Louise

I am reading "The Cursed Years " by Yervant Odian. It is in English, and has not yet been published in French, but I was so eager to read it, because an Armenian from Istanbul wrote to me that Yervant Odian had met my grandfather and his family during the deportation. I thought that would give me some information about them, but he only saw them twice and writes: I met Misag effendi and his wife and three children (my father was the eldest, he was 14 or 15 years old). I was a little disappointed. But after, I read in my father'diary that when he was in Getronagan in Constantinople, he had a school friend named Hagop whose benefactor was Yervant Odian. I remembered when Odian was in an orphanage he wanted to adopt one of the children, all wanted to be his godson, he choosed Hagop. After the war, Hagop went to getronagan too, Y. Odian had given a room to him, and my father when he came back too late to the orphanage, used to sleep in that room.

---------------------------------------- If you make tourism in Belgium/Bruxelles you will find "rue du Bailli ; Maison du Bailli... Louise

------------------------------------------------------ Thank you Arpa, that is very interesting. I have no problem with onions, my mother used to put in all meals But the problem with garlic is that it smells, and some people do not like it. My grandmother knew the virtues of all plants : camphor, mauve, and other ones. When they were deported in Bolovadine, in a village of Tatars, she saved the life of her children by treating the villagers, who gave her food.

I don't agree with you when you say that our parents were in slavery. They worked for themselves, they were reach, the Kurds dit not work, the Turks were jealous, that's why they wanted to eliminate all the Christians and take all their houses and gold, farms and everything, even their girls for them, and their boys to keep the sheeps. our grand-parents succeeded very well. Now if we go back to Turkey, the same thing will happen. As soon as we get wealth, they will take it for themselves and put us out.

-------------------------------- from Louise I spend all my life telling the truth about the genocide. If it had been recognized, I should have had another life, I should read other books listen other music, have other friends...

Mart ches tarna : My grand-mother told me this story : A man used to say to his son : tun hich mart ches ellar ». The boy went to school, worked, and became a big boss. He called his father to come to his office and see him. He said : you see, now I am a Man ! « Voch, mart ches ! Why ? said his son. – because if you were a man ; you would not ask your old father to come in your office, but you would have come to see me in my home. »

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I saw a film « Mère Arménie » by Maïté Jardin. All those Armenians did not want to go in another country. Armenia is beautiful, though so cold in winter, and poverty, they felt happy to be free. But my parents who had lost more than half of their family during the genocide, were happy to live in France. They would not like to be alone as Armenians, but we lived in a building which had been built for refugees, and as Willam Saroyan said : we had created a little Armenia. We were very poor but not unhappy. All the Armenians are now living in foreign countries, it is better than living in a country where we are discriminated. Look at the Armenians in Turkey, they don’t dare to talk, to tell their story even to their children.

about the name: balian . Bal in turkish means honey and the man who makes honey is called in French : apiculteur =beekeeper may Armenians have that name! Balian

---------------------------------------- yes in turkish "bilemek" means (in armenian) srél - in english: to sharpen a man who sharpens the knives for instance or a tool it is very useful in the country Louise

---------------------------------- Arpa, ther are many expresssions in french with the word 'cul' cul-de-sac means a dead end cul de poule means to have pursed lips a cul de jatte is a legless cripple and many others...

It was just a rumor. Because after WW2 i heard that Madagascar would be a refuge for the Jews.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another story, but i am sorry, it is in French . Le poisson qui développe la réflexion "Un Arménien se rend à Moscou par le train. Dans le compartiment, il se trouve assis en face d'un Juif. Vers midi, ils rabattent la tablette pour manger un morceau. L'Arménien qui s'est muni de quelques succulents Ichkhan dzouk fumés (le fameux poisson ichkhan)* emballés dans du papier, commence à manger délicatement, minutieusement, le premier poisson, sans laisser le moindre morceau de chair. Son compagnon de voyage le regarde du coup de l'oeil et finit par dire : "Ce poisson m'a l'air d'être très savoureux". "En effet, dit l'Arménien, très savoureux, et en plus il a la vertu de développer la réflexion." "Ah bon? dit son compagnon de voyage, je peux en avoir un morceau?" "Bien sûr, dit l'Arménien, je vends le filet 20 roubles." Son compagnon de voyage paie ce filet de poisson extraordinaire et le déguste. Le poisson est tellement bon qu'il redemande un deuxième filet. "C'est 20 roubles" dit l'Arménien. L'autre paie le prix et savoure son filet. Une fois qu'il a fini de le manger, il demande à l'Arménien : "Ce poisson-là, où est-ce qu'on en trouve?" "Dans tous les magasins de Yérévan, pour 1 rouble le kilo." "Quoi?! fait son compagnon de voyage juif, 1 rouble le kilo, et tu me le vends à 20 roubles le filet d'à peine 200 grammes?!" "Ah, tu vois? rétorque l'Arménien, tu commences déjà à réfléchir!" *(c'est le poisson qui est pêché dans le lac Sevan en Arménie)

-------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you, it is him, Asadour, I think he lives in London now. We say in French: "le monde est petit" ! (the world is small) Nil Agopoff wants to write to him about his experience in India. ADIC - Armenité, Diversité et Identité citoyenne Best thoughts Arpa