Now that I’ve been in Armenia for just under six months, I’m starting to adjust to the new culture I live in.

“Arten hay es Meri jan” is something that I hear more and more “Mary, you’re already Armenian.”

Here is a list of things that were first shocks, but have become normal after living in Hayastan for a while.

1. Kids don’t have bed times here
   • Armenians stay up late, and bed times don’t really exist for children here. People go to bed late in the evening, past 11:30pm. Especially in the summer, when the only cool time of day is after dark. It’s common for amusement parks and fountains to be open late, crowded with young families well into the evening. 7 o’clock bed times don’t exist here. American cities and towns go to sleep around 7pm, that’s when Armenian towns start to wake up.
2. Russian first, American last.
   • It’s clear from taking a look at me that I am not Armenian. In stores, taxis & on the street I am greeted with ‘Zdravstvuyte’ before Hello. People ask if I am Russian at least once a day. Then they ask if I am French. Then when I say I am American, they say I must be Armenian-American because it is very uncommon to see foreigners speaking Armenian. Something that was an adjustment here is realizing English is not the lingua franca, Russian is.
3. THE FRIEND OF MY FRIEND IS MY ENEMY?
   • Most of Armenia’s products are sourced from Iran and Russia. These are also Armenia’s two closest geopolitical allies. Famously they’re also America’s ‘bad guys.’ These two nations are considered as the biggest threats to freedom as America views it, for Armenia, Russia and Iran are how this land locked nation maintains its position.
4. Intergenerational Homes
   • Armenian families live under one roof. Not only that, multiple family members might share one room together. In America, it’s common to have your own bedroom, or share it with a sibling. In my home, my host sister, grandmother & my eight year old host brother all share a bedroom. Homes here are always loud & full of love
5. Military Service
   • Military service is not optional in Armenia. When young men reach the age of 18, they must serve in the military. Where I live, it’s common to see young soldiers dressed in uniform walking in the street.
6. Nationwide Sweet Tooth
   • Armenians love sweets and they are omnipresent at every meal. You cannot go a day here without eating something sweet. Armenians especially love ice cream, which they call by the Russian name marozhni. Neighborhood stores in Armenia have coolers lining the street, filled with ice cream for you to take your pick of. In America ice cream is a treat, here it is habit
7. Driving
   • Say a prayer before you drive on Armenian roads. As a volunteer, I’m not allowed to drive but I’m a passenger in taxis often. Drivers here have a death wish. There seems to be an absence of traffic laws. When I first came to Armenia, I was white knuckling every ride. Now when my driver passes three cars in the oncoming traffic lane, I don’t blink an eye.
8. Sovac chmnas
   • ‘Don’t stay hungry’— One of the worst things you can do here is leave the house without eating something. At home I’d have an iced coffee to start my day, and maybe not eat until 1-2pm. Here I have 3 meals a day, with ice cream and snacks in between. Family members notice if you haven’t ate and will inquire about it. I miss the feeling of being hungry.
9. Public Transport
   • Public transport is widely accessible in Armenia, but not always reliable. Marshutkas (mini busses) run in between villages and they cost 100 dr to ride. ($0.25). These busses even go to villages of less than 400 people. For an American, this blew my mind, public transport like this this just doesn’t exist back home.
10. Cursing
    • One of the best parts of learning to speak a new language is learning how to curse. I don’t know a single curse word in Armenian. In French I know them all, saying putain is as casual as ça va. Here, it’s culturally inappropriate for women to swear, and even more inappropriate for men to swear in front of women. It’s something that could get you into a lot of trouble.
11. No Spicy Food 😦
    • My diet has changed since moving here, I eat delicious fresh fruit and vegetables, but at this point I would kill for some spicy Korean BBQ. Armenians do not like spicy food. Which breaks my heart.
12. Family Structure
    • It took me about a month and a half to understand how my host family is structured. Armenian kin structure is different than American kin structure. For example, you call your cousins brother and sister in Armenian. You don’t have an aunt and uncle, you have your mother’s sister & your father’s sister, mother’s brother & father’s brother. All of these family roles have unique words to describe how you’re related.
13. APPEARANCES MATTER
    • Armenians dress different than Americans, and this was something that I immediately noticed after arriving here. Armenians tend to dress in black or white. Women take their grooming very seriously, wear their hair long, and always have their nails done. Plastic surgery is very common here. Men don’t put the same care into their appearance as women do, but wearing designer brands is a status symbol here.
14. PHONE CALLS
    • Armenians will call each other over the smallest thing. Sometimes just to ask ‘lav es? inch es anum?’ How are you, what are you doing? No question or event is too small to call about. When I got sick during PST, everyone in my host family instantly knew, since they all called each other to talk about it. People never turn their ringers off, and phone calls never go to voicemail here. I’ve also noticed a lot of people have a setting on their phone that makes their flashlight go off when they get a call. People pick up the phone any time, any place.
15. COMPLIMENTS
    • Armenians are much more complimentary than Americans. It’s very common to hear people comment on your appearance if you are wearing nicer clothes than usual, or do your makeup. As a younger woman, people often tell me that they think I am beautiful. It’s a nice change from home.
16. INTERIORS/EXTERIORS
    • One thing I love about Armenia are how peoples homes are decorated. On the outside, Armenian homes look very modest. There are a lot of leftover soviet bloc apartments. Houses are constructed of cinderblock, and might have tin roofs. Not a lot of detail or attention is paid to the outside, except for people’s front doors and gates. When you walk into an Armenian home, the inside is extremely comfortable, homey and beautiful. There’s a high level of contrast between the exterior and interior.
17. CAFES ON EVERY CORNER
    • Coffee stands exist on almost every corner in Armenian towns and cities. I couldn’t believe how many were here when I first arrived, now a part of my daily routine is stopping at one of these windows to order an iced americano on my way to work (after my morning cup of armenian coffee of course). The best part of this is that a matcha latte costs $2.50.
18. LOITERING MEN
    • A lot of the time you’ll just see men standing around and socializing here. They hang out around coffee houses, car washes, stores and street corners. If they’re older, they might be sitting playing chess, durak, or nardi (backgammon). Armenian men are much more physically affectionate than American men. You might see them holding hands, walking arm in arm, leaning on each other, or having their arms on each others shoulders.
19. LITTER
    • Something that is an unfortunate issue in Armenia is littering. It’s very common to see large amounts of litter, often in natural areas. At the same time, city centers are kept extremely clean. The streets are washed and swept daily.
20. STARING
    • Staring is the norm here. As a foreigner who does not look Armenian, I am stared at a lot. Sometimes walking outside makes me feel like a fish in a bowl. Armenians also just stare in general, it’s not considered rude like it is in the United States
21. ARMENIA IS THE SIZE OF MARYLAND
    • Hayastan is tiny. This is something I’m still having trouble realizing. I live in the second largest city in Armenia, which is only 1.5hrs from the capitol. The second largest city in Armenia is the same size of Ann Arbor, to put that into perspective for my Michiganders. Today Yerevan was 102 degrees, in my site, it was only 80. Not only does the weather vary drastically, but dialects of Armenian vary greatly. The dialect spoken where I live is completely different from that of Yerevan, or Vanadzor which is only an hour away from me. There was an uphill battle when I started to learn it. But now I say ‘sirem gy’ instead of ‘sirum em’ when I like something.
22. SEEING MOUNTAINS EVERYDAY
    • I’m from Michigan and I have to drive to the UP, or down to Ohio if I want to see any sort of variation in the terrain. Here, you are never not near mer sarere (our mountains). Seeing these mountains everyday is now normal to me, but no less beautiful.