Hotel Armenia was officially put on the map of international accommodation this week with a Grand Opening that attached the Marriott name to the former state hotel.

Ceremonies Monday culminated five years of restoration and a multi-million dollar effort by a group of Diaspora Armenians to realize a world-class investment in Armenia.

“This is an exiting time for our local community and guests,” said Katrin Hentszel, General Manager of Armenia Marriott. “This one and only international brand name hotel in all Armenia has evolved from an aged hotel into one of Marriott’s nicest and modern properties.”

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The stranger in the street looked at the stranger stranger in the street, screwed his face into that shape one takes when he is distressed, then fulfilled a fantasy of mine: An Armenian asked me for directions.

He, a local, was asking me, emphatically not one, for help navigating the capital of his country. And he asked in Armenian. And I knew what he was asking. Things started to break down from there but, well, I take the small things . . .

“Teryan, oozum es?” You want Teryan, I asked.

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Questions of whether Armenia is “ Middle East”, “Central Asian”, “EurAsian”, etc. might find an answer every day at noon and 6:30 p.m.

If the popularity of the Arabic-centered television serial “Clone” is an indication, Armenia is crazy for the East.

In Yerevan, the soap opera is having an influence on fashion, on music, and, probably, on household dinner times.

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On an unusually quiet day at the office of Land and Culture Organization, staff member Rubina Markosyan shows a guest letters from volunteers who have spent parts of their summers in Armenia over the past 14 years.

“Summer, 2003, Shushi, day two, on the way to the hospital. I’ve come here for myself, just for myself. There are no patterns here and no times, no leaving and returning.

I am a complete continuation. Many different people are trying to speak the same language.

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Tigran is 6 and is still too short to work at a sculptor’s desk, so he stands on a chair.

“Now, I’m sculpting a lion” he says. To the question of who shows him how to sculpt he answers: “I’m making it up.”

He always sculpts animals; the first one was a horse. He doesn’t remember how long he’s been attending sculpting classes and how many hours he works per day, but he assures that he doesn’t get tired.

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An exhibit at the Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (CCEA) in Yerevan represents the work of artists from 15 countries and their attempts to unveil the essence of woman, as defined by contemporary culture.

The exhibit, which continues through June 25, roughly parallels the theme of director Federico Fellini’s movie “City of Women”.

In “Women’s City”, the female gender is portrayed in as many interpretations as the number of artist depicting them.

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The United Nations has chosen Armenia as host for its UNAIDS regional joint project center for fighting AIDS. The Yerevan office, set up this spring, will coordinate a Caucasus-wide program.

“Establishment of this regional center is very important considering conditions throughout the world today of record high HIV/AIDS, especially in cases where there is a great migration flow in the whole CIS territory,” says the press secretary of the Republican AIDS Prevention Center Susanna Tokmajyan.

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Seven Armenians are among 128 competitors in the World Chess Championship that begins today in Tripoli and continues through July 13.

Representing Armenia will be:

Vladimir Hakobyan (rating 2689), Levon Aronyan (rating 2645), Rafael Vahanyan (rating 2639), Smbat Lputyan (rating 2634), Gabriel Sargsyan (rating 2614), Karen Asryan (rating 2605), Ashot Anastasyan (rating 2587).

Players from 57 countries will compete in the seven round knock-out competition.

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