People still hope

by Armenian Reporter staff

Published: Saturday March 08, 2008

Yerevan - With six of the 20 days of the state of emergency in Yerevan gone, and the first shock seemingly lessened, the city seems to have recovered from its deadly stillness of last Sunday.

Apart from the armed soldiers encircling the Opera House in the heart of Yerevan, and similar army presence seen at other locations, a walk in the city gives the impression that life is back to its normal course.

Except that the look on the faces of the people. At any given bus stop, you cannot help but notice expressions of despair and overhearing bits of chattering and whispered opinions on what transpired a few days ago.

"We are in a great depression," said Gohar Arslanyan, 31. "I don't know what to say. I still don't believe that we were capable of such a thing. At the Battle of Avarair (against the Persians, 450 C.E.,) the Persians made the elephants drink wine to be able to act in such a mad state. I still cannot understand the nature and the extent of the aggressiveness that made an Armenian kill another Armenian."

Gohar said that the current situation and the imposed state of emergency in Yerevan did not affect her everyday life greatly, expect that "now we are having more nervous breakdowns than ever. We feel so humiliated," she said.

"There is nothing positive in all that is happening now," said Gohar's friend, Ina Gagikyan, 30. Moreover, she does not expect anything good to happen to our country, she said with a sad smile.

"These events made us know the real faces of everyone," said an 18-year-old student who did not wish to reveal his name. Although his daily routine and schedules have not changed at all under the state of emergency, he said he and his family and friends are all in a panic and follow the news more attentively.

"It is just that now people are even more aggressive in their conduct," said Karik Karapetyan, 45. The past week did not bring anything new to his life, expect feelings of embarrassment. "Instead of progressing, we went back to climbing trees."

Nothing has changed in the routine of Meline Mkrtchyan, 24, except that now there is "a horrible melancholy everywhere. I did not vote for the elected president, but in any case, I do not think that matters should be settled this way. There might have been some other way to defend your judgments. Now what do we have? People in grief."

In spite of everything, there is hope still surviving in people. This time, it is hope that "the worst is over."