As I walked the streets of Yerevan this past month, I was reminded of how interconnected people are in Armenia, for better or worse. There are countless interactions each day, providing equally abundant potential for sheer joy and complete frustration.
One day I sat in a taxi parked near where I stayed. I stated my destination and was met with a blank look, but he started driving. Along the way, he called someone to ask where that street was, then hung up and continued driving. I asked if he had figured out where it is and he said they’d call back. And so it went:
Kristi: “Why are we driving if we don’t know where we’re going?” I wondered aloud.
Driver:“De inch anenq, qshenq.” (Basically: We’ve got nothing better to do, so we might as well drive.)
K: “But what kind of fare am I going to pay if we don’t even know where we’re going?”
D: “Do you want to get another taxi? Is that what you want?”
K: Laughing in disbelief at his overreaction, “No, that’s not my point, I just don’t understand why we’re driving if we don’t know where we’re going.”
D: “Usually the passenger says how to go.”
K: “But you’re the driver.”
D: “Ed inch kap uni.” (What does that have to do with anything?)
Well, what do you say to that? In the end, the fare was 600 Dram, but he said he didn’t have change for my 1,000 Dram bill. This was hardly a surprise after such a surly exchange with someone who had clearly been beaten with the bad attitude stick that very morning. I couldn’t find change in my bag, so he kept the extra money and agreed that he’d give me a discount for the next ride. I didn’t hold my breath.
This encounter bothered me far longer than warranted. After all, he must be hurting more than I to be so defensive. Maybe it stuck with me because I rarely have problems with taxi drivers or any service providers in Armenia.
Later that day, when I needed a taxi, I asked the first driver I saw if he’d have change for my ride before sitting in the car—I’d learned my lesson. I told the driver the story and asked if I had somehow been out of line that morning. He clearly felt terrible about my bad experience and embarked on a mission to right his disgruntled compatriot’s wrong. I offered that perhaps the earlier driver had had a bad experience with some foreigner or Diasporan Armenian so now he has a chip on his shoulder. “That’s no excuse,” he said, then argued that we should not let our past define our future interactions and that we should always strive to be good. He went out of his way to get change on the way, nearly walked me to the door of my destination, wouldn’t accept the modest tip I normally give, and emphasized with a smile that it had been his pleasure. Quite the juxtaposition of personalities in a single day.
But the driver with a grudge came through in the end when he gave me a ride two days later. We didn’t speak after I stated my destination, and when we had arrived I offered him the balance of what I owed him for the two rides. No attitude this time. Maybe we’re good now, I thought.
Lo and behold, it was his turn at the taxi stand again when I walked across the street the next day. Neither of us could suppress our smiles thinking of our brief and tenuous relationship. “So,” he said, leaning comically on his car in front of another taxi driver, “tell me where we’re going today so they can tell me how to get there.” “Same place as the first time,” I said, “and I’ve got exact change today.”
En route, I learned that he had graduated from law school two years ago, which explained a lot about his attitude toward his work, even if it didn’t justify it. I was glad to have a second chance—well, third—to understand this guy’s story. There’s an Armenian saying that seemed apropos for the situation. Lezu gtnel—to find a language with someone. You might say that he and I found a language. Finally.
When people ask me what I’ve learned in Armenia, I often say that I have honed the ability to consider everything from someone else’s perspective. “One Armenian, two opinions,” they say. Ambiguity, after all, is all around us and requires a certain level of patience and curiosity to live with it comfortably. Understanding doesn’t come immediately, and you have to look for it. I couldn’t ask for a more important lesson than that.
Kristi Rendahl
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Kristi jan, I couldn’t have said it better. This put this into perspective after a frustrating day.
Kristi, if only Turkey and Armenian could find a language! Please keep writing.
Lovely story, I wish we had many more like this one!
Outstanding article!
Dear Kristi,
We (USA) spread around the “Global Economy” and some of us by sending our businesses out there are enjoying the fruits of the cheap labor where that “Labor” is paid by “Local” rates but spends on “Global” rates for living.
My suggestion for those who are traveling to those countries is, just remember we are paying at least $25 + tip going from Glendale to Burbank airport, 600 Dram is nothing they burn that much gas for you, don’t be cheap; be generous; I’m not saying as charity; No; just pay by the “Global” fair values, or something in the middle.
Once upon a time and old lady arrived in Yerevan Airport, as soon as she put foot on the ground she came down to her knees and kissed the soil and while down there raised hands, looking up; talking to her God said “Hoghit Mernem” , she stood up and noticed her bag is gone; looked up, raised hands again and said “Goghit el Mernem” .
She had a big heart; didn’t she?……
Good to read your writing..Kristi
Did anyone have doubts that your write ups would be intresting?
We also know that most lawyers have attitude all over the world. I had to take an entire 2 yr. course and become a Paralegal just to be able to deal with lawyers.
For those of us who have never been to Armenia…reading this sort of article is even more interesting and important.
Be encouraged Kristi…keep writing, exposing the good-&-bad. We need to keep learning.
Thank you.
G
Thanks for your warm comments, everyone.
Kristi, you did the right thing. Armenian businesses have to learn to cater to the customer. “The customer is always right.”
This is necessary if more tourists are to go to Armenia and have a good experience.
In the end, with a bad attitude, service people will wind up poorer, not better off. So sympathy toward people who give you bad service is counterproductive.
Now, the last time I went to Armenia and then to Artsakh, the border crossing station into Artsakh was in terrible shape. What bothered me the most was the awful old-style hole-in-the-ground toilet in a small outhouse.
This is sure to convince any non-Armenian official who goes through that checkpoint that Artsakh is a lousy little backward outpost instead of a proud and modern state.
The checkpoint should be a clean, modern building, even if small, with flowers planted all around it. There should be a little tourist kiosk and a big welcome sign in differant languages. And there should be clean, modern, Western-style toilets.
How mcu would this cost? Very little.
Has anyone been to that checkpoint lately? Is the situation still as I described it?
With due respect, I disagree with Osik’s standspoints. I thing he/she is confusing things. Giving tips or not asking the change back is somethnig that happens often, especially by foreigners, but the point was that the driver took Kristi in without himself having an idea where to bring her to. This is bad service in the first place and bad service is not good publicity for service suppliers and the country as a whole. You may be as generous as you like, but that’s not how the economy works.
Also, the story that he/she is telling about the old woman who was even happy when her luggage was stolen at her first visit to her land of dreams, to suggest that it is an example of generosity, shows that this dear “hayrenakits” has missed the spirit and the purpose of the story. This is a rather derisive story told to redicule the bad habits of Soviet times, to warn the then would-be visitors and not to give an example of the visitor’s “goodheartedness”.
Voghjuyn.
You guys are trying to take our standards from here (USA) with you and implement there over night, isn’t she writing these comments thinking she is doing a service for our country? Yes she does thinking all government people in Armenia are waiting to read visitors comments to take proper actions to change the systems, Heh… wishful thinking, or maybe I’m not up to date and after too many visitors complained the police doesn’t stop cars & taxis anymore on the way back from the Airport to collect his cut from the driver.
Guys I don’t think that they have learning centers for teaching and certifying Taxi drivers like we do here; everyone learns by doing it and everybody was like him at the beginning I’m sure he is a very shy young man most probably never talked to a beautiful “ODAR” lady like she is and for a moment he forgot everything that he knew about his profession.
Come-on guys give me a break, I’ve never been To Armenia but learning from others who’ve been there, their Taxi system works like this “you give me the directions I’ll drive for you” that’s their system and what we are doing in front of our computers from our remote locations; will not even make a dent on their systems, and if somehow they learn about what we are doing here; they will be paralyzed from laughing on us.
That’s right Dear Arsen; Osik is my nickname; and no one calls me by my real name Hovsep.
In my entire comment I was trying to say how desperate our people are to put bread on their table and how unrealistic is our comments to try to fix their systems from here, and how should we behave when we travel to Armenia and regardless how patriotic we are and how many times we travel to Armenia; it is between them and their government and if you ask me by writing these columns what are we doing from here?
As Bob Dylan said
THE ANSWER MY FRIEND IS BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND
THE ANSWER IS BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND.
I put that USSR era joke at the very end for a happy ending; but I’m sorry to say that you looked at the empty part of the glass only; because what I was trying to pass along was in those days where traveling was not easy specially to inside the “Iron Curtain” and how unimaginable was for a poor women of that age to travel with all her belongings in a small luggage; and then how exited she was to see the Motherland of her dreams; that even didn’t care about her belongings.
I know this story from my teen years and I always remember this as a show of extreme Patriotism, not love of USSR and not about being generous; because her everything was stolen not donated but she didn’t care because her goal was what she was dreaming to do for all her life and that was traveling to the Motherland and kiss her soil.
The only thing that didn’t fit in my comment was “Generosity” and if I used it I was wrong because the whole deal was 600AD not $600 and the handed currency was 1000AD not $1000, we are talking about less than $3 bill and less than $1 change man… if you do that to any metropolitan taxi driver they will throw that back on your face, last winter I was visiting Tehran where from the time I left the currencies were drastically changed, one day I went to a “Net Café” to check my emails and on my exit by mistake I handed him a very small bill which by looking at the number of the zeros to the right of the digit was equal to my old time one week pay, the guy gave me a sarcastic smiled and said “Hh… Sir, a beggar won’t take this”, most probably this lady (which apparently everybody knows her but me) was in the same situation and the number of zeros confused her too, otherwise they have their own system and we the visitors are not there to educate them, just go there; when you are happy an having a good time then make them happy too and come back, that’s it.
Best Regards.
Hi Kristi
NIce to hear some stories from Yerevan.
This taxi problems occurs in every place specially if they notice you are a foreigner.
Recently I am visiting Chicago , almost every day we are using taxis.
I will tell many problems we faced in a civilized state like USA.
First one happened on Sunday we were going to Church,
the driver kept spitting out of his door and window many times.
may be he was fasting Ramadan and charged us more than we expected.
Second one, when a young driver was driving so fast before reaching Michigan St
he entered between two cars and his left side of the car was damaged which was on my side,
I could not open the door to come out.
Third problem and forth; some drivers they go zig-zag ways to charge more
and some they claim they don’t have change; like the story of yours.
I would like to say that Chicago has dirtiest taxis.Taxis of Bedouins are cleaner in Gulf.
Endless books can be written about stories of taxis.
As you travel from place to place,
We learn about attitude of people more and more
Till you get old
And no longer can travel
To sit at home
And want to remember your stories
That flied away.
But left happiness in your life.
Sylva
Kristi
I like to tell this story from Arabian Gulf, i heard it many times.
Few years ago, a newly wed Arab couple went to honeymoon to Istanbul, as usual the newly wed bride was wearing expensive jewels, they hired a taxi to see the city;when both sat in the car the husband forgot his ‘Book’ (the Arabs in Gulf areas use this word for their purse), so he stopped the taxi went back to fetch the book from his hotel room, when he returned back the taxi disappeared with his bride… till today no body knows about her.
Dear Kristi, if you meet Arabs from the Arabian Gulf region, almost all of them know about this story.
Sylva
To Osik/Hovsep
First of all I am not from USA, for the good or bad of it. Secondly, I don’t think it is correct to say that whatever we say in these columns will have no effect and will not change things in Armenia. You may be sure that many compatriots in Armenia are reading these comments. Many of them appreciate it and many do want to know what the outside world thinks of them. I know that by experience as I have been to Armenia for about 15 times. Every time I go, I see things changing, albeit at a slow pace, but still. You don’t see for instance traffic police taking bribes from drivers for no apparant violation. At least, I didn’t see this during my last two visits, whereas in the years after independence and way after that this ugly phenomenon was a daily recurrent incidence.
To your surprise, I may add that I have been even criticised by my relatives and friends there to have paid more than the normal rate to drivers or other service suppliers. They say that way we spoil them, they get into the habbit of asking more also of them and that makes their lives (more) difficult.
So, if you have never been to Armenia, I would advise you to go just once and see everything with your eyes before advising others how we should look at things there.
Lastly, about the story, or the joke, on the old woman. It is really a joke, a mocking story about how the Soviet system worked and about the helplessness of a visitor in the given situation. I have heared this joke many times, like you, since my youth in Tehran, that is, since the relative improvement of Soviet and Iranian relations (from the 70’s) when Iranian-Armenians could visit their relatives in the ancestral land. As far as I can remember, it has never been told so romantically “to teach patriotism” as on hearing it everyone would smile derisively. No one in his right sense would beleive that anyone, even a patriotic old woman, would react like that in the described situation.
Anyone knowing Armenian would have grasped the story’s humor: “hoghit mernem, goghit mernem” (let me be sacrificed for your soil, let me sacrificed for your thief).
Enough for now.
Kristi, I am new to your blog and the articles that you have written about Armenia. You have been given a gift; namely,you have the ability to share your experiences in a well written style that inspires me and others to want more from you. You write with a passion that brings the streets of Armenia alive with your interpretation and nuance. Love that.
Ed