Surprise? Armenians like to gawk

by Maria Titizian

Published: Saturday July 07, 2007 in Living in Armenia

Being the unpaid tour guide that I am, I have on many occasions taken friends and family to various locales throughout Armenia.

The idea of showcasing my chosen country to anyone who cared to come along for the ride was fun, I dare say exhilarating in the beginning. Of course the novelty has worn off and now this traipsing throughout the country feels more like a chore. That is except if the destination is Dilidjan, one of my favorite places in Armenia.

It's about an hour and a half journey by car from Yerevan and to get there you first pass Tsakhkadzor and then Lake Sevan, and finally hurdle through a newly constructed mountain tunnel. The tunnel is so long and dimly lit that I always end up holding my breath for fear that a stray cow will suddenly cross my path; that is until we emerge into the splendor of Dilidjan.

Nestled among lush mountains this little town which houses the Armenian Composer's Union summer retreat, has a rich cultural history and tradition and was a haven of cultural activity in the 1960's hosting composers such as Mirzoyan and Benjamin Britton.

This particular route is one I have traversed many times. Leaving the heat and dust behind in Yerevan in the summer is a welcome reprieve and heading to what can be considered Armenia's cottage country is one I always look forward to.

The road this year however hasn't been kind to me. A few months ago while driving to Dilidjan with friends we were in a serious car crash. Luckily no one was severely injured but the car was totaled and has yet to be repaired. And all this was because a young man decided to drive at speeds which would make Schumacher blush.

The accident just on the outskirts of Yerevan caused quite a stir because in my stupor at the time I remember being surrounded by a lot of curious bystanders. I thought this gathering was prompted by the fact that both cars were badly damaged along with their passengers. As it turns out the seriousness of the accident was not the only reason for such curiosity.

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A few days ago while returning from Tsaghgadzor, again with friends, we came upon what can only be called a pathetic spectacle of our insatiable desire to bear witness to tragedy.

There's a winding downhill pass on the way back to Yerevan which has become a Mecca for accidents. It is not an uncommon sight to see makeshift floral memorials set up here and there along this lonely stretch of highway.

This time a car had crashed through the flimsy guardrail and plummeted to the valley below. Tragic as it was, the oddly sickening thing was that at least 50 cars had stopped not to help but to gawk. Most of the onlookers were men, but then I saw women with little children jumping out of their cars and literally running toward the edge of the steep valley as a treacherous wind blew all around. All of this out of sheer curiosity to see what had happened.

Our group was traveling in two cars and the driver of our car also stopped to go and take a look. I was mortified and refused to budge. When my friend returned I let my uneasiness be known. He tried to sound apologetic all the while admitting that this voyeurism is not uncommon. Although people in Armenia are always ready to lend a helping hand to someone in need, this display had nothing to do with being a Good Samaritan.

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I suppose in hindsight I shouldn't have been surprised. When we first came here people's curious stares always caught me off guard in the beginning.

I remember my daughter asking me on several occasions why everyone was staring at us. I used to think that ‘spyurkahay' was emblazoned on our foreheads until I realized that staring or being curious is simply a curious pastime here.

I learned to ignore the stares but it still unnerves me sometimes. Whether it's human instinct or whether we have been conditioned to want to watch, stare and gawk, it's a phenomenon which isn't specific to Armenia.

While visiting my family in Canada last month all I would see on television were reality based shows. Whatever the reason that compels us to want to see other people's conflicts, tragedies or problems and regardless of geography, it's a brave, new world which I'm still struggling to comprehend and make sense of.