Women, Housing, and Garbage

I feel like I was bombarded with so many new things over the past few days.  When I did my orientation with the volunteer place, they had told me that after a few weeks, I would begin to feel overwhelmed.  I feel it.  So I apologize in advance for being all over the place with this post. 

Women

On Friday, they were interviewing for interns at my office.   Apparently, one of the applicants, a 19 year-old university student, began working at a very large corporation in February this year as a receptionist and quit the job in July as a Human Resources Manager. I was talking to two of my female colleagues, and they were laughing that this 19 year-old, inexperienced girl had gone from being a receptionist to an HR manager in 6 months.  I said it was obvious that she lied on her resume.  The looked at me and said it was obvious she was sleeping with her boss.   Apparently, these wealthier men begin sleeping with their employees.  They promote them and pay them more so that they are essentially paying to keep them.  Both are educated and intelligent women, and both told me their personal experiences of being passed up for promotions. 

I don’t know what to think about this.  This happens everywhere, not just in Armenia.  But they tell me it’s quite common in Armenia.  We sort of joke about this kind of thing back home, so I have no idea how common it is in North America!  I just thought it was interesting that my two colleagues didn’t even consider that the applicant could have lied on her resume.  I think in North America, we would just assume it was a lie rather than conclude she was sleeping with the boss.  This topic is something else I need to dig into.  Next weekend, I am going to be attending a seminar about Women in Armenia.  Maybe I can get some clarification. 

The subject of Armenian women also came up in the context of marriage.  One of the locals who works at the volunteer organization told me that when a man and woman are engaged, it’s considered normal for a man’s parents to bribe doctors to see the woman’s medical records.  That way, they can ensure she has no diseases and that she is a virgin.  WHAT?  I don’t know what to think of this.  To a certain extent, I can understand the absence of the rule of law.  Armenia is still an emerging democracy.  But no doctor-patient confidentiality?  The relationship between doctor and patient is so important.  How can a doctor heal a patient who is to afraid to say what is wrong?  If the relationship isn’t built on trust, how does it work?   What about the Hippocratic Oath?  I wonder to what extent attorney-client privilege exists.  There’s an organization similar to a Bar Association in Yerevan.  I think I need to try and make some friends there, because I don’t even know how to begin researching these issues!  There are so many things we don’t even think twice about in North America… like freedoms, privacy laws, and professional confidences! 

Housing

Yesterday morning, I had breakfast with two expats (one from Montreal and one from California).   We went to Artbridge, which as many people who have visited Yerevan know, is a small café on Abovyan street that always has different works of art hanging from the walls.  The pieces hanging on the walls this week were from a photographer who focused on something called Domiks.  A Domik is a shipping container that has been converted into temporary housing.  Well, they are supposed to be temporary, but people live in them.  They don’t usually have amenities, such as running water.  They are also very thin, so people hang carpets on the walls to keep the dampness out. 

After the earthquake in 1988, people were put in these domiks until apartments and homes could be rebuilt.  But it seems that many of these families are still there.  The quality of construction is equivalent of  the favelas of Brazil or the villa miserias of Argentina.  The big difference is that, unlike the slums of South America, there is no gang violence, and the Domiks seem to be more spread out in rural areas.  I saw so many of these on my last trip when we went around the country.  But I never saw one up close.  And I didn’t realize they were shipping containers!  I am ashamed to say that I thought some of them were barns or sheds. 

I don’t think I am naïve.  I have travelled quite a bit, and I’ve seen poverty before.   When I was 8 years-old, my parents took me to Venezuela.  On a trip to Caracas, I saw the slums on the hillsides.  I remember commenting in shock to my mother that they had no windows.  All these years later, the memory is as clear as day.  That was the first time I saw poverty.  Perhaps this is where my fascination with property came from. 

When I returned to South America in 2007, I learned more about South American slums.  If anyone is interested, there is an excellent film about Brazilian slums called City of God.  It’s not an easy film to watch, but it is a good depiction of how people survive in these difficult places.  In any case, after learning about the favelas and villa miserias, I wanted to write a paper about it to fulfill one of my law school graduation requirements.  One of the Brazilian professors who had been a guest lecturer had mentioned that that the favelas are built on lands that are not owned, and the Brazilian government, in an effort to help alleviate poverty, had started some kind of program to deed those lands to the people who live on them.   The idea was that people could use the land as collateral and borrow money to start businesses.  The lands are usually on the sides of hills and other such undesirable locations.  If I remember correctly, I believe there was also an adverse possession theory behind the giving of these lands to the people who live on them.  To be honest, I don’t know for sure if this was the professor’s suggestion, or if the Brazilian government had actually started such a program.  Regardless, it was something that interested me, and I desperately wanted to know more.  I abandoned the idea of writing the paper, because I had a very difficult time finding any information in English.  Property law is dry enough to begin with, having to decipher the Brazilian Code would have taken too much time for the deadlines I had.  Instead, I wrote an article about workforce housing in Destin, Florida.  It was also an interesting topic, but the issue of housing in developing nations doesn’t compare to the types of issues we have in North America.  In any case, I seem to be drawn to housing issues for whatever reason.  I keep wondering about the Brazilian model, and whether it would be possible to bring some of those ideas to Armenia.  Perhaps we can learn something from those who are similarly situated.  It makes me wonder. 

Garbage

Anyone who has been to Armenia knows that the country is buried in garbage.  People routinely throw things out the window and on the ground.  The other day, I saw someone throw a tissue on the ground right next to the bright orange trash can!  I just don’t understand it.  I am trying to do my best to not judge and just understand the culture.  But I can’t comprehend this.  I can’t justify it based on any kind of logic.  I can’t even attribute it to something cultural!  I just don’t get it. 

In any case, today was International Volunteer Day, and we went around the city of Yerevan with bags and picked up trash.  My friend and I filled two huge black garbage bags by going around ONE city block…. And this was a block with embassies and a hospital!  Here are some of the things we found… glass and plastic bottles, cigarette butts, empty cigarette packs, papers, used diapers, used feminine products, toys, clothes, bags, milk containers, food, glasses, plastic and glass cups, plastic containers, cardboard, metal pieces, an empty box of Barf, etc.  I also found a number of trash bags full of garbage just dumped near bushes or trees.  Why would someone just leave it on the side of the road rather than walking it across the street to the dumpster?  It’s across the street!  The dumpsters are all over the place! 

Anyway, I think it was a good effort. A lot of people stared, but who cares.  My friend said that he hoped those people staring at us will think twice the next time they want to throw something on the ground.  I don’t know if all the people who saw us will be affected.  But I believe change comes in small doses, and I think there will definitely be at least one person who saw us today who will think twice next time!   That’s good enough for me.  One step at a time… one person at a time. 

Domik for sale near Dilijan.  I took it on my last trip.