora they preserved their Armenian identity not as fanatical nationalist but within the context of an overriding humanity. This is because ones spirit is transcendent, a universal phenomena. First, preserve your humanity, and then your Armenian identity as a component of this, he states. He has been divorced for ten years. His children attend school in Paris. They frequently visit Armenia. Hovsep’s brothers and sisters regularly vacation in Armenia. Every weekend, Hovsep travels to Armenia’s far-flung regions. He enjoys hiking in the mountains and visiting villages along the way. He doesn’t like Yerevan and says that he’s seen better buildings back in Beirut. His dream is to settle down in Byurakan. He has no real male buddies here in Armenia. Mostly, his contacts are with women in his age group. “While forming relations with females who have reached a certain age, I have noticed that the attitude of the father, mother and neighbor is much more important. Here, people still haven’t freed themselves of a lot of baggage. They haven’t come across truly independent individuals.”

Armenia must create its own standards and fulfill them

He doesn’t like to compare Armenia with Lebanon, arguing they are two different countries with different psychological make-ups. He would also advise Armenian official not to compare Armenia with either France or the United States and that they should “stick within their own standards”. But he sees a vast difference in the mentalities of people in Armenia and overseas. He has slowly adjusted to the way people think here in Armenia. Hovsep confesses that often doesn’t answer people and that he listens “with just one ear.” He points out that people are more tolerant of one another in Lebanon, while in Armenia, people are inclined to seek out the “dirt” in others. Hovsep says that if the people in Armenia led very unfortunate lives just ten years ago, but were also quite obedient, now they base their lives on superficial values. He believes that Armenia is more pagan than Christian and that it is his desire to see the country return to a revitalized spirit in God, to develop spiritual values. He understands the motivation of those who wish to leave Armenia, but he is ready to spend the rest of his life here, even though as a father he must tend to the raising of his kids. If they need him, he says he will go to Paris. “We see the reality around us and ask ‘what kind of homeland is this?’ All the while, we have read the works poets and have been uplifted by the maginificent tale of Noah’s Ark. But today, when we come before that monumental history and culture and see our truly tiny present, it’s sort of a paradoxical situation. We live in the middle of these two extremes,” says Hovsep.

Armenia is a land of flowing wheat fields

The homeland, for Hovsep, is a land of wheat fields. He says we know how to grow wheat but we import it from Canada and Australia. “Armenia is a country of wheat. But the fields go uncultivated. When I ask why, I understand it’s a question of a lack of equipment. I look forward to the day when I see more bicycles on the street than Cadillac cars. We should have more tractors instead of fancy automobiles. What kind of government could keep the common people in such conditions? How many Cadillac’s to the people on top have?” Hovsep like to compare Armenia with a very beautiful, but thorny rose. Here, he feels like part of the land. True, at first, the thorns of the homeland pricked his fingers, but now he has adjusted and is trying to cultivate that rose. Coming to Armenia, this disapora Armenian has found spiritual peace, even though the problems facing the country shake him to the core. “There is an immaturity in people engaged in politics here. Those managing the economy are quite egoistic and greedy. They want to control everything and not give anything to the people. . Today, the economy of Armenia is in the hands of a few oligarchs. Most people do not reap any benefits from it.”

Legal system in Armenia hurts rather than helps

Hovsep says that the law in Armenia is more often than not a trap rather than a means to serve the public good. The law here doesn’t know how to forgive and is inclined to set one to the gallows from the get-go. He says that the tax authorities are a great burden on the people. He believes corruption starts in the schools and that the level of education in the colleges is sub-standard. Furthermore, Hovsep believes that not much value is placed on the individual here while overseas society believes in the potential and talents in each person.

“The soul of the homeland is not at rest. There is a layer of aggression within the people, a crude streak that permeates throughout. Only a few ever utter a ‘thank-you’ or a ‘pardon me’ in their daily comings and goings.” Hovsep also believes that there are few real creative artists here in Armenia and that the rest are mere copycats. He says that intellectuals here don’t know how to say “no” and that the society in general is servile. However, he takes some joy in the fact that the young generation is much different, in a positive way, and is convinced that future generations will have to carry out a peaceful revolution. He points out that both the government and people must mature to the level where they will be prepared to change things through nonviolent revolt. He believes that the present government would collapse if the people didn’t go to work for just two days. “Now, there is no democracy. In a democracy all types of resistance are acceptable. They must be authorized to take place. Nothing can be achieved by silencing the voice of the people. The smart leader is the one who establishes a dialogue with the people. If he is the representative of the people, he must listen to what they have to say.”

Armenia’s officials need crash course in “public service”

Top on his list of priorities would be the requirement that all government officials attend college classes, since “politics is a science, not some club where posts are given as gifts to family and friends.” Hovsep argues that the education level of many of the country’s officials is sorely lacking. “When I see the faces of some of these guys, the only picture that comes to mind is that of kebab eaters. These guys should have gotten an education, travelled abroad and amassed some experience and insights regarding proper governance; to . Perspectives here are quite boxed in and limited in scope. You have to open up to the outside world and develop.” Instead, Hovsep says that what are developed in Armenia are banditry and corruption and a tendency of authorities “not to see beyond their own noses.”

Diaspora and Armenia must join hands for change to occur

Hovsep sincerely believes that all this will change one day. He argues that the solution will come from the joint efforts of local Armenians and those from overseas to “put things right” and to forge a new homeland. He believes that the diaspora has a huge untapped potential, not just in financial terms but spiritually as well. However, when Armenians from overseas come here they are turned off by the corruption and under-the-table laws they see. They get disheartened and leave, figuring that Armenia still has a long way to go before people can work in normal conditions. Hovsep points to the eagle on the insignia of the Armenian flag. His hope is that we regard its two outstretched wings as the two components of the Armenia nation – Armenia and the Diaspora. Working together, united in spirit and a commonality of purpose, all sorts of wonders can be achieved.