(Ab)Normalities in Armenia

A normal sight in the street every evening: the cows coming home.

There are some things that after you encounter them once or twice, just become your new “normal.” Such is the case in Armenia, where if you don’t just learn to accept things (always be flexible!), you will go crazy from exclaiming every time something “abnormal” happens. The following is a short list of my new normal.

• They don’t use plastic wrap here to cover leftovers. If they cover them at all, they re-use plastic grocery bags. Why not?
• Instead of a “brown bag” lunch, they pack their lunches in gift bags. What better way to re-use a gift bag? It’s like getting a present every day at noon! (Right, Kim?)
• Driving down the road, it’s normal for the vehicle you’re in to swerve every which way, looking for the most even pavement to drive on. And it’s normal to see a car coming in your lane and to just keep moving straight forward, because as soon as they get around the pothole on their side, they’ll get back in their own lane.
• The cows come home around 7:00. They will block traffic for a little while, but it’s expected.
• The goats cause the same traffic jams when they come home in the evening.
• Power goes out regularly. Just wait, it will come back on. Eventually. The longest I’ve waited is a day and a half.
• Water, too, often stops running. Vochinch. Shower tomorrow. Or the next day. Do laundry later. Let dishes pile up. The water will be back. But, oddly enough, when there is water, they often just leave it running. (Sometimes now, it seems like a whole lot of hassle to turn the tap on and off. Much easier to just leave it on. And then you can just look and see if water “ka” (is there) or chka.)
• Oh yeah, and gas. There may be a few days every now and then without that, too.
• Public transportation is crowded. A stranger will make room for you to sit on their lap.
• Men kiss each other’s cheeks when they meet.
• Coffee is served in tiny little cups, and you just get one cup per sitting. But don’t worry, there will be many cups served every day, especially if you go visiting.
• Old clothes are used as rags for cleaning. The difference between this and what I’m used to, is they don’t rip up the clothes first. So you might use a child’s skirt or a whole pair of tights to wash the walls, for example.
• These same clothes are also used for “welcome mats.” Don’t forget to wipe your feet on that man’s shirt before entering the room.
• Gold teeth. Very, very common, especially in the older people. When they smile, you are often flashed by a mouthful of gold winking out at you.
• Men squatting on their haunches. Instead of standing around talking, they are usually squatting and eating sunflower seeds and talking.

Even when there are brand new benches to sit on, some Armenians would rather squat.

It’s these things, and more, that can catch you off-guard when you encounter them for the first time—when you have forgotten for a moment that you are in a foreign country.

For me, they have quickly become a part of my every day, but I’m sure that as I go on these next two years, my list of “normal” will continue to change so that when I get back to the United States, I will have quite the time re-learning what used to be the norm!