IEFA2016 - International EYP Forum in Armenia
FEEL YOUR POWER
FUNDED BY:
INITIATED BY:
The Schwarzkopf Foundation is the international umbrella organization of the European Youth Parliament (EYP). EYP Armenia is a National Committee in the EYP Network
Yerevan, Armenia 2-9 July
WELCOME ! The Media Team of IEFA 2016 lead by Armen Khudgaryan invite you to a crazy adventure filled with unforgettable memories, fluffy unicorns, and fish jokes through the greatest forum of all time, that took place in Yerevan on July 3-9, and brought together a group of problem-solving and creative youth from all over Europe.
HEADOrganisers
Interview with the head organisers of IEFA 2016 Rozi Mkrtchyan Nune Hayrapetyan How is IEFA different/ more special than other forums ? - In so many ways, because for me IEFA 2014 was my very first forum ever, that's why for me its special in that way. Also it's the biggest one, so EYP Armenia gathers all their efforts to do it as big as possible, the biggest international forum. What would you say is your life motto ? - All the limits are in your head. What do the letters of IEFA stand for for you ? - It's EYP for all You and Arman are very close, how would you say your friendship started ? - Well we both were at IEFA 2014, but we didn't really see each other or speak. At ESS 2015 where he was VP and I was a chair was when we started working together and became closer. Cats or dogs ? - Dogs
Would you rather be invisible or be able to read minds ? - Definitely read minds What does being head organiser feel like, what are the fun and not fun parts ? - There is no fun part, that's it. Would you rather end hunger or hatred ? - Hunger If you had to be a fruit what fruit would you be and why ? - Orange, because when you cut it, it's so tasty. What was your first reaction when you found out you were going to be HO of IEFA ? - I had mixed feelings, I was aware that it's going to be awesome but at the same time I was like okay
Associations, state the first word that comes to your mind when I say these words/ names EYP- You know what came to my mind, Arman Ashot- beard General Assembly- panel Arman- his shirt with the rolled up sleeves Sleep- no Rodrigo- Vaz (his surname), glasses
Interview with the head organisers of IEFA 2016 Rozi Mkrtchyan Arman garsparian You and Nune are very close, how would you say your friendship started ?
How is IEFA different/ more special than other forums ? - Well thinking from a larger perspective, this is my 3rd time at IEFA and each time I've been in a different setting, first I was a delegate then a chair and now head organiser, never have I had an experience of coming back in a same way, and each time I watch how the whole forum is organized from different perspectives. You can not get tired of IEFA. What would you say is your life motto ? - Do what you would do and try to wake up tomorrow What do the letters of IEFA stand for for you ? - I eagerly follow Arman
- We were both at IEFA 2014, but we probably never saw each other, and during IEFA 2015 my co-chair was co-worker with Nune so she introduced her to me, she was a delegate, that's how I got acquainted with her. But, later on during ESS summer forum I was a VP and she was a chair and so we had a pretty much similar position Cats or dogs ? - Hamsters Would you rather be invisible or be able to read minds ? - This is a tricky one, but invisible Would you rather end hunger or hatred ? - I guess ending hunger would also stop hatred.
What does being head organiser feel like, what are the fun and not fun parts? - I guess it is much more stressful than anything else that's the bad part. But every single day of being a head organiser is very rewarding and head organisers have the longest job If you had to be a fruit what fruit would you be and why ? - Banana, because banana sounds fun What was your first reaction when you found out you were going to be head organiser ? - Why Associations, state the first word that comes to your mind when I say these words/ names EYP- discoveries Ashot- fun General Assembly- necessary, evil Nune- general assembly :D Sleep- dream Rodrigo- everywhere
Interview with the president of the forum Maga Amirkhanyan How was the main topic of the Forum chosen? I think the topic was chosen on constant dialogue between the Formers of EYP Armenia, the Head Organisers, the President (myself). We had very different topics that we wanted to approach: be it’s the challenges facing youth and I think that's an important one, because in a way Europe also stands right now, it’ striking for everyone, but especially for young people. That brings to the other end of the topic that we set through debating. Freedom of speech and that is just as crucial because it stands, this climate we have. It is the elephant in the room and the elephant is growing. We need to address it before it gets too big and we don't fit in that room anymore. What influence does EYP have on youngsters problems? EYP is not about achievements per se, I think it's like a constant dialogue, a constant conversation. I always emphasize that, because while EYP is terribly important for all of us, the motions that we write during the GAs are not the purpose of the GA, the motions won't affect people's lives the next day. I think what matters than the process of dialogue that we have, what we discuss in our communities, the compromises that we can make. I think that is what matters in EYP, than the suits, the formalities. Now when the forum is over what impressions do you have? The forum was an incredible experience. It had been a long while since I was so much involved in a session and I could've not chosen a better one; the debates were intense and well prepared; above all, the atmosphere reminded me why I had joined EYP in the first place. Everyone, it seemed to me, was enjoying each second of the forum; that was one of the main goals I had set for IEFA 2016. If it was fulfilled, then I can only be glad.
Rodrigo vaz
Interview with the president of the forum Maga Amirkhanyan And what about Armenia? It's a lovely country I still didn't have the time to visit as much as I wanted but from the little that I’ve seen, it really is beautiful and especially the people are super nice, super friendly, super warm. I already started thinking in a few days I will go and I will miss it in a way
We know that IEFA 2016 was your last forum. Can you sum up your EYP experience, what has changed since your first forum? It looks very much like it, yes. I started in April 2010 as a Delegate, then went to an International Forum in Germany and then moved on as an Official: Orga, Journo, Chair, President, I've done a bit of everything - although exactly not in that order. It’s obvious in six years there's space and time enough for many things to change. One of the most obvious things is how structured, coherent EYP became, but also how many more countries it came to include. Having started in a Portuguese session, I still remember the session's papers to be in Portuguese; it wasn't until the next year that we had international officials joining our National Sessions. In these years, EYP and its National Committees have taken huge steps in harmonising the network. EYP before was much more ad hoc, I think; and while that can be fun, it's also much more likely to be unfair for the people who want to do EYP but are cut out of the loop. EYP was always great and few things have claimed more in who I am than this; it feels even better, then, to see that the EYP I'm seeing now is even better than the one I joined.
What would you like to say to those young people who are taking their first steps in EYP? EYP will be what you make of it. Smile on, hang on.
Where did you first hear about EYP and what was your first involvement ? I first heard about EYP from Susanna Shamakhyan because we were in the same program before that, and I saw her posts on facebook about EYP when it was just being founded. I first participated in the very first event of EYP, the EYP business simulation (EYPBUS), where we each got assigned to a country and had to make a business plan for that country. Well I got Moldova, even though it was not in my 3 choices and at the end our whole team got selected to participate in IEFA 2014. What would you say is your life motto ? To be honest I don't really have one , there are a lot of expressions I really like but to say that I have a sentence in front of my eyes that I follow through life wouldn't be true about me. How has EYP changed your everyday life and what skills has it given you ? Well my everyday life has changed in the sense that I see someone outside from EYP in my usual life they will say “What Armine ??” I think they don't realize that I exist outside of EYP, and it's a very unusual feeling when that happens. EYP has given me a lot of skills, first of all is of course communication and interaction, because you meet so many people and get to know them, it later on becomes easier to meet other people as well and you start to really strive to get to know other people as well. If you could go back to the past and give advice to your past- delegate self, what would you say? I would say that its going to be better than what you expect. I would also tell myself not to be nervous back in the day because I was quite nervous about public speaking in front of so many people. I would just say that everything is going to be magnificent.
Interview with the executive Armine director of EYP armenia Khamoyan Rozi Mkrtchyan
Interview with the executive director of EYP armenia
Rozi Mkrtchyan
What do you think is the future of EYP Armenia and what are the areas for further development? I think the future of EYP Armenia is very bright because to be honest with you, all the people that applied for the events we've had this year and in general, especially if we're talking about IEFA, during the interviews with delegates, they are all so amazing and incredible. If they are the ones bringing the future of Armenia, which I'm sure they are, then it's going to be amazing and I can't wait to see it, I can't wait to be older and become part of the reality which they have created. We really would love to work on, to further engage the youth from the regions, last year the regional sessions were amazing and the youth in the regions is so great and it would be lovely to give them more opportunities to get involved. If they don't have the means to get to Yerevan, then we will bring EYP to them in their regions.
LGBTQ discrimination is the most widespread discrimination in Armenia, how do you think this can be minimised or avoided altogether ? I don't think we should differentiate between different types of targets because hate speech is hate speech, discriminatory based on race, religion, and other factors. It's a much broader issue than simply one sector of our society. It can be stopped through education, through understanding, through a very much logical discussion on these issues, ďŹ nding the root of the hate speech, where it's coming from and whether the fundament is completely or largely emotional or maybe it has a logical reproach. It should be stopped by debating, by understanding, and by discussing. So you think a non- formal education platform like EYP can make a difference and have a role in this process ? Absolutely, because this is the platform where ideas have been voiced, it's a very non-judgemental and open-minded platform, where ideas can meet, they can mix and be debated, and again if people think hate speech is good, let them voice their opinions, if they have a logical argument to make then that argument will stand, otherwise it will fail especially in this platform. You talked about whether hate speeches should be judged on harm or offence, but you didn't voice your opinion, what do you think it should be judged on ? I'm more of an offence principle person because in our today's society which is multi-cultural, pluralistic, and the social fabric is made up of so many colours and so many segments, putting a very high threshold, in terms of only punishing it when it causes physical harm, it can't be viable in the long term because you really have to consider the sensitivities of people. Weigh the beneďŹ t that comes from that opinion being voiced to the harm that is caused by it being voiced. So I'm more of an offence person rather than a harm. How can a law be created that will not cross the thin line between hate speech and freedom of speech ? It's a very thin line and a very slippery slope but hey that's life and that's law, and that's why we have judges to decide whether what's right and what's wrong.
Stepan Khzrtian
founding partner of legal lab
Interview with the Guest
Rozi Mkrtchyan
Vardavar
The Best Teambuilding Activity Eve Laziev One of the most effective teambuilding activities proved to be the Vardavar “Water” festival, which took place on the third of July. Although most of the delegates may recall being drenched with buckets of water, they may not be aware of the interesting history behind this festival. The meaning behind the festival dates way back to Armenia's pagan times, before Christianity became the official religion, and is centred around the Goddess Astghik. She was associated with several positive concepts, such as beauty, love and fertility. Also, Astghik was considered to be the Goddess of water, which is why Vardavar is celebrated by pouring water over one another. In those days, Armenians used to offer roses to the Goddess Astghik as a sign of respect. The name itself comes from the word combination “Vard”, which means “Rose” and “Var” – rise. Another distinguishing quality is that it falls on a different day every year, since it is celebrated exactly 14 weeks after Easter (which also falls on a different day). Although over two thousand years old,
Vardvar is still being enthusiastically celebrated to this day. This year, the festival itself fell on the 3rd of July, which was the first day of the forum – teambuilding. Although Armenian delegates knew what was in store for them, many of the international participants remained unsuspecting. However, this was soon fixed after many of them were drenched before they even got to the venue. The activity itself took place in the Tumanyan garden, where Vardavar was already being celebrated by groups of kids and adults alike. Many of the delegates got chased by kids with buckets, which was definitely an interesting twist on the usual teambuilding activities. Unsurprisingly, the media team was already freaking out over their notepads and cameras. No one was left dry, but it didn't matter because the temperature was hitting over 30 - if anything, it helped to cool down. Nonetheless, there were some consequences of constantly being watered, including feeling cold when the sun would go in and – a personal favourite – having to put my phone in a bag of rice because it got watered, only to have it not work anyway. I think everyone may recall me sitting on the grass, waiting for my phone to dry. So, what did the international participants have to say about Vardavar? - Matteo, delegate from Italy: It was a really fun experience – I enjoyed it a lot - Maggie, delegate from Georgia: It was a lot of fun, and I knew about the festival before – it is often celebrated in the Armenian churches in Georgia - Maria, journalist from Spain: At first I was scared that my camera was going to get wet, but then I started to enjoy myself - Olia, journalist from Ukraine: It was a great addition to teambuilding, and I think it brought us all closer together
Committees
AFCO
Rozi Mkrtchyan
AFCO GO GO GO! Their catchy slogan, which, when they yelled really empowered and motivated them. This committee's topic was difficult as it covered many wider topics, like voting, technology, and different human sectors and preferences. Being with their committee for a few days, I witnessed the process of them getting closer, going from a group of teens who didn't know each other to a group of friends who looked like they have been close for many years. They even had a specialist come to teach them more about the topic and to help them, but I think even without this help this committee was super committed and very enthusiastic. All throughout the committee works ideas were being constantly thrown around, discussed and edited to perfection. <<AFCO was a committee where every single voice was heard. During the week, we never actually argued, we became a team at once>> according to committee member Anna.This led to have a simple yet amazing resolution, which fully solved the problem, and was one of the GA favorites. A great part of this was due to their calm and collected yet at the same time helpful and motivating chair, Vardges Shahmenendyan, who was into having fun and playing games when needed, yet at the same time strict and demanding when needed.
ECON
Eve Laziev
It is no secret that the Econ committee topic wasn't one of the easiest issues to discuss. However, they dealt with it pretty well, and came up with an excellent resolution. During the teambuilding, the delegates seemed a bit shy, but became great friends as soon as the Vardavar festival started. The chair, Bella, took on an organized but simultaneously democratic approach. She made sure that the delegates were not behind on time, but allowed them to discuss the issues more or less independently. It was pretty clear that most of the ideas came from the delegates themselves, which was good considering the controversial topic of tax evasion. The tactic of group discussions was also efficient to speed up the process of discussions, and make sure that everything was done on time. It was also great to see more informed delegates sharing their ideas and being supportive towards others.
AFET
William Heinz
When paying a little attention to AFET, you can see that the officials in charge of attributing delegates to the committees just looked at the names to sort things out, two ambitious Armans from Armenia, two Super Stepans, and a Tatev, a Tati and a Tato (but neither of them has a tattoo). But hey, this is just a slightly special (who has a snowball fight in the middle of the summer at 34°C?) committee full of celebrities, Jennifer Lawrence (Elena), Taylor Lautner (Arman), Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog (Maria), Marion Cotillard (Tatev) and even David Beckham (Ignas) and Snoopy (Tato). Tarzan or Jesus (or Gregor, AFET chairperson) really takes care of his delegates, advises them to drink enough water because of the heat and also “not to just fall and die”. The strength of AFET delegates is their knowledge and they form a wise committee, which has a very picky approach towards information and facts. By strict filtering information, the delegates select with extreme care only quality facts and key questions, so you can guess that the quality of their resolution is their absolute highest priority.
Rozi Mkrtchyan
The committee tortured everyday by their fellow delegates for their topic. There has not been one EYP-er at IEFA who has not made a fish joke concerning this committee. But they do not let this get them down, they embrace their destiny. Walking into this room, the first thing you notice is the giant fish drawing on the door done by the delegates themselves. But it's the chalkboard that really grabs your attention, it's a diagram of a dolphin slowly step-by-step coming alive, and each step is a step needed to make for a successful resolution. This was done by their motivated and sweet chair, Mariam Kunchulya, and thanks to her the committee members started loving their topic and even making a few jokes themselves. But even though she's very nice, she takes the measures needed to keep the delegates punctual by having a can of dares for those who are late, which included shouting out the window and singing loudly in the hallways. But it's not all fun and games in this committee. They worked hard, discussing, arguing, and sometimes disagreeing, but it all payed off in the end, as their resolution was successfully voted for in the GA.
DROI
Olga Doroshenko
Either discussing the rights of prisoners or hunting for treasures around Yerevan, DROI is always full of enthusiasm. I`ve been watching some of the delegates crying by the end of the GA, which, hopefully, means that you, guys, received priceless experience and had a great time during IEFA 2016. From the time having spent around I`ve noticed so many sparkling personalities among you and wish you not to lose the energy you possess. The beautiful dancer Mary, who has, probably, managed to make a selfie with every other person at the Forum; cute Anahit who has accidently found her Italian sibling; charming singer Mkhitar with dozens of fans; young but so ambitious David and all other people whom I didn`t mention personally here, you, definitely, have a great future! DROI at IEFA 2016 is remembered by me as a committee with the most handsome guys, the prettiest girls and a lovely chair, in Italian origin of whom, I am still not sure))
SEDE
William Heinz
The first thing seen about the SEDE committee during teambuilding activities is Lilit, the chairperson, waving a huge white flag. What kind of teambuilding game this was is still unknown, but waving a sheet that looks like a surrendering flag may seem interesting for a committee that discusses armed conflicts and military affairs. When asked about this, Lilit simply answers that “the committee will never surrender, except to peace”. This really fits the description of the committee, because together, the delegates can become so powerful that they even manage to make their chairperson change a teambuilding game in their favour. But SEDE has had some bad luck as well. While travelling to Greece to visit a fellow delegate, their plane crashed in the Mediterranean. They learned to fight hard for their survival and later used these newly acquired skills to fight for their resolution even harder. After solving even the hardest tasks, the delegates all gathered further away from all the excitement of Vardavar and teambuilding of other committees to find inner peace and balance by practicing some yoga all together.
Committees
PECH
Committees
JURI
Maga Amirkhanyan
The intellectual property rights protection in EaP countries is one of the most common issues nowadays. In a world where companies compete more on innovation, creativity and quality than on price, intellectual property is a powerful tool. Issue which was one of the main reasons for 12 young leaders from different countries spent a whole week together in Armenia. These youngsters seemed to be a bit shy at the start of the journey called IEFA 2016, but after spending some time with them I realized how organized and confident they were. Their room was always quiet. The delegates were all very concentrated on their work. These delegates didn't even need the golden rule to listen to each other. The Committee Work was rather tough and one of the delegates seemed to be out of the discussions. In this situation the JURI chair Svetlanna showed her as a true leader. She gave this delegate the role of chairperson and an hour to conduct the whole Committee Work. It took a few minutes for this delegate to get into the work. The only JURI Committee, not Yuri, was the warmest and the most friendly one. They filled my work with so much warmth. Though the weather was very hot on those days, somehow the JURI delegates were much hotter. They were the hottest!
DEVE
María Aguilar López
DEVEloping the power Have youngsters always been so worried about corruption and the origin of it? Maybe this is hard to clarify, but what is a fact is that the delegates of the DEVE committee do really care about it. Cause or consequence? This is one of the main questions they were trying to answer in every single term they talked about. And I'm still trying to find out if the fact that they tried to be so precise is a cause or a consequence of the strange ways that life has to put us under pressure and make us improve by living new situations. The journey of these delegates wouldn't have been possible without the help of their Chair, Margarita Christodoulidou. It wasn't difficult to realize that the super power of this girl is patience. Shaking her nails and screaming “Trump” was the way her super power worked and made her delegates be quiet. Nevertheless, the precision with what they were working was the strength of their common project. Besides, nothing can make you the strongest than a fruitful exchange of ideas between a group of smart and passionate superheroes willing to save the world from unfairness.
LIBE Eve Laziev
If LIBE had to choose a superpower, it would be Teleportation. LIBE's topic was a pretty tough one, but they managed it nonetheless. Most people may recognize this committee as the one with the cool slogan and relevant topic on the refugee crisis. It was obvious that there were some conflicting opinions, since the topic itself was pretty controversial. However, thanks to Rozalina's strict but effective chairing style, the committee managed to come up with an efficient resolution to the problem. Moreover, the committee seemed to learn a lot from any disagreements, and grew from them instead of letting them hinder the thought process, as mentioned by delegate Inna. However, not all was super serious with LIBE, and they actually had several fun energizers that helped the delegates to cool down and get their brains back on track, Also, they even had a visitor from the UNHCR, who came to give a talk about refugees and further inform the committee on their topic. Although that took some time, it was a great thing for LIBE delegates to hear a professional's POV. And in spite of the time constraints, they managed to come up with a good resolution to a very relevant issue.
ENVI
Maga Amirkhanyan
In the century of advanced technologies and rapid development we still have the global climate change issues to face. 13 young people from all over Europe full of energy and enthusiasm gathered in Yerevan ready to create a team and discuss the COP21 Paris Summit Agreement implement. The start of the teambuilding day was set with Vardavar Festival. These delegates, who hardly knew each other, became a strong team in very short period of time. Committee Work started with knowledge sharing. During the very intense days the ENVI delegates showed their individuality and high level of intellect. Brainstorming, discussing every single issue, fact, having their problems “Bremained”, “Parlamented” or “BrExited” the ENVI delegates were stuck to the time. They truly knew how to get the best of everything. The ENVI resolution passed at the GA and their hard work was paid off. And, of course, a huge contribution was put into creating the super ENVI team by Fania Christodulides, the chairperson of these bright individuals. One truly understands what an international forum means when asking what is your superpower gets the answer “Cyprearomankartvelihay”. This is how each nationality included in ENVI is called in their native language.
DROI
Olga Doroshenko
Mariam Kunchylia
David-Jan Bosschaert
Chairperson. Ukraine
Belgium. Delegate
“I make people cry with my ridiculous stories! Did you hear the one about the hedgehog? If not, we, probably, haven`t met yet”
“Do you know the person who knows both Old Slavonic and Luxemburgish languages? We will experience our superpower together!”
Alexander Yeghiazaryan Veronika Barkhudarova Delegate. Armenia
Russia. Delegate
“People are going to the trance with my music. I am like an alternative to cannabis, but pure and natural. No addiction, or just a bit, probably.”
“If you were the one suffered from the sunburn during the first days of the session you have, probably, noticed my superpower! “Panthenol” distributor – yes, it is about me!”
Vram Hakobyan
Pericles Petrides Delegate. Greece
Levon Tadevosyan
Delegate. Armenia
“People do what I want them to do. Oh, no, it is not selfish at all!”
“I think, I am a future Donald Tramp! Yes, surely, I will democratically conquer the world!”
“I, definitely, run faster than Forest Gamp”
Organiser. Armenia
Gregor Bauer.
Chairperson. Czech Repubic “Mmm… my muscles, brain, courage and… the strong and natural hair”
Impressions by the international journalists of IEFA2016
The calmness of an underrated city María Aguilar López
If two weeks before someone would have told me that I would be travelling to Armenia for one week and that I would live there one of the best and most inspirational experiences of my life I would have never believed it. But, as I usually say, life is capricious and we can never know what the destiny is planning for us. With lots of uncertainties, expectations and fears in my luggage, I finally took that plane that would bring me to Yerevan the evening of the 1st of July. I must admit that I was a little bit nervous in the beginning, but the truth is that in the exact moment when I sat down and I started to talk with an Armenian girl sited next to me in the plane, all my fears and nerves flew away. I had heard about the Armenian hospitality in some occasions in my life, but I can definitely say that I learnt the real meaning of these words during the days that this trip lasted. Apart from this fact, there were only a few things that I knew about Armenian traditions and the city of Yerevan. And, as I usually do when I'm traveling to a not so known country for the first time, I refused to search any kind of information or photos on the Internet. Let's
discover Armenia and Armenians by myself! As I said, I didn't have idea about any place in Yerevan, not even the most famous ones (my apologies to those Armenians or semiArmenians who I offended with my ignorance); but this fact would change soon. During my first night in Yerevan I discovered what The Cascades are when I found myself climbing through hundreds and hundreds of stairs pushed by a voice that said “let's go higher up, it will worth”. And I can swear that it did. The calmness and silence that I felt from this place is nothing comparable with any of the cities I've visited before in my life. How can a capital of a country be so quiet from 12 in the evening? I don't know, but what I only know is that it's totally hypnotic. Not only Yerevan is quiet; looking at all those buildings and lights from this high place, I had the feeling that the complete world was quiet for at least some minutes, calmed and asleep. On the other hand, as some of you may know, apart from being my first time in Armenia it was also my first EYP experience. But, what it looked like a challenge before my departure
for all the things I would have to learn during those days became one of the funniest and motivational experiences of my life. From the very first day I started to feel what they referred when talked about Armenian hospitality and Armenian kindness. And I guess that this fact not only affects the Armenians, but to all foreigners that were living there during that week. The Armenian atmosphere caught all of us. So, after that, I definitely can say what I liked from Armenian people, but I'm still trying to find out what made me fall in love with Yerevan. Some of my friends and relatives were asking me during those days how is the city; is it nice? Do you like it? Tell me how it is… And I'm still not sure about how to answer to some of these questions. Did I like it? Yes. Is it nice? It is. How is it…? Well, I'm not sure. It is big and small at the same time. It is a city with a town's spirit. It's nice: its buildings with big stones, its majestic parks, its crowded and quiet streets… All of it is nice but, at the same time, there is nothing too special about it that makes Yerevan become an especially beautiful city. Why do I like it so much then? Which arguments should I use if I want to convince someone to visit this city? Maybe the best explanation would be that it's so especial and difficult to describe that you can only discover it by yourself. No words will help you to know what Armenia is but feel Armenia on your own skin. Go and enjoy Yerevan. Enjoy Armenia and its people. Trust me, you will understand.
ME. ARMENIA. EYP. Olga Doroshenko
Having been asked to share my impressions about Armenia and specifically Yerevan, I have just realised how unexpected can be the life. Even a month ago I couldn`t imagine myself traveling to Yerevan and getting acquainted with all the beauty I had a chance to meet here. So thanks to IEFA 2016 I could admire Armenian culture and incredible hospitality. Would you agree that whenever you go and regardless the means of transport you take, the first thing that you meet in another country is people. And exactly they are forming the first impression. When the driver of the 6-hours bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan makes sure that all
the passengers are delivered exactly to the places they need to be in and keeps wondering whether you feel enough comfortable, it shows you already the kindness of Armenians. During my staying here, this impression had been only reinforcing. The second thing that I`ve noticed in Yerevan after saying goodbye to the driver is a local architecture with the remarkably similar exteriors. As I have been explained later, the reason for it is a local construction material called tufa, which had become the main limestone for Armenian architectures in the middle of 20th century. Due to its specific pinkish-brown color Yerevan even used to have a name “pink city”. Sounds kind of romantic, I think. Honestly, I have noticed Yerevan to have remained pink colored buildings only after having read Wikipedia, but the fact that it is completely brown became clear to me from the beginning. For those who still didn`t feel the charm of the city during the day, I would strongly advice to make a walk around it during the night time. As I was told by my local friends, the city is very safe and even being a young girl you will not feel in danger here. I would say that Yerevan is the city which completely changes its appearance when the lights turn up. The most beautiful parts of it seem to be stressed by the lights; people recharged from the hot sunny day begin to go out in the streets to relax in the evening chill. Love it! I would address a small hint to those who have never been, for example, to
France or Italy before, but always dreamt to go there. If you head to the foot of Cascade and sit at the table at one of the lightening café`s terraces you might imagine yourself in one of the smallest and coziest lanes somewhere in Paris. Order some mature Armenian red wine (you may even pretend that it comes from the remote Boudreaux vineyard) and enjoy the atmosphere in the company of your good friends. Kind of a way to save some money on tickets. And now it is time to go for a solid traditional dinner. Regardless vegetarian or omnivore eating habits you stick to, you will, definitely, find a nice food according to you taste. As a person ready to give my soul to god for a good cheese and fresh fruits, I`ve received a real satisfaction from the variety of the first and the second, but the gigantic apricots and khachapuri with sheep cheese made me truly happy. And be sure, EYP Armenia will never let you die from starvation! I was telling already that the first word coming to my mind when talking about Armenia is “brown”. But I have another one, which is “creativity”. Probably, I should ask later how much is a share of Armenians able to professionally dance, sing and be just souls of any party they attend. From what I`ve seen so far I`ve noticed an incredible commitment to national traditions and culture. Observing the things as a journalist at IEFA 2016 I can watch the people working at the project, my teammates, who are full of the ideas and the desire to bring EYP Armenia to the new heights. Yes, it is inspiring. Yes, it is Armenia!
Sunrise over yerevan One of the ďŹ rst things you can notice when visiting Yerevan, is the entrepreneurship of the Armenians. Shops, start-up companies and other independent businesses grow in Yerevan at every corner. The ambition to become an independent business owner is widely spread in Yerevan and people are not afraid to work really hard in order to reach their goals. For a person growing up in Luxembourg, this is rather impressive. According to local friends, Yerevan always loves making business with you. But in order to see the real wonders of Yerevan, you'll have to get up early or stay up late. At around 5am, when the city is asleep and the sun rises over the statue of Mother Armenia, the magic begins. The ďŹ rst orange-coloured rays of daylight start gently brushing the pink stone buildings and, if you are lucky, reach the snow of Mount Ararat. The more the sun rises, the more the city is being soaked in orange colour. The result of this phenomenon is the city of Yerevan waking up in a mix of blue, orange and pink, coming from the cloudless sky, warm sunrays and the unique stones of the city's very own buildings.
IEFA2016
William Heinz
www.eyparmenia.rog