Hospitable people, mountain views from almost every window, a thousand-year history and excellent cognac – tourists eagerly list the advantages of sunny Armenia. And only those who have lived in this country for more than one month begin to notice that there are also enough minuses here. Continuously smoking local, wild prices for certain categories of goods, garbage underfoot and nepotism are just some of them. What else you need to be prepared for when moving to Armenia, the meticulous “Subtleties” found out. There is no central heating in Armenian houses, residents start gas boilers, and in the private sector – “potbelly stoves”. At the same time, gas is expensive: in cold weather, you can give up to 45,000 AMD per month (fortunately, there are no long frosts here). Electricity is also more expensive than in Russia: a kilowatt costs almost 45 AMD during the day, and 35 AMD at night. In addition, even Yerevan will not please with an abundance of new buildings, like Moscow. And in small towns there are a lot of really dilapidated housing, and even “grandmother's repair” will seem like luck there – after all, it will still be a repair. Pedestrians and drivers from other, non-Caucasian countries, the driving style of the locals seems barbaric. In Armenia, they look for specialists, work or apartments on the recommendation, they must be listened to. But it is not accepted to conclude contracts for work here. “Why these formalities, friend?” the local smiles and promises to do everything in the best possible way. But they do everything differently: somewhere you manage to get a completely suitable service, and somewhere you have to admit that you just spent money, and even your phone, car, hair were ruined – and there is nowhere to apply for damages. But dentistry and plastic surgery in Armenia are considered relatively inexpensive and of high quality. 1. Features of the housing sector
2. Services and formalities
3. Natural and national unrest
Mainly, we are talking about earthquakes. Armenia is located in a seismic zone, periodic shaking is not uncommon here. And a serious earthquake that destroyed a couple of cities occurred in the not so distant 1988. Mudflows and avalanches also occur on villages, large-scale downpours. In the warm season, the sun is very active in the country, the heat is not well tolerated due to unaccustomed. Of the national and interethnic unrest, the realities of Armenia are the smoldering conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, where the situation periodically escalates, and the prerequisites for a revolution (the tense situation was in 2018).
Armenians, even young people, prefer home gatherings with food, wine and national dances to nightclubs.
4. Driving culture
Pedestrians and drivers from other, non-Caucasian countries, the local driving style seems barbaric. Ignoring traffic lights (although there are few of them), pedestrian crossings, leaving the car where necessary, driving – all this is practiced by Armenian drivers. But taxis are cheap here, and taxi drivers are the most knowledgeable people in the world. /sized/f550x700/4y/ob/4yobivdezi80k0oggkc0kswo8.jpg” media=”(max-width: 549px)”> Those whose priority list includes shopping, regular visits to cinemas and bars, various interesting leisure activities will be disappointed. All of the above can be found only in Yerevan, in other cities this is a problem. Armenians, even young people, generally prefer home gatherings with food, wine and national dances to clubs. And the most popular leisure activities are trips to nature or trips abroad. Theater-goers will also have to be content with Yerevan: all venues are concentrated there. Apart from the capital, there is a theater only in Gyumri. Armenia has a developed culture of national fast food. And the restaurants here cook amazingly delicious food. Hot tortillas with and without fillings, local shish kebab khorovats, pilafs and cheeses, meat dishes, sweet pastries – it’s impossible to resist, besides, everything costs a little, and the portions are very generous. As a result, many of those who moved to Armenia quickly lose count of calories, and then are forced to unsuccessfully struggle with extra pounds. Also, have you seen the Armenian alphabet? After all, it is unrealistic to understand from these letters what is in front of you: a bank, a state institution or a hairdresser. The only thing that saves is that in Armenia almost everyone speaks Russian, so there are no problems with communication. Fauzan Fitria: Pexels5. Almost all life is in Yerevan
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6. Gastro Temptations