I was excited enough before leaving home that i was going to Armenia, but i would be even more excited if i happened to know the adventure that awaited me.
After coming from the conference in Turkey, i was already exhausted, and a trip to Armenia was waiting for me in 2 days. After doing some stuff in Brussels, the time has come for me to pack my stuff. I was going to go to Paris first and fly from there, while it was the cheapest option.
After arriving to Paris, i spent some time by walking around the city, and seeing some places that i have already seen before. I tooke the metro to the airport and realized that i got off at the wrong staation, which made me lost 30mins. After finding the right platform, i was seriously short of time. I ran to the check in and saw the huge line in front of me. After some waiting, it was only 40 mins that my plane would leave. When i asked the responsible when is the last check in time, he said it is 1 hour latest. However, because of the big line, they were flexible and checked me in. After some painful security check with people taking every object one by one and rather slowly, i started dashing towards the gate, while they were already admitting passengers in. I got on the plane safe and sound, and thought that would be the end of my adventures for today. I was mistaken…
After a nice trip, i have landed in Yerevan airport. I went to the visa booth, while for Armenia you can get a visa at the airport, regardless which passport you have. After going there, the official told me that my type of passport ( Diplomatic ) doesnt need a visa, and directed me to the passport booth. After i went to the booth, the lady took my passport, looked at it, making it quite obvious that she had never seen that type of passport before, and left the booth without saying any word. I understood that my adventures for today had just begun…
The lady came back with a higher ranking official, who happened to speak Turkish ( sort of ). He told me that with my passport, i cant get a visa at the airport, and i should have gotten it before coming. I tried to explain him that no such thing is written anywhere, and gave him the number of the project coordinator in Armenia, that can be of help. The official told that the only way for me to enter is a letter from the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, but it was a funny request to make at 21.00, while every single government building is closed at 17.00. Yet, the coordinator used his contacts and contacted some people in the FA, meanwhile in the customs, i was trying to find out what was going on, while the official wasnt telling a word, leaving me in complete blankness and ignorance about the situation. Since the official spoke no English nor German too, it was impossible to learn what was the situation. I was waiting for my destiny already for 1 hour now, losing hope more and more as time goes by.
Finally another lady came and told me in English that i need that letter. Afterwards 6 police officers surrounded me, and started discussing about sending me back to Istanbul, and i started explaining them that i live in Brussels, not Istanbul anymore. When i was at the end of my limit, the same officer who spoke Turkish took me from my arm and asked me to follow him, without saying anything else. I thought i was going to be either imprisoned or expelled, yet he tooke me to the passport line. He pointed towards the entrance and said ‘ Go ‘. I was surprised, because he was asking me to enter Armenia, without any stamp or visa in my passport. I wanted to ask the reason, but he interrupted me and said ‘ Davay ( Go ) ‘. I obeyed and entered. After picking up my bag that waited me for 2 hours, i saw my name and the driver that waited for me for 2 hours as well. When i approached him, he asked me ‘ Problema ? ‘, i answered ‘ Da ‘
Armenia is a country with high potential, yet little chances. It has borders with Russia, Georgia, Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan, while they have closed borders with the latest two countries. Especially between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the high tension still continues. Because of the border problems, the trade between countries is much less than it can be, But still i saw many Turkish products, especially textile, on Armenian market shelves.
Since i was in Armenia without a visa, nor stamp, i was actually non-existent, which meant, if i happened to die that moment, i would be dead nowhere, since i wasnt in Armenia theoratically. Hence, i had to get a visa from the FA. We went to Yerevan the next day, gave our documents, and got the visa in a day. My friend told me, ‘ Welcome to Armenia finally ‘.
In the process of changing, Armenia is still under heavy influence of the Soviet era, having many building left form that time, especially in the suburbs.p Almost everybody speaks Russian, and they have very good relations with Russia.
The training was nice with nice people, mostly Russian speaking. I tried to do my best with plain English and teach them as much as possible about youth work, application and projects. But the main things was, the time each participants spent knowing each other, experiencing Armenian culture, and of course, establishing future contacts.
I dont know if i will ever go to Armenia again, while there are many countries waiting in the line. But i can say that it was definitely worth the experience.
